Hatred and discrimination
[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 816
Devotee: Swamiji, isn't it my duty to protect myself and my family? For example: isn't it my duty to prevent my children or my brother for that matter, from falling into the clutches of someone whom I know to be a smooth crook? I can only tell them if I see some of those wrongs – isn't that so?
Swamiji: It is so. I didn't say, "don't see wrong." I said you must see the wrong in a person. Sri Ramakrishna put it like this, "You know that that is a tiger so you're not going to embrace it; you stay far from it. But you won't hate the tiger because it is part of nature."
The most important element is hate. You still love the tiger from the position where it is and where you are. But if one of my sons was grabbed by the tiger I may start hating the tiger and that hating is wrong.
Devotee: So one still has to see good?
Swamiji: You must see it. Discrimination means you must see it. That's why you've got discrimination. Don't form a low opinion about the man or a high opinion. Say, "Thank God I saw it."
Supposing you put money in one bank and they are giving you a low interest. You take out the money from there and put it in another bank, but you won't hate the first bank. It's like that. Everything is God's lila [divine play]. The rose plant bears thorns, it's the nature of the rose. The marigold has got no thorns, it's the nature of the marigold not to have thorns. That is how it is.
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