(Adapted from the article "Going Beyond Samadhi" by Sri Swami Chidananda in the Divine Life E-Magazine, February 2006)
We have been told of four classical yogas—Karma yoga, Bhakti yoga, Raja yoga, and Jnana yoga. However, the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita p...
A classical example is given of the oxen at the oil-man's mill. In olden days in India, the oil-pressing was done by oxen. They went round and round, and oil-seeds were put into the centre of the press. In the morning, at sunrise, the oxen used to be hitched to this...
What does one do to control sexual thoughts? I seem to find it impossible to keep my mind chaste.........
I was previously very devoted to God, and even moderate control of such thoughts was possible, then i fell in love with a member of the opp sex, i was totally...
The Buddha once told this story about faith: A herd of cows arrives at the bank of a wide stream. The mature ones see the stream and simply wade across it. The Buddha likened them to fully enlightened beings who have crossed the stream of ignorance and suffering. The...
"Holy Mother" pp.222-223
..."A disciple asked if the effect of karma performed in previous births could be cancelled by the repetition of God's name. 'One must experience the effect of past action,' the Mother replied. 'None can escape it. But japa minimizes it'...
One morning Swami Shivananda, after lying down for a while, was seated on his cot. He seemed solemn and indrawn, but suddenly said to the attendant standing near: "Will you go and see if there is someone who wants initiation?" The attendant looked here and there and...
Welcome Sabra!!!
Glad to see you all still here!!
I may get new computer and hope to join the chat.
Your prayers for me availeth much!!
It seems I will be able to keep my bladder after all.
The 3rd biopsy showed NO CANCER!!
Love and appreciation to al...
Dear Sister Jayanti,
I think that it is wonderful how carefully you care
for the devotees.
The introduction of The 'Sri Sarada Devi Chat Room' is truly a milestone in the long history of your Internet presence.
The 'success' of the Chat Room is something th...
We can set up a gathering. Do you want an online "chat" or a telephone conference? We can set up either, both.
Thanks to Tom for inviting us to the Nahabat. :)
While meditation and japa are essential in our spiritual life, concentrating on the presence of the Mother in our daily lives has given me much strength and has been easier to practice. It is not easy to suddenly wake up in the morning and say “OK from today I...
Greetings fellow devotees,
Although most of us are familiar with the story of Radhu
(Holy Mother's Niece), and perhaps see her as simply a thorn in
Mother's side, Sri Sarada Devi clears the matter up for
us immediately, in the following excerpt from:
"In The...
Mother:
You know how special today is for me. I was blessed with Mantra Diksha many years ago on this very day. It feels like yesterday as I live with the memories of that special day.
Sometimes I feel, I have not moved anywhere along the spiritual path, at oth...
Jai Ma! Does anybody know when the Ekadasi days are ? Am aware that they fall on the eleventh day after the full or new moon, but which and when exactly etc ?
Would be grateful if anyone can help on this, since having learned how unhealthy it is to eat food on the...
Once in the forest the Buddha was asked by one of his disciples to explain the workings of karma. The Buddha took in his hand a snatch of leaves and said to the disciple: 'what is greater, the number of leaves in my hand or those on the floor of the forest in which w...
Om sthâpakâya cha dharmasya sarva dharma svarupine;
avatâra varishthâya râmakrishnâya te namah.
It was on 6th February 1898 on the occasion of the consecration ceremony of a newly built shrine at the house of Sri Navagopal Ghosh that...
Happy Birthday!!!
Today is Sri Ramakrishna's birthday. May we all have faith and devotion in the Thakur and Mother and progress towards the Supreme Goal.
Sister Rosemary needs our prayerful support
for a successful outcome for a medical intervention,
scheduled for Friday, 27th January, 2006.
Be pleased to show mercy, O God!
From Bhagavad gita
Thou art the Imperishable, the supreme O...
I would like to know what you all think on the matter... what if a person is good and moral, and prays a lot and is charitable but is not celibate... is this a big problem in his spiritual struggle?
i read in the gospel of SRK " He who has given up the pleasure o...
