Physical strength is
as important to withstand the strain of spiritual disciplines one
has to undergo, as intellectual acumen is incumbent to
understand the subtle truths of religion

Swami Vivekananda puts this quite clearly in his lecture
Sannyasa: Its Ideal and Practise. “You must try to combine in your
life immense idealism with immense practicality. You must be
prepared to go into deep meditation now and the next moment
you must be ready to go and cultivate these fields (meadows of
the Math). You must be prepared to explain the difficult
intricacies of the scriptures now, and the next moment to go and
sell the products of the fields in the market." This is a new
approach to the monastic ideal of India and it is based on the
concept that there is no contradiction between Aham Brahmasmi (I
am Brahman) and Tattvamasi (Thou art That). By closing the eyes a
spiritual aspirant can say “I am Brahman:” then, opening his eyes,
he can say “Thou art That” and with that attitude worship all
beings.



“The sannyasin, verily, is born into this world to lay down his life
for others, to stop the bitter cries of men, to wipe away the tears of
the widow, to bring peace to the soul of the bereaved mother, to
equip the ignorant masses for the struggle for existence, to
accomplish the secular and spiritual well-being of all through the
diffusion of spiritual teaching and to arouse the sleeping lion of
Brahman in all by throwing in the light of knowledge.”


For that monk, by whom not the smallest danger
even, is caused to created beings, there will be no danger from any
quarter after he is freed from his body
Samhita :: Manu

The pang of separation from the Beloved Lord cannot be described in human words, nor comprehended by the logical mind, but it can be felt by a devoted heart.

| Swami Aseshananda
Sri Ramakrishna Deva Order

One of America’s bestselling snacks is a cheese dip designed to be scooped up with nacho chips. It’s runny, it’s orange, it tastes like cheese, but a label on the jar says that it’s a ‘non-dairy product’.



Have you ever tried an American apple? They look perfect — enormous, red and shiny — but have the consistency of cotton wool. It’s the same with the meat: huge, juicy-looking steaks, and chops, perfectly grilled, pink inside, but tasting of wet paper.