[Pictured: Temple of the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa]
[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 931
Swamiji speaking at the end of a satsang – spiritual or prayer service
Do you see how nice it is - these two seconds of treatment in the form of satsang? Our minds must become so drunk [with spiritual intoxication] that it lasts us until our next meeting. And slowly, slowly it will become a habit. People will look at you and say, 'You are drunk.' No. You are not drunk - you are in [your] 'habit'. That's why when we go to some saint or sannyasin [Hindu Swami, monk, sadhu, holy person], even if the man doesn't talk, don't think that you didn't achieve anything. You achieved more than you can even think of.
Swamiji to ashramites [residents of the ashram, monastery or hermitage]: Do you prepare the talks that you give in classes beforehand? You must go over it. This is a set thing. Take Swami Vivekananda [spiritual heir to Sri Ramakrishna] for example. Do you feel he just said all those words without preparation? Nothing doing. He prepared it. In books about his life you will find in many places that they say he read from paper. If he read from paper he must have prepared it. So the thing about studying the subject beforehand is to feel the truth of that matter yourself. And if you feel it is truthful then you will be clear in your mind; and therefore you will convey it clearly. Otherwise you are going to create confusion. And if you do your preparation in a hurry too you are actually adding to the confusion and you are not doing the world any good.
If of course you have lived the life and realized it [God] then you don't have to read anything because you will say what you know. As long as you do not know what you know - and it is impossible for everyone [unrealised souls] to know everything - you must take other Rishis' [sage seer-saints] words and actions and see the pure part that appeals to you and at the same time does good to others. Then you go ahead with talk about that.
But you don't learn for the sake of lecturing. No. If you do that, then you are on the wrong path. Do it as an offering at God's feet, not with the attitude of teaching. Do it to glorify 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:
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