Namaste,
I was wondering what you all thought were the purpose/importance of dreams in our spiritual work?
I do have symbolic dreams that include spiritual guidance, sometimes involving the image of a spiritual master... also sometimes lucid dreams with direc...
Namaste,
The subject line is from a Christmas Carol of the Christian community that states..."The Hopes and Fears of all the years are met in thee tonight"
We are blessed to be able to meet here and feel the presence of our Mother working in and through us all....
Dear Mother:
Happy Birthday. We all are celebrating your birthday today in our own way all over the world. Bless us that we may have faith and devotion.
THE TIMES OF INDIA - EDITORIAL
SACRED SPACE: Holy Mother
Don't be afraid. Human birth is full of suffering and one has to endure everything patiently, taking the name of God. None, not even God in human form, can escape the sufferings of body and mind.
E...
In 1974 as the Watergate trap began to close on him, President Nixon must have asked himself ruefully, "Why did I ever make those recordings? How could I have conceived the idea of preserving on electronic tape what went on in my office?" for it was, ultimately, the...
Interesting to read about Paul Brunton. As far as I can recall, "A search in Secret India" was the first book I read in which the Name of Sri Ramakrishna appeared, so a great debt is owed there. More recently, I came across "Great Swan" by a man named Lex Hixon, a...
Wanted to share a part of the experience of Paul Brunton's meeting with "M". It is found in "A Search in Secret India". It is too much to type here, so I I have chosen some of the more vivid remarks to enter here. The dots...indicate editing out a phrase or parag...
Dear Mother. Please be with the families and friends of those who have lost loved ones, as today, we in the United States, honor the brave men and women of past and present who serve in our military.
Mother of All, be with not only our families, but with all who a...
Dear brothers and sisters in the courtyard,
i often come here and find my querys and problems solved.....
i wish to post a problem which has been confusing me for quite a while now..... please do think about it and advise me........ i sincerely respect the opinio...
The tribal teaching stories recognize that power can be used in either beneficial or anti-social ways, and that its use is a personal choice that will affect the world. Here is how the Cherokee explain it:
One evening a Cherokee elder told his grandson about a bat...
We can be like the cat in the story that knew only one way of escape.
The story goes that there was a conversation between a jackal and a cat in the jungle. The jackal asked the cat, "If a hunter attacks us just now, what will you do?" The cat said, "I will jump t...
When I first took up religion, my ambition was to become, with as much dispatch as possible, a saint, but in the years of ups and downs that followed, I had to revise my goal. I found that it is much more difficult to attain the state of beatitude than one at first s...
Have been feeling very low this week. Ophelia passed through and everything just feels to be a mess (my life included) I want to take everything to the dump and just move to someplace clean (this feeling is not all because of the storm)
Anyway, I forced myself to...
Dear Mother,
So many childern are suffering around the world in floods and other forms devastation. Many lives are being lost and homes and communities. Families are being torn. We lay our doubts and concern at your feet and humbly pray that your comforting and ab...
My son and I were traveling on I-85 towards Charlotte yesterday. We were traveling about 70 mph when I said to my son as we passed an 18 wheeler, "You are in his blind spot, please move over to the next lane". As we did so about 1/2 minute later, I heard a bang, an...
Dear All,
I have only recently been blessed to be able to attend a spiritual retreat wheren Rev. Vivekaprana Mataji spoke. It was most wonderful, a brilliant speaker she is, and my mind felt very nice and peaceful...
to all my brothers and sisters in the Americ...
Greetings to all my brothers and sisters in the courtyard.....
i have a problem and dont know where else to discuss it, to seek good guidance, so i post it here......
The Lord has blessed me with very wonderful parents, and i have always wished to be a good chi...
This is not a new thing to say, but I can't help being struck yet again by how peaceful and powerful it is, just sitting here ! Thankyou Mother and everyone who sits here in the Courtyard.
