True Sadhana by Vivekananda

162. Worship of forms or symbols are not true sadhana. Every Sadhaka must one day rise above all forms, above ritualism, above symbols, above narrow sectarianism and face nameless and formless supreme being.

163. Forms are simply the K.G class of religion, the child's preparation.

164. Temples, churches, books or forms are just for the child's play so as to make him stronger enough and take up higher steps.

Love conscious and unconscious (Bruhadaranyakopanishad)

165. Every one of us is unconsciously loving the Atma and consciously loving the outer body in the form of one's wife, children, husband etc.

166. There should be no sense of possession of the object of love. This sense of possession emanates from the Ego, which always desires to live by possessing external objects. In fact one is led to act cruelty out of jelousy, if that object is taken away by some one else.

167. Love cannot be thought about or cultivated or practiced. Practice is of the mind and mind is of the Ego. Love has its origin in the self only and not in the Ego.

168. Mind can only corrupt love not give birth to love because mind belongs to the Ego.

169. A religious person who weeps about Jesus and Krishan or about his Guru or someone else, is merely sentimental and emotional. It is all a process of thought and thought is not love. A sentimentalist may be cruel sometimes, when his sentiments are not responded, to commit suicide.

170. When there is love, there is no search for God, because Love itself is God.

171. The male and female forms are like the north and south poles of a magnet, which attract towards each other without any effort. So long as the spirit maintains its sense of identity with a material entity, a magnet (Physical body, mind and senses etc..,), it is a captive of sex mindedness (sex attraction).

Self surrender

172. Self surrender is not leaving oneself absolutely at the mercy of his fate. Surrender is the awareness of a higher spiritual power to which the surrender is made.

173. In the case of surrender to the higher power, the person is not passive or indifferent to anything. He resigns himself to the higher being or power by which he raises himself to spiritual heights.

174. There are six ways in which the spirit of self-surrender manifests itself in a person.

175. A man of self-surrender abandons all forms or self-help, self-defense, self-reliance and depends solely on the Lord's power, Guidance and mercy. He renounces all ideas of "Bhakti and Mukthi" and considers himself as an eternal servant of the supreme lord.

Divine Grace Indispensable

176. Letter addressed by Vivekananda to Turiyanandji

Dear Hari bhai,

Don't think you can obtain god in exchange for any Japa or Tapas that you may perform. Just as you can obtain vegetable in exchange for the money you pay. Remember that none can attain him except by his grace. The shruti declares "Naaya matma Pravechanena Labhyaha".

"Always keep in your heart that the attainment of God depends not on your Japa and Tapas but only on His grace".

"God belongs to Bhavajagat. Without possesing Bhava, none can attain him. He himmself showers this Bhava on us".

REAL SADGURU - Purified Mind; Brahman & Mind - Higher Mind

177. Man is a double being having two minds. The lower and the higher. The promptings of the lower mind lead you to ruin and bondage. The higher mind in you whose dictates are always the promptings of the higher self. A thing will come in your spiritual sadhana, when your mind purified by Tapascharya, appears as your Sad-Guru.

178. No guru is greater than your own mind made steady and transparent through Meditation. It will dictate from within what you have to do and which way to follow. Even in your daily duties, it will show what you have to do first and what next. It will thus lead you until the goal is reached.

The True Guru - by Ramdas

179. The true guru who can always inspire, guide and protect is within us. He can be reached only when your mind is still and pure.

180. All your spiritual practices are intended only to draw your mind inward and feel his presence within you.

When you feel his presence within you, you will automatically realize this presence everywhere. (Even as Prahlada and Gopis did)

Brahman and Mind

181. Mind and Brahman are not in essence of two but only one. Brahman is the essential real nature of Mind which is Divine. If Brahman is not in tune with the material senses which divert the attention outwardly towards the material phenomenon, it remains as Brahman only and does not appear as mind. Once the mind transcends the senses, it will be in tune with Brahman.

