Dear Rosemary,

RE: The extreme heat and humidity of the Southern United States

One may observe that the laconic manner of speaking, prevalent below the Mason-Dixon
Line, is due to the oppressive heat and humidity. The so-called 'Southern Drawl' is
a direct result of the peoples' energy being sapped by the challenging climate.

When we listen to 'the Apology', recorded by Hank Williams, he speaks the word,
"Washington" in one faint syllable...(Where is the energy to say 'Wash-ing-ton'?)

We also lived without air-conditioning, except for a time during the early 70's,
when my late father acquired a used machine from the bank where he was employed.
This trusty air-conditioner's brand was Chrysler Air-Temp, and was probably
manufactured in the late 1950's. Well, to make a long story short, that is
exactly the same machine that I am presently using in my bedroom window.
They obviously don't make things like that any more.

You have a great deal of excellent Vedantic reading at hand; and you seem to be
deriving great benefit from it. I also love reading; although, ever since I got
a high-speed Internet connection (July 2009); I have been addicted to watching
movies online.

That is a nice photo of you and Andrea. My son's name is Andrew.

RE: Teaching of Sri Ramakrishna, regarding 'Free Will'.

Actually, from what I understand, the Master did not accept the existence
of Free Will. Here is a quote from the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna:

"Not a leaf moves except by the will of God.
Where is man's free will?
All are under the will of God. Therefore I say:
'O Mother, I am the machine and Thou art the Operator;
I am the chariot and Thou art the Driver.
I move as Thou movest me; I do as Thou makest me do'."

RE: "Tejchandra suffered a bout of asthma"

Of course, many illnesses are psychosomatic; and I dare say that Asthma is
numbered amongst them.

This is what Sri Ramakrishna had to say about believing in medicine:

"It is God Himself who has become the physicians.
Therefore one must believe all of them.
But one cannot have faith in them
if one thinks of them as mere men."

That's where the numerous faith healers derive their power. Those afflicted
with illness, 'believe' that the healer will cure them...so, it is the 'belief'
which cures the person...not the so-called faith healer.

Om Shanthi Om
==============

Dear Tom, et al

Wow, Tom! That is what you call getting your money's worth out of an air conditioner!!

Here is the conversation pertaining to free will that occurred between Narendra Nath Mitra and Sri Ramakrishna. It seems that for me every vignette in this book has held a valuable nougat.

p. 434, "They Lived With God", Swami Chetanananda

"The younger Naren asked the Master: "Sir, have we any free will?"

Master: "Just try to find out who this 'I' is. While you are searching for 'I,' 'He' comes out. 'I am the machine and He is the Operator.' You have heard of a a mechanical toy that goes into a store with a letter in its hand. You are that toy. God alone is the Doer. Do your duties in the world as if you are the doer, but knowling all the time that God alone is the Doer and you are the instrument."

I was so glad and also somewhat surprised that Sri Ramakrishna and Sri Ramana Maharshi addressed this issue in nearly exactly the same manner of speaking.
You and/or anyone intersted can find the Maharshi's answer on this and the subject of karma here:

Karma

Quote from Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi, source stated on link above....


"Question: If what is destined to happen will happen, is there any use in prayer or effort or should we just remain idle?

Sri Ramana Maharshi: There are only two ways to conquer destiny or be independent of it. One is to enquire for whom is this destiny and discover that only the ego is bound by destiny and not the Self, and that the ego is non-existent. The other way is to kill the ego by completely surrendering to the Lord, by realising one’s helplessness and saying all the time, ‘Not I but Thou, O Lord’, giving up all sense of "I" and ‘mine’ and leaving it to the Lord to do what He likes with you. Surrender can never be regarded as complete so long as the devotee wants this or that from the Lord. True surrender is love of God for the sake of love and nothing else, not even for the sake of liberation. In other words, complete effacement of the ego is necessary to conquer destiny, whether you achieve this effacement through self-enquiry or through Bhakti Marga (path of devotion)."

The words of the Maharshi have been helpful to me in my life and seeing almost the same words (essentially)passing from Sri Ramakrishna on to Narendra Nath Mitra has been very comforting to me.

Tom, I thought you might enjoy this copy of a copy of a photograph of my grandmother playing the guitar with her brother in front of their home in Northern Alabama almost 100 years ago. It is jarring to think that at this time the world was in the intense agonies of a World War and that Holy Mother was living far away with countries, oceans and continents between.

Om Shanti Om,
Rosemary

Location: North Carolina

Dear Rosemary,

The concept of 'free will' only applies, I guess, if the entity believes that he/she
is the 'doer'. As long as we recognize that our individuality is only an imaginary
bubble in the Ocean of Satchitananda; then the question begs to be asked, "Free will
for whom...or what?"

Regarding Sri Maharshi, I have no doubt that his teachings are very helpful; however,
I tend to wear the same shoes on my feet, until they wear out....and Sri Ramakrishna
and other members of the Holy Trio, do not seem to be wearing out as yet.

As long as I can find all the answers to my varied spiritual questions, in the sayings
and writings of the Sri Ramakrishna Family, I tend not to look further afield
for guidance.

I have set up a search engine, which scans the Kathamrita for key words.
One may access it @ URL:
http://www.picosearch.com/cgi-bin/ts0.pl?index=153868

Give it a try! Simply search, using the 'exact phrase' option, for free will....and
see what comes up.

Then, if you wish to see what Swamiji thinks about the same subject, use this search
engine, which scans the Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda @ URL:
http://www.picosearch.com/cgi-bin/ts0.pl?index=156965

What a delightful photo of your grandmother and your great uncle! Thank you so much
for sharing. It is interesting that you mention, the fact that in i916, when the
photo was taken, the world was in the grip of a terrible World War.

When your Granny was sitting on the porch in genteel Alabama, with the aroma of Magnolia blossoms in the air.....and Holy Mother was arguing with Radhu in the intellectually fertile state of Bengal; my grandfather was sailing the high seas on a British warship.

Here is a photo of him on board:



He joined the Navy at age 15, serving as a gunnery instructor; and managed to father
thirteen children; although he spent so much time away from home.

Om Shanthi Om
=============

Dear Tom,

13 children and never at home to help?? Wow, women were so hardy back then. I was the type who needed a lot of help with my children, or, at least I wanted more help with my children than was offered. I found I did a better job with them after my husband and I split up --probably from the neccesity. My hats off to your grandmother for a job well done. My hats off to your grandfather for his impeccable beard and moustaches. I can tell that you are very proud of him.

Thanks also for the searchable links which I have bookmarked and will surely be able to put to good use. You have done well, Tom.

Well, I've been working on getting my Madonna and child photo in a good frame and am sorry to report that I have messed up. It seems that I bought the wrong size frame. It ended up that I took the print over to the office and used the paper cutter for clean edges but am afraid that I made a big mess so will have to order a new print. This time I will be more careful. I did get the print into the frame and have made some nice photos. The print itself is awesome and I am so glad to have purchased it. I will be much more careful with the new one.