I apologise for not posting this earlier.
We will continue reading the Gospel of the Holy Mother from the undated entry after 15th June till Oct 1912.
I have increased the amount of reading since Rosemary did mention I was going a little slow. Please let me k...
I have not kept on the schedule very well, and I think I am reading ahead. But, this comes to me this morning out of a passage in the Gospel. At some point Mother is with devotees and these are her words to them.
"May you attain devotion to God"
Sounds so...
Holy Mother, i feel the need to say to you and anyone in reading-hearing distance...thank You always for my day to day happenings. Let me always think of You..in the shrine, or in the courtyard..or in the sidewalks rushing to and fro...Help me know my own strength..I...
The entry on 11 Feb occurs 3 days after the death of Girish Ghosh. The write gives us a glimpse of the care and love that Mother had for her children. She talks about Girish and his devotion for him. We get a closer look into Mother’s heart when they talk about...
So many times I feel alone and question my faith. This state goes on as I struggle with this issue. I go through the motions and receive no response. Then out of nowhere there is an understanding that I am not alone and Mother is with me.
Bless me Mother that I ma...
Giving New Meaning to American Independence
Swami Vivekananda himself has elevated the American Independence Day to spiritual significance by passing away on July 4, 1902. There can be no doubt that Swamiji knew about and honored this crucial event in America's hi...
A few days ago I received an e-mail from Rosemary (on my now defunct laptop address.) Thanks Rosemary! It's been a long time since I was last in the Courtyard. Much has happened in the last year; have left Japan with my daughter (6) and am looking after her here i...
Today Sarayubala takes us on a journey where she received initiation from the Mother. The Mother gives initiation to her daughter who has received a mantra in a dream.
The Mother then blesses her “May you attain devotion to God” I would like to draw a...
The entry for 14th May 1911 opens with sweetness that is felt in the presence of the Mother.
“I was thinking all the time about you. Why have you not come all these days?”
I always like to think this message is Universal. How often we are busy with...
I think Mother must have wanted the book club to happen a little later then we might have wanted....
people are busy and reading on their own...summer and day to day living leaves time just enough to give thanks and then start agin...day to day..Hey MA..bless these...
Dear Mother, please grace us, your children and bless us with understanding. We come here to the Courtyard to be in your presence and to lovingly offer our study at your feet.
Dear All,
I was going thru Swami Vivekananda's sayings. I find that zeal with devotion is his interpretation of Shraddha. I find it very wonderful.
What happened to everyone ? I am seeing very less activity these days. Remember persistence is t...
The first series starts in January 1911 and is about meeting the Mother for the first time. For 15 years Saryubala has been living in Calcutta but today she will get a chance to meet the Mother. For most of us we expect that we will get results immediately. It requir...
Mother:
We could not do this without you. I know you are here with us holding each child in your arms in your own special way. Today I come to you with your Gospel to share the strength.
your child.
Sisters and Brothers:
Today is Tuesday, a special day for th...
Dear All,
i am very excited about the book club, though i dont know whether i have understood the concept correctly.
I go now and then to Pune, India where one of the Sarada Maths is located and there every Sunday morning respected Yogaprana Mataji reads a lit...
We are in the process of forming an online book club, beginning here in Holy Mother's Courtyard. The first book is "The Gospel of Holy Mother", a series of conversations with Mother as recorded by her devotees.
The purpose of reading a book together is so we may...
Recently heard a very beautiful interpretion of the word 'vedanta':
Ved & Ant (ant in hindi/possibly sanskrit means end)Vedanta means the end of the Ved. Significantly the end of Ved also means the end of desires. Worship according to the various Vedas is prescr...
I have deleted the thread "The Book is here" and replaced it, at last, with posts about our book club.
I appologize for not doing this sooner. I have been considering how we might go forward with this idea, and how much time I can offer. That those who wish might...
One who makes a habit of prayer will easily overcome all difficulties and remain calm and unruffled in the midst of the trials and life.
