Getting away with God
[2nd President and Spiritual Head – the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa]
DAILY READINGS
From Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji
709
Swamiji speaks at the start of a Yoga Camp
Blessed devotees of God, I welcome you most heartily to this sadhana camp. My beloved guru, Swami Nischalananda [pictured above], held many a camp like this, where he gave out the cream of the teachings of Sri Ramakrishna.
The spiritual life of a sadhaka [spiritual aspirant or practitioner] is especially directed during these camps, where we as sadhakas get together to take note of the positive side of spirituality. Whilst comparing notes we find where we are weak. We do this for one reason only: so that we may take great care in the future to correct ourselves and thus improve our life on Earth. We do this to get the instrument of our body-mind-intellect complex ready to receive the Divine grace of God.
Sri Ramakrishna was so very loving, so very human and so very simple. Just as he realised the many paths to reach God he also, out of deep concern and love, showed us that if we cannot do the most, we must even do the least to save ourselves from misery, troubles, trials and tribulations.
Master [Sri Ramakrishna] said that in the Kali Yuga man is a busy creature, he is always in a hurry. He said that even though we are busy we should at least take some time off from our material life to pay special attention to our spiritual life. Master said that the busy man should get away for a year. If he cannot get away into quietness and solitude for a year the Master said three months would do. He went on reducing it. He said, 'If not for three months you can take thirty days.' He further reduced it. He said, 'If a man is so very busy, he should take twelve days to have a vacation from this world of impermanence, and concentrate his mind on that Supreme Being who is ever-present eternally in our heart.'
Taking his lesson from this, Gurudev [Swami Nischalananda – Swamiji's Guru] thought it fit to have yoga camps. And that is precisely what we do. We take a vacation from our worldly duties to direct our lives positively towards God and his glory.
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