Buddha Mind

Sentient beings are in essence Buddhas.

It is like water and ice.

There is no ice without water.

There are no Buddhas outside sentient beings.

What a shame, sentient beings seek afar, not knowing what is at hand.

It is like wailing from thirst in the midst of water,

Or wandering lost among the poor

Although born a rich man's child.

The cause of rebirth in the six realms

Is the darkness of our delusion.

Treading dark path after dark path

When can we escape birth and death?

Mahayana Zen meditation goes beyond all praise.

Giving, keeping precepts, and the other perfections,

Chanting Buddha's name, repentance, training and many

Other kinds of wholesome deeds

All find their source in zazen.

When you sit even once,

The merit obliterates countless wrongdoings.

How can there be evil realms?

The Pure Land is not far.

If by good fortune you have the occasion

To hear this teaching,

Admire it and rejoice in it.

You will attain boundless happiness

How much more if you dedicate yourself

And realize your own nature directly.

This "own nature" is no nature.

You are already apart from useless discussions.

The gate opens where cause and effect are inseparable.

The road of not-two, not-three goes straight ahead.

Make the form formless form,

Going and returning, not anywhere else.

Make the thought thoughtless thought,

Singing and dancing, the Dharma voice.

How vast the sky of unobstructed concentration!

How brilliant the full moon of fourfold wisdom!

At this very moment, what can be sought?

Nirvana is immediate.

This place is the lotus land.

This body is the Buddha body.

-Hakuin

(1685-1769)

The Story of Buddha 

Lecture by Swami Tyagananda

Zen is the meditation school of Japanese Buddhism,
Zen is a transliteration of the Chinese word chan,
Which is itself an abbreviation of chan-na, 
From the Sanskrit word dhyana,
Meaning meditation, or absolute stillness of the mind.

Buddha's Message to the World

Article by Swami Vivekananda

Swami Vivekananda said of Lord Buddha...

Surely he was the greatest man who ever lived. 

He never drew a breath for himself. 

Above all, he never claimed worship. 

He said, "Buddha is not a man, but a state. 

I have found the door. 

Enter, all of you!"

Buddha and His Beliefs

Lecture by Swami Bhaskarananda





If the heart is in accord with what is,
All single strivings have ceased,
All doubts are cleared up,
True faith is confirmed;
Nothing remains,
Nothing need be remembered.
Empty, clear, self-illuminating,
The heart does not waste its energy.

- Sosan 
The Third Zen Patriarch

Look Upon God as Mother

Sri Ramakrishna describes a spiritual vision: 

"The Divine Mother revealed to me in the Kāli temple that it was She who had become everything. She showed me that everything was full of Consciousness. The image was Consciousness, the altar was Consciousness, the water-vessels were Consciousness, the door-sill was Consciousness, the marble floor was Consciousness - all was Consciousness. I found everything inside the room soaked, as it were, in Bliss - the Bliss of God. I saw a wicked man in front of the Kāli temple; but in him also I saw the power of the Divine Mother vibrating. That was why I fed a cat with the food that was to be offered to the Divine Mother. I clearly perceived that all this was the Divine Mother - even the cat."

FROM:

The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna
by Mahendranath Gupta (M)

THE RECORDER OF THE GOSPEL

Our Journey on Sri Ramakrishna’s Path

Lecture by Swami Asutoshananda

Nectar of Self Awareness

I honor the God and the Goddess,
The eternal parents of the universe.

The Lover, out of boundless love, takes the form of the Beloved.
What beauty!
Both are made of the same nectar and share the same food.

Out of Supreme Love they swallow up each other
But separate again for the joy of being two.

They are not completely the same but neither are they different.
No one can tell exactly what they are.

How intense is their longing to be with each other.
This is their greatest bliss.
Never, not even in jest,
Do they allow their unity to be disturbed.

They are so averse to separation
That even though they have become this entire world,
Never for a moment do they let a difference come between them.

Even though they see all that is animate and inanimate, arising from within themselves,
They never recognize a third.

They sit together in the same place,
Both wearing a garment of light.
From the beginning of time they have been together,
Reveling in their own Supreme Love.

They created a difference to enjoy this world.
When that "difference" had one glimpse of their intimacy
It could not help but merge back into the bliss
Of their eternal union.