Today as I was driving home from Mother's house the light and shadows of the historic district made me stop and whip out my camera. There is a cat on Johnson Street who is always friendly and made me think of Gopala Ma and the story of the cat from "They Lived With God."

It goes like this...

"To see God in everything is the culmination of Vedantic experience. Gopaler-ma had a pet cat in whom she used to see Gopala. One day it was lying peacefully on Nivedita’s lap when Kusum came and pushed it away. Immediately Gopaler-ma cried out: ‘What have you done? What have you done? Gopala is going away – he is gone.’" From the story of Gopala Ma, "They Lived With God" by Swami Chetanananda

Here is the cat who came to the fence to greet me today...



Yesterday on TCM I watched "The Letter" with Bette Davis. "The Letter" was written by Somerset Maugham who legend has that he stayed with Sri Ramana Maharshi for some time at Sri Ramana Ashrama. The movie was really, really good and I hope you get a chance to see it if you haven't already.

Speaking of the Maharshi the only statement that I have to make about the subject is that he is the one who led me to Holy Mother. That is all.

Here are the photos from my new framing job. It is time now to get ready for work tomorrow. It was a really beautiful day here and the colorful blooms are popping up all around us. The light and shadow begin to make an eerie dance together here and brings a magic to the landscape.

I hope to finish "They Lived With God" tonight. Here's hoping so as to start on the other book "God Lived With Them" sometime this week. Swami Chetanananda speaks in a language that seems very musical to me and so it makes for very easy reading.

Jai Ma!!

Location: North Carolina

Dear Rosemary,

Thanks for your kind words.

The print of Madonna and Child is beautiful. It is too bad that you damaged it;
but there appears to be an unlimited supply available....so, nothing to worry about...

Nice cat in the photo....I also believe that God dwells in all living things;
as a matter of fact, whenever I am obliged to crush a spider in my dwelling;
I always repeat the Mantra, "On Namah Shivaya".

Regarding Sri Ramana Maharshi's leading you to Holy Mother, it seems like he has done
the job that he was supposed to do....so there are no more worries. Once you have
arrived at your destination, there is no further need of maps...

The problem with trying to follow two masters, is that they sometimes
offer conflicting advice; which may confuse the aspirant. For instance,
unlike the traditional Advaitic school, Sri Ramana strongly discouraged
most who came to him from adopting a renunciate lifestyle.

In contrast, Renunciation' is the cornerstone of Sri Ramakrishna's teachings.

Here is an illustrative quote from the Kathamrita:

Mani (to Sri Ramakrishna) — What should one do if one’s wife says,
‘You are neglecting me. I shall commit suicide.’ Sri Ramakrishna
(in a grave tone) — She who is an obstacle in the way to the Lord,
let her commit suicide or anything she likes! Such a wife should be
shunned. “She who is a hurdle in the way of the Lord is an avidya
(worldly) wife.”

Om Shanthi Om

Dear Tom,

Life is interesting, is it not?

In my office there is a co worker who harbors a great fear of spiders. She hails from California where the bugs are different there. She sometimes makes derisive comments about my beloved North Carolina simply because of the bugs that have found a home here!! It always distresses me when an alarm is called up in the office meaning that a spider has been spotted. That is when some brave trooper (usually a man) is called in to extinguish life from the form of the spider.

This little story about Swami Ashokananda in Sister Gargi's book "A Disciples Journal" made me chuckle:

p. 254

" I was sometimes aghast at how Swami dealt with the wildlife at Lake Tahoe--often with a vision beyond the ordinary. One day during our kitchen lunch, I was horrified to see a big, black, long-legged spider in the sink. Swami summarily washed it down the drain. When I made a cry of protest, he said, surprised and with total conviction, "Don't you see? It is just the form."

While searching for the story concerning "Golap Ma and the cat" the vignette from "They Lived With God" was the hit and it pulled up on a site devoted to Japa. There are two articles sited on this page devoted to Japa: one is an article about Ramana Maharshi and the other is the vignette about Gopala Ma from the book they lived with God. The word or segments of word with the 3 letters "cat" came up 11 times, only once in the Ramana Maharshi article. That one word was "advocated."

Here are the other 10 words from the Gopala-Ma article:

categories
classification
located
intoxicated
intoxication
God-intoxicated
uneducated
unsophisticated
sophisticated
cat

I like Gopaler Ma for her "unsophisticated-ness"

This is an interesting highlight of the relationship between Gopala-Ma and Swamji. This comes from "They Lived With God" and can be found here:

Japa

"One day, however, Gopaler-ma and Swami Vivekananda (then called Narendranath) chanced to be present at Dakshineshwar at the same time. Gopaler-ma was uneducated, unsophisticated, simple, and a devout worshipper of God with form; Narendranath, on the other hand, was learned, sophisticated, intelligent, and a staunch believer in the formless God. As a member of the Brahmo Samaj, he looked down on worship of God with form. Sri Ramakrishna had a tremendous sense of humour, so he engaged these two devotees, with their opposing points of view, in a discussion by requesting Gopaler-ma to relate her visions to Narendranath."
___________________________________________________

Here is a photo of two boys watching the bridge rise at the confluence of the Neuse and the Trent Rivers here in New Bern. The Neuse River was named by the Neusiok Indian Tribe whereas the Trent River is named for the English of the Colonial timess. The Trent River is where I had a vision of Swamiji. In India, the point of confluence of the Ganges and the Yamuna is held to be sacred. There is a third river at this sacred place of confluence in India, the Saraswati, which is invisible but understood to be present. I find all of these similarities and commonalities to be highly symbolic.

Om Shanti Om

Location: North Carolina

Dear Rosemary,

Spiders are not my favorite entities either. I am not too crazy about wasps
and bees as well. When I was still living with my wife; and a bee or wasp
would enter our dwelling; I would run and hide in the bathroom, while my
dear wife would chase the flying insect around.. eventually destroying it.

Om KAleeMA!

When visiting India, I noticed a huge and hairy black spider on the wall of
the bedroom in my brother-in-law's house. It's body alone was the size of a
large unshelled walnut. Fortunately, my brother-in-law was close at hand;
and he calmly removed his slipper and gave the monster a sharp slap with it.
I still remember the spectacle of that beast, sliding down the wall in it's
own juices. Horrors of horrors!

After seeing that, the only way I could get to sleep at night, was filling
myself up with Indian Rum...I slept like a baby...and didn't care what was
crawling over my body....

No, my dear Rosemary, I am a happy man to live in the northern climes; where
house spiders are usually small and non-poisonous....although, every now and
then, I do see rather large black spiders (about the size of a quarter), that
must come in from the outside lawn.......(Thankfully, I haven't seen any of
those for a couple of years....but they could come back...)

Thanks for sharing those quotes from your book...and also the lovely photo
of the boys, at the confluence of the Neuse and the Trent Rivers.

