Always say I have no fear

Asana is that posture in which one can sit for meditation steadily and with ease for a long time. But the spine has to be kept straight, and the chest, neck and head should be held erect, so that the entire weight of the upper part of the body may fall on the ribs and the chest may not sag. A stooping posture in any case is not healthy. Japa, meditation, ritualistic worship, prayer, recollectedness, reading sacred books, association with holy men, godly conversation, retiring into solitude and thinking spiritual thoughts - whichever of these attracts you, according to mood and opportunity, and gives you joy, take advantage of that and do it. But meditation and japa are the main things. Never miss them for a single day however occupied you may be, or even in times of sickness or infirmity, in misfortune or calamity. In such circumstances, if you cannot or do not find it convenient to carry on your practice in full measure, make salutation, and pray and do japa for at least ten or f...

When the mind is absolutely calm, breathing becomes steady and kumbhaka ( suspension of breath ) follows. When breathing is steady, the mind becomes one-pointed. Bhakti ( love of God ) also brings about kumbhaka and breathing becomes steady. Even without practising yoga, pranayama ( control of breath ) is attained automatically if one remembers, and thinks of, the Lord and does japa ( repetition of the mantram ) with a yearning heart. There is no other easy or convenient method to achieve onepointedness of mind except by abhyasa, or repeated and sustained efforts, and vairagya, or non-attachment to worldly objects. Whatever be the time you devote to japa and meditation - even if it be only ten or fifteen minutes - do it with all your heart and soul. The Lord is the indweller, the inner guide. He sees your heart; His measure is not how long you meditate on Him nor how many times you do japa, but your inner longing . Self-effort ( purushakara ) is necessary for spiritual attainm...

Meditation by Swami Virajananda Article from Vedanta and the West, Jan-Feb 1949 To realise God an aspirant must have patience, perseverance, purity of body and mind, intense desire or yearning, the aggregate of the six attributes, namely shama ( tranquillity of mind ), dama ( restraint of the senses ), uparati ( giving up attachment to objects ), titiksha ( remaining unaffected amidst all kinds of afflictions ), shradha ( faith in the words of the spiritual teacher and the scriptures ) and samadhana ( concentration of mind on the Chosen Ideal, or God ). Do not tell anybody else, except the Guru, the realisations and the visions, or similar experiences, that spiritual practices may bring you. Always keep your spiritual treasure – your inmost thoughts - hidden within you. These are not for vulgar gaze. These are your sacred possessions to be shared only between you and the Lord in secret. Likewise, do not talk of your defects and blemishes to others. You lose thereby your selfres...

When Swami Vivekananda was introducing him to people in America, he said , " I have lectured to you on Vedanta; in Turiyananda you will see Vedanta personified. He lives it every moment of his life. He is the ideal Hindu monk, and he will help you all to live pure and holy lives " Swami Turiyananda said- Swamiji asked me before he sent me here: Can you lecture like I have done? I said: Of course not, Swamiji, what are you saying? Well then, he said, do not trouble yourself about lecturing. You just live the life. Be an example to them. Let them see how Sannyasins live! So, you see, I am only obeying Swamiji. When he first came to the United States, someone who met him commented that he seemed to have an inexhaustible storehouse of wisdom. In response he said very simply, " You see, I have lived this life from my youth; it has become part and parcel of me. And the Divine Mother keeps the supply filled up. Her store can never be exhausted. What goes out, she at...

Swami Vivekananda Said: As a boy I had some white mice. They were kept in a little box in which there were little wheels, and when the mice tried to cross the wheels, the wheels turned and turned, and the mice never got anywhere. So it is with the world and our helping it. At one time my ideal was to drive a strong pair of horses; at another time I thought, if I could make a certain kind of sweetmeat, I should be perfectly happy; later I imagined that I should be entirely satisfied if I had a wife and children and plenty of money. Today I laugh at all these ideals as mere childish nonsense. Just two or three days before the Entrance examination I found that I hardly knew anything of geometry. So I began to study the subject, keeping awake the whole night, and in twenty-four hours I mastered the four books of geometry. I sat in the room, book in hand, with a pot of strong tea or coffee by my side to keep the brain from getting overtired. When I felt inclined to sleep at night...

Swami Vivekananda Said: My father and mother fasted and prayed, for years and years, so that i would be born. I know that before i was born, my mother would fast and pray and do hundreds of things which i could not even do for five minutes. She did that for two years. I believe that whatever religious culture i have, i owe to that. It was consciously that my mother brought me into the world to be what i am. Whatever good impulse i have was given to me by my mother-and consciously, not unconsciously. Bhuvaneshwari Devi (Mother of Swami Vivekananda) The love which my mother gave to me has made me what i am, and i owe a debt to her that i can never repay. How many times i have seen my mother going to take her first meal when it was two o'clock. We took ours at ten and she at two because she had so many things to attend to. [for example],someone knocks at the door and says," Guest ", and there is no food except what was for my mother. She would g...

In the holy month of Shravan , It is a very great opportunity to take ‘ darshan ’ of the images of 12 Jyotirlingas which are most powerful and most sacred Shiva Lingams on this earth . Lord Shiva is also known as the ‘ BHOLASHANKARA ’ , he gives whatever it may be for those who Believe in HIM.      

All the great prophets, saints, and the seers of the world what did they do? In one span of life, they lived the whole life of humanity, traversed the whole length of time that it takes the ordinary humanity to come to perfection. In one life, they perfect themselves; they have no thought for anything else, never live a moment for any other idea, and thus the way is shortened for them. This is what is meant by concentration, intensifying the power of assimilation, thus shortening the time. The more this power of concentration, the more knowledge is acquired, because this is the one and only method of acquiring knowledge. Even the lowest shoeblack, if he gives more concentration, will black shoes better; the cook with concentration will cook a meal all the better. In making money, or in worshipping God, or in doing anything, the better the power of concentration, the better will that thing be done. This is the one call, the one knock, which opens the gates of nature, and lets out the...

On January 1, 1886, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa experienced divine bliss. That day is celebrated as ` Kalpataru Day by his followers.  ON THE night of December 31, at the stroke of midnight, the world will be awake to ring in yet another New Year — 2011 while for the monks and members of the Ramakrishna Mission, January 1 holds a special significance . They celebrate this day as ` Kalpataru Day', to commemorate an awe-inspiring moment in the life of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa . On this day, in 1886, the Master entered into divine ecstasy and touching several disciples , pronounced the words, ` Ye be illumined '! Instantly, those he blessed experienced profound bliss. And one of Master's disciples, Ramachandra Dutta named January 1 as `Kalpataru Day'. This is the day of the Self Realization of the great master, when he became, what is now popularly called the Kalpatru  ' The wish full filling Tree ' .  Sri Ramakrishna said, " I have seen that (He) God and t...