How to die – continued
DAILY READINGS
From Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji
694
Death is a beautiful thing. Especially to old people I say: 'Throw away your desires, go to Death. Go like Nachiketa. Become a Nachiketa.'
Ramana Maharishi actually realised God through death. Ramana Maharishi became stiff, he would not breathe. He said, 'I am dead.' Suddenly it dawned on him. By force he induced death and found only Consciousness remaining. No other yogi has done that. He discovered that.
Actually what we sannyasis come to teach you here is how to die. [laughter] Nothing else. If you know how to die you have God-realisation. I am not talking about committing suicide, I am talking about how to die.
If you die unknowingly you will be born unknowingly. If you die knowingly then you can refuse to be born again. If I hit you on the head what happens to you while you are unconscious? You know nothing. And when you come to? Are you a wise man? No. You are the same silly person. So it is like that when you die in an accident – you come back again just like that.
Learn to die my friends, learn to die. That is actually what you start doing when you start controlling the senses. Kill the senses, those miserable things. Slowly you withdraw.
Devotee: How can I understand the things I see in the world?
Swamiji: But you do not see, that is what I am saying. Exactly what you are seeing, you are not seeing. You are only apparently seeing. If you put a yellow glass in front of your eyes, what colour is the world? Yellow. So you are looking through the eyes of maya [the divine power of delusion/illusion]. Remove the glass and then you will see that, whatever you are seeing, you are not seeing the right thing. It is like seeing the snake in the rope. This world does not exist.
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