Vedanta Vani
August 2025
Concentration is Absolutely Essential
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Meditation is inseparable from concentration. When the mind has gained its full strength through singleness, it naturally becomes meditative. Often the mind is compared to a lake. If the surface is absolutely smooth not a ripple then we can see clearly what lies beneath. Similarly when this mind becomes calm, when the wind of uncontrolled desire does not constantly create ripples over the surface of it, then the image of our true nature is not broken and we obtain a perfect reflection of what we are in reality and what our relation is with the Supreme Intelligence. As long as the mind is agitated, so long our vision can never be unerring. We are constantly hoping that some one else may give us knowledge and happiness, but that is not possible. These can only come from within.
What we need is to be active spiritually. As we go on living our outer life, we must devote some time each day to making our mind introspective, that we may develop our subtler powers of perception. In all investigations certain instruments are necessary, as we see scientists inventing finer and finer instruments for their researches. Also for spiritual observation we need a form of mind which can discern the subtler things imperceptible to our ordinary sense faculties. The concentrated mind is such an instrument and the only one fitted for higher research.
Swami Paramananda
Swami Adbhutananda on Sri Ramakrishna’s Training
Sri Ramakrishna taught me a lot. Sometimes he deliberately sent me to Loren (Narendra, that is, Swami Vivekananda) so I could hear from him about many things. Often the Master arranged a debate between Girish Ghosh and Loren, but Loren was forceful and not afraid to challenge anyone. He argued a lot, and I reported it all to the Master. Now and then the Master tested me. Once he asked me, “Naren said all this, and you remained silent?”
“What do I know?” I replied. “How can I compete with Loren?”
Sri Ramakrishna said, “You’ve heard so many things here (meaning himself) and you said nothing? You should tell him that if God didn’t create this world, who did?”
“Loren says this creation is a natural process,” I replied.
“Is it possible for nature to create?” said the Master. “If there is an effect, there must be a cause that preceded it. There is a powerful Being behind this creation.”
Did you know that the Master snatched me from the strings of the world? I was an orphan. He showered me with love and affection. If he had not accepted me, I would have been like an animal and would have worked all my days as a slave. My life would have been worthless. I am an illiterate man. He always told me, “Keep your mind spotless at all times. Do not allow impure thoughts to enter it. If you find such desires tormenting you, pray to God and chant His name. He will protect you. If the mind still will not remain calm, go to the temple of the Mother and sit before Her. Or else come here (pointing to himself).”
Once a devotee was behaving very badly in Dakshineswar, and I found it impossible to contain my irritation. I scolded him, and he felt very hurt.Sri Ramakrishna knew how much the devotee had suffered, and after he had left, he said to me, “It is not good to speak harshly to those who come here. They are tormented by worldly difficulties. If they come here and are scolded for their shortcomings, where will they go? Never use harsh words against anyone in the presence of holy company, and never say anything that will hurt anyone.”
Do you know what he told me about that? “Go to this man tomorrow and speak to him in such a way that he will forget what you said to him today.” So the next day I visited him. My pride was humbled. I spoke to him kindly. When I returned, the Master simply asked, “Did you give him my regards?” Surprised by his words, I said I hadn’t. Then he said, “Go to him again and offer him my greetings.” So I went to the man again and gave the Master his greetings. At this point, the devotee burst into tears. I was touched to see him cry. When I returned this time, the Master said, “Now your crime is forgiven.”
One day, Girish Ghosh greeted the Master by bringing his folded hands to his forehead. The Master immediately returned the greetings by bowing down from the waist. Girish greeted the Master again. The Master greeted Girish Babu with an even deeper bow. Finally, as Girish bowed down to him, flat on the ground, the Master blessed him. Later, Girish Babu would say, “At this time, the Lord has come to conquer the world by bowing down.” In his incarnations as Krishna it was the flute; as Chaitanya, the name of God. But the weapon of his powerful Incarnation this time is the salutation. The Master used to say, “Be humble. That way the ego is removed.”