Without the God, there is no Goddess,
And without the Goddess, there is no God.

How sweet is their Love!
The entire universe is too small to contain them,
Yet they live happily in the tiniest particle.

The life of one is the life of the other,
And not even a blade of grass can grow without both of them.

Only these two live in this house called the universe.
When either one is asleep
The other stays awake and plays the part of both.

Should both of them awake, the whole universe would vanish without a trace.

They became two for the sake of divine play,
But in every moment they seek to become one again...

How can we distinguish these two from each other?
He appears because of Her,
And She exists because of Him.

We cannot tell sugar from its sweetness,
Nor camphor from its fragrance.

To capture light we take hold of fire.
To capture the Supreme Shiva we must take hold of Shakti.

Light illumines the Sun,
But the Sun itself creates that light.
The glorious Sun and its light are one and the same.

An object has a reflection:
When looking we see two images, yet there is only one thing.
Likewise, this work is a reflection of the Supreme Lord.

We may see two, yet only One exists...

Shiva and Shakti are One,
Like air and the wind,
Like gold and luster.

Shiva and Shakti cannot be separated.
They are like musk and its fragrance, like fire and its heat.

In the light of the Sun there is no difference between day and night.
In the light of the Supreme Truth there is no difference between Shiva and Shakti.

Shiva and Shakti envy the Primordial Sound "OM" because they are seen as two while the sound OM is always regarded as One.

Jnanadeva says,
"I honor the union of Shiva and Shakti, who devour this world of name and form like a sweet dish.
All that remains is the One."

- by Jnanadeva from "The Inner Treasure" by Jonathan Star

SHIVA

The archetypal masculine

The Seer

Pure witness consciousness

Pure being

The One

Transcendent

The still point

Spirit

The unmanifest

The sun

Light

Nirguna Brahman

Unity

Wave

Consciousness

-----------------

SHAKTI

The archetypal feminine

The Mother

Pure embodiment

Pure becoming

The many

Immanent

The dance

Matter

The phenomenal world

The moon

Dark

Saguna Brahman

Multiplicity

Particle

Energy

Listen to a Chandi Recital

By Swami Tyagananda 

at Ramakrishna Math, Chennai, India

Mother of All Things

The universe had a beginning

Called the Mother of All Things.

Once you have found the Mother

You can know her children.

Having known the children,

Hold tightly to the Mother.

Your whole life will be preserved from peril.

Open up the openings,

Multiply your affairs,

Your whole life will become a burden.

Those who see the small are called clear-headed;

Those who hold to gentleness are called strong.

Use the light.

Come home to your true nature.

Don't cause yourself injury:

This is known as seizing truth.

- Lao Tzu

Luminous One

Bliss of Identity

by Sri Aurobindo

All Nature is taught in radiant ways to move,

All beings are in myself embraced.

O fiery boundless Heart of joy and love,

How art Thou beating in a mortals breast!

It is Thy rapture flaming through my nerves

And all my cells and atoms thrill with Thee ;

My body thy vessel is and only serves

As a living wine-cup of Thy ecstasy.

I am a centre of Thy golden light

And I its vast and vague circumference,

Thou art my soul great, luminous and white

And Thine my mind and will and glowing sense.

Thy spirit's infinite breath I feel in me;

My life is a throb of Thy eternity.

The Vision of the Universal Form

Lecture by Swami Atmajnanananda

I have no plan for my life.
I accept the plan life has for me.
I follow that plan and what it provides me moment to moment.
I am not the roles I play in following the plan.
I am the witness of all that I interact with in my life.
I was a child, an adult, and will soon be an old woman.
I was a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mother, and a grandmother.
I was an artist, a business owner, a dancer, a spiritual practitioner, a friend.
I have been healthy, sick, successful, a failure, awake, and asleep.
Behind all those changing experiences, 
I am the changeless consciousness that is constantly present.
I am that I am, in spite of the changes that "I am" experiences.
I AM THAT.
My present is pregnant with all my past.
My future unfolds from the way I live my present.
My being manifests in the present.
I AM PRESENT.
I am at home in the eternal now, living the plan life has for me.

- Amrit Desai

The Moral Gymnasium

Lecture by Swami Brahmarupananda

Remember: 

Though weighed down by past life samskaras, 

The soul (ball of energy) within you is a part of 

The mother field of Brahman (God). 