Om Shanthi Om
==============

Dear Tom,

Cute spider stories! For some reason, I do not have such a fear of spiders though my co-worker, Andrea, has an intense, un-natural fear of them. Once while riding in the car with her, I made the mistake of laughing hysterically at her when a very innocuous spider fell on her as she was driving. Her reaction was so intense that it was comical to me. My laughter almost cost our friendship (still, my laughter was a spontaneous response to the event.)

I have changed my mind about your liking the place where I live, albeit I do love the place so dearly myself, it being very picturesque and historic and all. You see, we have really, really frightening bugs and snakes (actually we have Snakes with a capital "S"). When I visited Prince Edward Island (Canada) last summer, I was surprised to learn that they have no snakes on the Island (only of the garden variety). I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to live in such a haven, where one could go barefoot by day or night, without the fear of walking on a snake (that may have looked like a branch laying in the path, until you walked up on it, that is). Not only did they not harbor the kind of snakes that create fear, but they did not have inhabited there any deer or moose. The deer are lovely here but they like to run out in the road in front of your car when you are driving happily along the road at night. They are thereby such cute animals, but so very dangerous.

This morning I was looking for a passage from Sister Gargi's book "A Disciple's Journal" about the time that Swami Ashokananda, who had never been stung by a wasp, decided to allow a wasp to sting him so he could know the experience. Since time is dwindling away and I must fly, I would like to offer a passage which is appropriate to our conversation. This concerns Sister Gargi overcoming an uneasiness about her dwelling at Lake Tahoe and how she overcame the uneasiness in order to be near her Swami.

p. 164, "A Disciple's Journal", Sister Gargi (Mary Louise Burke)

"We arrived in June for our annual summer retreat a Lake Tahoe. In addition to Swami Ashokananda's cabin, where visiting swamis also stayed, there were two cabins, one on either side owned by devotees. Widely spaced, all three cabins stood on a forested hill overlooking the lake. Ediben Soule's cabin, where I usually stayed, was full to overflowing the summer of 1957 with her husband, Doug, her daughter, Anne, and Janet Blodgett, one of Anne's young friends. Nor was there any room for me at Jo and Helen's cabin. So swami asked Jo to search for a resort cabin that I could rent nearby. All she could find was a place about seven miles away.
The cabin Jo secured for me was a small, poorly lighted, flimsy one-room hut. When Swami admonished Jo for her poor choice, she assured him that it was the only place available for miles around. I moved in. There were no actual rats, snakes, spiders, or furry black moths, but the small derelict cottage gave the impression of harboring all these creatures. I did not much like it, but anything was better than not being at Tahoe with Swami."

As for me, I love the rustic life and shown below is one of my favorite cabins to stay in when visiting my children up in Salisbury, NC.

Thanks for keeping me Holy Company.

Yours in Mother's Grace,
Rosemary

Location: North Carolina

Dear Rosemary,

Regarding spiders, it is all in the mind, of course. Something so small,
unless it is a Black Widow, could not cause any serious harm to creatures
of our size. It's just the way they look, which is threatening...and, isn't
that the case with many other phobias, current in human nature?

I really don't blame you for laughing at Andrea's phobia, because it is
really funny. What is not so funny, is that her unreasonable fear could
have resulted in loss of control of the vehicle....

I haven't seen a snake in many years. We only have the garden snake
variety around here, but not in an urban environment.

Of course, you love your surroundings, because you were born and brought
up there; so all those insects and snakes are taken in stride.

Canada is the second coldest country in the world (next to Russia); so,
there is much more danger of perishing from the freezing cold, than
any danger from creepy, crawly things. If a person happens to be lost
outside his/her dwelling in sub-zero temperatures, death will come swiftly.
That happens often, with Alzheimer patients who wander outside in Winter.

I liked reading about Sister Gargi's small rustic cabin, and her fear of
possible co-tenants. The insects are usually smart enough to stay out of sight
during the day. I remember reading somewhere, that we are never more than ten
feet away from a spider, no matter where we are.

I have woken up sometimes, with a couple of itchy bumps on my body; no doubt
caused by spiders intent on sucking out my juices. I wouldn't mind them
having their feast, but I don't like the chemical they inject, which causes
such annoying itching.

By far, the worst insect you would find here in Quebec, is the famous 'Black Fly'.
These are small, merciless critters that come out for a few weeks in June; and
are found in our evergreen forests. They have been known to drive animals
and humans insane. I guess that you will be able to surmise, from the foregoing,
that I prefer to leave the rustic life to the rustics. Nice photo of the cabin, though.

A touch of Americana.

Thanks for your Holy Company, too!

Om Shanthi Om
==============

Dear Tom,

I do not know where the time has got to this morning.
There is only 7 minutes left on the clock for me to get to work. It's a good thing that I live only a block and a half away. I can make it by car in two minutes.

There is so much that I wanted to reply to you in your post. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts. I really enjoy talking to you about these matters. I'm glad that you liked the story about Sister Gargi with Swami at Lake Tahoe. There is so much more wonderful, wonderful things that are in her book. I wanted to share them this morning, but alas, the time is gone.

I will come back at lunchtime and write some more.

Until then, here is a photo taken last summer on the Cavendish shore in PEI, Canada. I long to travel back there again, as I also long to go to India, and to Ridgely. The family reunion is going to be at Guntersville Lake, AL in July of this year. I checked at Mapquest and the resort is only 50 minutes from Mount Olive. I won't have time to travel around Alabama any further than that.

More Sister Gargi stories at lunch.

Yours in Mother's Grace,
Rosemary

Location: North Carolina

Dear Tom,

I have been flipping through my copy of "A Disciple's Journal" trying to find the section concerning Swami Ashokananda and the wasp incident. I cannot find it yet I seem to have bookmarked many pages to come back to and to highlight here later. It seems that every single page has something that is worthwhile to highlight. Swami Ashokananda was an outstanding teacher. One can easily see why Sister Gargi remained devoted to him throughout her lifetime.

I like the following:


p. 190, "A Disciple's Journal" by Sister Gargi (Marie Louise Burke)

"We celebrated Anna Webster's seventieth birthday with ice cream and cake in the back office.

Swami (at the close of the evening): Many, many happy returns!

Anna: Oh, not too many, please.

Swami (smiling): If you are happy, what difference does it make how many? You people think so strangely. You do not know what will happen to you after death, but you assume it will be better than what you have. You know what you have here, and yet you want to exchange it for the unknown.

Anna: Swami, from all you have said, I thought I didn't have to have any fear of death at ll.

Swami: You don't know what will happen.

Me: At least death will be a rest.

Swami" Who told you that?

Me: You did--in your lecture this morning.

Swami: You are certainly a fool! Do you think in a public lecture I would tell about the bad side of it? There are hells that souls go to also. The Buddhists have pictured hells that make the Christian hells seem like child's play.

Me: People go also to those seven worlds below?


Swami: Souls not people. Well, Sri Ramakrishna promised he would appear to his devotees at the time of their death.