[from: Sri Ramakrishna as They Saw Him]
Selection and contribution by Mevrouw Mary Saaleman
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Mary Saaleman is devoted to Sri Ramakrishna since several decades. She spends her time in the study of Sri Ramakrishna-related literature, prayer, etc.
Sense of Time and the Passage of Time
Kees Boukema
In “Het Eeuwige Telaat; dialogues about time” (Amsterdam, 1946), writer Simon Vestdijk introduces the elderly philosopher “Arminius” as one of the conversationalists. He talks about his long-haired hunting dog, a “precious animal” that “enlivens his old age.” “He’s a keen bird hunter and regularly tries to strike in my garden. But never succeeds. The birds are always too quick for him. I never tire of watching him watch his fleeing prey with his sparkling eyes. Perhaps with the feeling that one day his heart’s desire will be fulfilled. But if he keeps going like this and just runs away, the birds will hear him coming from far away, and he will always be too late.”
“The dog itself doesn’t take the matter tragically,” Arminius says. “He finds it a delightful game. There’s not the slightest difference between his behavior before and after the ‘failure.’ He’s not disappointed, because in his own mind, he’s never ‘too late,’ but always on time. He watches the bird, not with a sense of disappointment, but because it’s such a nice bird, the one he almost caught. A dog is a virtuoso of memory in many respects, but he doesn’t experience the feeling of disappointment because he doesn’t know the corresponding feeling of ‘too late.'”
According to Arminius, a causal link did indeed develop in primitive humans between ‘too late’ and memory. Through their way of life, such as throwing their clubs, shooting arrows, and setting snares, they were bound to ‘too late,’ and thus, in their earliest development, they began to acquire some sense of time. Playing gave way to calculation. Because we have come to recognize ‘too late,’ time has entered our reality. “We know no other reality,” writes Vestdijk.
In our current world, a linear sense of time prevails: an (ascending) line of past, present, and future. This sense of time is visible on the hands of the clock, in the days of our calendar, and the years of history. It may be related to the way human history is described in the Bible: Genesis, in which God created the world, and Revelations, in which the Last Judgment is predicted.
In the eleventh chapter of his autobiography, Confessions, church father Aurelius Augustine (354-430) addresses several questions raised by this biblical linear sense of time. Such as: “What was there before creation?” and “Why wasn’t the world created before?” His answer: “Before creation, there was no ‘before.’ Time was created when the world was created and can only be measured by the changes that occur in this world. Only the present is the reality of this world. In it, the past is a memory,” and the future as expectation, as factually present. Time is nothing more than a construction of human consciousness.’ (chapters XI, 28 and 30; Russell, p. 324 et seq.).
The orthodox philosophical traditions of India assume a cyclical flow of time: Every ending is also a beginning. This is something with which humans are familiar: the eternal return of day and night, of sun and moon, of the seasons, and the rise, flourishing, and fall of human cultures. For the Hindu, the creation and passing of our universe is also part of an eternal process (Swami Prabhavananda, The Spiritual Heritage of India, p. 26/27). To the question of which came first, heaven or earth, the Rig Veda answers, “They follow one another as day follows night, like parts of a chariot wheel” (Rv. 1, 185). In the Atharva Veda, Kala (time) is called the source and ruler of all worlds: “As their father, he became their son.” [John Dowson, Dictionary of Hindu Mythology, p. 140).
Sri Ramakrishna brings up this philosophy of a multi-universe in a meeting with Saradacharan, a retired school inspector who had dedicated his life to meditation and prayer, but was now deeply unhappy over the death of his eldest son. He had come to Ramakrishna for relief from his suffering.
Ramakrishna: “Death has invaded your house. Be prepared! Resist him with the sword of God’s holy name (…). Let His will be done. I tell you, brother, grief for the loss of a son is a very natural thing. On the battlefield, it turned out that Ravana, the king of demons, had not fallen by Rama’s arrows, however powerful. His body was pierced with arrows of anguish over the loss of his sons. Your house, your family, and your children—all these are ephemeral. They pass away. God performs three works: He creates, sustains, and destroys. Death cannot be overcome. avoid. In the hour the universe ends, everything will be destroyed; nothing will remain. But the Divine Mother has gathered some “seeds of creation” and kept them in a jar. She brings them out for the new creation.”
