13-September-2020 (Sunday)
Passages from "Meditation and Spiritual Passages from "Meditation and Spiritual Life" – 1018
PART III SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE
Chapter 33 – LIFE IN FREEDOM – 03
Marks of a free soul – 01
When Confucius (or K’ung Fu-tzu) the great Chinese sage said, ‘At fifteen I had my mind bent on learning, at thirty I stood firm, at forty I had no doubts, at fifty I knew the decrees of heaven, at sixty my ear was an obedient organ for receiving truth, and at seventy I could do whatever my heart desired without transgression’, he was describing the goal of life, viz. the attainment of perfect moral freedom. A freed soul is fettered neither by evil tendencies nor by conventional moral codes. Purity has become his essential nature so much so that he does not have to bind himself down by many rules of conduct. In the words of Sri Ramakrishna he is like an expert singer who cannot sing a false note.6 (6 The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, trans. Swami Nikhilananda (Madras: Sri Ramakrishna Math, 1974), p. 317, 435)
Another characteristic of a jivanmukta is that he is free from egotism. Egotism creates the knots of the heart; it makes man’s mind complex, difficult and calculating. Our attitude towards others is determined by the nature of our ego. With the attainment of the highest superconscious state all the knots of the heart are cut asunder and all our doubts are destroyed, says the Upanisad.7 (7 Mundaka Upanishad, 2.2.8; also see Katha Upanishad, 2.3.15) All moral conflicts are removed and we see divine harmony everywhere.
A perfected soul is free from hatred. It is impossible for him to hate others. The Ishavasya Upanishad says, ‘When the wise man perceives all as not at all distinct from his own Self and his own self as the Self of every being he does not, by virtue of that perception, hate anyone.’8 (8 Ishavasya Upanishad, 6) A knower of Brahman is filled with love and compassion for others. He has nothing but blessings to give to others. His love knows no bounds of caste or creed or social standing. He loves all without partiality. Some of us had the good fortune to come in contact with a few of the illustrious disciples of Sri Ramakrishna. It was in them alone we saw pure unselfish love for others. From morning till late in the night they were occupied with the thoughts about our welfare.
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SWAMI YATISWARANANDA – Meditation and Spiritual Life – Ramakrishna Math, Bangalore India. Fourth Edition. 1998 p: 574
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