Don’t think! Just do!
[2nd President and Spiritual Head: the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa]
DAILY READINGS
From Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji
751
The discussion on Japa [meditative repetition of a mantra or one of the many names ascribed to God] continues from post 750
Didn't Swami Vivekananda say to his brother disciples, 'Do you think that if I am not going to get milk to drink I am going to drink ditch water?' The pleasures of this world are ditch water. Milk is repeating God's name, thinking about God.
Householder [lay devotee]: But isn't a goal necessary?
Swamiji: A worldly man will look for a goal. But he shouldn't look for a goal. It is a lower stage. Just do good because it's good to do good. Don't do good because somebody will say, 'You are a good man,' or because you will have a place in the public eye, or so that God will come to you and pat you on the back and say, 'You did very good work.' No.
You just do good because it is your nature.
If you ask the sun, 'Why are you giving sunlight?' What is he going to say? 'Because it is my nature. I can't help but do it.' It has no motive. As a child, did you think you were breathing to keep living? No, you just breathed. Later on the evil started: 'If I don't breath I will die.' As a child you just breathe because it is natural to breathe. Who cares why you are breathing? So just do japa and meditation. Don't care for what reason you are doing it. Do it because that's the only right thing to do. Do it for the sake of doing it.
If you do this your mind will be concentrated at once. Because before I say, 'Shiva', my mind just goes: 'Shiva, Shiva, Shiva'. I repeat 'Shiva, Shiva, Shiva.' I used to mock it, laugh it and play it. I'd do everything with it. Later on when divine and undivine things came up then the trouble started. I'd think, 'Now I must concentrate it.' At that time the concentration was perfect without thinking it was concentration. Then the thought came in, 'To think is divine and to not think is undivine.' Just be. Who cares? Just repeat God's name. That is the right thing to do. Just carry on.
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 Swami Shivapadananda
The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna - read online
Reference websites – please mouse over the name and click to connect:
Ramakrishna Math and Mission Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa Ramakrishna Dham