Eating and meditating
[2nd President and Spiritual Head: the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa]
DAILY READINGS
Selected from Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji.
Day 803
Devotee: Swamiji, can one do sadhana [spiritual practice] after eating supper?
Swamiji: It is better to do sadhana when you have had no supper, then your blood does not run to the stomach to digest the food. Otherwise it does injury to the nerves and the brain – you are pulling it up to the head when the blood is needed in the stomach.
So purely for health reasons and not for anything else it is better to do sadhana without having a full stomach. On the other hand if you are really hungry, you can have some fruit or something just to keep the hunger in abeyance, do your sadhana, and then eat later. God is not fussy – it's we who are fussy.
As an exercise surround your Deity with light, either around the head or the whole body. Breathe in deeply and when you have taken a full breath, hold it for about ten counts (count it on your fingers). Please do it sincerely and lovingly. After you have held it for ten counts do not blow the air out, but let the air come out naturally. Breathe out fully without forcing it out and hold it again for about ten counts. Then, when you have done that, breathe in again fully and hold it for ten counts. Do this for a minute or two. Now again relax completely without moving and breathe naturally.
On attitude:
Whatever you do – whether you stick a [postage] stamp, sweep the floor, clean the toilet – do it for God. Those who do not do this consciously now, will have a rough time later.
You must discipline a child from small. If you do not, you will have trouble. Eighty per cent of the time you are to be blamed; but ninety per cent of the time you blame the child. So from the beginning, train your mind.
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.
For more about the Holy Trinity, and also the founding Swamis of the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa, please mouse over their names below:
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