MEDITN- PLUG ONTO SILENCE X HM SARADA DEVI X DWKNS MEETS SSPA X BOBW

 

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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

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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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