Mr Kees Boukema is a scholar in Vedanta and Comparative philosophy. His brilliant and thorough-going articles on various philosophical and spiritual subjects are being published since the first issue of the magazine. His latest work is De Beoefening van Meditatie.
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What do you mean?
You read it everywhere, and I see it increasingly around me: young people, especially boys, losing themselves in a hard-line macho culture. Under the spell of manfluencers, Bible sales have increased dramatically, women are (once again) expected to be obedient, expressing feelings is considered weak, and the woke movement, gender equality, and inclusivity are seen as threats. At the same time, we see more and more young girls objectifying their bodies and perfecting them with lip fillers, false eyelashes, and so on.
We live in a time of empty cries and silent desperation. Politics is shifting toward conservatism, driven by fear and aversion to progressive values. Religion is being used (misused) as culture, not as faith. By framing gender diversity, feminism, and inclusivity as threats, right-wing conservative populism offers a sense of security.
I think it’s mainly vulnerable people who fall for these (false) promises of stability and tradition. Young people who don’t believe in politics, in themselves, or in their future. And young people who feel worthless, get caught up in beauty algorithms, and think they only matter if they conform to the ideal.
Everyone searches for meaning in their own way. And if that meaning doesn’t come through connection, trust, and love, we look for it outside ourselves. In appearance, power, and control. Those who do experience meaning, feel connected to others, and see purpose in their existence don’t need that to feel good.
Psychiatrist Dirk De Wachter emphasizes it time and again: whoever does something for someone else finds meaning. That makes us human and happy. Australian nurse Bronnie Ware also shows in The Top Five Regrets of the Dying that the end of our lives is rarely about success or perfection. It’s about connection. Loving. Truly engaging with others.
Let’s commit ourselves to this: finding meaning, finding purpose. Let’s help young people with this. Not with rules, but with space. Not with judgments, but with attention. Because if we don’t help them ask questions about meaning, influencers, populists, and algorithms will provide the answers.
Couldn’t we start in primary education? And instead of asking “What do you want to be?” (to which many children respond “richly”), ask “What do you want to mean?” In my opinion, attention to meaning should play a much larger role. Much earlier than in the palliative phase, when our lives are nearing the end, but at school. At home. In the classroom. Among ourselves and in the mirror.
A compass is more useful to us than a diploma. If we know who we are and what we mean, we will hopefully be better equipped to combat emptiness and populism.
Contribution: Francis van Schaik
Francis van Schaik is a coach of young people and also a student of human relationships with nature, the world and Truth. She regularly contributes to our online magazine. Francis is the regular contributor of articles in this page.
Jesus, the Essenes and the Parable of the Unfaithful Administrator
Paulo J. S. Bittencourt
Professor of the History Course at UFFS – Erechim Campus
Since the beginning of the research at Qumran, the relationship between the Dead Sea Scrolls and the New Testament has been the subject of voluminous discussion. “Khirbet Qumran,” “Ruin of the Gray Spot,” located in the West Bank, almost two kilometers from the northwest shore of the Dead Sea, has become one of the most celebrated archaeological sites in the Middle East. Thanks to the discovery of its manuscripts in 1947, we now have access to Palestinian literature from Late Antiquity, a literature written by its members for internal use (and not for Hellenistic consumption, as in the case of Flavius Josephus and Philo of Alexandria) in Hebrew and Aramaic. Numerous convergences between the two bodies of documentation have spurred comparative studies, revealing, above all, a mutual basis between Rabbinic Judaism and early Christianity, that is, ancient Judaism. In this sense, even Jewish ideas and themes, whose traces are not present in the words of Jesus or the New Testament, created the matrix for the new religion. This was possible because many Jewish concepts were known, according to Jewish historian David Flusser, “and most were accepted as self-evident by Jesus and, later, by the early Church.” Of course, much of the nature of these connections remains to be clarified. But some intriguing hypotheses have been masterfully outlined.
