Guest guest Posted February 19, 2000 Report Share Posted February 19, 2000 Dear Brothers/Sisters, I found these words of Swami Brahmananda to be very uplifting. Let me know if you feel likewise..... " Practise a little Japa and meditation every day. Never stop for a single day. The mind is like a restless child, it wants to runaway. You must bring it back again and again and apply it to the meditation on the Lord. Go on this way for two or three years, and then an inexpressible joy will fill your mind. Meditation and Japa appear dry in the beggining. But still you must engage the mind in the contemplation of the Deity, like swallowing a bitter medicine. Slowly spiritual joy will grow in you. People work so hard to pass an examination! To realise the God is even easier than that. Only let them call on Him with a calm, cheerful heart. Initiation into a Mantra helps concentration of mind, otherwise your mind will change and fluctuate; today you will like Kali-form, tomorow the Hari-form, and the next day perhaps the formless aspect of God. And thus your mind will not be concentrated on any one. The mind is susceptible to suggestions. It learns whatever you teach it. If through discrimination you can impress upon it the joy and fullness of life in the spirit and the folly of worldly attachments, then your mind will devotee itself more and more to God. Everyone must have an ideal firmly established in his life. This ideal must never be lowered. The supreme ideal of human life is to know God. The Guru leads the disciple through different stages until he leaves him with the Lord. But there is no greater Guru than your own mind. When the mind has been purified through prayer and contemplation, it will direct you from within. Even in your daily duties this Guru will guide you. The way of steadying and purifying the mind is to retire into solitude, control all cravings, and engage yourself in contemplation and meditation. The more you occupy the mind with holy thoughts, the greater will be your spiritual unfoldment. Another means of steadying the mind is to let it wander; but keep watch over its workings. After some time the mind gets tired nd comes back to find peace in God. If you watch your mind, the mind, in turn, will keep watch over you. Can anything be achieved without spiritual discipline? Do you not see what severe disciplines even Avataras had to perform? Be self-reliant. Effort is indispensable to succes in spiritual life. Follow some discipline for at least four years. Then, if you don't make any tangible progress come back and slap my face. Resign yourself utterly to the Lord. He is everything. There is nothing besides. Never be calculating. Is self-surrender possible in a day? Work and worship must go hand in hand. It is very good if one can devote oneself solely to spiritual practices. But how many can do that? Two types of men can sit without work. One is the idiot, who is too dull to be active. The other is the saint, who has gone beyond all activity. Work is a means to the state of meditation. Instead of working for yourself, work for the Lord. Know that you are worshipping the Lord through your work. I will declare again and again and emphasize this truth- that however busy you may be in carrying out your duties, you must practise Japa and meditation. If you work and forget God, egotism and pride will overpower you. Therefore I tell you, never forget God, no matter whether you are working or sitting idle. To maintain this attitude you must keep your spiritual practices as well, whatever happens. The Gita and other scriptures emphasize the ideal of worship and meditation in the midst of the activities of life. I can confirm this from my own experience. " Work and worship " is the surest way to spiritual progress. Why are you afraid of work? Work for Him. You can overcome all disinclination for work if you consider it as dedicated to God. In performing Japa and meditation, certainly sufficient time and favourable conditions are important. But those who are inclined to practise spiritual exercises will do so under all circumstances. Cultivate the habit of constantly remembering God whether you are idle or engaged in work. " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 19, 2000 Report Share Posted February 19, 2000 Thank you. I enjoyed reading these words very much. Wasn't Swami Brahmananda the same as Rakhal of the earlier Swami Ramakrishna days? I would also like to make my contribution with the following article on THE BASICS OF MEDITATION. http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Launchpad/4890/meditate.html Whatever the stage of meditation, if these basics are missing, it would be very hard on the devotee to make any progress. Vinaire - <Jaguarxox <ramakrishna > Cc: <jaganath Saturday, February 19, 2000 9:21 AM [ramakrishna] Purifying The Mind > Jaguarxox > > Dear Brothers/Sisters, > > I found these words of Swami Brahmananda to be very uplifting. Let me know if > you feel likewise..... > > > > " Practise a little Japa and meditation every day. Never stop for a single > day. The mind is like a restless child, it wants to runaway. You must bring > it back again and again and apply it to the meditation on the Lord. Go on > this way for two or three years, and then an inexpressible joy will fill your > mind. Meditation and Japa appear dry in the beggining. But still you must > engage the mind in the contemplation of the Deity, like swallowing a bitter > medicine. Slowly spiritual joy will grow in you. People work so hard to pass > an examination! To realise the God is even easier than that. Only let them > call on Him with a calm, cheerful heart. > > Initiation into a Mantra helps concentration of mind, otherwise your mind > will change and fluctuate; today you will like Kali-form, tomorow the > Hari-form, and the next day perhaps the formless aspect of God. And thus your > mind will not be concentrated on any one. > > The mind is susceptible to suggestions. It learns whatever you teach it. If > through discrimination you can impress upon it the joy and fullness of life > in the spirit and the folly of worldly attachments, then your mind will > devotee itself more and more to God. Everyone must have an ideal firmly > established in his life. This ideal must never be lowered. The supreme ideal > of human life is to know God. > > The Guru leads the disciple through different stages until he leaves him with > the Lord. But there is no greater Guru than your own mind. When the mind has > been purified through prayer and contemplation, it will direct you from > within. Even in your daily duties this Guru will guide you. > > The way of steadying and purifying the mind is to retire into solitude, > control all cravings, and engage yourself in contemplation and meditation. > The more you occupy the mind with holy thoughts, the greater will be your > spiritual unfoldment. > > Another means of steadying the mind is to let it wander; but keep watch over > its workings. After some time the mind gets tired nd comes back to find peace > in God. If you watch your mind, the mind, in turn, will keep watch over you. > > Can anything be achieved without spiritual discipline? Do you not see what > severe disciplines even Avataras had to perform? > > Be self-reliant. Effort is indispensable to succes in spiritual life. Follow > some discipline for at least four years. Then, if you don't make any tangible > progress come back and slap my face. > > Resign yourself utterly to the Lord. He is everything. There is nothing > besides. Never be calculating. Is self-surrender possible in a day? > > Work and worship must go hand in hand. It is very good if one can devote > oneself solely to spiritual practices. But how many can do that? Two types of > men can sit without work. One is the idiot, who is too dull to be active. The > other is the saint, who has gone beyond all activity. Work is a means to the > state of meditation. Instead of working for yourself, work for the Lord. Know > that you are worshipping the Lord through your work. > > I will declare again and again and emphasize this truth- that however busy > you may be in carrying out your duties, you must practise Japa and > meditation. If you work and forget God, egotism and pride will overpower you. > Therefore I tell you, never forget God, no matter whether you are working or > sitting idle. To maintain this attitude you must keep your spiritual > practices as well, whatever happens. > > The Gita and other scriptures emphasize the ideal of worship and meditation > in the midst of the activities of life. I can confirm this from my own > experience. " Work and worship " is the surest way to spiritual progress. > > Why are you afraid of work? Work for Him. You can overcome all disinclination > for work if you consider it as dedicated to God. > > In performing Japa and meditation, certainly sufficient time and favourable > conditions are important. But those who are inclined to practise spiritual > exercises will do so under all circumstances. Cultivate the habit of > constantly remembering God whether you are idle or engaged in work. " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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