The Real Inner Temple

Devotees at Vedanta Society Temple Steps - Santa Barbara, CA

The Message of Sri Ramakrishna

Lecture by Swami Veetamohananda 

It is good and very grand to conquer external nature, but grander still to conquer the internal nature of man. It is grand and good to know the laws that govern the stars and planets; it is infinitely grander and better to know the laws that govern the passions, the feelings, the will, of mankind. This conquering of the inner man, understanding the secrets of the subtle workings that are within the human mind, and knowing its wonderful secrets, belong entirely to religion.  

-- Swami Vivekananda   (The Necessity of Religion - Jnana Yoga 1902 edition)

We should never for­get that our real objective is to enshrine the Lord in the heart of every man in the world, for the real tem­ple of the Lord is the human heart. There within the heart of every man the ground has to be con­se­crated, for it has been defiled by the pro­fan­ity of worldly desires and plea­sures. There on that con­se­crated ground let the tem­ple of Divine Com­mu­nion be raised and the over­flow­ing bliss of the Supreme Good reign. Infi­nite Bliss from within, that is the idea. Let the devo­tee be flooded over by this Bliss from within. Preach­ing is real only when this Bliss pro­vides for its own preach­ing. One devo­tee over­flow­ing from within with this Divine Bliss is worth a mil­lion dol­lars of pro­pa­gan­dist devices. One real tem­ple raised in the human heart is worth dozens of tem­ples built out­side. Remem­ber that our objective is really to raise the tem­ple from within. I pray that our Lord may shower His bless­ings upon you more and more, as He is doing, till your life becomes per­vaded through and through by a blessed­ness which is His love, which is He Him­self. May you be sub­merged in the real­ity of His Pres­ence. With lov­ing bless­ings to all,

Yours in the Lord,
Swami Pre­m­ananda

1861-1918

Living Inwardly 

Article by Swami Shraddhananda

Read the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna Online

There is None Except the Divine

Swami Vivekananda 
Ramakrishna Monastery Trabuco Canyon

The soul has neither pain nor pleasure. It is the witness of everything. The eternal witness of all work, but it takes no fruits from any work. To work properly you first must give up the idea of attachment. Hold yourself as the witness and go on working. Everything is evanescent and changeful. Knowing this the sage gives up both pleasure and pain and becomes a witness of the panorama of the universe without attachment for anything. He sees the world as a picture knowing that nothing affects him. Then he enjoys its beauty. Whenever there is any bliss, there is a spark of the eternal bliss, The bliss that is the Lord himself. The essence of our own soul. He's the light and life of the whole universe. He's the eternal witness of the universe. O Lord and Mother of the Universe, Thou flowing stream of nectar, How many forms and aspects does thou play in manifestation. The soul has neither pain nor pleasure. Hold yourself as the witness, then behold nature's beauty.

Believe that you are the children of God, the heirs of infinite strength and bliss. Believe that your body and mind are sacred temples. Believe that God pervades every man, and every woman. He pervades every tree and creeper, every sentient and insentient being. The presence of God must be realized everywhere. He is the personal and impersonal, with and without form. He dwells in all beings. He pervades land and waters. He pervades hills and valleys. He pervades the sky and stars. He pervades all things. There is none except the Divine in the entire universe. See God in the blue of the sky, the waves of the sea. See God in the face of a friend, in the simplicity of a child. See God in the horrors of death, in the steadfastness of the saint. There is none except the Divine in the entire universe.

-- Except from "Vivekananda Oratorio 150 : His Ministry" a classical oratorio by Swami Atmavidyananda, composer and lyricist, of the Vedanta Society of Southern California and a monk of the Ramakrishna Order of India. The lyrics he derived from "Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda."

Listen to Vivekananda Oratorio 150 Recording

Meditate on Sri Ramakrishna

We meditate on Sri Ramakrishna, the stainless One,
Shining in the lotus of the heart, who is the Truth,
Beyond all dualities, One without a second,
Beyond the changes of nature, eternal, bliss itself.

We meditate on Sri Ramakrishna, the stainless One,
Who is beyond comparison, extremely subtle,
Uncreated and without desire,
Formless like space, the Infinite dwelling within all beings,
Whose nature is Existence, Consciousness, and Bliss, the Lord of all.

We meditate on Sri Ramakrishna, the stainless One,
Who was born to bring knowledge, devotion, and peace to all beings,
Whose heart was melted at the sufferings of others,
For whom Samadhi was the natural state,
And whose beautiful form was made of consciousness itself.

Chant the Name

Chant the name of the Lord and His glory unceasingly 

That the mirror of the heart may be wiped clean

And quench that mighty forest fire, 

Worldly lust, raging furiously within.

Oh name, stream down in moonlight on the lotus heart,

Opening its cup to knowledge of thyself. 

Oh self, drown deep in the waves of His bliss,

Chanting His name continually,

Tasting His nectar at every step, 

Bathing in His name, that bath for weary souls.

Heart's Lotus

Oh Lord, dweller within;

You are the light

In the heart's lotus.

Om is your very self,

Om, holiest word,

Seed and source of the scriptures.
Logic cannot discover you, Lord,
But the yogis know you 
In meditation. 
In you are all God's faces, 
His forms and aspects,
In you also we find the guru.
In every heart you are  
And if but once, only, a man 
Will open his mind to receive you 
Truly that man is free forever.