Devotee: What is the definition of a devotee?

Swami: When the great masters say something, no one asks them exactly what they mean. After they are gone, people begin wondering.

Devotee: The commentaries that will be written!

Anna (hotly): If one knows what it means to love, one knows what it means to be a devotee.

Swami: Why bother about all these hazy statements? Just do your best. What have you achieved?

Anna: I haven't achieved anything.

Swami: Do your best. Keep on.

When Swami was on his way upstairs, he said regretfully, "I am afraid that I upset Mrs. Webster by that talk about death."

Me: She recovered.

Swami (shaking his head): No, she felt dampened."
_______________________________-

I really, really wish I could have met Swami Ashokananda, as I feel I already know him.

Yours in Mother's Grace,
Rosemary

Location: North Carolina

Dear Rosemary,

Firstly, that's a lovely photo from P.E.I.

You mentioned Lucy Maud Montgomery in a previous message. Well, I am a fan of
Laura Ingalls Wilder. I have almost every season of "Little House On The Prarie"
on DVD. I find some similarities in their writings.

I think we've made an error here, concerning Mount Olive.......

Hank was not born in the Mount Olive, which is found in north Alabama, near Birmingham;
but rather in Mount Olive/Grace, Alabama, in Butler County...way down south.

HERE is a map of places of historical interest, connected with Hank Williams.

That item about Swami Vivekananda talking about Hell was interesting; although,
I am more accustomed to a different Vivekananda opinion, such as the following:

"How does the Advaitist theory explain these various phases of heaven and hells
and these various ideas we find in all religions? When a man dies, it is said that
he goes to heaven or hell, goes here or there, or that when a man dies he is born
again in another body either in heaven or in another world or somewhere. These are
all hallucinations. Really speaking nobody is ever born or dies. There is neither
heaven nor hell nor this world; all three never really existed"

The above excerpted from: "ONE EXISTENCE APPEARING AS MANY" (Delivered in New York, 1896)

Om Shanthi Om
=============

Dear Tom, et al

This subject (Swami Ashokananda on "death"0 gives material for great discussion. There are many ways I would like to discuss this issue and also what Swami had to say about it. I do agree with you, Tom and feel a bit confused about what the Swami had to say to Mrs. Anna Webster. However, that being said, it is only a little confused and I would say the preponderant feeling is one of being deepened.

It does make it sound like a dualistic viewpoint, however, but more on that later.

Thank you so much for setting me straight on Mount Olive. I would have taken a ride and wasted the expensive gasoline over a wild goose chase. I will reconsider my options on the matter. All is reserved already at Guntersville Lake. We have cabins!! The spark ignited quickly over this matter.

Okay, I must run again. This subject is very important to me (heaven, hell, dualism, death, who dies?, etc). I will come back to it later.

Here is a photo from Prince Edward Island that would bring back the era of "Little House on the Prairie".

I will come back to this thread later today or tonight....

Peace!
Rosemary

Location: North Carolina

Dear Rosemary,

Another nice photo from P.E.I.

RE: Expensive gasoline

Yes, and getting more expensive as every day passes, until they get that
lunatic in Libya into a strait-jacket, where he apparently belongs.

RE: Sister's Gargi's account of Swamiji's comversation

Perhaps Swamiji was purposely adopting the dualistic viewpoint, to promote
further discussion...and to judge whether his teachings had penetrated the
layers of Judeo-Christian thought, amongst his listeners. Of course, I am 'up'
for more detailed exploration of this subject, if it suits your good self.

Om Shanthi Om
=============

Dear Tom, et al,

There is some reason that Swami Ashokanada responded to the subject the way that he did.

Still, I am feeling some contradiction in the passage from Sister Gargi's book concerning Swami Ashonkananda's explanation on "death". This does not shake me, it simply deepens my search for understanding on several levels. What was going on in Mrs. Webster's life that Swami would give this reply? Even Sister Gargi expressed to him a sense of contradiction.

There is a place somewhere in this book ("A Disiple's Journal") where Swami Ashokananda tells Sister Gargi that he has prayed for release from the body. (I hope that if I am wrong about this that Sister Jayanti will correct me. I speak from what I remember and also from what I understood at the time of my reading. It seems that I am having much trouble finding the direct quotes and sources in the book.) Swami Ashokanda also reveals to Sister Gargi that he has suffered a great deal in life, although he does not reveal (or either she does not reveal) the nature of his suffering.

So, how is this prayer for release different from Anna Webster's problem on the day of her birthday??

It is interesting (to me) that Lucy Maud Montgomery's husband (a Presbyterian minister by the name of Ewan Macdonald) suffered severe mental illness and "religious melancholia" which was triggered by a sermon he had heard on the subject of "hell". It has always seemed to me that a thorough knowledge of the concept of Vedanta would have been very healing to his mind but when one looks at what Swami Ashokananda says about "hell" then it looks like the trouble in the mind begins all over again. It is rather confusing, but I still feel that there is a reason underneath.

Also, Lucy Maud Montgomery became dependent on several drugs later in life. She was undoubtedly an addict. It has recently been revealed by LMM's family that she committed suicide (I have my doubts about this) in 1942 instead of dying a natural death as previously reported. I often wish that Maud had had the insight and freedom to have looked into the teachings of Swamiji. It seems to me that while he was here in the West she could have found a way to him-- for they were contemporaries of that time.

I'm glad it's Friday. Gas prices are rising steadily here. It's a good thing that I am close enough to walk to work.

Here is a photo of the house behind me (where "Elvis" lives) at Christmas time this year. Elvis Presley actually played at the Masonic Theater across the street from this house when he was a very, very young lad-before he was famous!! It's all ironic....

Yours in Mother's Grace,
Rosemary

Location: North Carolina

Through Sister Gargi, I have developed a great trust in Swami Ashokananda.....

Om Shanti Om,
Rosemary

Location: North Carolina

Dear Rosemary,

Yes, I agree with you, that many people could have benefited from an introduction
and understanding of Vedanta.

You wrote: "Through Sister Gargi, I have developed a great trust in
Swami Ashokananda....."

If that works for you, then "go for it"...however, my 'total trust' is placed
with SatchidAnanda, which is the only Reality.. all else being an illusion.

There is an old saying, "Too many cooks spoil the broth"....I am sure that you
know it. Well, I could expand that to include "Swamis". Personally, I get confused
by reading the various opinions of different Swamis and their experiences...even if
they happen to be members of the Ramakrishna Order.

I guess that I am somewhat of a simpleton, and try to avoid complications.

I only possess three books on Vedanta:

1. The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna
2. Selections from Swami Vivekananda
3. In the Company of the Holy Mother

I also access online, the Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda.

Perhaps I am susceptible to the danger of becoming subject to the whims and
notions of every passing spirit. "Concentration" is the key to my personal
spiritual activity. I find that if I dissipate my mind, to include the thoughts
of too many people, I start to forget what has been absorbed to date. That could
be the initial stages of Alzheimer disease....who knows?