You are this ball of energy. 

You are NOT what you see in the mirror. 

YOU were born with the stars.

Evolution is in nature, 

Not in the soul. 

Evolution of nature, 

Manifestation of the soul.

- Swami Vivekananda

All for Her

No one is a stranger my child, 

make the whole world your own.

-Sri Sarada Devi

- The Divine Mother -

I am the empress of all that lives.

I am the sovereign power in all the worlds.

I am the bestower of all treasure.

I am the knower of the supreme.

Among those to whom homage shall be offered,

I am the first.

Everywhere the gods worship only me,

who am diverse in form

and permeating everything.

Whoever breathes,

whoever eats or sees or hears,

does so through me alone.

Unknowing,

they depend upon me.

Hear now, one and all,

the truth as I declare it.

This truth revered by gods and men alike,

I am myself revealing to you.

Whom I will, I make terrible or benign.

Whomsoever I wish, I make mighty—

a brahmana, a seer, a sage.

I transcend heaven above

I transcend earth below.

This supreme greatness have I attained.

– Vag-Ambhrni Sukta (Devi Sukta), Rig Veda

Some Untold Stories of the Holy Mother

Lecture by Swami Chetanananda

Swami Chetanananda signing his book 

"Sri Sarada Devi and Her Divine Play"

at Santa Barbara Vedanta Society March 2016
ORDER BOOK

The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new. A mother’s arms are made of tenderness and children sleep soundly in them. A mother’s heart is a patchwork of love. 

Some mothers are kissing mothers and some are scolding mothers. A mothers love is peace. It need not be acquired, it need not be deserved. A mother is the truest friend we have, when suffering and heavy trials befall us. The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which we will always find forgiveness. Mothers can reach farther down into the heart and offer healing love that can pull a soul back into light from darkness. A mother never gives up hope for her child. Never finding fault with others she will fight to the death when her precious offspring is faced with unjust treatment or needless suffering. A moms hug lasts long after she lets go.

Quick to forgive she is the first to offer food and the last to eat. She assumes the best in those around her and works tirelessly to make them comfortable and included. Encouragement is something she does naturally. A Mother's love is the spirits fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible. A mother always has faith that a child can change their errant ways. Being a mother means that your heart is no longer yours; it wanders wherever your children do. Mother is a verb, not a noun.

Sarada Devi The Bestower of Knowledge
Lecture by Swami Sarvadevananda

That which is Shakti is also Brahman.
That which has form, again, is without form.
That which has attributes, again, has no attributes. 
Brahman is Shakti;
Shakti is Brahman.
They are not two.
These are only two aspects, male and female, 
of the same Reality, 
Existence-Knowledge-Bliss
Absolute.

- Ramakrishna -

Watch Video

Swami Sarvadevananda interviewing Tulsi Ma a disciple 

of Sri Sarada Devi the Holy Mother 1966

Perfection will come when you are completely identified with the Divine Mother and feel yourself to be no longer another and separate being, instrument, servant, or worker but truly a child and eternal portion of her consciousness and force. Always she will be in you and you in her ; it will be your constant, simple and natural experience that all your thought and seeing and action, your very breathing or moving come from her and are hers. You will know and see and feel that you are a person and power formed by her out of herself, put out from her for the play and yet always safe in her, being of her being, consciousness of her consciousness, force of her force, Ananda of her Ananda. When this condition is entire and her supramental energies can freely move you, then you will be perfect in divine works; knowledge, will, action will become sure, simple, luminous, spontaneous, flawless, an outflow from the Supreme, a divine movement of the Eternal.

- Sri Aurobindo

Mother and Mind
Lecture by Swami Chidbrahmananda

Buckle Up! Buddha

Peacefully sitting in a hidden corner of the discount department store, he waited for me. Unhurried and with a dignified sweet smile he humbly sat, waiting patiently until I eventually found him. I was thrilled! He was the one. And the price was right! The perfect finishing touch to my Zen garden. :) Today I had found a Buddha statue that wanted to come home with me. With my new meditation buddy safely buckled in my car we made the short journey home. Instantly the perfect garden spot revealed itself. I gently placed him in position surrounded by passion fruit vines and flowers. I breathed a sigh of relief and lit a candle offering a prayer of gratitude to the divine consciousness for bringing us together.

