Implications of Teachings...Previous Part 1


Inquiry Regarding the Method

With simplicity and analogies Sri Ramakrishna could attenuate the ego of 'M' who thenceforth never argued with his Teacher. And instead now inquired the means and the methods to realize God:

a) Sir, how may we fix our minds on God? b) How aught we to live in the world? c) Is it possible to see God? d) Under what conditions does one see God?

From here starts the treatise on wonderful and illumining lessons for a householder devotee to lead his life while still living in the world. Initially, Sri Ramakrishna talks of four basic things, which he never tires of repeating, punctuating with simple analogies, parables, and anecdotes. Says he:

I) Repeat God's name and sing His glories.
II) Associate with the holy company; now and then visit god's devotees and holy men.
III) Mediate and contemplate in isolation, either in the forest retreat, or in the corner of a room, or in the mind itself.
IV) Develop discrimination and dispassion, and love for God.

Sri Ramakrishna emphasizes the need for association with holy persons. Who is Holy? The person in whose company one becomes tranquil and develops desire to seek God, that person is holy. Our mind is influenced by our surroundings. Tamasik company leads to infatuation and lethargy, Rajasik to activity and passion, sense enjoyment and ambition, while the sattvika company instills purity in our heart and yearning for God realization. An ochre robe is not always holy company in today's world of fake sadhus and babas, and similarly every householder is not always rajasik! However, by way of discrimination one can gradually learn who is holy and pure, and who is masquerading.

Another question 'M' puts to Sri Ramakrishna is, "How aught we to live in the world?"

And the compassionate Sri Ramakrishna replies, 'Live like a maidservant in the house of a rich man.' She performs all her duties. She cares for the rich man's children, cooks for his family, does all her duties, but is not attached to anything. She knows for sure nothing belongs to her in her master's house. The things she uses, the children she dresses up, the food she cooks, and also all the small and sundry work she carries out with heart in fact are just her actions without any claim on anything. If and when she loses her job or voluntary retires, she won't be allowed to take anything from that house, she will go alone. And secondly, while she does all the work of her master, her attention is always focused on her small hut, far away, where she would retire after her daily chores; that she will be able to call her own.

Sri Ramakrishna here tries to emphasis the need to cultivate nonattachment, and also the need to have a focused vision on one's goal in life. This whole world is like the house of maidservant's master. Nothing belongs to us. Our only claim is to work here, the work that we have chosen or that has come to our lot. If we get attached, there would be many instances of grief, and also at the time of death we will be unhappy and nothing else, for we will not be able to take anything with us. This world is always full of both sorrow and joy. Only joy or happiness is delusion. The best policy is to work without getting attached. Then sorrows and insults, humiliation and repentance can be avoided. Focusing our attention constantly on our far off hut means always to think of God. That is our true abode, that is our true resting place; our goal. There no one would dislodge us, insult us, or humiliate us. That is our own. He is our first, last and the only resort.

In the early stages, due to its basic wavering nature, the mind does not easily dwell on the thought of God. Many extraneous forces pull it, and thus it requires to be hedged in isolation like a tender plant, lest the cattle of worldliness should destroy it. Sri Ramakrishna says that solitude is the remedy. One might retire to forest or an Ashrama or hermitage, and if this is not possible or practicable, one should try to meditate in the corner of a room, or in the privacy and silence of mind itself. Similarly, singing the glory of Lord and repeating His name keeps the mind focused on God, preventing it to wander here and there. Additionally, one gets the company of like-minded people in such devotional groups.

Moreover, in the silence of solitude one finds favorable conditions to discriminate between real and unreal, permanent and transient. 'God alone is real, the Eternal Substance; all else is unreal, i.e. impermanent,' says Sri Ramakrishna. By discriminating thus one should shake off transient objects from the mind.

Sri Ramakrishna gives simple but effective analogies to bring home these points for the need to cultivate love for God. In the absence of love for God one gets more and more smeared and entangled in worldly affairs. The grief, suffering and problems ruin the peace of mind, that then cannot think of any higher thing. This also leads to attachment and hatred. Sri Ramakrishna says, "As the person who wants to cut a jackfruit applies oil before cutting it so that his hands do not get smeared with its juice, similarly a devotee should procure and apply 'oil of love of God' before facing the world."

Another simple analogy is about the need for solitude. One allows the milk to set into curd for a while before churning out butter from it. Now this butter can be kept in water where, unlike milk, it would float and not get mixed up with water. The same way the devotee of God should allow himself to remain in isolation for sometime so as to make himself fit for entering the world and remain non-attached.

All these practices are vital for developing purity of mind into which now arises love for God, capacity to discriminate, and power of dispassion. In his reply to the necessary conditions that are required 'to experience God,' Sri Ramakrishna says, "God reveals Himself to a devotee who feels drawn to Him by combined force of three attractions: The Attraction of worldly possessions for the worldly man, the child's attraction for its mother, and the husband's attraction for the chaste wife."

Conclusion

Thus we see utmost simplicity of Sri Ramakrishna in elucidating profound principles of religion and spirituality. If the goal of life is realization of God, as Sri Ramakrishna maintains should be, then these teachings make impression on the mind of sincere sadhaka, else one finds the task very difficult. The teachings and sayings of Sri Ramakrishna are useful not only for those aspirants who have firm will to advance towards this goal, but also for a layperson, for, knowingly or unknowingly every person is the seeker after the Truth. If we can surrender to the wishes of God and call on Him through prayers He comes to help us, like the mother cat comes to her kittens when they cry 'mew', 'mew'.

Two important lessons we learn from this conversation between the lay devotee ('M') and Sri Ramakrishna.

1) Sri Ramakrishna put forward newer truths of Vedanta that had remained hidden so far. He reconciled and improved upon the quarreling Vedantic sects by going beyond all the rigid positions held by various Teachers and Acharyas. One of my friends in USA, a professor of comparatively religious studies, had in fact asked me: "Does Sri Ramakrishna preach qualified Monism of Ramanujacharya or Advaita Vedanta of Shankara?" Indeed, I am unable to comment with any authority, but I feel Sri Ramakrishna goes beyond both of these great saint-scholars. He could with all confidence and ease of a knower propound new knowledge of Personal-Impersonal essence of Reality. In his unique state of Bhavamukha, he had experienced both the 'fire and its power to burn', the 'milk and its whiteness', and the 'coiled snake and the snake in motion'.

2) To experience these spiritual truths the best approach in today's world of intellectual progress is to combine Jnana (discrimination and dispassion), Yoga (meditation), and bhakti (love of God). This point is of special importance that was picked up by his foremost disciple, Swami Vivekananda, when he advised us to draw energy from all the forces at our disposal - Realize God by Yoga of work or worship, psychic control or philosophy; either singly or in combination and be Free.
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References:
The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, By 'M'; English Translation by Swami Nikhilananda; pp. 79-83; SRK Math Chennai; Indian Edition - 1996
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c s shah
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