God-realisation is for all
[2nd President and Spiritual Head: the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa]
[now a Centre of the international Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission]
DAILY READINGS
Selected from Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji.
Day 886
Sri [Adi] Shankaracharya's idea of realising God was that you must sit in one place till you get moksha [self-realisation or liberation from samsara, the cycle of birth and rebirth]. But Sri Ramakrishna said, 'No. Sannyasis [Hindu monks, renunciates and nuns] must serve the world and use that as a means to realise God.'
Sri Shankaracharya said, 'Only Brahmins [the teacher/priest caste in the Hindu caste system, see diagram above] can realise God.' Sri Ramakrishna says, 'No. All can realise God who have the devotion.'
Sri Ramakrishna founded a religion which is the essence of all religions. It condemns no religion. After Master many others have preached the universality of religion and claimed it as their own.
Sri Ramakrishna has said, 'All religions are disciplines to discipline our minds, and you can realise God.' Before this, all believed that if you followed Karma Yoga [the yoga of work and offering the fruits of that work to God], you would get God. Or that if you followed Jnana Yoga [the yoga of knowledge] you would get God. Or if you followed Bhakti Yoga [the yoga of devotion] you would get God [realisation]. But that you could not mix them up and get God.
Sri Ramakrishna said, 'Religion is not in dogmas and doctrines. It is in being and becoming. God [realisation] can be had by worship, psychic control (internal and external), by knowledge, or by all of these. You can practise all these [in combinations or separately] in one birth because the mind differs from second to second.'
After 1886 [the year in which Sri Ramakrishna left his body] many others followed religion as preached by Sri Ramakrishna. He discovered it. He uncovered it – like you remove the cloth from the table. This is Sanatana Dharma – Eternal Religion [also known as Hinduism].
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