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Meditation goes beyond the serene or blissed-out mindfulness presented in pop-culture. It is not a zombie-like state that is free from thought and emotion, either. As elucidated by Mingyur Rinpoche, meditation is a process of discovery — a path of realizing the inherent potential that exists within each of us.
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HOLY MOTHER SARADA
In the following pages will be found the story
of a life which was lived so silently and unostentatious that its very simplicity was bewildering.
Yet the depth of its richness seemed unfathomable even to those who were universally respected for their spiritual greatness. Indeed such
a life defies analysis, and it is much more difficult to portray it. We may not comprehend greatness as a whole, but still does not even a partial
glimpse of it often bring us infinite good? Therein
lies our justification for making the present attempt.
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Time passes faster in the mountains than it does at sea level.
Ten years before understanding that time is slowed down by mass, Einstein realized that it was slowed down by speed.
A moving object therefore experiences a shorter duration than one that’s stationary: A watch marks fewer seconds, a plant grows more slowly, a young man dreams less. For a moving object, time contracts. Not only is there no single time for different places — there isn’t even a single time for any particular place. A duration can be associated only with the movement of something, with a given trajectory.
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“QUANTUM supremacy” is a phrase that has been in the news a lot lately. Several labs worldwide have already claimed to have reached this milestone, at which computers exploiting the wondrous features of the quantum world solve a problem faster than a conventional classical computer feasibly could. Although we aren’t quite there yet, a general-purpose “universal” quantum computer seems closer than ever – a revolutionary development for how we communicate and encrypt data, for virtual reality, artificial intelligence and much more.
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This morning, early, I went to church—to pray
for Sara. All the people there were thinking of Mary,
the Mother of Jesus, and suddenly I thought of you.
Your dear face, and your loving look and your white
Sari and your bracelets. It was all there. And it seemed
to me that yours was the Presence that was to soothe
and bless poor S. Sara’s sickroom. And—do you
know?—I thought I had been very foolish to sit in your
room, at the evening service to Sri Ramakrishna, trying
to meditate. Why did I not understand that it was
quite enough to be a little child at your dear feet? Dear
Mother! You are full of love! And it is not a flushed
and violent love, like ours, and like the world’s, but a
gentle peace that brings good to everyone and wishes
ill to none. It is a golden radiance, full of play. What a
blessed Sunday that was, a few months ago, when I
ran in to you, the last thing before I went on the
Ganges—ran back to you for a moment—as soon as I
came back! I felt such a wonderful freedom in the blessing
you gave me, and in your welcome home!
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Do send to poor S. Sara the mantle of your peace.
Isn’t your thought, now and then, of the high calm
that neither loves nor hates? Isn’t that a sweet benediction
that trembles in God, like the dewdrop on the
lotus-leaf, and touches not the world?
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It was not a life of conjugal relations but
of great spiritual training—so much so that the
wife in Saradamani was merged in the disciple
in her. Afterwards nobody could perceive in her
utterances and behaviour anything that betrayed
her special claim on Sri Ramakrishna. She was
only the humble disciple of the Master, and this
was to her a matter of supreme joy and privilege.
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ab simple on the outside but profound within
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It is needless to say that her innate spiritual
longing combined with hard sadhana, and above
all the guidance of a personality like that of Sri
Ramakrishna, had a tremendous effect on the life
of Sarada Devi. But she had a great capacity to
hide her achievements in that sphere. Swami
Premananda, an intimate disciple of the Master,
once remarked that even Sri Ramakrishna had
external manifestations of his spiritual powers in
the form of constant samadhi, but the Holy
Mother had so much control over herself that
nobody knew what a mine of spirituality she possessed.
Carefully suppressing all outward manifestations
she lived like an ordinary woman doing
the usual household duties of a poor middle-class
home
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In Breath (2020), the journalist James Nestor emphasises that modern biomedical science is beginning to verify certain rhythmic and ancient Eastern breathing practices that lead to significantly better health: ‘the most efficient breathing rhythm occurs when both the length of respirations and the total breaths per minute are locked in to a spooky symmetry – 5.5-second inhales followed by 5.5-second exhales, which works out almost exactly to 5.5 breaths a minute.’ Moreover, Nestor observes that these techniques are of the same rhythms as acts of prayer:
When Buddhist monks chant their most popular mantra Om Mani Padme Hum, each spoken phrase lasts six seconds … The traditional chant of Om … takes six seconds to sing, with a pause of about six seconds to inhale. The sa ta na ma chant, one of the best-known techniques in Kundalini yoga, also takes about six seconds to vocalise, followed by six seconds to inhale … Japanese, African, Hawaiian, Native American, Buddhist, Taoist, Christian – these cultures and religions all had somehow developed the same prayer techniques, requiring the same breathing patterns. And they all likely benefited from the same calming effect.
