Swami Shivapadananda

Japa and meditative states

 

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

[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 867

   

When real sadhana [spiritual practice] takes place there is no time in calculation. Time moves so fast that you don't realise it.

When singing the Hanuman Chalisa, look at your Deity [Ishta Deva or Chosen Ideal] and put all the attributes through to him.

There are three ways of repeating [doing japa, the meditative repetition of a mantra or one of the may names attributed to God] a mantra [sacred sound syllable, word, phrase] . One is loudly [vocalised]. Second, with your lips and tongue [non-vocalised]. Third, neither your tongue nor your lips move [mental or manasic].

Look at your Deity within and repeat its mantra ten times. The highest way to do it, after much effort, is the third one [manasic, mental]. With calmness and proper breathing, you repeat your Deity's name. When you look at the world without, silently repeat the Guru mantra [mantra given through initiation by the spiritual preceptor]  and you will feel that the whole world is permeated by your Guru. Struggle to bring your mind, again and again, to the One without a second. That is concentration. Looking at his form is contemplation. When you contemplate and concentrate you enter into meditation.

All of us are used to the physical manifestation, the gross [external]. When you look at your Deity outside, in the murthi [image, picture, statue, representation], it is still physical. You must make the effort to realise the subtle.

Some people enter the mental realm where they see the Deity mentally. And as they utter the mantra they will slowly, from the mental realm, from the physical realm, enter the subtle realm. Thus from the subtle you enter into the subtler; and from the subtler you enter into the subtlest.

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

 

Use Japa to get God

 [Pictured: Murthi of Sri Ramakrishna in shrine at Belur Math, Dakshineswar, India]

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

[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 853

   

Do you want to be pure? Then concentrate all day on God's name. Do japa [meditative repetition of a mantra - sacred word/s or sound syllable] or one of the many names attributed to God] and think of His glories. What you think you become. How great must be japa. Concentration is a supreme discipline. Is meditation so easy? The great Rishis [sages, seers, saints] struggled. Sri Ramakrishna himself struggled for twelve years. Intense yearning can come any time, in any of the four ashramas [or life-stages, consisting of: brahmacharya (student), grihastha (married), vanaprastha (contemplative), sannyasa (renunciation]. Intensify a little the desire you have for God. The highest happiness is to know God, live with God, become God, and to know that God is there. His touch is so electrifying, it destroys all past karmas [life-debts, birth and rebirth obligations]. God's embrace is not like yours and mine

Do not waste your time. Read the scriptures and think. You and the scriptures must be the closest companions because the scriptures give the milk of Immortality.

Cling to the inside, not the outside [world and stimuli]. He God] is seated in your heart.

Do not hurt anyone in thought, word or deed [ahimsa]. That is the essence.

Devotee: It is so difficult to remember to do sadhana [regular spiritual practice], Swamiji.

Swamiji: That is because it is not a habit. For example, Lord Rama [the great Hindu incarnation of God] built a bridge to go to [Sri] Lanka, but Hanumanji [the exemplary devotee and disciple of Lord Rama] took Lord Rama's name and flew across. So God's name makes you float.

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

   

Suffering and Japa

 

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

[2nd President and Spiritual Head: the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa]

DAILY READINGS

Selected from Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji.

Day 802

   

Mother Kunthi was asked by Sri Krishna, the Lord, "Ask me a boon [blessing] Kunthi and I shall give it to you." She said, "Lord the only boon that I want from you is that wherever I am, may difficulties always attend me." "Why are you asking for a boon like this?" Sri Krishna asked. She replied, "Lord, it's because in times of difficulties I think about you the most."

The main thing that mattered to her was not happiness but just remembering God. How many of us can do that? That's our problem. This is a higher type of worship though it may not seem so.

Swamiji on Japa [meditative repetition of one of the many names attributed to God, or a mantra – sacred sound syllable or word]:

To keep japa flowing, wherever I am I just withdraw [mentally] for a few seconds. Even if I am sitting amongst important people, and they are discussing something, I just withdraw for that particular moment and I do what I have to do [introspect], inside, and then come out. Or if I am near a Mosque I actually enjoy it because every time I hear the maulvi call, I straight away look at Sri Ramakrishna in the form of a devotee sitting in a Mosque and I see how he is doing his sadhana [spiritual practice]. Then I carry on. That too is a form of sadhana because I connected with God.

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