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4. To devote your life to the good of all and to the happiness of all is
religion. Whatever you do for your own sake is not religion.
5. At my will mountains will crumble up. Have that sort of energy, that
sort of will; work hard, and you will reach the goal.
7. The ignorant see the person in the non-person. The sage sees the non-
person in the person.
8. YOU know, I may have to be born again, you see, I have fallen in love
with mankind.
10.All the powers in the universe are already ours. It is we who have put
our hands before our eyes and cry that it is dark.
12.One infinite pure and holy-- beyond thought beyond qualities I bow
down to thee.
19.IMITATION
55.A man of intellect can turn into a devil, but never a man of
heart.
59.That part of the Vedas which agrees with reason is the Vedas,
and nothing else.
60.If one is a slave to his passions and desires, one cannot feel
the pure joy of real freedom.
67.Let us get rid of the little 'I' and let only the great 'I' live in
us.
74.Of all the scriptures of the world, it is the Vedas alone which
declare that the study of the Vedas is secondary.
76.If a bad time comes, what of it? The pendulum must swing
back to the other side. But that is no better. The thing to do
is to stop it.
77.This world is our friend when we are its slaves and no more.
83.I have worked for this world, Mary, all my life, and it does
not give me a piece of bread without taking a pound of flesh.
84.It is religion, the inquiry into the beyond, that makes the
difference between man and animal.
85.The moment you quarrel, you are not going God ward, you
are going backward, towards the brutes.
88.If you have assimilated five ideas and made them your life
and character, you have more education than any man who
has got by heart a whole library.
89.No good comes out of the man who day and night thinks he is
nobody.
90.Verily, these three are rare to obtain and come only through
the grace of God - human birth, desire to obtain Moksha, and
the company of the great-souled ones.
111.We do not believe in miracles at all but that apparently strange things may
be accomplished under the operation of natural laws. There is a vast amount
of literature in India on these subjects, and the people there have made a
study of these things.
112.I had a deep interest in religion and philosophy from my childhood, and our
books teach renunciation as the highest ideal to which we can aspire. It only
needed the meeting with a great Teacher--Ramakrishna Paramahamsa--to
kindle in me the final determination to follow the path he himself had trod,
as in him I found my highest ideal realized.
113.Its not always that you get to hit the iron when its hot; I believe in hitting it
so hard that it gets hot.
114.People laugh because I am different. And I laugh because they are all the
same.. That's called ATTITUDE
115.I hate this world, this dream, this horrible nightmare, with its churches and
chicaneries, its books and blackguardisms, its fair faces and false hearts, its
howling righteousness on the surface and utter hollowness beneath and,
above all, its sanctified shopkeeping!
118.There is nothing beyond God, and the sense enjoyments are simply
something through which we are passing now in the hope of getting
better things.
119.We are responsible for what we are, and whatever we wish ourselves
to be, we have the power to make ourselves. If what we are now has
been the result of our own past actions, it certainly follows that whatever
we wish to be in future can be produced by our present actions; so we
have to know how to act.
122.He who sees in the midst of intense activity, intense calm, and in the midst
of intensest peace is intensely active [is wise indeed]. ... This is the
question: With every sense and every organ active, have you that
tremendous peace [so that] nothing can disturb you? Standing on Market
Street, waiting for the car with all the rush ... going on around you, are you
in meditation — calm and peaceful? In the cave, are you intensely active
there with all quiet about you? If you are, you are a Yogi, otherwise not.
123.[This truth] is first to be heard. Hear it first. Think on it day and night. Fill
the mind [with it] day and night: "I am It. I am the Lord of the universe.
Never was there any delusion.... " Meditate upon it with all the strength of
the mind till you actually see these walls, houses, everything, melt away —
[until] body, everything, vanishes. "I will stand alone. I am the One."
Struggle on! "Who cares! We want to be free; [we] do not want any powers.
