Ramakrishna Ashrama Penang: Redirecting your attention

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Redirecting your attention

Ramakrishna:: The mind of the yogi is always fixed on God, always absorbed in the Self.
(p. 168)

Ramakrishna:: To fix the mind on God is very difficult, in the beginning, unless one practises meditation in solitude. When a tree is young it should be fenced all around; otherwise it may be destroyed by cattle.
(p. 127)

Ramakrishna:: (Paraphrsed: at different points in time, different men went into the jungle and saw a chameleon. Because each man saw the chameleon just once, they didn't realize that this one animal could be different colors. Afterwards they discussed this animal among themselves, and began to argue as to the animal's true color.)
... One who contantly thinks of God can know His real nature; he alone knows that God reveals Himself to seekers in various forms and aspects. God has attributes; then again He has none. Only the man who lives under the tree knows that the chameleon can appear in various colours, and he knows further, that at times it has no colour at all. It is the others who suffer from the agony of futile argument.
(pp. 210-122)

Ramakrishna:: Shivanath once said that one "loses one's head" by thinking too much of God. "What?" said I. "Can anyone ever become unconscious by thinking of Consciousness? God is of the nature of Eternity, Purity, and Consciousness. Through His Consciousness one becomes conscious of everything; through His Intelligence the whole world appears intelligent.
(p. 350-351)