Purifying your mind
[2nd President and Spiritual Head: the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa]
DAILY READINGS
From Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji
793
Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa used very simple words when he saw his disciples. One day they came and asked him, 'Maharaj [lit: great king] my mind is so evil, it's thinking about all the bad things that I want to do.' You see, here you must see the frankness of the disciple. The disciple didn't put on a pious show with a demure look so that the guru [spiritual preceptor] would see a very nice saint. No – open, naked, naked of mind. Naked of mind is the best nakedness. Not of the body. Go there and reveal – say. He went to the guru and said, 'Maharaj, Paramahamsaji, my mind is restless, it's thinking of all the bad things. I cannot sit.' The Lord [Sri Ramakrishna] said: 'That does not matter my child. Your mind must become like a cloth. Wash it as much as you can. Don't worry about the little stains. Then put it into the dye'.
A great Swami of the [Ramakrishna] Mission says, 'At first I didn't understand this. I thought only the perfect people, the pure people must go to God'. But no – he [Sri Ramakrishna] did not mean that. He said that our mind is that dirty cloth. As far as possible try to practise purity. As far as possible you try your best to do the right thing. And then at the same time dip it [the mind] in the dye of God. In the dye of? – God. And when you keep dipping like that and you keep washing, you find the dye will sooner or later get on to [absorbed by] the cloth called the mind and all dirt will be destroyed, washed out. So we must keep trying to dye our mind in God's name by doing sadhana [spiritual practice] morning and evening. If possible the whole day. Take His name, repeat His name and when you keep doing this, a subtle kind of habit will get hold of you. You'll get into a habit where whatever happens, you'll take God's name. And no sooner you take God's name than what does God's name do? It purifies you by attracting all the good [spiritual] things towards you. And all the bad things will automatically fall away.
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