For example, in a highly erudite essay, Flusser raised the intriguing hypothesis that Jesus, in the parable of the unfaithful steward (Luke 16:1-9), when referring to the “sons of Light,” was not referring to his followers, but rather was making an ironic reference to the Essenes.
In the parable, the dishonest steward is praised for his shrewdness. “The children of this world are more skillful in dealing with their own generation than the children of light.” (Lk 16:8) In this sense, it is important to note that the passage contains an intentional discrepancy between the approach contained in the parable, practical and even immoral, and its higher, ethical and religious meaning. Jesus refers to the shrewdness with “unrighteous riches” (Lk 16:9; cf. Lk 16:11). Now, according to Flusser, we would be faced with an explicit refutation by Jesus of the economic separatism and ritual purity of the Essenes, based on the ideology of the children of Light, according to which they were obliged to “keep separate from the sons of perdition [or Darkness]” and “abstain from the impure wealth of iniquity” (Damascus Document, 6, 14-15).
For the Essenes, sin ritually pollutes, making people impure only through contact with objects and people from an external world considered perverse. The wicked “defile themselves in the ways of idolatry and in the wealth of iniquity” (Damascus Document, 8, 5). The Essenes were asked to “hate all the sons of darkness, each according to his guilt in the vengeance of God.” (1 Manual of Discipline, 1:10-11) No member of the Essene community was allowed to “eat from any of their (that is, the strangers’) property or drink from it, nor to accept anything from their hands except as payment” (1 Manual of Discipline, 5:16-17). Conversely, in Luke 16:9-12, Jesus says: “(…) make friends with the mammon of unrighteousness, so that when the mammon runs out, they may welcome you into the eternal tents. Whoever is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much, and whoever is unrighteous in what is least is unrighteous also in much. Therefore, if you have not been faithful in the mammon of unrighteousness, who will entrust you with the true good? If you have not been faithful in what is not another’s, who will give you your own?!”
It is curious to note that the Synoptic Gospels present few and less important analogies with the sectarian writings. Furthermore, we find no statement by Jesus directly criticizing the Essene way of life in them. However, in this parable, his disapproval of the economic separatism of the Qumran community clearly emerges. This is where the clearly rabbinic character of Jesus’ teaching, as enunciated by Flusser in “Judaism and the Origins of Christianity,” becomes evident: “Instead of preaching sectarian hatred, which was so sacred to the Essenes, this current of ancient Judaism embraced the precept of love.”
It is worth delving into this fruitful association in more detail, which we will do in the next installment of “Route 42.”
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Professor Paulo Bittencourt teaches History at the UFFS, Erchim Campus, Rio Grande de Sul. “Federal University of Southern Frontier” [UFFS] is one of the best universities of Brasil with highly qualified professors at the helm. Professor Bittencourt never rejects our request for articles, though he is very busy.
Question: Sir, what is the way?
Sri Ramakrishna: Attachment to God, or, in other words, love for Him. And secondly, prayer.
Question: Which one is the way — love or prayer ?
Sri Ramakrishna: First love, and then prayer.
The Master sang: Cry to your Mother Syama with a real cry, O mind! And how can She hold herself from you? How can Syama stay away? . . .
Continuing, Sri Ramakrishna said: And one must always chant the name and glories of God and pray to Him. An old metal pot must be scrubbed every day. What is the use of cleaning it only once ? Further, one must practise discrimination and renunciation ; one must be conscious of the unreality of the world.
Question: Is it good to renounce the world?
Sri Ramakrishna: Not for all. Those who have not yet come to the end of their enjoyments should not renounce the world.
Question: Then should they lead a worldly life?
Sri Ramakrishna: Yes, they should try to perform their duties in a detached way. Before you break the jackfruit open, rub your hands with oil, so that the sticky milk will not smear them. The maidservant in a rich man’s house performs all her duties, but her mind dwells on her home in the country. This is an example of doing duty in a detached way. You should renounce the world only in the mind. But a sannyasi should renounce the world both inwardly and outwardly.
Swami Vivekananda