The sayings of

Sri Ramakrishna

and his most celebrated disciples:

Brahmanada

and

Vivekananda

Sri Ramakrishna

Grace

(Quotations from Sri Ramakrishna)

Ramakrishna:

You may try thousands of times, but nothing can be achieved without God's grace. One cannot see God without His grace. Is it an easy thing to receive grace? One must altogether renounce egotism; one cannot see God as long as one feels, 'I am the doer.'

God doesn't easily appear in the heart of a man who feels himself to be his own master. But God can be seen the moment His grace descends.
(p. 233)

Gentelman:

Sir, can one realize God through spiritual practice alone?

Narendra:

Realization depends on God's grace; without it mere worship and prayer do not help at all. Therefore one should take refuge in Him.

Experiencing freedom

(Quotations from Sri Ramakrishna)

Ramakrishna:

He who has attained God keeps only an appearance of ego... He becomes like a child... He becomes as quickly detached from a thing as he becomes attached to it... All persons are the same to a child. He has no feeling of high and low in regard to persons. So he doesn't discriminate about caste. The child doesn't know hate or what is holy or unholy.

Even after attaining samadhi some retain the "servant ego" or the "devotee ego." The bhakta keeps this "I-consciousness." He says, "O God, Thou art the Master and I am Thy servant; Thou are the Lord and I am Thy devotee" He feels that way even after the realization of God. His "I" is not completely effaced. Again, by constantly practising this kind of "I-consciousness," one ultimately attains God. This is called bhaktiyoga.

One can attain the Knowledge of Brahman, too, by following the path of bhakti. God is all-powerful. He may give His devotee Brahmajnana also, if He so wills. But the devotee generally doesn't seek the Knowledge of the Absolute. He would rather have the consciousness that God is the Master and he the servant, or that God is the Divine Mother and he the child.
(pp. 229-230)

Ramakrishna, in prayer to God:

Om! Om! Om! Mother, what is this that I am saying? Don't make me unconscious, Mother, with the Knowledge of Brahman. Don't give me Brahmajnana. I am but Thy child. I am easily worried and frightened. I want a Mother. A million salutations to the Knowledge of Brahman! Give it to those who seek it... O Blissful Mother!
(p. 282)

Ramakrishna:

Vaidhi-bhakti is like moving a fan to make a breeze. One needs the fan to make the breeze. Similarly, one practices japa, austerity, and fasting, in order to acquire love of God. But the fan is set aside when the sourthern breeze blows of itself. Such actions as japa and austerity drop away when one spontaneously feels love of God. Who indeed will perform the ceremonies enjoined in the scriptures, when mad with love of God?
(pp. 231-232)

Ramakrishna:

A perfect soul, even after attaining Knowledge, practises devotions or observes religious ceremonies to set an example to others. I go to the Kali temple and I bow before the holy pictures in my room; therefore others do the same...
(p. 331)

Ramakrishna:

Did you have any conversation with Bhaskarananda?

Manilal:

Yes, sir. We had a long talk. Among other things we discussed the problem of good and evil. He said to me: "Don't follow the path of evil. Give up sinful thoughts. That is how God wants us to act. Perform only those duties that are virtuous.

Ramakrishna:

Yes, that is also a path, meant for the worldly-minded. But those whose spiritual consciousness has been awakened, who have realized that God alone is real and all else is illusory, cherish a different ideal. They are aware that God alone is the Doer and others are His instruments.

Those whose spiritual consciousness has been awakened never make a false step. They do not have to reason in order to shun evil. They are so full of love of God that whatever action they undertake is a good action. They are fully conscious that they are not the doers of their actions, but mere servants of God.

Fully awakened souls are beyond virtue and vice. They realize that it is God who does everything.
(pp. 243-244)

Ramakrishna:

The body and the soul! The body was born and it will die. But for the soul there is no death. It is like the betel-nut. When the nut is ripe it does not stick to the shell. But when it is green it is difficult to separate it from the shell. After realizing God one does not identify oneself any more with the body. Then one knows that body and soul are two different things.
(p. 274)

Ramakrishna:

When one has such love for God, one doesn't feel any physical attraction to wife, children, relatives, and friends. One retains only compassion for them. To such a man the world appears as a foreign land, a place where he has merely to perform duties. It is like a man's having his real home in the country, but coming to Calcutta for work; he has to rent a house in Calcutta for the sake of his duties. When one develops love of God, one completely gets rid of one's attachment to the world and worldly wisdom.
(p. 232)

Ramakrishna:

I said to Haladhari: "Krishnakishore and I are going to see a holy man. Will you come with us?"

Haladhari replied: "What is the use of seeing a mere human body, which is no better than a cage of clay?"

I repeated this to Krishnakishore. With great anger he said: "How impudent of Haladhari to make such a remark! How can he ridicule as a cage of clay the body of a man who constantly thinks of God, who meditates on Rama and has renounced all for the sake of the Lord? Doesn't he know that such a man is the embodiment of Spirit?"
(p. 173)

Ramakrishna:

(Keshab) is the only one who has dropped his tail (Laugher.)

Keshab:

Don't laugh. There must be some meaning in his words. Let us ask him.

Ramakrishna:

The tadpole, so long as it has not dropped its tail, lives only in the water. It cannot move about on dry land. Bus as soon as it drops its tail it hops out on the bank; then it can live both on land and in water. Likewise, as long as a man has not dropped his tail of ignorance, he can live only in the water of the world. But when he drops his tail, that is to say, when he attains the Knowledge of God, then he can roam about as a free soul or live as a householder if he likes.
(pp. 355-356)

Brahmanada

 Peace

In truth, to attain to interior peace, one must be willing to pass through the contrary to peace. Such is the teaching of the Sages.

Vivekananda

 Powers of the Mind

Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life-think of it, dream of it,

live on that idea. Let the brain,muscles,nerves,every part of your body,

be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to

SUCCESS........... If we really want to be BLESSED, and make others BLESSED,

we must go DEEPER.

 All the great Prophets, Saints, and 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 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 stronger the POWER of CONCENTRATION,

the BETTER will that thing be done. This is the one call, the one knock, which

opens the gate of nature, and lets out the FLOOD OF LIGHT.

No force can be created; it can only be DIRECTED.  Therefore, we must learn to

control the grand powers that are already in our hands, and by WILL POWER make

them SPIRITUAL, instead of merely animal.  Thus it is clearly seen that CHASTITY

is the cornerstone of all Morality and all Religion.

 Ninety percent of thought force is wasted by the ordinary human being, and

therefore he is constantly committing blunders; the TRAINED MAN or MIND never

makes a mistake.

 What work do you expect from man of little hearts? Nothing in the world? You

must have an IRONWILL if you would cross the ocean. You must be STRONG enough to

pierce mountains.

 Good and evil thoughts are each a potent power, and they fill the Universe. As

vibration continues, so thought remains in the form of thought until translated

into action. For example, force is latent in the mans arm until he strikes a

blow, when he translates it into activity.  If we make ourselves PURE and the

INSTRUMENTS of good thoughts, these will enter us.  The GOOD SOUL will not be

receptive to evil thoughts.

  Whatever you do, DEVOTE your whole MIND, HEART, and SOUL to it. I once met a

great sannyasin who cleansed his brass cooking utensils, making them shine like

gold, with as much care and attention as he bestowed on his worship and

meditation.

 It is our own MENTAL ATTITUDE which makes the world what it is for us. Our

thoughts make things beautiful, our thoughts make things ugly.  The whole world

is in our OWN MINDS. LEARN TO SEE THINGS IN THE PROPER LIGHT.