Thursday, August 28, 2008

Weakness

First of all, we must wage war on weakness. We must be bold and brave; for weakness is sin incarnate! Drive it away at once – this depressing, blood-sucking vampire! Say – you are bold, the offspring of Might; believe - you ARE a son of Father the Supreme! Before all else, be daring, be sincere. Then it is clear you have the right to enter the kingdom of heaven. With the least weakness you cannot be truly sincere, and so long as your thoughts and words do not agree, the dirt within shall not be touched. Once word and thought become alike, the dirt cannot collect within.

The hidden rubbish floats up in words and sin cannot remain within. Failure need not be weakness; to fail to try is weakness. If, despite your all-out effort in anything, you fail to succeed, no harm; carry on; don’t stop! That unblemished effort must carry you toward the goal. Weak minds are always suspicious. They can never trust. Their faith has been lost; so they are generally sickly, tricky, sensually inclined. For them, all of life is a burning. Ultimately joy and sorrow are dissolved in despair. What is pleasure, what is pain, they cannot differentiate. If asked, they sigh, “What’s the difference!” Ever restless, their lives deteriorate in dullness. Love and regard has no place in the weak heart. To be anxious about one’s own distress, suffering or death on seeing that of others and to be broken, bewildered and distraught thereby is weakness. But the eyes of those who are strong are always seeking for a remedy in everything they do and in such a way that no one is shattered while in that condition. To find the remedy with love, as did Lord Buddha, is the sign of a courageous heart.

Say not you are timid! Say not you are a coward! Say not you are evil-minded! Look towards Father! Speak fervently, “Oh, I am Your son. Within me there is no more dullness, no more weakness. I am no longer a coward! Never again forgetting. You will I run towards hell with my back towards Your light crying, ‘Darkness, darkness, darkness’!”

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Repent

Repent, but see that you have not to repent again. When you will be repentant for your misdeeds, at that very moment you will be pardoned by the Supreme Father, and you will understand it by the heavenly consolation you find in your heart. That will make you courteous, peaceful and cheerful. It should be understood that he who repents but commits the same blunder again, must fall soon into deadening misery. To repent in words only is not repentance at all. It is rather an obstruction to feeling repentance at heart. When real repentance comes, all its signs express themselves in varying degrees.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Women and Gold

Almost all the miseries men have in the world come from the addiction to ‘Kamini-kanchan’ (women and gold). It is better to remain as far away as possible from these two. Lord Ramkrishna enjoined on everyone to remain far, far, far away from Kamini-kanchan. If ‘Kam (lus) be dropped from ‘Kamini’, ‘ini’ (shi) becomes Ma. Poison becomes elixir. And Ma is always Mother – never ‘kamini’. To add ‘gi’ to Ma is catastrophe. Beware! Don’t lose thyself taking Ma as ‘Magi’ (fallen woman). Everyone’s Mother is the Mother of the world. Every woman is another form of one’s own Mother. Think in this fashion. If filial thoughts be not heartfelt, one should not touch woman. The farther away from them one remains, the better. Not to look upon their faces is better yet. He who only wails, “My passion and pride do not go, do not go,” will find they never go. One should become habituated to those activities and thoughts which have no scent of pride and passion; then the mind forgets them. If thoughts of passion and pride do not arise in the mind, how can they show up? The way out is to remain always absorbed in higher thoughts and activities. Investigation into the science of creation, mathematics and chemistry controls lust. Any kind of enticing conversation on ‘Kamini-Kanchan’ can bring attraction for them. So, the father one stays away from such talks, the better.

Monday, August 25, 2008

Misery

Contraction is dejection. Expansion is delight. There is a lack of happiness in that which brings weakness and fear in the heart and that is grief. Desire unfulfilled is misery. Don’t expect anything. Be preparing for every situation. What can grief do to you? Nobody is miserable by nature. If one wishes, he can drive it out. Pray to the Supreme Father: “Thy will is good. I don’t know what will make me good. Let Thy will be fulfilled in me.”