182. The spiritual worlds made of Chit - Shakti or Sandhini. There everyone loves the lord,is devoted to him, is dedicated to him out of an inner impulse of purest passion (Srimand Bhagavatam)

Origin and Nature of the world

From Rigveda : He willed "I am one, let me be many so this world come into existence out of Divine will".

Extracts from Gyanadeva's Amruthhanu-bhava

183. The World is not the outcome of ignorance or Avidya. It is the expression of the Lord's Power and Love. It is the Soul's "Atma's" sport or Divine Play "Chidvilasa".

184. To appropriate and realize this Divine love is the goal of life. This realization is higher and more sublime than the bliss of gyana, or yoga samadhi which are comparatively insignificant. The realization of this love is sweeter than the joy of liberation. It is the fifth purushartha.

185. Even after realization of the akshara spirit, devotees like Narada, Hanuman, etc., instead of totally merging themselves in the supreme being, preferred to retain their illuminated and liberated individuality ( as cosmic spirits) endowed with Lustrous body of Suddha Sattwa (which is not nature's entity) which can at their sweet will can be rendered visible or invisible to the gross physical eyes. This they do in order to enjoy ecstatic sweetness of Divine love and awaken other deserving souls.

186. Srimad Bhagawat declares that there are sevral such liberated souls endowed with divya sariras.

187. Each individual in the society is anxious to preserve the "Me" and the "Mine" (Ego) which is his main consideration in all his dealings and relationships with others. Thus the Ego is being strengthened at ever step and in every thought and act.

How to Spiritualize our lives

188. Behind all names and forms of the world, it is the supreme being alone that exists. He is behind all animate and inanimate beings. Maintain this bhava as the center of your consciousness and keep the mind introversial.

189. A stage will come when the central bhawa will never be shakened or weakened or broken even for a short while. Then our life will be transformed from one of mere "Living" into one of real worship or tapascharya or Yoga. Even taking food, maintaining contact with the central bhava becomes Divine worship or Tapascharya.

190. A purified mind never goes out and seeks the help of any one but moves inwards towards divine mother.

191. A mind free from the clouds of earthly desires is a pure mind.

Constant remembrance of Divine Mother

192. Constant remembrance of Divine mother alone will entitle us to obtain her vision. In fact, your constant awareness of mother's presence itself is God realization.

193. By constantly living in Divine Mothers bhava, our actions fail to leave any deep impression in the mind. When the impressions are not deep, they cannot become a seed and create reaction in the form of bondage.

Transparency of Mind

194. Mind must be purged of all the lower attachments otherwise it cannot catch the reflection of the blissful mother. This would be a struggle with the gross mind. A man who has no such struggle in life is lifeless.

195. Man cannot progress well unless he moves intimately with the Divine Mother and makes himself entirely her own. The Divine mother will then naturally be your own in prema.

Liberation and Witness conscious (Sankaracharya)

196. In the course of meditation, one can realize that he is only a "Witness" and not the doer or enjoyer. Such one established in the "I am the witness conscious" is the liberated and wise man. (Sankara Vedanta Dindibhi).

197. None can raise you if you have no earnestness.

198. Even if three thousand and thirty hundred millions of Christs were to descend into this world, they are of no avail to you, if you do not take whole hearted interest in your spiritual well being and make a voluntary effort for removing the darkness of your ignorance. (Ramatheerdha).

199. Make God a reality and your whole life becomes consecrated.

Self Effort and Divine Grace

200. Through self effort, man should awaken the divine spark in him known as the latent Divine nature and with the help of this Divine factor, surrender the Ego in him to the supreme by which Divine grace descends on him as a matter of course. Thus self effort leads to Divine grace, though the gateway of self - surrender. Self surrender means Ego-surrender.

201. After self surrender man begins to realize that God is the real doer, guide and owner of everything. Man's power really come from, and belongs to God. The Jeeva is only a channel through which, flows all the Divine Joy, Love, Light and Power.