Speaking of dementia, I have an old and good friend, who is now a resident of
a long-term care facility, suffering from Primary Progressive Aphasia. He is
about the same age as myself, and a big Elvis Presley fan. I am mentioning
this fellow, because of your expressed interest in Elvis.

As a matter of fact, I am still running a website for him HERE in honor of
the King of Rock n' Roll....although, he would no longer be aware of that, in his
present condition.

Speaking of drug addiction, we never can really know why people get into those
situations. Humans are such complicated entities.

Suicide is another subject, which is difficult to understand. The Master said the
following about that:

Sri Ramakrishna — "Suicide is a great sin, one will have to return to this world
again and again and suffer its trials and tribulations.

“Even so if a person terminates his life after having the vision of the Lord, it
is not suicide. There is no harm in giving up the body that way. Some people
terminate their lives after attaining jnana. When a gold image has been cast
in an earthen mould, the mould may be preserved, or may be cracked and thrown away.

“Many years ago, a boy used to come here from Barahnagar. He was about twenty years
old. His name was Gopal Sen. When he would come here, he used to experience such deep
emotions that Hriday had to hold him later he fell and broke his limbs. The boy suddenly
touched my feet and said, ‘Sir, I shall not be able to come here any more. So I take
your leave.’ A few days later I heard that he had given up his body."

Nice photo of The Elivis impersonator's house....

Om Shanthi Om
=============

Dear Tom,

It is good to hear your honest opinion about "too many cooks". I totally see your point. Still, I envy Sister Gargi and her complete devotion to her Swami/Guru. For me, I wonder why it is that no guru has appeared to me in the flesh. Why was Sister Gargi so lucky to have the benefit of close association with her guru and why was she chosen to be given the assignment to research, study and write of the life of Swamiji in the West? How blessed she was!! I wonder sometimes if I am just too dependent to be blessed with a guru. Perhaps it is not my fate. Once when I was young and living in Chapel Hill, I went to see a lecture by an American guru by the name of Ram Dass. It is interesting that when I found the courage to ask a question in front of hundreds of people (very unusual for my timid self) he made the comment that he had the feeling that he was in very high company. He talked about suicide and made an interesting comment when someone asked a question about the subject. He said, "I have a feeling that in the first moments of death after the act is committed that the person who has committed the act feels a little silly." I thought that Ram Dass was my guru, but he wasn't, and it turned out badly. My experience, though so very similar to Sister Gargi's account of her intitial contact with Swami Ashokananda, turned out the opposite way!

Speaking of Chapel Hill, while my children and I were living there I became interested in the singer James Taylor who grew up very close to where we lived and who wrote the song "Copperline"-- about the pastoral landscape and about his childhood experiences on Morgan Creek. Years later (after I had moved back here to the Inland Banks) I was sitting at my computer one day with the sun shining through the window. I was thinking about James' and his heritage in North Carolina and decided that it was time to do the research so, I began. Imagine the lightning bolt when I discovered that James' heritage had begun literally on the ground beneath the chair that I was sitting on. (That's the magic way of the place where I live.) I have written a short piece, "A Holy Host of Others Standing Around Me", about the Taylor family in New Bern and it is the most popular post on my New Bern blog. You can find it here if you are interested.

Holy Host

As for Elvis, I am not much of a fan but I think it very, very nice that you have created and maintained a fan site in honor of your friend. (Nice work.)My family lived in Millington (a suburb of Memphis)between the years of 1954 - 1958. I have a vague memory of visiting Graceland (must have been just after it was built in 1957) and my Aunt Louise in a strange gesture, holding fast to the gate and crying, "Elvis, oh Elvis" and I remember thinking "sheesh".

I have finished reading "They Lived With God" from cover to cover. This, for me, is a valuable book and will be a great adjunct for piecing together the stories in "The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna" in the future. I simply love the stories of the devotees.
I hope to start on "God Lived With Them" this weekend.

Last night, I dreamt of deep rooted trees that were rich in sap, and a letter from India concerning discrimination.

Yours in Mother's Grace,
Rosemary


Oh, a photo taken yesterday on the block down from Elvis and the Masonic Theater. It was a beautiful day with perfect light.

Location: North Carolina

Dear Rosemary,

I have heard about Baba Ram Dass & Timothy Leary. I'm sorry to note
that it turned out badly for you.

In my own case, I only accept gurus who are no longer inhabiting a physical form....and
preferably have been dead for at least a hundred years. That way, there are no surprises.
What you see is what you get.

James Taylor is a great artist. I love his song "Fire and Rain". My kid brother
does a nice (I think) 'cover' of the song. You may listen to it HERE.

I love your New Bern Blog. I am so happy that you have an avenue to display your
excellent photographic work. I see that you also like to visit cemeteries to
take pictures of historical gravestones. I also love to roam old graveyards.
We have some great old cemeteries in Montreal. Jefferson Davis' mother-in-law,
Margaret Kempe Howell, is buried here. I found her grave in 1979. She died in 1867.

RE: "Sheesh"

Some people get very emotional over Elvis. Like you, I am also not one of them.

However, I have been a big fan of Elvis since I saw him in 1956 on the Ed Sullivan Show.
I visited Graceland in 1977, and met Elvis' uncle Vester, who served as the gatekeeper.
Elvis was still alive at the time (March 1977) and was asleep in the house at 10:00 AM.

I was fortunate to have free accomodation at a Memphis Fire Station, since I was
a firefighter at the time. As a matter of fact, I slept in Fire Halls in Nashville,
Memphis and Montgomery. I remember going out on a couple of calls with the boys
in Memphis. They were a great bunch of guys.

"They Lived With God" certainly seems like a valuable book. I'm sure that you
will keep it handy as a reference...and perhaps even read it again.

Another very nice photo of your area of the town of New Bern. Very picturesque.

This is what the houses on my street look like. They are all basically
the same triplex style of structure.



No inspiration for photos around here, I'm afraid....

Om Shanthi Om
==============

Dear Tom,

I enjoyed very much the hard rock version of "Fire and Rain". Very nice and please tell your brother that a lady from North Carolina liked it very much.

Actually, I am very glad to see your photo from your neck of the woods. It's very clean, isn't it? Do you live very close to Quebec City?

It is really a good thing that firemen are fraternal.
I bet you had a good time on your American visit.

Tonight I am grabbing my book and heading down to the coast to stay with my Mother. I hope to get started on "God Lived With Them" so that I can next order the book about "Tantine" or Josephine McLeod. I am also very, very interested in the life of Sister Nivedita.
A long time ago in a Chapel Hill bookstore I picked up and read "Cradle Tales of Hinduism" which really impressed me at that time. Reading about the lives of the devotees feels like an adventure!!

So, here is a photo of Elvis taken the night of the Ghostwalk last year. It looks like he is on a bicycle and signing an autograph on a little boy's head!! I don't know anything about this photo but it could be of the local scene, and I really assume that it was taken when Elvis was here as second string entertainment.

