Teachings of Swami Vivekananda

There is a thorn in my finger and I use another to take the first one out, and when I have taken it out, I throw both of them aside. I have no necessity of keeping the second thorn, because both are thorns after all. So the bad tendencies are to be counteracted by the good ones, and the bad impressions on the mind should be removed by the fresh waves of good ones, until all that is evil almost disappears, or is subdued and held in control in a corner of the mind. But after that, the good tendencies have also to be conquered. Thus the 'attached' becomes the 'unattached.'

Class on Karma Yoga. New York, December 20, 1895. Complete Works, 1:55-56.

Teachings of Holy Mother

As long as a man has desires there is no end to his transmigration. It is the desires alone that make him take one body after another. There will be rebirth for a man if he has even the desire to eat a piece of candy. TN292 Swami Tapasyananda and Swami Nikhilananda. Sri Sarada Devi, the Holy Mother; Life and Conversations. Madras: Sri Ramakrishna Math, 1977.

I am the Witness....

The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda ~ Volume 5 ~ Notes from Lectures and Discourses ~ Sadhanas or Preparations for Higher Life

No breathing, no physical training of Yoga, nothing is of any use until you reach to the idea, "I am the Witness." Say, when the tyrant hand is on your neck, "I am the Witness! I am the Witness!" Say, "I am the Spirit! Nothing external can touch me." When evil thoughts arise, repeat that, give that sledge-hammer blow on their heads, "I am the Spirit! I am the Witness, the Ever-Blessed! I have no reason to do, no reason to suffer, I have finished with everything, I am the Witness. I am in my picture gallery — this universe is my museum, I am looking at these successive paintings. They are all beautiful. Whether good or evil. I see the marvellous skill, but it is all one. Infinite flames of the Great Painter!" Really speaking, there is naught — neither volition, nor desire. He is all. He — She — the Mother, is playing, and we are like dolls, Her helpers in this play. Here, She puts one now in the garb of a beggar, another moment in the garb of a king, the next moment in the garb of a saint, and again in the garb of a devil. We are putting on different garbs to help the Mother Spirit in Her play.

When the baby is at play, she will not come even if called by her mother. But when she finishes her play, she will rush to her mother, and will have no play. So there come moments in our life, when we feel our play is finished, and we want to rush to the Mother. Then all our toil here will be of no value; men, women, and children — wealth, name, and fame, joys and glories of life — punishments and successes — will be no more, and the whole life will seem like a show. We shall see only the infinite rhythm going on, endless and purposeless, going we do not know where. Only this much shall we say; our play is done.

Excerpts from Complete Works

Volume 5 ~ Notes from Lectures and Discourses ~ Sadhanas or Preparations for Higher Life

.......tremendous determination to struggle a hundredfold more determination than that which you put forth to gain anything which belongs to this life, is the first great preparation.

And then along with it, there must be meditation. Meditation is the one thing. Meditate! The greatest thing is meditation. It is the nearest approach to spiritual life — the mind meditating. It is the one moment in our daily life that we are not at all material — the Soul thinking of Itself, free from all matter — this marvellous touch of the Soul!

There are no problems....

"I want to let you in on a little secret. There are no problems. There are no problems. There never were any problems, there are no problems today, and there never will be any problems. Problems just mean the world isn't turning the way you want it to. But in truth, there are no problems. Everything is unfolding as it should. Everything is right. You have to forget about yourself and expand your consciousness until you become the whole universe. The Reality in back of the universe is Pure Awareness. It has no problems. And you are That."

~ Robert Adams, Silence of the Heart

Excerpts from Complete Works - Karma Yoga

By the continuous reflex of good thoughts, good impressions moving over the surface of the mind, the tendency for doing good becomes strong, and as a result we are able to control the sense-organs. Thus alone is character established, then alone do we get to truth.

Class on Karma Yoga. New York, December 20, 1895. Complete Works, 1:55.