202. Pratyagatma is the witness standing at the top of the tree of creation. It is real "I" in man. (Pratyagatma Pramatma Samyamanaha - Yogam).

203. It is mind that is our friend or Foe. To him who has conquered his lower self. (lower mind) by the Divine self (higher mind) his own self (mind) is the friend. But to him who has not subdued the lower mind, then his own self (mind) acts as the Foe (Gita VI-6).

204. The Gopies infact ate, slept, bathed and coocked food considering their bodies as Sri Krishna's body and exclusively for His own pleasure. They felt themselves as His own and neglected their nearest kith and kin. They even neglected their reputation.

How to Overcome Maya

205. In fact the omniscient ruler of the Universe serves as an instrument in overcoming his own Maya. This is the Pusti marga. (Srimad Bhagavat).

206. There is a great difference between the Japa of Nama and rememberance of God. A parrot may be thought to mechanically repeat that name of God but it cannot remember God.

The Gopies wept and often swooned away when they saw certain objects associated with "Kanhayya" who is their darling and sweetest object of their love. The gopies always remembered krishna when they saw the blue sky. Bharata remembered rama by seeing his sandles. Gajendra prayed God without ever seeing him before, but knowing him as glorious creator, sustainer of the universe etc.

Secret of Eternal Happiness

207. The secret of happiness is not to become attached to any object.

208. Wherever the yogi goes he carries with him the blissful consciousness of the Divine Mother's presence.

209. The most important of life's accomplishments is to establish the temple of all religions. The temple of God (Divine Mother) in one's mind and to create in others the consciousness of God's presence within their minds.

Chit-Shakti-Prakruthi (Jaganmatha) - by Aravinda

210. It is chit-sakthi which is the basis of all material creations and their movements. It is nameless and formless. Prakruthi with its three gunas is the instrument in the hands of Chit-Shakri and is the outer form of Chit-Sakthi.

211. Para-Prakrthi is always conscious of Ishwara and is free from the avidya and is the embodiment of the light of Sat-CHIT-ANANDA.

212. The Para-Prakrithi is also known by Yogis as inner spiritual guide or Sadguru. This Para-Prakrithi is also known as "The higher mind or cosmic Mind". It is also known as Jaganmatha.

213. The Gopies of brindavan worshiped this para-prikrithi in the form of Kachyayani, who blessed them with the worship of Sri Krishna. This leela is an esoteric secret which reveals that none can reach Krishna without worshiping Shakti.

God

214. According to the vedas, this world is only a self-manifestation of the supreme being which comes into being as per his Will.

215. Thus God's Will only lead to his manifestation as the many in this world. He energized the world as its in-dweller.

216. I bow to him who plays Rasa through the Nimittamatra process of creation, sustenance and destruction of this creation.

PURUSHA THRYAM - By Aravinda

217. The Jiva - the individual ego is Khara Purusha - the material entity. This is the Bird sitting on the branches of the tree (Prakrithi) enjoying its fruits, both good and bad (of its own Karma).

218. There is another state, the Akshara Purusha, sitting on the top of the tree and without any desire to state its fruits. This Purusha is midway between the Leela Purushothama and the Kshara Purusha.

219. This Akshara purusha is our real "I" beyond ego. Attainment of this state is the attainment of Mukthi- freedom from Prakruthi. This akshara Purusha is known as Mukta-Purusha.

220. There is another Purusha, who does not sit on the tree but who is beyond the Kshara and Akshara Purushas. He is Purushothama.

Viswathma

221. That purusha who obtains union with Purushothama is Viswathma. This is Sankara's Sarvathma Bhava- seeing the self in every object.

Atma and Manas

222. Vedanta never says that there are two different things Atma and Manas in man. The same consciousness is "Manas". When it is limited by the body, mind and senses and tied down to matter and when freed from this bondage it is Atma.

