The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna
Do you know what one feels in meditation? The mind becomes like a continuous flow of oil - it thinks of one object only, and that is God. It is not aware of anything else.
- from "The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna" (Abridged Edition): Sri Ramakrishna at Syampukur
Friday, September 4, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
The Divine Touch
I went ahead and found Swamiji [Swami Vivekananda] standing at the door. On seeing me he said, 'You are the first to come; come along.' Saying so he took me to a small room, and sitting down on a small rug asked me to sit on another.
Soon, Swamiji entered into a meditative state and passed into the realm of savikalpa samadhi- the body still, limbs motionless, spine erect, eyes fixed and bright; with feeling, power, love, and bliss welling up in his face; and gravity intensifying all the other moods. ...
After remaining immersed in samadhi for quite some time, he controlled his mind and taking my right hand in his own remained quiet for a while. Next he started telling me about my past. ... When Swamiji was holding my hand, all my desires and thoughts subsided. There was neither inclination nor disinclination-no desire, no wish; even bhakti and mukti were gone. All was peace; the world was peaceful, steady and calm. Creation was, Creation was not; [all was] filled with bliss. And there was something beyond bliss that I cannot describe in words-I began to enjoy that. Peace, peace, supreme peace-- all-pervading peace. ...
I do not know how long I was in that state. Slowly I found my mind descending from that high state and entering my body, and I started faintly apprehending the room and other objects, like one just awakened from sleep. ... But one new thing became evident- a sweetness and peace pervaded all objects. Every object appeared holy and dear to me, something to be reverenced. I saw that the wind was holy, space was holy, the waters were holy, the directions were holy, every created being was holy!
--SWAMI SADASHIVANANDA
Soon, Swamiji entered into a meditative state and passed into the realm of savikalpa samadhi- the body still, limbs motionless, spine erect, eyes fixed and bright; with feeling, power, love, and bliss welling up in his face; and gravity intensifying all the other moods. ...
After remaining immersed in samadhi for quite some time, he controlled his mind and taking my right hand in his own remained quiet for a while. Next he started telling me about my past. ... When Swamiji was holding my hand, all my desires and thoughts subsided. There was neither inclination nor disinclination-no desire, no wish; even bhakti and mukti were gone. All was peace; the world was peaceful, steady and calm. Creation was, Creation was not; [all was] filled with bliss. And there was something beyond bliss that I cannot describe in words-I began to enjoy that. Peace, peace, supreme peace-- all-pervading peace. ...
I do not know how long I was in that state. Slowly I found my mind descending from that high state and entering my body, and I started faintly apprehending the room and other objects, like one just awakened from sleep. ... But one new thing became evident- a sweetness and peace pervaded all objects. Every object appeared holy and dear to me, something to be reverenced. I saw that the wind was holy, space was holy, the waters were holy, the directions were holy, every created being was holy!
--SWAMI SADASHIVANANDA
Monday, July 20, 2009
Political Movement:Ramakrishna Math & Ramakrishna Mission
The devotee had said,"the whole country has been churned from top to bottom, should not we do anything? Will you consider that we have absolutely no relation with this movement? Don't you think that we too have a duty at this moment? Sir, don't you feel anything for this country? Can't we do something?
Swami Shivananda ( Mahapursuhji maharaj) sat quiet for some time after the devotee's talk and then in a grave tone said: "The questions you have been asking are all right. But there is a divine incarnation like Sri Ramakrishna, whose method of work, is beyound understanding of common person like us. How can we understand his action on the spiritual level? The work of incarnation is not restricted to a country or a society, it is for the whole mankind. Sri Ramakrishna was, after all an image of perfect purity. The best manifestation of purity is spiritual faith. In order to place this thought before the world, he brought with him a very powerful follower. Could not have Vivekananda understood that our aspiration could be fulfilled only by following the path of a political movement? And if he had thought in his mind, wouldn't he have shaken this entire country from top to bottom? Was not his feeling of patriotism very intense? The loud cry, which erupted from his heart for the crores of the poor and the oppressed in this country, in the hearts of how many more persons could we erupt the same intensity? Even then he did not choose the path of politicial movement. Had he felt that it was desirable in the end, then he would have certainly adopted it. We too, to the best of our ability, could do something like this, but our Master (Sri Ramakrishna) has not granted such permission to us. His incarnation was for the walefare of the whole world. Please keep your trust in this. In what words can i tell you what we feel for the people of our country? But Swamiji has put a restriction on our method of work. We can not cross it".
Swami Shivananda ( Mahapursuhji maharaj) sat quiet for some time after the devotee's talk and then in a grave tone said: "The questions you have been asking are all right. But there is a divine incarnation like Sri Ramakrishna, whose method of work, is beyound understanding of common person like us. How can we understand his action on the spiritual level? The work of incarnation is not restricted to a country or a society, it is for the whole mankind. Sri Ramakrishna was, after all an image of perfect purity. The best manifestation of purity is spiritual faith. In order to place this thought before the world, he brought with him a very powerful follower. Could not have Vivekananda understood that our aspiration could be fulfilled only by following the path of a political movement? And if he had thought in his mind, wouldn't he have shaken this entire country from top to bottom? Was not his feeling of patriotism very intense? The loud cry, which erupted from his heart for the crores of the poor and the oppressed in this country, in the hearts of how many more persons could we erupt the same intensity? Even then he did not choose the path of politicial movement. Had he felt that it was desirable in the end, then he would have certainly adopted it. We too, to the best of our ability, could do something like this, but our Master (Sri Ramakrishna) has not granted such permission to us. His incarnation was for the walefare of the whole world. Please keep your trust in this. In what words can i tell you what we feel for the people of our country? But Swamiji has put a restriction on our method of work. We can not cross it".
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