And be ready to accept that. Joy will remain and sorrow will not touch you. Be not the cause of another grief; none will be the cause of your grief. Misery and happiness are both modes of mind. To lack the thoughts and deeds befitting the desire is misery. You may serve the world in a thousand ways, but you cannot destroy its misery until the sense of inadequacy be removed from the heart. Dharma alone can do that.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Hypocrisy

If you want to prosper in Sadhana’ (avowed activity), give up hypocrisy. With the hope of getting a good name from others, the hypocrite mainly deceives himself and due to his little faith, he deprives himself of the real gift of others. You may speak volumes, but you can never find real happiness unless you become truly elevated. The inner feeling does not come out in the words of hypocrites; so their faces remain cold even with words of joy. What can words do? The spirit does not throb within the heart. The sea of bliss is bitter-salty to the hypocrite. Though he go to the ocean, he cannot quench his thirst. The simple man, like a swallow, has eyes turned upwards. The hypocrite, like a vulture, has eyes always downward. Be little, no matter, but keep your eyes turned upward. What is the use of being big, but like a vulture with eyes always looking down from on high. Be not a hypocrite! Don’t be deceived and don’t deceive others.

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Tendency

This is very true: whenever the tendency grows to see another’s fault, then that fault has made its home in you. Then and there, without delay that evil tendency should be smashed and swept away! Then you are safe. Otherwise, all will be destroyed. If your eyes see only other’s evil, you will never be able to love anyone. And he, who cannot see truth, can never be true. Your eyes will be as unclouded as your mind and so clear the world will appear before you. At first, try with all your might to find good in what you see, and breed this habit in your very bones! If your tongue be always slanderous – unable to speak good of others, never pass an opinion on anyone. Try within to hate your own habit and grimly determine to be rid of that hell of slander in the future. To vilify others is to defile oneself with their defects. To spread good of others makes one’s own nature good unconsciously. But one should not praise others with a selfish motive. That is flattery. Generally, in such cases, thoughts and words do not agree. This is very bad and the faculty to express one’s independent opinion is lost thereby.

Friday, August 22, 2008

Dharma

The stay of all existence is Dharma, and He is the Supreme Fulfiller. Dharma never becomes many. It is always one. There is no variety of it. View may be many – even as many as there are people. Still, Dharma cannot be many. In my opinion, to speak of Hindu Dharma, Christian Dharma, Mohammedan Dharma, Buddhist Dharma, etc. is wrong; rather, they are so many views. In fact, there is no opposition in the views – different views, the same way – feeling One in many forms. Each faith is for the expansion of avowed activity. That can be in many forms and as much as is gained by the expansion, so much the realization – wisdom. So Dharma is based upon realization – to be ‘real’ in nature.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Knowledge

If you long for good, give up conceit of knowledge. Listen to everyone and do whatever helps to expand your heart. No other passion creates such a hindrance to knowledge as does conceit of knowledge. If you want to teach, think not you are a teacher only. “I am a teacher”: this ‘teach-conceit’ hinders one from learning. As far away as you keep pride, so far your vision or wisdom expands. When the ego dissolves, then and there, the soul becomes the possessor of all qualities – the Absolute.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Pride

If you go with pride to examine a true Master, a loving Sage or Saint, you will only see yourself in Him and will come away deceived. The test is to feel blessed in the race of a true Master by approaching Him without prejudice or preconception, with a loving heart, humility and as little pride as possible. He can never be tested on the touchstone of pride, but as if torn by the horns of a ram, He can be rent into pieces by real humility. As the sparkle of a diamond, which remains in coal and dirt, can only be seen after thorough cleansing, so also, He Who lives in society as an ordinary man can illumine the world with His sparkle only by the washings with love. The lover alone can know Him; so keep the company of lovers and worshipers of Existence. He may manifest Himself. A proud man can examine proud man. How can he fathom one whose pride is dissolved? He is as strange and queer to him as a wise man is to a stark illiterate.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Opinion