223. When the rays of the mind are stopped or stilled, the mind as such ceases to exist. The eradication of the mind is the only condition for the attainment of the freedom of the soul.

224. When the mind is absolutely still we realize that we are not a small individual, but the cosmic reality. We feel that we are one with the cosmic reality. We feel that we are one with the universal spirit.

RADIATING INFLUENCE OF HIGHER MIND

225. As only still waters reflect the perfect image so only the surface of the silent heart receives the unbroken image of God. The higher mind in us wakes up as we make it still.

226. Each life is a radiating power which has either a good or an evil influence. We are continuously giving something consciously or unconsciously. Whatever we touch on the outside is influenced by our inner life's radiating power. A Sadhaka in or of deep meditation develops this radiating spiritual influence by which he can heal a suffering person. Spiritual healing powers results from the practice of the higher meditation.

Best Service of Man Kind

227. The best service of the fellow beings is the kindling of Viveka in them, with the flame of Viveka in you, even as a candle lights another.

228. A true servant of God is never tired, for the Lord of energy and power dwells in his heart revealed.

229. A true servant of God, who adopts the Program of God, commands the resource of God.

For Rapid progress in One's Sadhana

230. For rapid progress in spiritual matters, one has to follow the following instructions given by sages.

Control of all out-going thoughts

231. Mind speaks only in the form of thoughts. Hence mind ceases to function if thoughts are arrested. Divine joy and power reflected only on the thoughtless mind.

Message of Upanishads

232. The Self cannot be reached by a week and cowardly man, neither by him who fails in vigilance and right mediation (One must therefore be strong and vigilant). "Be Strong", he must resist all evil desires and thoughts.

Remain in right meditation

233. The real spiritual nature of man makes him unmindful of the demands of our senses. By constantly living in our Real nature, the senses demand no more attention of ours.

Essence of Bhagawat Dharma

234. Whatever fortune belongs to man is of use when it is directly conducive to the practice of Dharma and that alone is Dharma (which consists in the worship of the supreme person of God) that the wise declare as contributory to supreme happiness.

(a) Dharya - Courage (b) Satyam - Truthfulness (c) Sowcham - Purity (d) Tapas - Yearning

are the four feet of Dharma. Name of our religion is Sanatana Dharma.

235. By propitiating the supreme person, the entire creation from brahman down to a blade of grass, is at once gratified.

236. One should never make friends with or rely on the inconstant mind for as a result of confidence placed in it the austere man of celibacy, maintained for a long period, even of Lord shiva was broken. So remain always vigilant watchwire the movements of the mind.

237. Remaining part of Nitya-Mukta, he may descend at will to take part in the cosmic play of the Lord at his sweet will for the redemption of fallen Jivas.

238. Never forget that god is capable of pleasing and satisfying infinite Jivas at the same time. He is not bound by any man made doctrines or rules. He is beyond all philosophical speculations and doctrines.

239. The mental feeling "I am His" is not a matter of practice. It is a "Bhava". Before self surrender, the "I" is a bundle of desires. Self surrender dissolves all these into one desire namely "I am His".

240. A man of self surrender is not aware of his power, or virtue, or capacity for Sadhana. He believes only in God's grace as his soul savior.

Your attitude towards the outer Jagat

241. Your relationship should be only with God and through him you have to maintain relationship with others.

242. In fact Shakti, Maya Prakruthi are inter changeable terms. Divine maya means Ishwara shakti, etc.,

243. The dictionary meaning of the term "Maya" is "will" or "desire". This creation is a result of God's will or desire.

244. Srimad Bhagavatam refers to two kinds of Maya ie. VIDYAMAYA and AVIDYAMAYA. Vidya Maya is Maheshwar (Accordings to Vedas).

Maha Maya and Yoga Maya

245. Maha Maya separates Jiva from God while Yoga Maya brings about union of Jiva & Paramatma.

Chit-Shakti, Prakrithi, Jaganamatha - By Aravinda