It's nice talking with you.

Om Shanti Om,
Rosemary

Location: North Carolina

Dear Rosemary,

Thanks for the kind words about my kid brother. I will certainly pass them on
to him.

Quebec city is about 150 miles from Montreal. Yes, this is a clean area, inhabited
mostly by Italians....although, I am not one myself. I like it here, because the
rents are relatively inexpensive.

Here is a photo of myself from around the time I went to Memphis etc.



Have a safe trip to the coast, to see your mother.

Nice photo of Elvis. Thanks for sharing.

Nice to chat with you also.

Om Shanthi Om
=============

Dear Tom,

That is a nice picture of you as a Fireman. You look very happy which is nice to see. I appreciate your sharing that photo with us. After all these years it is nice to see the face.

Here is an interesting passage taken from "God Lived With Them" and concerns the relationship between Swamiji (Narendra) and his Master, Sri Ramakrishna.
It seems that here Narendra has passed a test.

"One day Ramakrishna's whole attitude to Narendra suddenly seemed to change. The Master looked at him without the least sign of pleasure and remained silent....Ignored by the master, he spent the days with Hazra and other disciples and returned home as ususal. Finally, after more than a month, the Master asked Narendra, "Why do you come here, when I don't speak a single word to you?" "Do you think I come here just to have you speak to me?" Narendra answered. "I love you. I want to see you. That's why I come." The Master was delighted. "I was testing you," he told Narendra, "to see if you'd stop coming when you didn't get love and attention. Only a spiritual aspirant of your quality could put up with so much neglect and indifference. Anyone else would have left me long ago." God Lived With Them, p. 28, Swami Chetanananda

This passage (to me) reveals the very essence of non-attachment, even attachment to Guru. I feel sure that in the same place that I could not have passed this test--especially given the following statement made by Sri Ramakrishna to Swamiji and which concerns the Master's love for Narendra. "You rascal, I won't listen to you anymore. Mother says that I love you because I see the Lord in you. The day I shall not see Him in you, I shall not be able to bear even the sight of you."

God Lived With Them, p 26, Swami Chetanananda

In another light, a way of seeing this is that Swamiji was complete in his identity and so he did not have to look for a validation from his guru. Narendra seems to be totally unconcerned with Sri Ramakrishna's indifference to him. This is true freedom.

Last night on TCM there was a showing of "The 7% Solution" which was a 70's version of a Sherlock Holmes story which was really a highlight of Holme's cocaine habit (7% meaning a solution of cocaine). I got really bored with the movie, it was too far fetched and became vapid. However, there was one quote from the movie which struck me like a lightning bolt. Watson reminds Holmes that Vanessa Redgraves character needs his assistance.

Watson: "The woman is in danger."

Holmes: "Women are always in danger."

I realized in an instant that what he said was true ...

I wanted to talk a little bit about Radhu today but time has run out. I am always so curious about her and there is so little information concerning her life after Holy Mother passed away.

Tom, I'm glad you liked my blog and thanks for leaving the comment.

Om Shanti Om,
In Mother's Grace
Rosemary

Location: North Carolina

Dear Rosemary,

Thanks for your kind words concerning the photo. Here is another one
(with a beard) from around the same time:



I think that Narendra (Swami Vivekananda) was a rather self-confident type of person...
..a lion amongst men, so to speak. In other words, most of his strength came from
within himself, rather than from any desire for outward recognition or vindication.

His biggest 'outward' preoccupation, was with the dire financial situation of his
family, from what I understand.

Regarding Holmes: "Women are always in danger".... and Sri Ramakrishna:
"A woman can devour even the three worlds".

That women may always be in danger, could be true in some respects; however,
Sri Ramakrishna considered women to be 'the danger' itself, in some cases.

Here is a quote from the Kathamrita:

“You must be very cautious about women. Don’t listen to them when they display
their Gopala bhava (motherly attitude toward a boy) to you. There is the proverb:
‘A woman can devour even the three worlds.’ When some women see an attractive young man, they set various kinds of snares to trap him. And this they call their
Gopala bhava!"

Om Shanthi Om
=============

Dear Tom,

Thanks again for the pic. Do you still wear the beard? Also, I notice the writing on the firetruck and that the word is French. Are you bilingual? When I was in Canada last summer it was quite a brain frazzler to hear the Canadian language around me in elevators and to see the road signs in French in New Brunswick. Although I took French in high school, Espanol has become the second language here (ever since we have become a haven for Mexican immigrants from South of the Border) It is funny that in the work I do for the County there have been times when an interpreter was needed. My boss would not let me go to school to learn the language but somehow we got through the barriers by use of sign language or by drawing pictures. Sometimes, the immigrants would bring a young child along who could interpret for them. It seemed a little funny that the parents were so dependent on their children to communicate for them. When I got back to the airport in Charlotte last summer and saw a happy Hispanic lady give me a smile while working to sell a pan of barbeque, well, I was so happy to be home that I almost cried!!


I thought of trying to scratch up a photograph of myself from the same time era as yours, and maybe I will yet. It's just that I don't look anything the same now. A few weeks ago on a trip to the grocery store, I hopped out of my car in the parking lot and ran into a fellow that I had known since the 4th grade. I happily said "hello" to him, and he looked at me with an unknowing glaze in his eyes. "It's Rosemary", I announced. His response to me was to exclaim, "Rosemary!! Man, we are getting old!" "Ha ha ha" (I thought to myself as I noticed his brown dyed hair...he used to be a blond!) He tried to backstroke at that point and recover his composure too. "It's the hair", he exclaimed, "you used to have such beautiful red hair, and now it's white!" Well, well, well. That was a lesson in ego deflating. A good one, too.

As for your quote from the Kathamrita:

Do you think that the warning was given for the benefit of the general population of men or just for
those who had chosen the path of renunciation? It is a very interesting topic and one that I hope to continue as some quotable resources appear upon my path.

As for now, here is something interesting that I read last night about Swamiji in "God Lived With Them."

Swami Chetanananda, p 32

"Misfortune does not come alone. Narendra related: "Various temptations came my way. A rich woman sent me an ugly proposal to end my days of penury, which I sternly rejected with scorn. Another woman also made similar overtures to me. I said to her: 'You have wasted your life seeking the pleasures of the flesh. The dark shadows of death are before you. Have you done anything to face that? Give up all these filthy desires and remember God."

Still, if one looks at the tables that might be turned, say--for an ordinary woman in the same circumstance, that someone, a rich man, makes an offer of marriage to a poor young woman, some parents might look on that as a good match!! (Swamiji, it goes without saying, was not a woman and he was not ordinary. But it is a point of perspective that I am trying to make here.)

It is mind boggling to think of the difference in perspectives between the sexes.

Anyway, just my two cents today. I hope it is okay for me to just sort of expand my thought here, never ever, ever to appear irreverent.

