[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 919
You have to take yourself from where you are [spiritually]. No amount of thinking: 'I am in Johannesburg,' will take you to Johannesburg. You will have to start the first step here [Durban at the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa] because you are here.
Yes, meditation is effortless. Thinking of God should be effortless.
Devotee: How do we reach that effortless stage, Swamiji?
Swamiji: This is what I said, son: Get to love It [God]. Do things that will make you love It. Listen to stories about It; hear about great souls by reading books; have constant remembrance. On your own, even if your mind doesn't want to, think about God in different ways. There will come a time when, even if you don't try to think, it [the mind] will think [of God].
The Rishis [sage-seer-saints] had very strange ways of taking our minds to God. How compassionate they were. Take fear for instance: Once a Rishi said to a man, 'Think about God.' He said, 'What nonsense this fellow is talking.' Then one day the man was in trouble so he went to the Rishi for help. But instead the Rishi scared him by saying, 'You wanted to murder that fellow so now you are going to die.' Instant fear.
So the first thing the man thought was, 'I must get to a lawyer, I must get to a lawyer.' But the lawyer said, 'Look, I don't know if I can help you, we will try.' So the next thing he thought was, 'I must get to temple, I must get to temple.' So he went to the temple and a spirit came to him and said, 'Put this three times round you etc . . .' Now meantime, through fear, the man is actually thinking about God. Before that trouble he hadn't thought about God but now fear made him think effortlessly about 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:
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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