After taking the shelter of a true Master, think independently and express your own opinions respectfully. Reading books don’t become like a book. But try to breed its essence in your bones. “Pull the husk to draw the seed.” Don’t pass any opinion on or give up anything after only superficial study. No real knowledge is gained about a thing until it has been seen thoroughly, and what opinion can you give if you have no knowledge about it? Whatever you do, try to see the truth in it. To see the truth in a thing means to know how it exists, and that is wisdom. About the things you do not know give no advice to others

Monday, August 18, 2008

Selflessness

If you are unable to give up your defect even after knowing it, do not ruin others by supporting it in any way. If you be good yourself, thousands of people will be good seeing your example. If you be bad, you will find no one to sympathize with you in your distress because being bad, you have made your environment bad. Know this for certain: You are responsible for the present and future of yourself, your family, your environment and your country.

It is not right to start any activity with hope for name and honor. But to the extent you do any work unselfishly, name and honor must serve you. What is done for the self is selfish. What is done for others is selflessness. Merely to ask nothing for self or others is not selflessness. Give away! Desire nothing for yourself, and you will see that everything is becoming yours.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Help others

Try to give others as you desire to have. To proceed with this understanding much is enough. Everyone will like you and love you spontaneously. Being just, try to make everyone happy in an honest way. You will find that many are trying to make you happy. Be careful – don’t try to make anyone happy at the cost of your ‘self’; then your troubles will know no end.

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Fate

Work on, but be not enslaved. If a change of circumstances brings an undesirable change in your heart, know for certain you have enslaved yourself by your work. Do not be confined by any kind of prejudice. Except those of the Supreme Father, all prejudices are bonds. Your fate is what is just beyond the range of your vision and knowledge – the not-seen, the not-known – hence is fate as you say. Throw off your proud, stupid, Satan ‘I’. Move on the will of the Supreme Father. Fate can do nothing. The will of the Supreme Father is fate. In your every condition just try to understand His blissful will. You will see, grief can’t touch you; rather, strength will come in your heart and even in sorrow you will find bliss. Don’t break down thinking about fate. Work on! Don’t be idle! For just as you work, so is your fate unfurled to your vision. The doer of good never fares ill. He gets his rewards sooner or later. With eyes on the Supreme Father, work on! His Will is fate. Don’t sit foolishly making fate anything else. Many people leave their rudder, sit non-plussed and think they are without a destiny. Having no reliance, they ultimately pass their whole lives in distress. That is foolishness. When your ‘you’ leaves, fate is finished. Then there is no seeing, so no unseen.

Friday, August 15, 2008

Move forward

But don’t try to measure how far you have gone, lest you fall back again. Feel, but be not overwhelmed, lest you be unable to proceed. If overwhelmed you must be, be so with love for God. Serve as much as you are able. But take care you have no desire to be served. Request, but do not seek to order. Never speak ill of others, but indulge in no untruth.

Be patient, but in being so, don’t become and idle procrastinator. Be swift, but don’t spoil everything by your unwise annoyance. Be brave, but not like a tiger or bear – cruel. Be firmly resolved, but do not become obstinate. Bear all yourself. Help him who cannot bear; hate him not but encourage and sympathize. Be miserly to praise yourself, but for others be lavish. First embrace him with whom you are angry, invite him to eat in your own home, send gifts, and until you can speak to him with an open heart, pray with repentance for his good to God; for from hatred you will gradually become narrow, and narrowness is sin.

If anyone do an injustice to you and you must at all take revenge, behave with him in such a way that it may make him repentant. There is no revenge like that repentance – the fire made of husks. It is blissful to both. Do not abolish friendship; otherwise, in your distress you will get neither sympathy nor consolation. Even if your friend be dishonest, do not give him up; rather give up his company if necessary. But with affection in your heart help him in his distress and danger, in thought, word and deed. And embrace him when you find he has become repentant. If your friend has gone astray and you do not try to bring him back, or if you give him up, its punishment will not forsake you either.

