Swami Nirmalananda (1863 - 1938) was
direct disciple of Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. This is a collection of Swami Nirmalananda Quotes mostly from From book titled Swami Nirmalananda His life And Teachings, Vedanta Kesari and Prabuddha Bharata.
Repetition of the Holy name of the Lord is very good. The mind will become pure through it. While repeating the name of the Lord you should keep remembrance of the Lord in your mind. Such repetition and remembrance will do much good. Mere repetition without the remembrance of the Lord will not be of much use. I do not say that this is easy.
As you proceed with meditation you will see that you are, getting more and more realization. There is no use in merely reading the Shastras (Sacred Scriptures) and discussing about them.
By meditation the mind will become pure, and when the mind becomes pure, realization of God follows as a matter of course. Ordinarily, we hold our mind on worldly matters. No result worth the name comes out of this. But if you fix your mind in the pure thought of God, you will feel a taste of real bliss.
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To make real progress in meditation, a part of the mind
should always be given to God, whatever be the work you are engaged in. If you
are able to do that, your mind will get concentrated as soon as you sit down
for meditation. The thought of God can be kept continuously under all
conditions, by a little practice. Suppose you have a toothache. Are you not
able to attend to all your daily duties in spite of the continuous pain.
Similarly by a little practice you will reach a state in which you cannot give
up the thought of God even for a single moment.
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See and learn, observe and understand, exercise your body
and mind in useful and healthy ways.
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Meditation requires the keenest perception and an extremely
alert mind. Perhaps, you sit down to meditate, throw your mind and senses into
a lethargic condition, a sleepy mood and after sometime get up satisfied that
you went into deep meditation. If you practice that way, you will never be able
to meditate. That is quite a different thing. For meditation you have to
control your senses and direct your energies inward. The mind must he extremely
active, I mean alert, in perceiving the finest objects. It must be well concentrated.
If your nerves get blunt, how will you perceive fine objects? Cultivate the
faculty of close observation and perception. Otherwise you cannot even form a
mental picture of the object of meditation.
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When you do a thing, do it with the greatest care and
whole-hearted attention. Non-attachment does not mean carelessness,
indifference or half-heartedness in work. Work with one pointed attention, give
up fear of result without a single thought.
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Those who receive instructions in a spirit of humility and
gratefulness will improve; others, in whom the devil raises his horns will
never improve.
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God is the source of everything. Have that conviction,
surrender yourself and then practice tapasya. Such self-surrender made heroes
of men, made them fearless, perfect workers. It is casting away the dross and
taking up the gold. Renouncing the lower little self you become identified with
the supreme self. That is yoga, and yoga is dexterity in action. Be dexterous
in action; no matter what the action is.