I've discovered that creating a serene Zen-ish environment is paramount to my progress in spiritual life. A quiet sacred space where my mind can relax and focus on God. Some days the weight of the world seems to be clouding my mind and it becomes restless. By committing to a daily sitting practice in a peaceful sunlit garden, the divine seems more easily revealed through nature. Surrounded by sacred art, birds chirping, bees humming, leaves fluttering, and clouds effortlessly floating on a fragrant orange blossom breeze, I momentarily transcend... bliss.

We are told... One day, after much practice, if we do not grasp at enlightenment or run away
from it, realization will catch up to us. Blissfully shining the great "I Am" sits as witness to all... as if to say, "I knew you would finally remember who you really are!"

Song of Zazen

By Hakuin Zenji

All beings by nature are Buddha,

As ice by nature is water.

Apart from water there is no ice;

Apart from beings, no Buddha.

How sad that people ignore the near

And search for truth afar:

Like someone in the midst of water

Crying out in thirst;

Like a child of a wealthy home

Wandering among the poor.

Lost on dark paths of ignorance,

We wander through the Six Worlds;

From dark path to dark path

When shall we be freed from birth and death?

Oh, the Zen meditation of the Mahayana!

To this the highest praise!

Devotion, repentance, training,

The many perfections

All have their source in Zen meditation.

Those who try Zen meditation even once

Wipe away beginning less crimes.

Where are all the dark paths then?

The Pure Land itself is near.

Those who hear this truth even once

And listen with a grateful heart,

Treasuring it, revering it,

Gain blessings without end.

Much more, those who turn about

And bear witness to self-nature,

Self-nature that is no-nature,

Go far beyond mere doctrine.

Here effect and cause are the same;

The Way is neither two nor three.

With form that is no-form,

Going and coming, we are never astray;

With thought that is no-thought,

Even singing and dancing are the voice of the Law.

How boundless and free is the sky of Awareness!

How bright the full moon of wisdom!

Truly, is anything missing now?

Nirvana is right here, before our eyes;

This very place is the Lotus Land;

This very body, the Buddha.

*Translation by Robert Aitken

The Story of Buddha

Lecture by Swami Tyagananda

I have arrived.

I am home.

In the here.

In the now.

I am solid.

I am free.

In the ultimate I dwell.

-Thich Nhat Hanh

Sitting with Our Father and Mother

Guided 10min meditation by Thich Nhat Hanh

Breathing in, I invite the Buddha to breathe with my lungs.

Breathing out, I invited the Buddha to sit with my back.

Buddha is breathing, Buddha is sitting.

I enjoy breathing, I enjoy sitting.

I know that the quality of the breathing, in the Buddha breath, is excellent.

I know the quality of his sitting is excellent.

I enjoy breathing. I enjoy sitting.

I am aware that my father is fully present in every cell of my body.

I invite my father to breathe in with me. Breathe out with me.

I would like to invite my father in me to sit with my back 

– this is my back, but it is also his back.

Father and son. Father and daughter. Breathing together.

Breathing in, I feel so light. Breathing out, I feel so free.

Daddy, do you feel as light as I do? Do you feel as free as I do?

I know that my mother is fully present in every cell of my body.

I invite my mother to breathe with my lungs, to sit with my back.

This is my back, but it is also hers.

Mother and son breathing in together. 

Mother and daughter breathing in together.

Mother and son breathing out together. 

Mother and daughter breathing out together.

Breathing in, I feel so light.

Mother, do you feel as light as I do?

Breathing out, I feel so free.

Mother, do you feel as free as I do?

- Thich Nhat Hanh

Buddha's Spiritual Humanism
Lecture by Swami Tattwamayananda

Do you have the patience to wait

Till your mud settles

And the water is clear?

Can you remain unmoving

Till the right action arises by itself?

-Tao Te Ching

Set Course for God

"Mother! Mother! My boat is sinking, here in the ocean of this world;
Fiercely the hurricane of delusion rages on every side!

Clumsy is my helmsman, the mind; stubborn my six oarsmen, the passions;
Into a pitiless wind I sailed my boat, and now it is sinking!
Split is the rudder of devotion; tattered is the sail of faith;

Into my boat the waters are pouring! Tell me, what shall I do?
For with my failing eyes, alas! Nothing but darkness do I see.
Here in the waves I will swim O Mother, and cling to the raft of Thy name!”.

