Ramakrishna : How to live in the world

Some information about Sri Ramakrishna may be found here.

Q; How ought we to live in the world?

Master : Do all your duties, but keep your mind on God. Live with all – with wife and children, father and mother – and serve them. Treat them as if they were very dear to you, but know in your heart of hearts that they do not belong to you.

A maidservant in the house of a rich man performs all the household duties, but her thoughts are fixed on her own home in her native village. She brings up her master’s children as if they were her own. She even speaks of them as ‘my Rama’ or ‘my Hari.’ But in her own mind she knows very well that they do not belong to her at all.

The tortoise moves about in the water. But can you guess where her thoughts are? They’re on the bank, where her eggs are lying. Do all your duties in the world, but keep your mind on God.

If you enter the world without first cultivating love for God, you will be entangled more and more. You will be overwhelmed by its dangers, its grief, its sorrows. And the more you think of worldly things, the more you will be attached to them.”

One Reply to “Ramakrishna : How to live in the world”

  1. Howard Olivier

    This distinction is so gently and lovingly shared.
    O, what a world where there are such teachers!
    Tnank you, Murshid Nawab

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.