The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna - 1

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• When, hearing the name of Hari or Rama once, you shed tears

and your hair stands on end, then you may know for certain that you

do not have to perform such devotions as the sandhya any more. Only

then will you have the right to renounce rituals; or rather, rituals

will drop away of themselves. Then it will be enough if you repeat

only the name of Rama or Hari, or even simply Om.

 

• To know God is knowledge, and not to know Him, ignorance.

 

• God with form is just as true as God without form. But hold

fast to your own conviction.

 

• Who are you to teach others? He who is the Lord of the

Universe will teach everyone. If they need teaching, then He will be

the Teacher. He is our inner Guide.

 

• Repeat God's name and sing His glories, and now and then

visit God's devotees and holy men.

 

• To fix the mind on God is very difficult, in the beginning,

unless one practices meditation in solitude.

 

• There are three ways of meditating: think of God while doing

your duties, or meditate on Him in a secluded corner of your house,

or contemplate Him in a wood.

 

• Do all your duties, but keep your mind on God.

 

• By meditating on God in solitude, the mind acquires

knowledge, dispassion, and devotion.

 

• God dwells in all beings. But you may be quite intimate only

with good people; you must keep away from the evil-minded.

 

• God undoubtedly dwells in the hearts of all - holy and

unholy, righteous and unrighteous; but a man should not have dealings

with the unholy, the wicked, the impure.

 

• A man living in a society should make a show of anger to

protect himself from evil-minded people. But he should not harm

anybody in anticipation of harm likely to be done to him.

 

• From time to time, a worldly person should live in the

company of holy men, and also go into solitude to meditate on God.

Furthermore, he should practise discrimination and pray to God for

faith and devotion.