[2nd President and Spiritual Head; The Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa]
DAILY READINGS
From Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji
796
Brahmacharya and celibacy [sexual continence] are two different things. Purity [abstinence] of the act of procreation is called celibacy. Complete control [of body, mind and senses] is brahmacharya. That is the goal. But to get to it you have to start practising. On holy days you sleep on a mat on the floor [for purposes of austerity or tapasya], you eat sattvic [non-stimulating, bland, vegetarian] food. On certain days in the week you do prayers and again sleep on a mat on the floor. Don't see [or look at] things that will awaken your senses. TV is the worst thing for this. It transcends all visions and you see something which maya [God's power of seeming illusion/delusion] makes you see.
Get your senses under control. If you are drinking a lot, maybe gambling a lot, you borrow money and you're in trouble all the time, then your mind is not yet under control. If you are amongst sadhakas [spiritual aspirants], you mustn't think, 'I am the special one'. You should always think, 'That man is the special sadhaka [spiritual aspirant, devotee] of God.' No sooner do you say, 'I am the special one' than you are putting yourself on a pedestal. Always admire the other person's good qualities. By admiring other people's good qualities you naturally become good. You don't become 'touch me not' [i.e. unapproachable or 'superior']. I keep drawing this to your notice.
Adi Shankaracharya [the Hindu philosopher and father of Vedanta, conceptual,picture above] was so great and yet he forgot this even after God-realisation. He was given the greatest blow when a chandala [lowest caste or 'untouchable' person] gave him a lesson. Can you imagine that a great man like that, who went through all the different stages of desire - even lust – got bogged down in the caste system and tradition. He said everything is Brahman [the One, indivisible universal consciousness] but he forgot for a little while that the other person was also Brahman [the One, indivisible universal consciousness]. Then he remembered and prostrated. If the knowledge of Brahman comes from a chandala, he is my guru [spiritual preceptor], God himself. So watch that very carefully.
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