Guest guest Posted March 15, 2006 Report Share Posted March 15, 2006 Daily Reflection: March 6 - Guru/Disciple These are the qualities of a disciple: humility, modesty, causing harm to none, patience, the purification of knowledge, worship of the teacher, purity, consistency, self control, constant equanimity of consciousness, unswerving devotion, distaste for the society of gossip, always residing in spiritual wisdom. All that is opposed is ignorance. from Gems of Wisdom from Shree Maa and Swami Satyananda Saraswati Copyright 1998 Devi Mandir Publications www.shreemaa.org ---- ---------- Love and trust in God. Do not ask for anything else. --Shree Maa ---- ---------- --devotee , "ty_maa" <ds.james wrote: > > > I have three minutes before I have to go out the door, so, to start > the ball rolling, here is a quote from Sri Ramakrishna's chief > disciple Swami Vivekananda which may relate, at least iin part, to > your first: > > "I don't believe in humility, I believe in same-sightedness". > > Respectfully, > > Tanmaya Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 15, 2006 Report Share Posted March 15, 2006 Dear Saint, I perfectly understand your point, and thank you for posting Maa's wonderful words. Of course we all use the word humility---yourself, Shri Maa, myself, and Swami Vivekananda. The word "same-sightedness" is not only awkward, but it is also not in our vocabulary. The Swami was not positing "same-sightedness" as a contender with "humility". They are not opposites; "self-conceit" and many other such terms are in opposition to "humility". I believe that Vivekananda was pointing to the essence of the word we use. The problem is that humility is based on the pyrimid structure---the symbol of the male-dominated society we have lived in for the last 3000 years, and not on the circle, the symbol of the matriarchal societies, and the symbol of equality, or family. Take the corporate pyramid as an example. One is expected to be "humble" to those above us, but there is always a layer below which we expect to be humble to us. The hirarchical structure of the Church has been the same. The sprinkling of saints which have graced the Church throughout the centuries have used the concept of humility to teach a great truth, and a vital practice. The question is, is there a better way of doing the same thing? The practice of meetiing, sitting in a circle, the Mother's symbol, and the democratic ideal as well, where no-one is superior---though one may co-ordinate, and one may perhaps be spiritually more advanced, etc.,is the defacto manifestation of the great Truth: that we are all one in essence. In such a context same-sightedness, or some such term, would then be the one used in such a society, and "humility" would slowly go out of common use. Vivekananda was here (in the West) to preach, and help facilitate, such a change. My comment to Sri Menon was only an opener, to begin consideration of this subject. Respectfully, Tanmaya , "forall10q" <forall10q wrote: > > Daily Reflection: > March 6 - Guru/Disciple > > These are the qualities of a disciple: humility, modesty, causing > harm to none, patience, the purification of knowledge, worship of the > teacher, purity, consistency, self control, constant equanimity of > consciousness, unswerving devotion, distaste for the society of > gossip, always residing in spiritual wisdom. All that is opposed is > ignorance. > > from Gems of Wisdom from Shree Maa and Swami Satyananda Saraswati > Copyright 1998 Devi Mandir Publications > www.shreemaa.org > > ---- > ---------- > Love and trust in God. Do not ask for anything else. --Shree Maa > ---- > ---------- > --devotee > > , "ty_maa" <ds.james@> wrote: > > > > > > I have three minutes before I have to go out the door, so, to start > > the ball rolling, here is a quote from Sri Ramakrishna's chief > > disciple Swami Vivekananda which may relate, at least iin part, to > > your first: > > > > "I don't believe in humility, I believe in same-sightedness". > > > > Respectfully, > > > > Tanmaya > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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