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.