- Sri Ramakrishna

Of Yachts and Rowboats

Lecture by Swami Chidbrahmananda

Set sail on spiritual life 
For a coarse of sincerity and earnestness, 
Pure love and devotion for God. 
Grab hold to the hem of his skirt 
As he spins the truth of eternal peace. 
Sail on the ocean of bliss, 
Past vain helpless ego, 
Towards strong currants of abiding truth. 
On meaningful logs of love let me cross 
This turbulent storm of impermanence 
Spun in turbulent eddies thrown ashore, 
Let the moment that is be the present pure 
Newness reborn afresh as divine truth.

The winds of God's grace are always blowing, 

it is for us to raise our sails. 

-Sri Ramakrishna

The Dreamboat

by Sri Aurobindo

Who was it that came to me in a boat made of dream-fire,

With his flame brow and his sun-gold body?

Melted was the silence into a sweet secret murmur,

'Do you come now? Is the heart's fire ready?'

Hidden in the recesses of the heart something shuddered,

It recalled all that the life's joy cherished,

Imaged the felicity it must leave lost forever,

And the boat passed and the gold god vanished.

Now within the hollowness of the world's breast inhabits -

For the love died and the old joy ended -

Void of a felicity that has fled, gone for ever,

And the gold god and the dream boat come not.

Teacher of Truth to the West

Swamiji was a man of wisdom, an ideal worker, a yogi, and a devotee; he was a monk, an ascetic, a sage, and a mystic; he was a leader, an orator, a poet, an artist, a writer, a conversationalist, a debater, a singer, a musician, and a humorist; he was a philosopher, a linguist, an educator, a patriot, a humanist, and a reformer. Swami Vivekananda was the perfect man.

- Swami Turiyananda

Read How Swami Vivekananda Brought Yoga to the West 

BBC News Article & Video

Swami Vivekananda as Teacher

Lecture by Swami Sarvadevananda

What makes you weep, my friend? In you is all power. Summon up your all-powerful nature, O' mighty one, and this whole universe will lie at your feet. It is the Self alone that predominates, and not matter. Know that all sins and all evils can be summed up in that one word, weakness. It is weakness that is the motive power in all evil doing; it is weakness that is the source of all selfishness; it is weakness that makes men injure others; it is weakness that makes them manifest what they are not in reality. Weakness is the one cause of suffering. We become miserable because we are weak. We lie, steal, kill, and commit other crimes, because we are weak. We suffer because we are weak. We die because we are weak. Where there is nothing to weaken us, there is no death nor sorrow.

This is the one question I put to every man, woman, or child, when they are in physical, mental, or spiritual training. Are you strong? Do you feel strength? — for I know it is truth alone that gives strength. I know that truth alone gives life, and nothing but going towards reality will make us strong, and none will reach truth until he is strong. Strength, therefore, is the one thing needful. Strength is the medicine for the world's disease. Strength is the medicine which the poor must have when tyrannized over by the rich. Strength is the medicine that the ignorant must have when oppressed by the learned; and it is the medicine that sinners must have when tyrannized over by other sinners.

Make your nerves strong. What we want is muscles of iron and nerves of steel. We have wept long enough. No more weeping, but stand on your feet and be men. It is a man-making religion that we want. It is man-making theories that we want. It is man-making education all round that we want. And here is the test of truth — anything that makes you weak physically, intellectually, and spiritually, reject as poison; there is no life in it, it cannot be true. Truth is strengthening. Truth is purity, truth is all-knowledge; truth must be strengthening, must be enlightening, must be invigorating.

Stand up, be bold, be strong. Take the whole responsibility on your own shoulders, and know that you are the creator of your own destiny. All the strength and succor you want is within yourselves. Therefore make your own future. Stand firm like a rock. Truth always triumphs. He who falters at first will get stronger and stronger, and the voice will increase in volume until the truth takes possession of our hearts, and courses through our veins, and permeates our bodies. Delusion will vanish as the light becomes more and more effulgent, load after load of ignorance will vanish, and then will come a time when all else has disappeared and the Sun alone shines.
-Swami Vivekananda

Various Facets of Swami Vivekananda

Article by Swami Chetanananda

Divine Shakti

My child, you have been extremely fortunate in getting this human birth. Have intense devotion to God. One must work hard. Can one achieve anything without effort? You must devote some time for prayer even in the midst of the busiest hours of the day. Pray to God with tears in your eyes whenever you want illumination or find yourself faced with any doubt or difficulty. The Lord will remove all your impurities, relieve your mental anguish, and give you enlightenment.