All my reverence and devotion are laid down here at the feet of Holy Mother, Sri Ramakrishna and our wonderful Swamiji!!

Om, Shanti, Om

Location: North Carolina

Dear Rosemary,

I haven't worn a beard for over thirty years. I find the darn thing too itchy
for my liking.

I live in Quebec, where the official language is French. I speak the language,
but not 100% fluently...though my 3 kids do..

We also have a lot of Mexican immigrants here in Canada.

The children of immigrants certainly have a great power over their parents;
due to their ability to communicate properly in the language of the country.
In some ways, that influence could be tyrannical, I guess....

Oh yes, the years have a habit of creeping up on us. My hair has also turned white,
and very few people from thirty years ago would recognize me, if we passed on the
street. It's always funny when folks try to 'smooth over' some unflattering
comment, such as the one you described.. Once the cat is out of the bag, however,
there is no way of rectifying the 'faux pas'.

Regarding the quote from Sri Ramakrishna on woman devouring the three worlds;
I agree that it was meant for young aspirants to the monastic life.

My personal opinion about women, in general, is, "What they lack in Brawn,
they make up with Brains."

Regarding the Narendra quote from Swami Chetanananda's book, it doesn't sound like
something that Swami Vivekananda would say. In the first place, women, especially
in America, were the cornerstone of the early Vedanta Society in North America.
To tell you the truth, Roesmary, I just can't wrap my head around the purported
quote: "Give up all these filthy desires". Swami Vivekananda was much too sophisticated
to address any woman in that crass manner.

It seems to have an unmistakable, "Get thee behind me Satan" connotation to it..
..denoting fear of women.

Furthermore, he was a disciple of Sri
Ramakrishna, who stated:

"He who has realized God does not look upon
a woman with the eye of lust;
so he is not afraid of her.
He perceives clearly that women are but so many aspects
of the Divine Mother.
He worships them all as the Mother Herself."

Do you honestly think that Swamiji would address the Divine Mother in that fashion?

(Especially not on International Women's Day)

And that is precisely the reason, Rosemary, why I refrain from reading too many
accounts of Swami Vivekananda, his life and teachings. Some things just don't add up.

Om Shanthi Om
=============

Dear Tom,

I totally understand where you are coming from re: the passage about Swamiji and the "ugly" proposal and not only understanding but the exact same reaction and response of "get thee behind me, Satan." I looked up the reference for that quote and it simply states EW/Life, I:124 In doing a cursory review, it looks to me like this reference would be "The Eastern and Western Disciples, The Life of Swami Vivekananda" (Advaita Ashrama: Calcutta, 1979).

The ladies at work like to call me "Nancy Drew" and they come to me when there is any type of mystery, question, or research to be done. I can't help it now, that this discussion has evoked a mystery and I will probably do the research until I can get to the primary source of that quote.

I understand your view of this matter of these biographies, etc, not being the primary word and thereby subject to question. It still is a mystery for me, and I want to know. Still, it brings a flow to the same discussion of a statement purportedly made by Sri Ramakrishna to Narendra (remember as yet this is Narendra and not yet Swami Vivekananda) "You must test me as the money-changers test their coins. You mustn't accept me until you've tested me thoroughly." p. 29, God Lived With Them, Swami Chetanananda, primary source, Isherwood, 209!! One wonders where Isherwood got his source!!! Interesting!!!!! (One does wonder where is the original, primary source of the research, it's a tangle!!)

Time has dwindled away this morning, but before I sign off, I would like to say that the subject concerning women to be very interesting and it is ironic that I saw an old Jean Harlowe B&W film last night which speaks profoundly not only to the "ugliness" of women's proposals, but also to the weakness of men!! (As you are of that sex, I do not mean to imply anything about you, only about the movie and this discussion). It made me uncomfortable to see that she made EVERY man under her spell with her aggressiveness and persistence. Perhaps that is why Swamiji shines as a light to us. He was not weak in this manner, he was as you say, a "lion" among men.

Thanks for tweaking my brain!!!

Yours in Mother's grace,
Rosemary

Location: North Carolina

Dear Rosemary,

Perhaps I didn't explain myself too well. I am not doubting the impeccable
source of the quote. It is a well-known fact, that when authors endeavor
to quote famous people in their writings; there is always the possibility
that memory becomes faulty with the passage of time.

It is only natural, that they would inject their own attitudes and manner
of speaking into any particular quote; without any intention to mislead.

Swami Vivekananda was a very charming and lovable person...he was tolerant
and kind, rather than harsh and judgmental.

And, it is for that precise reason, Rosemary, that I cannot accept the
following passage as a true and accurate representation of the words of
Swami Vivekananda:

"A rich woman sent me an ugly proposal to end my days of penury, which
I sternly rejected with scorn. Another woman also made similar overtures
to me. I said to her: 'You have wasted your life seeking the pleasures of
the flesh. The dark shadows of death are before you. Have you done anything
to face that? Give up all these filthy desires and remember God."

To my mind, those sound more like the words of a Roman Catholic Redemptorist
Priest.

The Redemptorists are well known for preaching hellfire and brimstone sermons,
literally scaring the Hell out of people.

In all my readings of Swamiji's speeches and writings, I have never found
anything which could be remotely considered "uncharitable".

St. Paul declared: "And though I have [the gift of] prophecy, and understand
all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could
remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing."

Om Shanthi Om

Well, Tom, I don't know how to answer this. I really don't, so perhaps it is best to let it be.

You know Swamiji better than I do and I know this because you have made a practice to daily chronicle his very words and you have done this for a long time. The ability for direct perception is given to us for a reason.

BTW, I read Swamiji's letter on your website today.
Who do you think he was referring to when he was talking about "imps"?

I haven't felt like reading too much tonight--it's like that sometimes.

Thanks for talking with me.

Your friend in devotion,
Rosemary

Location: North Carolina

PS.

Still, you have helped me realize something with this discussion. I personally will not accept a source that just leads back to another book. I want to know where the direct quote came from and not just "Isherwood", no, I cannot accept that as a source.

It looks like I am going to be buying a lot of books.

There is something that my old boss (The Tax Collector) used to say to me that keeps coming back into my mind tonight. It was meant by him to be humorous, but it is also so true. He used to say to me, "Just because you are paranoid, Rosemary, doesn't mean that someone isn't after you."

It's an odd way of saying to trust your feelings.

Om Shanti Om

Location: North Carolina

Dear Rosemary,

I appreciate very much your company in Mother's Forum.

Regarding the "imps" mentioned in Swamiji's letter to Mrs. William Sturges;
it seems to me that he was referring to the two ladies from Detroit
harboring superstitions; i.e. a belief in malignant spirits (imps).

He must have been joking about their anxieties.

His mention of their practice of putting a little salt in burning alcohol to
determine the presence of these imagined supernatural beings, reminds me of
my late Indian mother-in-law, who would burn a few chillies in the fire; in
order to remove any instances of Evil Eye.

