Developing character
DAILY READINGS
From Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji
661
Swamiji continues reading from: A Primer of Hinduism by Prof. D.S. Sharma
It [Hinduism] teaches that he who has not made himself, by strenuous endeavour, pure in thought, word and deed, and who has not acquired the necessary adhikari [fitness] or competence, can never even know that there is a spiritual world.
[Swamiji] If you do not make yourself adhikari, competent, qualified, through these moral laws you will not even know there is a spiritual world.
But in morality there is no finality or completeness.
[Swamiji] You can never say, 'Now I am morally fit, I am perfect,' because there is no end to morality. You have to be continuously striving to be a man [or person] of perfect character; there is no completeness in it. As long as you live, you have to practise morality. You cannot say, 'Now I am a sadhu [holy man/person] I can treat everybody as I like; I can sleep with anybody I like.' Nay. Sri Ramakrishna did not do that. Swami Vivekananda did not do that. They were very observant as far as rules go – they observed yama [the do's] and niyama [the don'ts].
After every moral success we see a higher ideal which condemns once again our lives of littleness and sin.
[Swamiji] When we get to a level of good we see that there is still a higher good. Then, when we get to that good, we find there is still an even higher good which absorbs the lower good. We can never say, 'This is the best.' We have to keep on striving.
If you climb a high mountain in a range, when you get to the top of that mountain you find a higher mountain. By the time you get to the top of the next mountain you find there is a still higher mountain. And by the time you have climbed all the high mountains you die. So similarly you never get completeness.
1) Care should be taken by the reader to
understand and take Swamiji's words in these postings, in context. Every
teaching or instruction that he gave was specific to the people who were with
Swamiji at the time. 2) Mouse-over the words highlighted in red in the
posting for further explanation or links.
There are currently available, over 100 different CDs or
DVDs with mp3 files, of Swamiji speaking. Please email timhoare@webmail.co.za
to order. Click HERE for the second website on Swamiji's life and
teachings.
Sri
Ramakrishna, Sri
Sarada Devi, Swami
Vivekananda, Swami Nischalananda Puri, Swami Shivapadananda
Click Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna to read
online…
Reference websites (please mouse-over
the name to connect): Ramakrishna Math
and Mission, Ramakrishna
Centre of SA, Ramakrishna
Centre of Southern Africa, Ramakrishna Dham, Swami Shivapadananda 2