Worlds we renounce; heavens we renounce; hells we renounce. What do I
care about all these powers, and this and that! What do I care if the mind is
controlled or uncontrolled! Let it run on. What of that! I am not the mind,
Let it go on!"
124.Will-Power
The will is the "still small voice", the real Ruler who says "do" and "do
not". It has done all that binds us. The ignorant will leads to bondage, the
knowing will can free us. The will can be made strong in thousands of
ways; every way is a kind of Yoga, but the systematised Yoga accomplishes
the work more quickly. Bhakti, Karma, Raja, and Jnana-Yoga get over the
ground more effectively. Put on all powers, philosophy, work, prayer,
meditation — crowd all sail, put on all head of steam — reach the goal. The
sooner, the better. . . .
126.If a man can realise his divine nature with the help of an image, would it
be right to call that a sin? Nor even when he has passed that stage, should
he call it an error. To the Hindu, man is not travelling from error to truth,
but from truth to truth, from lower to higher truth. To him all the religions,
from the lowest fetishism to the highest absolutism, mean so many attempts
of the human soul to grasp and realise the Infinite, each determined by the
conditions of its birth and association, and each of these marks a stage of
progress; and every soul is a young eagle soaring higher and higher,
gathering more and more strength, till it reaches the Glorious Sun.
127.It is the same light coming through glasses of different colours. And these
little variations are necessary for purposes of adaptation. But in the heart of
everything the same truth reigns. The Lord has declared to the Hindu in His
incarnation as Krishna, "I am in every religion as the thread through a string
of pearls. Wherever thou seest extraordinary holiness and extraordinary
power raising and purifying humanity, know thou that I am there." And
what has been the result? I challenge the world to find, throughout the
whole system of Sanskrit philosophy, any such expression as that the Hindu
alone will be saved and not others. Says Vyasa, "We find perfect men even
beyond the pale of our caste and creed." One thing more. How, then, can
the Hindu, whose whole fabric of thought centres in God, believe in
Buddhism which is agnostic, or in Jainism which is atheistic?
128.To care only for spiritual liberty and not for social liberty is
a defect, but the opposite is a still greater defect. Liberty of
both soul and body is to be striven for.
136.It appears now a very big and a very great undertaking; to many it appears
very startling, but that is because of superstition, nothing else. By eating all
sorts of bad and indigestible food, or by starving ourselves, we are
incompetent to eat a good meal. We have listened to words of weakness
from our childhood. You hear people say that they do not believe in ghosts,
but at the same time, there are very few who do not get a little creepy
sensation in the dark. It is simply superstition. So with all religious
superstitions There are people in this country who, if I told them there was
no such being as the devil, will think all religion is gone. Many people have
said to me, how can there be religion without a devil? How can there be
religion without someone to direct us? How can we live without being ruled
by somebody? We like to be so treated, because we have become used to it.
We are not happy until we feel we have been reprimanded by somebody
every day. The same superstition! But however terrible it may seem now,
the time will come when we shall look back, each one of us, and smile at
every one of those superstitions which covered the pure and eternal soul,
and repeat with gladness, with truth, and with strength, I am free, and was
free, and always will be free. This monistic idea will come out of Vedanta,
and it is the one idea that deserves to live. The scriptures may perish
tomorrow. Whether this idea first flashed into the brains of Hebrews or of
people living in the Arctic regions, nobody cares. For this is the truth and
truth is eternal; and truth itself teaches that it is not the special property of
any individual or nation. Men, animals, and gods are all common recipients
of this one truth. Let them all receive it. Why make life miserable? Why let
people fall into all sorts of superstitions? I will give ten thousand lives, if
twenty of them will give up their superstition. Not only in this country, but
in the land of its very birth, if you tell people this truth, they are frightened.
They say, "This idea is for Sannyâsins who give up the world and live in
forests; for them it is all right. But for us poor householders, we must all
have some sort of fear, we must have ceremonies," and so on.
