[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 981
[The discussion centres around psychic powers and tantric worship]
You see, the rules have to be followed – but to a sannyasi [Hindu monk, Swami] there is no such thing as dirty and clean. He is always in God-consciousness. He is supposed to be repeating [God's name, in japa]. I'm talking about a real sannyasi now. He's supposed to be repeating God's name all the time, wherever he goes. So that itself keeps him pure. That is the idea behind Shiva. Sometimes he's [depicted] in the graveyard and sometimes he's sitting in deep meditation. But when a devotee thinks of him in that conditioned form [the problem arises]….can you tell me, when he's in the graveyard and when he's in the temple? So he's perfect always. Whether he is in the graveyard or in the temple. He's always perfect. That's why, in a holy man, this is how it is applicable. He's always pure because he's always dipping his mind into God?....thought.
Supposing now I'm an evil man and yet you know I possess psychic [or Tantric] powers – that I can harm you. What would you do?
Devotee: I don't believe in such things.
Swamiji: Hmm. You'll have to believe. Do you believe in hypnotism?
Devotee: Yes.
Swamiji: That's psychic power that. That is psychic power.
Devotee: More psychological.
Swamiji: Everything is mind. Everything that you see is mind. Read the Yoga Vashishtha, it will tell you. Everything is mind. All this is projection of the mind – nothing else. So, when you know the man is strong or he has obtained certain psychic powers and even if you don't know - that makes it worse, because you are uncertain about it. So rather, just respect everyone. Please everyone. By pleasing everyone you don't get harmed. So please everyone [by being polite]. Prostrate to them. You don't want to harm yourself. You want to live your life in such a way that you must reach the goal of your life, which is God-realisation – or live your life in such a way that you have the maximum [spiritual development] in this body.
So why, unnecessarily look for trouble? If by saying 'Namaste' [the Hindu salutation on meeting] to you, and pleasing your ego [ahamkara], I can be blessed, why not do it? After all, I am not your teacher [to point out your faults]. Do it – 'Namaste Baba, how are you Baba, alright?' Reaction? 'Swamiji's a very nice man.' That evil fellow's supposed to say that Swamiji's a very bad man, the same fellow is now saying, 'Swamiji's a very nice man!' How good that is - that's better. My nature and your nature should be to do good to everybody. So these people who are respected, they are respected from an uncertainty point of view, most of them.
Most of the householders [lay devotees], when they respect sadhus [holy people], I can tell you this, 80% of them do so out of fear. And the other 20% will do it out of love, come what may. Like Nachiketa went to [Lord] Yama [the Hindu god of death] for three days. Yama, out of fear said, 'No please ask [your questions], otherwise the Brahmin boy [which Nachiketa was] is like a fire – it eats up all the [spiritual] merits.' Fear! Right? But then these people who do this [psychic powers] thing, it is also true that they become God-realised that way – make no mistake. When these people are departing, they also use a bija [seed mantra] - they also use the mantra called 'swaha'. That is a mystical word which causes something and they actually experience spirituality. Remember what I am saying. I am talking to you about tantric yoga which is called Vamachara [lit: left-handed path] – which is not advisable for anybody. It is not advisable. So some of these people practice it according to their nature. A dog must bark. A pig must grunt, a dog will eat flesh, a pig will eat – you know what it eats, I don't have to tell you. That's why we stopped praying to the Boar avatar of Vishnu [Swamiji chuckles].
Devotee asks an inaudible question.
Swamiji: You see why…it is not bad…..it is just so dangerous.
Devotee: Because it doesn't induce devotion.
Swamiji: Ahhh, no! no! no! no! They induce devotion. In that particular person, it induces devotion. But to us it will induce something else. I'll give you a plain and simple example – all are adults here. When [Sri] Ramakrishna used to see a dog and a bitch getting together, he used to go into samadhi [spiritual superconsciousness]. An ordinary man will see the same thing - will he get into samadhi? That's why it's so dangerous. So why tackle dangerous things when you have a safer path?
[Swami] Vivekananda [spiritual heir to Sri Ramakrishna] asked Ramakrishna Bhagawan about the various spiritual paths. Master said, 'There are crooked paths and there are good paths – suffice it for you to know the good paths.' He said that to Vivekananda. And if such a great, evolved soul can be told that what are you and me?
Everything is God's lila [divine play] – nothing bad there, but what it brings forth inside you – that is the most important. Anything that brings sensuality must go. Anything that brings spirituality, reveals God. So what I must place in front of the people, depends on what kind of mind they have.
Is it plain? Nothing bad. All is good. Even all that you're thinking is bad, is ultimately good – you will see what I am saying. It is his lila. But without knowing the lila, if you do it, then it's bad. Like a man, taking the part of beggar, believing he's a beggar – you think he's going to have a happy life? He'll have a miserable life. He's believing it, this beggar. [Swamiji chuckles] Meanwhile if he only knew that he's a acting this part of a beggar, there will be joy in acting the part of the beggar. As long as the lila remains unrevealed you must watch and practice the discipline. Practice the?...discipline. Nothing bad in this world. Honest to God – nothing is bad. What you think is the worst, is his play again. But until you know the play, don't do it – avoid those things. Otherwise you'll be stuck, like – what's that sand called? – quicksand. In quicksand. Not breathing, too, is his lila – but you will die. [Swamiji laughing] Until you know it's his lila. Does it make sense what I am saying?
That's why great Rishis [sage seer-saints] can forgive the worst sin. From that point of view [perspective] it's all God's lila. But you and I can't. Man must only place the good in front of people. That's all. Morality is a very beautiful thing. Why? Because it reveals God quickly. Through character.
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
