[2nd President and Spiritual Head: the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa]
[now a Centre of the international Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission]
DAILY READINGS
Transcribed from the recordings made by Mother Radha
Day 1030
Swamiji commenting on a talk about the precepts and spiritual guidelines for sadhakas or spiritual aspirants:
The first thing the speaker said is that religion in its lower stages is to observe certain precepts. And these precepts are not ordinary man-made precepts. They were discovered by the Rishis [sage seer-saints], especially those in the scriptures. And there in the scriptures you have the don'ts and do's in the form of Yama [avoid] and Niyama [do]. And when one does this…what happens? – you get jnana [spiritual knowledge/wisdom]. And this jnana later on will make your mind serene and calm and then it will take you up to samadhi [spiritual superconsciousness].
How true if we obey the ordinary laws in our homes, isn't the family united and calm? Supposing your father says, 'you must come in at 9 p.m.,' and you walk in at say half past one in the morning, you know what will happen. Either you climb in through the window or you come through the door with all the scolding. It agitates the mind, disturbs the mind for the very simple reason that you didn't obey the precept. You did not take the law as it is supposed to be taken – and practise it.
So everything in this whole world, truly, is made out of certain laws. The law of repulsion, law of attraction, law of distraction, law of detachment. And when this happens, when you sincerely start living, then people come out with many, many excuses. 'Oh, I don't want to live by laws'. Just by saying the words,'I don't want to live by laws,' you are making a law. He's making his own law. He doesn't want to live by laws, means he does not want to live by other people's laws – he wants to live by his own laws. No man can live by his own laws – just like Krishnamurti says that a guru [spiritual preceptor] is not necessary. And you go and quote Krishnamurti and say, 'Guru is not necessary.' Automatically he becomes a guru. So by saying that one becomes the guru. You don't realise that, you see. So laws must be obeyed.
I tell the ashramites [residents of the ashram, hermitage monastery], 'wake up at 4 o'clock I the morning,' and they get up at half past five in the morning. 'Be in the shrine at 6 a.m.,' they'll be there at five to seven. No, we don't like laws. You see, only animals haven't got laws. Why? Because they are served by instinct. God has forcibly made instinct, that is the law for them. They have to follow the instinct. Perchance an animal says, 'I don't want to follow instinct,' then he's ready to be a man in the next birth. So he'll fit in the category of man where he'll discriminate, accept or reject. Other than that, nothing – he just does. Mother Nature – that's why we call God 'Mother' – Mother Nature makes him do certain things and makes him not to do certain things, why? Only for one simple reason – for his own evolution.
Now here you find that when the speaker said 'precepts' – and he gave you the different precepts - ahimsa [non-injury], brahmacharya [sense-restraint,control, celibacy] and other things – what I liked the best [Swamiji chuckles] – is that you're supposed to speak the truth but not speak harshly. Mother Sarada Devi [nun-wife-consort of Sri Ramakrishna] also said, 'speak truth where it does not hurt anybody'. And the speaker brought it to human level. If I come to you and say, 'you're fat,' you'll get upset. But when someone told me I was fat [Swamiji teases] I used to get happy and think , 'I'm taking a little more space than that fellow.' [Swamiji and devotees laugh] But the mothers [women] are more conscious of that. If you just tell somebody, 'you're fat', you're in trouble. You know the worst part of the mothers is if you tell them 'fat', there's trouble. And you tell them, 'you're thin,' there's also trouble. [all laugh] Because it hurts, you see?
Sri Ramakrishna said the same thing. He said, 'Do not tell the truth that hurts.' He gave an example; if a man is lame [paralysed] don't go and ask him how he became lame. He's going to be hurt. Don't go and say to someone who is – I hope nobody here today is – squint…. 'I see you're squint.' So it hurts, and it hurts terribly. Remember this. That is why you don't ask the sannyasins, 'tell me, before your sannyasa [becoming a monk, Swami], what were you?' His father may be a rogue, a drunkard. This fellow [the sannyasi] is worshipped as a living image of God and you're asking him to recollect his [pre-monastic] sinful father. He has to pay [account] for all the sin now. So don't do that. Just take it wherever it is, as long as it is the?...truth. It's like a man coming to the ashram – you don't ask the man, 'where were you before?' If he wishes to say, he'll say. Who knows? Maybe Swamiji felt compassion and brought that fellow straight out of jail to here. Now must he tell you people about the jail? You must watch these things, you see?
Another thing is, you must not accept gifts. Because then you are obligated or must in turn give something. One of the ashramites told me in the quiet….I said, 'you know you're not supposed to accept gifts?' He said, 'Swamiji, what must I do?' I said 'You are indebted to him, you'd better give something in return.' He said, 'But I said thank-you when he gave it to me.' [Swamiji and devotees laugh heartily] But truly, in my own life I have found that some of the rich people who are here, excuse me saying this, once they've given me a gift they have bound me very badly. And I'm always conscious now that this fellow, one day, after ten years, is going to come asking for favours. So I am quite conscious about it. But I say to the ashramites, if anyone comes with a gift, take it and leave it at Master's [Sri Ramakrishna's] altar in the shrine.
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, 150 different CDs or DVDs with mp3 files, of Swamiji speaking. Please email timhoare@webmail.co.za to order.
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