-Holy Mother Sarada Devi

Sarada Devi The Bestower of Knowledge

Lecture by Swami Sarvadevananda

Hymn to Holy Mother 

Prakritim Paramam by Swami Abhedananda

To the Divine Shakti embod­ied in human form, the giver of boons and dis­peller of fear, who quenches the fire of mis­ery and fills with joy the hearts of those who take refuge in Her; to Thee my salu­ta­tions, O Supreme Being, O Mother of the worlds!

Redeem Thy chil­dren, bestow­ing Thy mercy, full of faults, deluded, and with­out merit as we are! A ver­i­ta­ble ship fer­ry­ing us across the ocean of Sam­sara art Thou;
To Thee my salu­ta­tions, O Supreme Being, O Mother of the worlds!

Aban­don­ing the flow­ers of worldly enjoy­ment, always drink, O hon­ey­bee of my mind, the nec­tar of eter­nal peace at the lotus of Mother’s feet—the sure panacea for the dis­ease of world­li­ness. To Thee my salu­ta­tions, O Supreme Being, O Mother of the worlds!

Bestow Thy grace, O great Divin­ity, on us Thy chil­dren, bow­ing in pros­tra­tion before Thee, and grant us shel­ter at Thy feet, O Com­pas­sion­ate One. To Thee our salutations!

Though ever cov­ered with the veil of mod­esty, Thou, O Mother Sarada, art really the Power that bestows spir­i­tual illu­mi­na­tion on human beings. Pro­tect us from sins ever­more, O grace embod­ied! To Thee our salutations!

To Her whose life is fused into one with Ramakrishna’s, whose delight con­sists in absorp­tion in thought and talk of His glory, whose per­son­al­ity is soaked and suf­fused with His spirit; to Her our salutations!

To Her whose nature is sanc­tity, to Her whose life is sanc­tity, to Her who is the very embod­i­ment of sanc­tity; to Her I bow down, again and again!

To the gra­cious Mother Sarada, the embod­i­ment of mercy and the granter of devo­tion and knowl­edge, to Her who is wor­shipped by the chief of yogis, to Her who (with Sri Rama­kri­shna) has given a new rev­e­la­tion for the present age, and who relieves the mis­eries of devo­tees tak­ing refuge at Her feet; to Her do I ever bow down in worship.

Bind­ing our mind to Thee with the bonds of Thy love, Thou does trans­mute our very vices into virtues. Com­pas­sion­ate as Thou art with­out any con­sid­er­a­tion of merit, Thou dost, lo! Take even unwor­thy ones into Thy lap!

Mother, be pro­pi­tious and grant what I in humil­ity beseech. May Thou be ever affec­tion­ate to us, Thy chil­dren; and cast­ing even a drop of Thy love on our long-parched heart, ren­der it cool and peaceful.

Tak­ing shel­ter at the lotus feet of the Mother, Sarada Devi, and Rama­kri­shna, the teacher of the world, I salute them again and again.

Holy Mother: Ideal for the Modern World

Lecture by Pravrajika Shuddhatmaprana

THE LOVING ASPECT OF HOLY MOTHER
Article by Swami Tathagatananda

No Thought Zone

Sri Ramakrishna says retire to solitude and seek him with tears and spiritual discipline. Free of family and friends pray to God and make efforts to realize him. Churn the butter of the mind in solitude and focus on the heart center, the butter of love & devotion will prevail. In Silence, stillness, solitude as the inner witness is realized. Free from outer distraction by practice of Meditation we realize the oneness (Atman) within.

Seeking our true nature we connect with our inner peace devoid of ripples, thoughts and waves, distractions. The conscious awareness of the infinite space inside our heart will reveal inner purity, truth, love & bliss.