Do not spread scandal about your friend. Don’t speak ill of him in any way. But also, do not indulge him in any of his faults. Be not arrogant to a friend, but punish him with love and affectionate dignity. Bear no expectation from a friend, but receive with love whatever you may get. Give, but hope not for any return. For anything received, try to reciprocate.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Pain

As long as you feel pain in your body and mind, keep trying to remove the pain of even an ant. If you don’t do this, who is there more deficient than you? If you get a slap on your face and can say, “Who is beating whom?” then say that for another. Well and good. But beware! If you can’t think like this in your own case, don’t talk like this in the case of another. If you become secular at the time of your own difficulties, don’t feign to be spiritual at eh time of others’. Rather, be spiritual at the time of your own difficulties and secular at that of others’; even such a pretension is good. If you be a man, you’ll laugh at your own grief and weep at that of others. If you dislike your own death, never say ‘die’ to others.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Laugh, but not in ridicule

Weep; not from self-addiction but from love, devotion. Speak, but for neither self-aggrandizement nor fame. Do not hide from a man any example of your character if it be beneficial to him. Let your goodness roll out in deeds. But see that it does not come out in words. Attach your inclination to good; you will become good unconsciously. Be absorbed in good ideas in your own way. Your feelings will bloom accordingly to your attitude. As evil thoughts are revealed through eyes, words, dealings, behavior etc., so too good thoughts express themselves in the same way.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Be out-spoken but sweet

Consider before you speak, but having spoken, do not evade. If you have spoken wrong, beware! Do not do wrong. Speak the truth, but don’t bring destruction. It is good to speak good, but better to think and feel it. Surely it is better to speak enlivening words than deadening ones. But what is the use if they are not carried into action and feelings at the same time? The violin and guitar play well by the grace of player but cannot feel anything themselves. He who speaks much of realization but shows no indication of it froths only. All his big talks are imaginary. The deeper you dive, the more unrecognizable you are. As the pomegranate bursts open just as it ripens, so the honest thought within you when mature will burst forth of itself. You need not show it by words.

Monday, August 11, 2008

Pursue only that whim which follows conscience

you must achieve bliss. Merge yourself in expansion, but don’t be extinguished. Expansion is life! Expansion is love! The work which brings expansion or growth in the mind is honest work. That which brings superstition, prejudice, etc. in the mind – in a word, that which brings narrowness – is evil work. Don’t do that work which makes your face gloomy when you speak of it to others. Usually, where there is concealment out of hatred, shyness or fear, there weakness is, there sin is. Do that avowed activity which brings love in your heart, and don’t go near what brings cruelty, harshness and violence, even though temporarily profitable. Though you have gained such powers that you can move the sun and the moon from their courses, can break the earth into pieces or make all people wealthy, but if you have no love in your heart, you have achieved nothing.

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Out for one don’t ask for ten.

Try perfectly for the one; you shall get all. Surely you will gain life in the manner in which you give it. He who gives his life for love gains a life of love. Be inspired by your purpose and with serene mind forbear all. Then only shall your purpose be fulfilled.

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Give your heart

You need never retreat. Rely, and you shall never be frightened. Believe. You shall master the world within. Encourage, and try not to arouse fear. Have patience, danger will be crossed over. Be not vain. You shall not have to remain humiliated in the world. Confess your fault in anguish before you are accused. You shall remain untarnished, an object of affection to the world. Be restrained but fearless. Be simple but not foolish. Be obedient, but for that don’t be weak-hearted.

Friday, August 8, 2008

Remain steady, but don’t become rigid.

Don’t pose as a holy man; try to become one. Don’t compare yourself with a Great Soul, but try to follow Him always. Call others ‘mine’ if there is love in you, not out of selfishness. Just love before you speak of love.