___________________________________________
Meditation, Japa and spiritual thought counteract past sins.
Quite comes by like a breeze flowing and bringing calm, bringing the feeling of being home. When I frist went into the Vedants shrine here in SF, i felt it..mid-day, summer, 1987..I knew I was at home. I still have the exact feeling when I go...The Master and Buddha,...
Greetings,
The week end is here now, and lots of things are coming my way..Mother Help me meet each one of the new things..
I am a musican, and next
Thursday I go to play in Austin, Texas for three days. Bars and night clubs are test, of course, for my staying s...
Hopefully I will receive my book in the next few days.
I am eager to get started.
In giving heed to some relatives who are coming to visit, about the dangers of the undercurrent in the Atlantic Ocean, I suggested they keep a focal point on the beach while swimmin...
Even while giving initiation, Sri Sarada Devi always pointed to Sri Ramakrishna and said to the disciple, 'He is your guru.' If anybody asked, 'So who are you then?' she would just say, 'I am your mother.' She always assumed the role of the mother.
What we need mo...
I sit here silently reading some old posts and miss Anthony my brother who would come so often to the courtyard and now we have not heard anything from him in over 2 years. Mother I know you are taking care of him wherever he is.
This courtyard is yours Mother, we...
My son told me a simple story that moved me this morning, and wanted to share, as it helps to increase my own faith about divine aid and intervention.
He told that he and his girlfriend were driving home when the car ahead struck a squirrel. The car ahead moved o...
This is a letter from Pravrajika Mokshapranaji, the second President of Sri Sarada Math who wrote this to one of her disciples. (I got it from the courtyard)
My Dear -----,
I duly received your letter dated 7th. Mysterious are the ways of God. We do not know why...
No one can give you God; He can only be had by individual seeking.
Shankara says, "The child is busy with play. The youth is busy with sex. And the aged is busy with worries. How few think of the Lord." Do not forsake Him; rather forsake your desires, for they are...
According to William James, most persons have as many different social-selves as there are distinct groups of persons about whose opinion they care. We are one "self" in business, another in church, still another at home. Our many selves are sometimes quite incompat...
Dear All,
I was recently going through a rather difficult period in my personal and professional life. I was so desperate , I asked mother why I have to suffer misery like this. Then I came upon these qoutations from Swamiji.
"The world is the great gymn...
[There is no East or West in this matter]
All temptations are mental. Usually it is not what you do but what you think that is more troublesome. So take care of your imaginations. Beware of how other people's vibrations affect your mind. It is not enough to say, '...
"I have read that a deer has to run sixty or seventy miles a day on the average, owing to its fright. It runs and runs for miles, and then stops and eats something. But we should know, we are in a worse plight than the deer. The deer has some rest, but we have non...
Story by Sri Ramana Maharshi
One day Sri Bhagavan was feeding the squirrels when a Muslim devotee, who had been watching him, gave him a note in which was written: 'The squirrels are very fortunate because they are getting the food from your own hands. Your gra...
Happy Mother's Day.
Please accept our pranams and some flowers from all your children here in the courtyard and all over the world. Each one of us is different and at a different stage of our spiritual life, however each one of us is moving towards you. Bless us t...
734 Those who have one-pointed devotion towards God are like the magnetic needle that always stands facing the north. They will never be perplexed or go astray in the ocean of attachments to this world.
735 Those who live in the world clinging whole-heartedly to G...
I read this in a quote this morning. "There is enough
good in the worst of us" and "enough bad in the best of us"... the point being that we should never judge another...
And it really made me think about the "bad" in me. And it's THERE. My bad is never active...
822 A boat may remain in water, but if water enters the boat, it will bring great catastrophe. Likewise, a man may live in the world, but if the world enters the man, his whole life will be miserable.(1)
823 Only the pot that takes in water will drown in it; a log...
The grace of the Guru works in different ways. In scriptures the working of grace is compared to the ways in which fish, tortoises and birds cause their eggs to hatch. The ancients believed that the mere look of the fish was sufficient to bring life to its eggs. The...