Just in case you are wondering about Swamiji's opinion about those things,
here is a quote from April 8, 1900:

"It will take thousands of years to have large numbers of truly rational human
beings. It is very hard to show men new things, to give them great ideas. It is harder
still to knock off old superstitions, very hard; they do not die easily. With all his
education, even the learned man becomes frightened in the dark — the nursery tales
come into his mind, and he see ghosts."

That was very funny: "Just because you are paranoid, Rosemary, doesn't mean that
someone isn't after you."

That reminds me of the old saying: "Thank God I'm crazy, because it's the only thing
keeping me from going insane".

Have a good day.

Om Shanthi Om
==============

Dear Tom,

Superstition, ghosts and their effect on the psyche are a fascinating subject to me.

It may sound "crazy" but my first experience on getting strange impressions from my own senses was on a Girl Scout camp-out many, many years ago. We were sleeping in tents in the Croatan Forest and had been awake for hours past my usual time of repose. As we girls were giggling and talking outside of our tents I looked deep into the forest and thought I saw "little people" chasing each other around through the trees. They were fast little creatures. Although I can explain this away by saying it was the figment of an overtired brain (which indeed I think it was) it still left a lasting impression on me and I remember the vision as clearly today as when I was in the forest as a young girl.

I have a very old friend from high school who has a "psychic" ability. When I send him pictures of some of the old houses in New Bern, he gets impressions and tells me about what he "sees". The thing about him is that if I wait a few years and send him a different picture of the same house, he still keeps the story straight. It has been uncanny to hear the things that he tells me.

Since I have had no direct "experience" with an actual "ghost" I still have gotten very strong impressions at times and a couple of times have caught some strange smoky essences on my photographs. Below is a photo taken a few years back at the Civil War campground during a Ghost Walk here in New Bern, near where I live now. I could explain this and say that it was merely "smoke" in front of my lens, and perhaps it is just smoke, but the very next photo shows no evidence of smoke at all. This has happened to me 3 times in photographs and one time it was a photo of Blackbeard's house in
Beaufort, just down the road on the shore across from the Outer Banks.

I once heard a "guru" say that there was no such thing as "ghosts" so I believed him for many years. But then, I had experiences in an apartment here in New Bern and it made me do a double take.

There are mention of ghosts in the books I have read about Sri Ramakrishna recently. In "They Lived With God" there is mention of ghosts living in the temple garden house where Gopala Ma lived. (Poor Gopala Ma, I think of her often.) Until I can find the primary source for these stories I do not want to say what is and what isn't.

I'm on a trail hunt!!

Speaking of which....I hope to get on the Hank trail if and when we get to Alabama. My family will try to hold me back, they always keep a short leash. We shall see. There is here in North Carolina toward the Western mountains in Kannapolis, a route that is clearly marked with many signs, "The Dale Trail" which is a way to follow in the life of race car driver, Dale Earnhart.

Well, I must fly. Have a good day. I am loathe to speak of what I am reading (which was almost nothing last night) without checking for primary sources first.

Your friend in devotion,
Rosemary

Location: North Carolina

Dear Tom,

To make my previous post worthwhile, this is from the web, and here is the resource:

http://www.kathamrita.org/kathamrita4/k4SectionXIII.htm

"His earlier story – visit to the fort – women and the ‘sloping path’

“Men don’t understand how far down they have gone.

“When I went to the fort in a carriage, I thought we’d come by an ordinary path. Later I found out we’d come down four storeys. It was a sloping path. A person possessed by a ghost doesn’t know that he is possessed. He thinks he’s quite all right.”

Vijay (smiling): “If you bring an exorcist, he can get rid of the ghost.”

Sri Ramakrishna does not respond to this. He only says, “It is the Lord’s will.”

He continues to talk about women.

Sri Ramakrishna: “Whoever I ask says that his wife is good. No man has a bad wife. (All laugh.)

“Those who live amidst ‘lust and greed’ aren’t able to understand because of their inebriation. Chess players often don’t know if a move is right until the game has continued for some time. But onlookers from a distance can see and understand the game better.

“Woman is the embodiment of maya. In his hymn in praise of Rama, Narada said, ‘O Rama, all men that are, are parts of you; and all women are parts of Sita, the embodiment of maya. I ask for no other boon: only grant that I may have pure love for Your lotus feet and that I may not be enchanted by Your world-bewitching maya.’”

Location: North Carolina

Dear Rosemary,

Your experience in the Croatan woods appears to me to have been an hallucination,
brought on by fatigue, excitement & the strange surroundings.

I remember some years ago, I was alone in a friend's apartment late at
might...and I saw clearly with my own eyes; a small midget, running across
the room and disappearing behind a sofa. He looked very much like this
picture:



I should mention that I had been smoking some very potent weed...which
could have had something to do with the hallucination.

Regarding ghosts, they certainly exist, if we believe that they do...
similarly, if we don't believe that they exist, then they won't exist for us.
Personally, I don't believe in their existence, outside of human imagination.

Smokey photos could be from various causes...however, I don't know anything
about photography.

The author of the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, Mahendranath Gupta ("M") said
the following about ghosts:

"A certain person was perfected in pishacha (ghoul). He used to get everything
done through a ghost. The ghost would finish all work ordered by him in no time.
Then he had nothing in hand. The agreement with the ghost was that if he did not
give work to him, he would break his neck and eat him up. The man seeing no way
out took refuge in his guru. The guru said, 'well, go home and fix a bamboo in
the courtyard. Then say to the ghost – climb it up and down.' The ghost went on
doing so day and night. The man was thus saved."

The English are great believers in ghosts. But, happily I have not inherited
that trait from my father's people. The practical side of my nature, comes
from my Franco-American, Massachusetts-born and bred mother..who is still in
great shape, mentally and physically at age 95.

When Sri Ramakrishna mentions 'ghosts' in that quote you so kindly provided,
it is probably for want of a more modern term, like for instance:

"Dissociative identity disorder" is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes
a condition in which a person displays multiple distinct identities or personalities
(known as alter egos or alters), each with its own pattern of perceiving and
interacting with the environment."

Mental health has come a heck of a long way in a hundred years.

RE: "Maya"

My son & his new wife are expecting a baby.
If it's a girl, they plan to name her "Maya"

Sri Ramakrishna also had this to say about "Maya"

"Remember that dayA, compassion, and mAyA, attachment,
are two different things. Attachment means the feeling of
'my-ness' towards one's relatives.
Compassion is the love one feels
for all beings of the world.
It is an attitude of equality. MAyA also comes from God.
Through mAyA, God makes one serve one's relatives.
But one thing should be remembered:
mAyA keeps us in ignorance and entangles
us in the world, whereas dayA
makes our hearts pure and gradually unties our bonds."

Om Shanthi Om

PS1: Methinks it is time to start a new thread again.
this one is also getting 'long in the tooth'. :)

PS2: My kid brother went to visit your blog and he liked it very much.