Swami Shivapadananda Puri on building faith and trust

To build faith, first think of something special happening to you. I always think about the sixpence [six penny coin] that [the divine] Mother gave me [Swamiji found it under a stone when he needed it most]. I was very poor but the Divine Mother looked after me. First comes faith, then something happens. You cannot explain it, and because of faith you believe it is so. Sri Ramakrishna saw a hibiscus flower on [the image of the goddess] Kali and said: ‘It is going to fall’ and it did. That faith he banked on many times – and he believed in the [divine] Mother that is present. It sounds so simple, but please remember it.

The devotee is the son of the guru [spiritual preceptor]. When it is your son, what part of him you do not know, physical, emotional, mental? This openness exists between guru and disciple, wishing for their highest welfare. The guru should not give to the devotee until there is a longing for it, a great yearning and the devotee asks – then only the guru imparts. The child must solve its problems itself. An experienced teacher throws hints to the child.