137.Take a deep breath and fill the lungs. Slowly throw the breath out. Take it
through one nostril and fill the lungs, and throw it out slowly through the
other nostril. Some of us do not breathe deeply enough. Others cannot fill
the lungs enough. These breathings will correct that very much. Half an
hour in the morning and half an hour in the evening will make you
another person. This sort of breathing is never dangerous. The other
exercises should be practiced very slowly. And measure your strength. If
ten minutes are a drain, only take five.
138.
Abidyayamantare Bartamanaha
Swayam Dhiraha Panditamanyamanaha !
Dandamyamanaha Pariyanti Mudha
Andhenebya Niyamana Yathandha !!
139.So, in India, social reform has to be preached by showing how much more
spiritual a life the new system will bring; and politics has to be preached by
showing how much it will improve the one thing that the nation wants —
its spirituality. Every man has to make his own choice; so has every nation.
We made our choice ages ago, and we must abide by it. And, after all, it is
not such a bad choice. Is it such a bad choice in this world to think not of
matter but of spirit, not of man but of God? That intense faith in another
world, that intense hatred for this world, that intense power of renunciation,
that intense faith in God, that intense faith in the immortal soul, is in you. I
challenge anyone to give it up. You cannot. You may try to impose upon me
by becoming materialists, by talking materialism for a few months, but I
know what you are; if I take you by the hand, back you come as good
theists as ever were born. How can you change your nature?
142.Work for work's sake. There are some who are really the
salt of the earth in every country and who work for work's
sake, who do not care for name, or fame, or even to go to
heaven. They work just because good will come of it. There
are others who do good to the poor and help mankind from
still higher motives, because they believe in doing good and
love good. The motive for name and fame seldom brings
immediate results, as a rule; they come to us when we are
old and have almost done with life. If a man works without
any selfish motive in view, does he not gain anything? Yes,
he gains the highest. Unselfishness is more paying, only
people have not the patience to practice it. It is more
paying from the point of view of health also. Love, truth,
and unselfishness are not merely moral figures of speech,
but they form our highest ideal, because in them lies such a
manifestation of power. In the first place, a man who can
work for five days, or even for five minutes, without any
selfish motive whatever, without thinking of future, of
heaven, of punishment, or anything of the kind, has in him
the capacity to become a powerful moral giant. It is hard to
do it, but in the heart of our hearts we know its value, and
the good it brings. It is the greatest manifestation of power
— this tremendous restraint; self-restraint is a
manifestation of greater power than all outgoing action. A
carriage with four horses may rush down a hill
unrestrained, or the coachman may curb the horses. Which
is the greater manifestation of power, to let them go or to
hold them? A cannonball flying through the air goes a long
distance and falls. Another is cut short in its flight by
striking against a wall, and the impact generates intense
heat. All outgoing energy following a selfish motive is
frittered away; it will not cause power to return to you; but
if restrained, it will result in development of power. This
self-control will tend to produce a mighty will, a character
which makes a Christ or a Buddha. Foolish men do not
know this secret; they nevertheless want to rule mankind.
Even a fool may rule the whole world if he works and waits.
Let him wait a few years, restrain that foolish idea of
governing; and when that idea is wholly gone, he will be a
power in the world. The majority of us cannot see beyond a
few years, just as some animals cannot see beyond a few
steps. Just a little narrow circle — that is our world. We
have not the patience to look beyond, and thus become
immoral and wicked. This is our weakness, our
powerlessness.
143.We can never lose what is really ours. Who can lose his
being? Who can lose his very existence? If I am good, it is
the existence first, and then that becomes colored with the
quality of goodness. If I am evil, it is the existence first,
and that becomes colored with the quality of badness. That
existence is first, last, and always; it is never lost but ever
present.
21. Rajayoga---------Unhealthy persons cannot be Yogis.
23. mind------As soon as his thinking power goes, he
become no better than an animal.