Thought vibrations (vrities) of the mind carry real force... Energy. Because it is our special nature, our true divine nature, we must keep our thoughts in check. The goal is to increase the space between thoughts. Happiness, calmness, and the underlying joy of the Atman will be realized as the veil of Maya is lifted.

Peace will result when we can train the monkey mind by meditation practice and prayer. This is the power of stillness and refusing to engage or quarrel over worldly matters. Stop yacking and chattering!... Disturbance is caused by our break with our divine peaceful silent nature. Rather, think and then say.... Listen and observe. Find space in between... Let the divine shine... Try to connect with silence outside and silence inside will happen. Hold the tongue in non reaction and the victory will be yours. Love is greater than hate. Greater than external silence is inner silence. Be the observer.... Be the witness.... Be silent.... "Beginner's Mind".

Even the space between words on a page gives us the opportunity for divine silence. Like the space bar on a computer keyboard, our language has a built in silent pause where the still bliss of our inner nature will reveal itself, if we will only stop and take notice.

A fixed time of day and meditation location is crucial to making progress on the Raja Yoga path. Sunrise 6am, 12 noon, sunset 6pm, and midnight will give a boost to our spiritual practice. Concentration of mind on our (Mantra) divine name, or chosen Ishta will create a space of stillness where self realization can become manifest.

Grow joy thru inner silence. God is in our hearts and we are in the heart of a God. Self realization can be kindled by noticing the beauty of nature, by the calm peaceful mind of the observer. When ever we feel Oneness it is really the True Divine Love of God in our soul. Such is the sweetness of The Lord.

- From "Stillness & Silence" lecture by Swami Sarvadevananda

God Intoxication - Bhakti Yoga - Devotion

Lecture by Swami Sarvadevananda

Pre-Internet Brain

Remembering to seek that still small voice of God in our daily meditation practice may be the hardest challenge facing modern spiritual seekers. Perhaps our reliance on electronic devices has become so en grained that it over shadows our need for a relationship with God. Our meditation practice squeezed out between our busy lives and new instantly accessible information. Our electronic devices, a buzz with rampant activity, a dizzying distraction of sound bytes that have little lasting meaning. Yes! Some days I do miss my Pre-Internet brain. It can be very challenging to be a spiritual being in an age of distraction. Therefore, we must set aside time and silence our personal electronics. Vow to unplug them for the weekend and form a lasting connection with our true divine nature. That understood, I whole heartily believe we can use the World Wide Web to the glory of the Supreme Godhead. Digital media is the future and it's here to stay. It's not going away! Its value being one of the first ways many of today’s young people will ever hear the harmonious message of Vedanta. Prompting some to take action and reach out in face to face fellowship with other devotees. Some may be drawn to learn meditation, read spiritual ebooks, hear a lecture online, or even attend a puja at their local Vedanta Society. Through Internet and its power to inform and transform our spiritual universe expands exponentially. May the new digital media be used to the glory of Brahman!

The Supreme Connection

Lecture by Pravrajika Virajaprana

Artist and writer Douglas Coupland (see photo) probes the way that contemporary life and digital technologies affect our understanding of the world around us.

Sri Ramakrishna the Peacemaker

Read the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna Online

Under the Gentle Breeze of Mercy

by Swami Premeshananda

Under the gen­tle breeze of mercy,

Waves have risen in the Ocean of Form­less­ness;

Merged in the undi­vided, with­out begin­ning or end,

Thou, through Thine inscrutable power,

Hast assumed a human form.

On the side of the mind there is a realm unknown

Where nei­ther the sun nor the moon can enter,

But even there Thine infi­nite smile

Sheds its rays and lumines with charm­ing light.

Thy body is made of love

And puts to shame the God of Beauty;

And what sweet light Thine eyes bestrew!

Who­ever sees Thee longs to offer at Thy feet

His body, life and mind.

Many ages, come and gone, have awaited Thee,

But today all doubts have van­ished;

Oh, receive the gift of all I have—

I ded­i­cate my life to serve Thee!

This hymn was writ­ten about Sri Rama­kri­shna by Swami Pre­me­shananda. 

The Eng­lish trans­la­tion is by Swami Ashokananda.

Sri Ramakrishna 

An Inspiration for this Age

Lecture by Swami Sarvadevananda

Great Thinkers on Ramakrishna Paramahansa