[2nd President and Spiritual Head: the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa]
DAILY READINGS
From Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji
757
[Pravrajika] Atmaprana [the first Sannyasini (Hindu nun) of the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa]: Would Swamiji say that it is sat chit, or Satchidananda together?
Swamiji: Satchidananda is only One. It is different aspects of that One. The dispelling power of darkness is in the lamp. When the light comes on what happens? The darkness goes.
Sat is existence. Then side by side it has knowledge - which makes me see a thing in its rightful place. And because of that I feel happy - ananda - no confusion there. So all three are in One. Sat is not different from chit and chit is not different from ananda. The whole three are only One - Satchidananda.
We are trying to express the different attributes of the same thing. Ultimately Satchidananda is only the limited reading the Unlimited. You can't give a description of the highest Thing. 'Absolute' never has a description, never will have a description.
The question people will put to you is, 'Didn't Sri Shankaracharya limit the Unlimited by saying Satchidananda?' My answer is emphatically, 'Yes and no.' Yes, if you take it from your point of view, that we describe it so it has to be limited. That which is beyond description is unlimited. But it was put there only to remove the limited, so you will get to the Unlimited.
When I say it is sat it means it is existence, not non-existence. So it removes non-existence. And ultimately that which I know as existence must go too. What do I know about existence, as ordinary man? It is too limited. So sat is put there to make it 'that which is existence'. We don't mean that which is non-existence. And ultimately the existence that I know must go, because the Absolute cannot be thought of. How can you think of absolute? So as long as I am thinking of something, it is not that existence we are talking of - sat.
[Continued in post 758]
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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