Swami Shivapadananda on initiation by the Guru

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

DAILY READINGS

Taken from Mother Radha’s
notes, written at Swamiji’s feet.

Day 291

You only have karma as long as you think you are a body. This body, mind
and soul is a reflection of Brahman [the indivisible universal consciousness].
Use your imagination, thought, feeling, to overcome it all. When you see the
[higher] Self, all else drops away instantly, you see it all is illusion.

Yes, we must be gentle with each other. But if you tell someone: ‘You
must be loving,’ or ‘You must be gentle,’ you are not loving and
gentle, you are violent, you are ungentle.

Bhakti [devotion, love] and Jnana [knowledge] must be balanced.

Do a [Hindu or Buddhist rosary or prayer beads] mala [pictured] of 108 beads morning and
evening. We need to keep the company of devotees and to keep the mind on God.
Have no evil thoughts.

First offer your food to God [as in saying the food prayer or grace] then it is
Prasad [sacramental food].

When you find a guru you must test him. Then you must live with
him, so that he knows you and you know him. When he gives you initiation [a ceremony introducing you to God], he
takes your karma and this makes him ill. Or if you are good, it helps him. At
initiation he gives you spiritual purification of the body too. This is needed.
Sometimes when the guru’s tide is very high, he tries to take you across, but you
are unwilling to go. The guru can remove all lust and so on.

Name and form are the illusion. If you close your eyes and ears the
illusion has gone. But the guru has neither name nor form.

Pray like this: ‘O Ma [Divine Mother], give me Self-realisation and then
the chance to play a little, to serve all the others.’

Click on ‘Continue reading’ below to find out about CDs of Swamiji speaking live.