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As there was no sign of improvement in his
illness, Sri Ramakrishna was shifted to Cossipore
in December 1885. The Holy Mother also accompanied
him there, and occupied herself day and
night in attending to his needs. The young disciples
also sacrificed all other thoughts and were
doing their utmost to save the life of their beloved
Master. The prolonged illness of Sri Ramakrishna
had a great deal to do with the building up of the
future Ramakrishna brotherhood; for, while serving
the Master in that hour of distress, the young
disciples felt the bond of love growing among
them all the more strongly. If that is true, it ensured
also the place of Sarada Devi in the future
Order.
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Sri Ramakrishna was sinking. The Holy
Mother got some premonition that the end was
near. Still she was hoping against hope that the
disease might be arrested and the Master might
recover. But death is no respecter of persons and
is not swayed by any human sentiment or feelings.
Sri Ramakrishna passed into Mahasamadhi
on 16 August 1886, plunging all his disciples and
devotees into profound grief and gloom.
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On the following day, when the Holy Mother
was preparing to wear the widow’s garments, Sri
Ramakrishna appeared before her and said:
‘What are you doing? Where have I gone? It is
like passing from one room to another.’ At this
the Holy Mother was a bit consoled and gave up
the idea of putting on the widow’s dress. But as a
sign of her grief she tore off a large portion of the
wide red border of her sari. Afterwards she
attempted once or twice to remove the gold
ornaments she had on her hands, but every time
she was prevented by the appearance of Sri
Ramakrishna before her. The last time she attempted
this was at Kamarpukur. There to save
herself from the village gossip, she took off her
51
bracelets. But one day there too she saw the vision
of the Master. At this experience she shook off all
fear of public criticism, and henceforth she wore
simple bracelets on her hands and used a narrowbordered
cloth for her wearing apparel.
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SRK DTH 16 AUG 1886
Shortly after, on 30 August 1886, accompanied
by a party of devotees, the Mother started on a
pilgrimage to North India to assuage her grief.
On the way she stopped at Deoghar, Varanasi,
and Ayodhya, and went as far as Vrindavan,
where she stayed for about a year. While she was
witnessing the evening service at the temple of
Vishwanath at Varanasi, she fell into an ecstatic
mood and that mood persisted even while she
was returning to her place of lodging. At Varanasi
she met the great saint, Swami Bhaskarananda,
and was much impressed by him.
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It was in 1909 that Swami Saradananda built
a permanent home for her in Calcutta at the
present No. 1, Udbodhan Lane. Now when in
Calcutta the Holy Mother would stay here. This
house, bearing the sacred memory and association
of the Holy Mother, is known as ‘The
Mother’s House’ to innumerable devotees and
disciples of the Ramakrishna Order.
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Why does one not experience God-absorption,
though one is constantly repeating God’s
name—is a problem that perplexes a spiritual
aspirant occasionally. When the Holy Mother was
asked that question, her practical advice was: ‘It
will come, by and by. But do not give up japa even
if the mind is unwilling and unsteady. You must
go on with the repetition of the name and you
will find that the mind is gradually getting
steadier, like a flame in calm air. Any movement
in the air disturbs the steady burning of a flame;
even so the presence of any thought or desire
makes the mind unsteady. The mantra must be
correctly repeated. As incorrect utterance delays
progress.’
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In December 1919, she fell ill from fever. She
was brought to Calcutta, but the fever continued
to the anxiety of all. Even in her protracted illness
she radiated wonderful peace, sweetness
and light. She was considerate to all around her
and was very careful that none should undergo
much trouble in attending her. Sometimes she
would behave just like a little girl, and sometimes
she would talk in a high spiritual mood. Five days
before her passing away, she said to a woman
devotee who felt disconsolate at the prospect of
her approaching end: ‘Why do you fear? You have
seen the Master. Just learn to make the whole
world your own. No one is an alien. This whole
world is your own.’ This was her last spiritual
utterance. She passed into Mahasamadhi at 1:30
a.m. on 21 July 1920.
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TOLKIEN
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Cancer is the most common comorbid condition in patients with sepsis.
The presence of any type of cancer increases the risk of sepsis ten-fold.
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