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 with an open-minded friend. Some time later, she told me she was teaching her daughter, Sara, (who is alomst two years old) her prayers, as she had been taught: "Our Father who art in Heaven.."
"No, mommy," said little Sara, "Our Mother, who is in ourselves." Her mother, overwhelmed by the insight her daughter had given her, said "Amen". I turned this phrase over in my mind as I did my meditation that night, wanting to know the rest. I unsuccessfully tried to 'finish' it myself, given up when I realized my efforts were clumsy and uninspired. As I was going to sleep, I beleive that the Holy Mother gave the rest to me, and now I give it back to her, upon awaking, before going to sleep, and many times throughout the day. and now I give it back to her here:
Our Mother, who is in ourselves,
Thank you for our food.
Forgive us our mistakes,
And Protect us from harm,
For Yours is the Universe.
with many thanks to the Mother who has given us everything, and my new guru, a 2 year old American girl, named Sara Smith.
Many students of Divinity have discovered
that God is a Spirit, and does not possess
human characteristics and/or limitations.
Sri Ramakrishna said:
"Think of Brahman, Existance - Knowledge - Bliss Absolute,
as a shoreless ocean. Through the cooling influence,
as it were, of the bhakta's love, the water has frozen
at places into blocks of ice. In other words, God now and then
assumes various forms for His lovers and reveals Himself
to them as a Person."
Swamiji wrote:
"They know not truth who dream such vacant dreams,
as father, mother, children, wife and friend.
The sexless Self! Whose father is He? Whose child?
Whose friend, whose foe is He who is but One?
The Self is all in all, none else exists."
Vivekananda
Sri Thakurji also said:
"The jnAnis, who adhere to the non-dualistic philosophy of
VedAnta, say that the acts of creation, preservation and
destruction, the universe itself and all its living beings,
are the manifestation of Shakti, the Divine Power.
If you reason it out, you will realize that all these
are as illusory as a dream. Brahman alone is the Reality,
and all else is unreal. Even this very Shakti is unsubstantial,
like a dream."
When we discover our inherrant Divinity; the notion of God,
being addressed, only in the 'Masculine' context; can be revolting.
However, we must take into consideration, the age-old habits.
Even Sri Ramakrishna often refered to God as 'He' or 'Him'.
The main object of life, in my humble opinion, is to endeavour
to recognize 'the God', that dwells within each and every one of us.
This, in itself, is 'God-Realization' [in the elementary stages].
Gender is of no consequence, when we consider that God is represented
in the Divine Union of Shiva and Shakti.
Om Shanthi Om
Commenting on:
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 with an open-minded friend. Some time later, she told me she was teaching her daughter, Sara, (who is alomst two years old) her prayers, as she had been taught: "Our Father who art in Heaven.."
"No, mommy," said little Sara, "Our Mother, who is in ourselves." Her mother, overwhelmed by the insight her daughter had given her, said "Amen". I turned this phrase over in my mind as I did my meditation that night, wanting to know the rest. I unsuccessfully tried to 'finish' it myself, given up when I realized my efforts were clumsy and uninspired. As I was going to sleep, I beleive that the Holy Mother gave the rest to me, and now I give it back to her, upon awaking, before going to sleep, and many times throughout the day. and now I give it back to her here:
Our Mother, who is in ourselves,
Thank you for our food.
Forgive us our mistakes,
And Protect us from harm,
For Yours is the Universe.
with many thanks to the Mother who has given us everything, and my new guru, a 2 year old American girl, named Sara Smith.