24. edu------The end and aim of all training is to make the
man grow.
25. We get caught. How? Not by what we give but by what we expect. We get
misery in return for our love; not from the fact that we love, but from the fact that
we want love in return. There is no misery where there is no want.
26. solution---The miseries of the world cannot be cured by
physical help only. Until man’s nature changes, these
physical needs will always arise, and miseries will always
be felt, and no amount of physical help will cure them
completely. The only solution of this problem is to make
mankind pure. Ignorance is the mother of all the evil
and all the misery we see. Let men have light, let them
be pure and spiritually strong and educated, then alone
will misery cease in the world, not before.
• 27. ideal---- The vast majority of persons are
groping through this dark life without any ideal
at all. If a man with an ideal makes a thousand
mistakes, I am sure that the man without an ideal
makes fifty thousand…………….To the vast
majority of mankind, the body is everything; the
body is all the universe to them; bodily
enjoyment is their all in all. This demon of the
worship of the body and of the things of the body
has entered into us all. We may indulge in tall
talk and take very high flights, but we are like
vultures all the same; our mind is directed to the
piece of carrion down below.
• Fear-- Fear is death, fear is sin, fear is hell, fear is
unrighteousness, fear is wrong life. All the
negative thoughts and ideas that are in the world
have proceeded from this evil spirit of fear.
• Knowledge--- First get rid of the delusion “I am
the body,” then only will we want real
knowledge.
• And------ Freedom can never be reached by the
weak. Throw away all weakness. Tell your body
that it is strong, tell your mind that it is strong,
and have unbounded faith and hope in yourself.
• Work-If you are poor, work. If you are rich,
work. If you are burdened with un-seemingly
unfair responsibilities, work. If disappointments
come, work. If sorrow overwhelms you and
loved ones seem not true, work. If health is
threatened, work. When dreams are shattered and
hope seems dead, work. Work as if your life is in
peril. Its really is. No matter what ails you, work.
Work faithfully. Work in faith. Work is the great
remedy available for both mental and physical
afflictions.
• Nivedita faith—The ultimate fact in the world
is man, not power: the ultimate fact in man is
God. Therefore let all men believe in themselves.
To all men let us say---------------be strong. Quit
ye like men. Work out that which worketh in
you. Believe in yourselves.
• Thinking---- Bless people when the revile you.
Think how much good they are doing by helping
to stamp out the false ego. Hold fast to the
Atman, think only pure thoughts, and you will
accomplish more than a regiment of mere
preachers.
• Edu-----Learn with all devotion.
• Medita------- Work a little harder at meditation
and it comes. You do not feel the body or
anything else. When you come out of it after the
hour, you have had the most beautiful rest you
ever had in your life. That is the only way you
ever give rest to your system.
• Love---We will illustrate love by a triangle, of which the first angle at the base
is fearlessness. So long as there is fear, it is not love. Love banishes all fear. A
mother with her baby will face a tiger to save her child. The second angle is that
love never asks, never begs. The third or the apex is that love loves for the sake of
love itself. Even the idea of object vanishes. Love is the only form in which love
is loved. This is the highest abstraction and the same as the Absolute.
• Evil-The root of evil is in the illusion that we are bodies. This, if any, is the
original sin.
• Nived---There is one way, and one way only. It is,
throughout the early years of education, to remember
that there is nothing so important as the training of the
FEELINGS. To feel nobly, and to choose loftily and
honestly, is a thousand fold more important to the
development of faculty than any other single aspect of
the educational process.
• Mind power---Along with the development of
concentration we must develop the power of
detachment.
• Mind power---You must keep the mind fixed on one
object, like an unbroken stream of oil.
• Mind power---
The Only Key
The power of concentration is the only key to the treasure-
house of knowledge.
• Mind power---Concentration is the essence of all
knowledge.
• Mind power---Concentration of the mind is the source
of all knowledge.
•
139.The beauteous earth, the glorious sun,
Peace
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