Swami Vivekananda
(RECORDED BY MISS S. E. WALDO, A DISCIPLE
TUESDAY, July 2, 1895 . ( The Divine Mother .) Shâktas worship the Universal Energy as Mother, the sweetest name they know; for the mother is the highest ideal of womanhood in India. When God is worshipped as "Mother", as Love, the Hindus call it the "right-handed" way, and it leads to spiritual
(RECORDED BY MISS S. E. WALDO, A DISCIPLE
MONDAY, July 1, 1895 . ( Shri Ramakrishna Deva ) Shri Ramakrishna was the son of a very orthodox Brahmin, who would refuse even a gift from any but a special caste of Brahmins; neither might he work, nor even be a priest in a temple, nor sell books, nor serve anyone. He could only have "what fel
(RECORDED BY MISS S. E. WALDO, A DISCIPLE
SUNDAY, June 30, 1895 . To try to think without a phantasm is to try to make the impossible possible. We cannot think "mammalia" without a concrete example. So with the idea of God. The great abstraction of ideas in the world is what we call God. Each thought has two parts — the thinking and the w
(RECORDED BY MISS S. E. WALDO, A DISCIPLE
SATURDAY, June 29, 1895 . ( The Swami came this morning with a Gita in his hand .) Krishna, the "Lord of souls", talks to Arjuna or Gudâkesha, "lord of sleep" (he who has conquered sleep). The "field of virtue" (the battlefield) is this world; the five brothers (representing righteousness) fight
(RECORDED BY MISS S. E. WALDO, A DISCIPLE
FRIDAY, June 28, 1895 . ( The entire party went on a picnic for the day, and although the Swami taught constantly, as he did wherever he was, no notes were taken and no record, therefore, of what he said remains. As he began his breakfast before setting out, however, he remarked: )
(RECORDED BY MISS S. E. WALDO, A DISCIPLE
THURSDAY, June 27, 1895 . ( The Swami brought the New Testament this morning and talked again on the book of John .) Mohammed claimed to be the "Comforter" that Christ promised to send. He considered it unnecessary to claim a supernatural birth for Jesus. Such claims have been common in all ages
(RECORDED BY MISS S. E. WALDO, A DISCIPLE
Our best work is done, our greatest influence is exerted, when we are without thought of self. All great geniuses know this. Let us open ourselves to the one Divine Actor, and let Him act, and do nothing ourselves. " O Arjuna! I have no duty in the whole world ", says Krishna. Be perfectly resign
(RECORDED BY MISS S. E. WALDO, A DISCIPLE
After every happiness comes misery; they may be far apart or near. The more advanced the soul, the more quickly does one follow the other. What we want is neither happiness nor misery . Both make us forget our true nature; both are chains — one iron, one gold; behind both is the Atman, who knows
(RECORDED BY MISS S. E. WALDO, A DISCIPLE
MONDAY, June 24, 1895 . ( The reading today was from the Bhakti-Sutras by Nârada .)
(RECORDED BY MISS S. E. WALDO, A DISCIPLE
Be brave and be sincere; then follow any path with devotion, and you must reach the Whole. Once lay hold of one link of the chain, and the whole chain must come by degrees. Water the roots of the tree (that is, reach the Lord), and the whole tree is watered; getting the Lord, we get all. One-side
(RECORDED BY MISS S. E. WALDO, A DISCIPLE
( This day marks the beginning of the regular teaching given daily by Swami Vivekananda to his disciples at Thousand Island Park. We had not yet all assembled there, but the Master's heart was always in his work, so he commenced at once to teach the three or four who were with him. He came on t
How to be a Yogi
IN considering whether or not Christ was a Yogi we should first understand how spiritual and how divine one must be before he can be called a Yogi. A true Yogi must be pure, chaste, spotless, self-sacrificing, and the absolute master of himself. Humility, unostentatiousness, forgiveness, upright