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Taking Him as the Ideal

To be blind is unfortunate indeed but to be without a staff is even worse; for the staff does much of the eyes’ work. Going to school only doesn’t make a student, and taking initiation only doesn’t make a disciple. The heart should always be kept open to carry out the orders of the Master or Teacher. Have firm faith within. Whatever He says must be done and that without objection or excuse – rather, with the greatest pleasure. The student or disciple who gives his all in carrying out the orders of the Master with pleasure is never disappointed. The disciple’s duty is to materialize the commands of his Master and to move on, taking Him as the Ideal. Whenever you find that on getting any command from his Master the disciple is pleased and his face blooms, you will know that strength has come in his heart.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

The Master is the materialized form of Bliss

Be on your guard and do not serve your Master through servants or by ordering anyone else. Don’t be deprived of bliss. Disregard for children never appears in the mother’s heart because she cares for them with her own hands; hence her love is so great. In serving the Master with one’s own hands pride becomes light, conceit goes away and love grows. The Master is the materialized form of Bliss, and He is the Absolute. One must take the Master as one’s own. When one thinks of mother, father, son etc., His face should also appear in the mind. It is better to fear His love than His scolding – if I do any wrong, He will be pained in His heart. Always try to follow Him. Obey carefully what He says, and try unceasingly to plant that by practice in your character. That is Sadhana.

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Follow, without hesitation

Be zealous for self-elevation and devote yourself to the Master or Truth. Be not attracted to what others are saying about you; otherwise, you will become attached to it and fail to have self-elevation. A selfish spirit often induces one to blame the Ideal, to doubt and to lose faith. Don’t look for faults in the Ideal from a selfish spirit and don’t doubt and don’t lose faith. If you do, there’ll be no self-elevation. But if being free of selfish spirit you find faults in a person, that person is no Ideal. Don’t follow him. If you do, there’ll be no self-elevation. He in whom infatuated pride, selfish thoughts, a lack of love exist is no Ideal. And he in whom doubt, faithlessness, and a selfish spirit exist is no follower. Follow, without hesitation, Him who is the possessor of love. You shall surely achieve your good! Follow Him alone who doesn’t cause grief to anyone in any way, yet doesn’t indulge evil. You shall achieve your good!

Monday, August 4, 2008

The Guide is the Regulator of hearts

Don’t conceal anything in your heart from Him whom you have chosen as your Guide. To conceal is to disbelieve Him and that disbelief brings downfall. The Guide is the Regulator of hearts. If you believe it rightly, you will be humble to do evil. And if you have already done evil, you will confess it surely! But if you want to conceal, be sure that weakness has come in your heart and you are already attacked by disbelief. Be careful, or it may carry you far far away. If you conceal, your true Guide will also hide Himself. If you express the thoughts in your heart – become open – then for sure He also will be open before you! If, with the intention of concealing from your Guide, you use the trick: You regulate my heart and you know everything, you will fail and be surrounded by miseries. Exchange of hearts is a sign of love. If you conceal your heart, it is sure, you posses selfish desires. You love Him only in words. There is concealment in lust but there can be nothing concealed in love! The true Guide has a light ego. He will never assert His own strength to you by Himself, and so will follow you according to your thought. This is the characteristic of a true Guide. If you really have a true Guide, whatever you do, no fear. You cannot be destroyed. Only keep prepared for sufferings.

Sunday, August 3, 2008

To be humble does not mean to be untidy.

  • Display does not imply eagerness. Rather, it is excessive unrestrained expectation of the heart.
  • Selfishness is not self-dependence or independence, rather, its opposite.
  • The more you serve people, the more you become the master of all they have.
  • To be spirited does not mean to be in a fury. Rather, it is firmness coupled with modesty.
  • A holy man is no magician; rather, a renunciator, a lover.
  • Does a devotee mean a fool? Rather, a wise man with humble pride.
  • To forbear does not mean to retreat, but to embrace with love

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Pardon, but with the heart

Filled with rage, don’t forgive out of incapacity. Do not judge and punish on your own. But place it wholeheartedly before the Supreme Father; that will be good. If you punish anyone for his misdeed, surely the Supreme Father will mete out the punishment proportionately to you both. Suffer for the Supreme Father, for the Truth; you will enjoy eternal peace. Do dwell in Truth, try to forbear injustice and resist not what you have to forbear. You shall soon achieve good in the highest.

Friday, August 1, 2008

Do not suppress narrowness or sin

If you have committed any sin, confess it in anguish. You shall be consoled soon. Be careful! Do not suppress narrowness or sin. If you do, it will increase gradually and quickly lead you to extreme degradation. Whatever of evil you suppress within will increase.