Whenever someone begged Maharshi for some special upadesa, he used to ask him what he was already practising. If the questioner said that he had done no sadhana, Sri Bhagavan will often ask him which of the gods or goddesses he liked best. The devotee was bound to me...
In the serenity of my home this morning, these deep thoughts come to me. By this evening they will have vanished, so I'd like to present this and see if anyone has any thoughts.
I just wonder if our selves ever really change. I mean we are born with propensities,...
This is a story that appears in Yoga Vasishta. Kunju Swami, at the request of Sri Ramana Maharshi, once narrated this story as follows:
King Sikhidvaja and Queen Chudala ruled the kingdom of Malava. Chudala regularly practised meditation in the silent hours of the...
Until Recently, Mother's Courtyard felt just that: As if Her children had gathered.
Many wonderful thoughts, stories from various sources, and personal reflections have been posted here. We have helped, encouraged, and inspired one another through the years, all...
Most of the time I think of Mother as 'Mother' that is to say I am her child and she is holding my hand and keeping an eye on me.
But there are also times when the roles are reversed so to say - i.e I feel she is a child of about three years and I am holding her...
"Why should there be suffering?" This is a familiar question, asked by everyone who has begun to think about the deeper mysteries of life. "Why does the Almighty permit pain? Shame on him! If God were the least bit humanitarian he would have abolished misery long ago...
Here is one more Leaf of an Ashrama by Swami Vidytmananda
*****
A book that caused a stir in America and in several European countries some years ago, and subsequently served as the basis for a TV series, is Roots by Alex Haley. Roots was written by an American b...
Here is another Leaf which SPEAKS to me. I had good fortune of meeting the author several times. Peace and tranquillity radiated from his personality. I hope the following extract speaks to some of you too.
**********
Sometimes I get thoroughly tired of religion an...
Good morning dear Ones.
Hope this note finds you well.
I had the wonderful chance to read a fine lecture by Swami Tyagananda of Boston.
I thought that this article was quite practical and might be beneficial to all of us. I am sorry I didn't know how to...
Namaste to all my beloved forum family,
Do you all think that it is possible to pray for faith? I know this is probably a recurring theme here, we only address it in different ways. I do notice that my faith is growing stronger and richer and I know where to turn...
A devotee spoke with the Lord about heaven and hell. The Lord said to the devotee, "Come, I will show you hell." They entered a room where a group of people sat around a huge pot of stew. Everyone was famished, desperate and starving. Each held a spoon that reached t...
Hello to all my good friends in the forum.
In my previous post about Serenity, as one thought leads to another with our discussion, I was thinking about what Jesus said, that "I and the Father are One". I suppose it could also be said that "I and the Mother are O...
It is very hard to explain sometimes, but I must give Mother her due. Sometimes in the night when I call on her, the deepest feeling that comes to me, as I feel the love/presence of Mother surround me, is serenity. It is not constant, nor does it come often, in fac...
Ever since a child I have read stories about Maa Sharada. In one of the stories, a desciple wonders who cleaned the courtyard every morning. One morning he woke up to find none other than Maa Sharada cleaning the ground. When he asked her, she replied that she cleane...
Blessings are wished for all on the birth anniversary of Sri Ramakrishna, to whom we offer loving salutations.
One of my favorite sayings by Sri Ramakrishna is, "The breeze of God's grace is always blowing. You have only to unfurl your sails in order to catch the...
Friends,
Whatever advice and wisdom we need to be happy and successful in our lives, mother has given through her sayings. We only have to pray for the strength to follow her in the most trying circumstances.
Unni
I learned of Kali, Her devotees, Sri Ramakrishna, and Sri Sarada, Through a book "Kali" by Elizabeth U. Harding and from Swami Chetanananda, Ms. Harding's guru. As Ramakrishna exhorted his disciples, I consider Ma Kali to be my own mother. I shared my understanding...
