Sloth and experience
[Pictured: Lord Rama (Avatar and Satguru) embracing Sri Hanumanji, disciple]
[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 932
Swamiji to an elderly devotee: What are you busy with?
Devotee: I'm very busy with many publications and…
Swamiji: For your own sake just write down what you are doing on one piece of paper. If you do this you will see my point. Because it is bad for the age one is at to just let his or her mind relax like that. It's bad. For the sake of medicine and for the sake of keeping the mind alive do what I am saying. It is very easy to stretch the work to five hours. But you will see if you pay attention, that that particular work may only require one and a half hours to complete. Yet you are quite happy to do it for five hours. [Swamiji had clearly discerned that the devotee, regardless of senior age group, was slipping into a state of tamas or laziness. See three gunas.]
*
The story goes that one time a guru's [spiritual preceptor's] fire was left to go out. So he became very angry with the chela [disciple or sishya]. He asks the chela, 'Where's the fire?' The chela says, 'There's no fire.' The guru says, 'Go to hell and get it.' So the chela went to hell and he sees burning fire everywhere. As he's entering there the gatekeeper says.' Hey, where are you going? You don't belong in this place.' The chela says, 'My guru sent me to get fire from here.' The gatekeeper says, 'Fire? Go and tell your guru those people who come here come with their own fire. [laughter]
People hearing this will criticise the guru. But they are stupid people. Wasn't that a blessing? It was a blessing for the chela to learn and know [have that experience]. He did not know that before.
But people will only look at the guru's [seeming*] anger and criticise it. The guru's anger was actually a blessing. A holy man's curse is different from an ordinary man's curse. And if there's so much we can learn through the anger of that guru, even seated here – then blessed be that anger.
*Sri Ramakrishna used to say that the 'anger' of a holy man is like a stick lying in water. It appears to divide the water but in fact does not. i.e. it's not real or human anger, but a behaviour designed to produce a result in the disciple's mind.
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