[2nd President and Spiritual Head: the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa]
DAILY READINGS
From Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji
741
Swamiji teaches the renunciates
When we read this book 'The Teachings of Buddha' we can ignore the word Buddha and put the word, 'Enlightened Being' in its place. Call it Christ if you like. Call it Allah if you like. Call it Mohammed if you like. Call it Sri Ramakrishna if you like. Call it Guru if you like. Call it what you like.
When we read "homeless brothers" we are those homeless brothers and sisters at the present moment. We have no home to call our own, we have no ashrams [monasteries] to call our own. By God's grace God has provided us with an area of two feet by two feet just to sit in, that's all. For the time being we will take that as ours. For the time being we will call it God's privilege given to us to occupy this space.
This is very important what I am saying. Eighty percent of the time we don't take seriously what we are told, with the result that we don't put it into practice. And because we don't put it into practice our troubles begin. From that point of view we say our guru's word is a mantra [sacred syllable or word]. A mantra is supposed to control the mind. You have to submit to it consciously, not unconsciously. Allow the mantra to sacrifice the lower part of yourself, the lower self, so that it can take on the image of the Higher Self, or become the Higher Self.
A piece of wood sacrifices itself. It become a fire. Think about it. And the fire sacrifices itself to become ashes. All lessons you learn and put into practice are called japa yoga [meditative repetition]. Japa is not only a means of repeating God's name, it is the practical practising of yoga. The Bhagavad Gita says it is the greatest sacrifice. This sacrifice calls for nothing less than sacrificing your little whims and fancies, your little lower self, in the fire of the Higher Self. When doing a havan [ritual fire-worship] you take ghee [clarified butter] and put it in the fire, you put wood in it, and you put havan samagari [mixture of prescribed ingredients] in it. Similarly, when you do japa[ meditative repetition of one of God's many names], you are actually sacrificing your breath, your individual breath, your individual lower self to the higher Universal Self, paramatman. That is the greatest sacrifice. There is no other sacrifice.
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.
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
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