HINTS ON PRACTICAL SPIRITUALITY - Swami Vivekananda

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HINTS ON PRACTICAL SPIRITUALITY - Swami Vivekananda

(Delivered at the Home of Truth, Los Angeles, California)

 

In 1400 B.C. a great sage made an attempt to arrange, analyse, and

generalise upon certain psychological facts. He was followed by many

others who took up parts of what he had discovered and made a special

study of them. The Hindus alone of all ancient races took up the

study of this branch of knowledge in right earnest. I am teaching you

now about it, but how many of you will practise it? How many days,

how many months will it be before you give it up? You are impractical

on this subject. In India, they will persevere for ages and ages. You

will be astonished to hear that they have no churches, no Common

Prayers, or anything of the kind; but they, every day, still practise

the breathings and try to concentrate the mind; and that is the chief

part of their devotion. These are the main points. Every Hindu must

do these. It is the religion of the country. Only, each one may have

a special method -- a special form of breathing, a special form of

concentration, and what is one's special method, even one's wife need

not know; the father need not know the son's. But they all have to do

these. And there is nothing occult about these things. The

word " occult " has no bearing on them. Near the Ganga thousands and

thousands of people may be seen daily sitting on its banks breathing

and concentrating with closed eyes. There may be two reasons that

make certain practices impracticable for the generality of mankind.

One is, the teachers hold that the ordinary people are not fit for

them. There may be some truth in this, but it is due more to pride.

The second is the fear of persecution. A man, for instance, would not

like to practise breathing publicly in this country, because he would

be thought so queer; it is not the fashion here. On the other hand,

in India, if a man prayed, " Give us this day our daily bread " , people

would laugh at him. Nothing could be more foolish to the Hindu mind

than to say, " Our Father which art in Heaven. " The Hindu, when he

worships, thinks that God is within himself.

 

The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda Volume 2 [ Page : 29 ]

 

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QUOTE OF THE DAY:

Those who work at a thing heart and soul not only achieve success in

it but through their absorption in that they also realize the supreme

truth-Brahman. Those who work at a thing with their whole heart

receive help from God.

- Swami Vivekananda