Swami Tyagananda is associated with the Ramakrishna Mission. This is a collection of quotes and teachings of Swami Tyagananda.
When we react to what is happening outside, we get involved in it. A detached witness sees things differently than someone who is involved in a situation. Sri Ramakrishna gave the example of people playing chess and others observing them. The observers can often see things that the players themselves cannot.
When we react to what is happening outside, we get involved in it. A detached witness sees things differently than someone who is involved in a situation. Sri Ramakrishna gave the example of people playing chess and others observing them. The observers can often see things that the players themselves cannot.
When the ego is strong, it wants to get involved in everything. With involvement comes the loss of capacity to be a neutral witness and the inability to put one’s experiences in the right context.
It is not enough to have experiences in life, we need the ability to learn the lessons that every experience brings. This can be a lifelong process.
Thoughts on Benefits of Celibacy – Swami Tyagananda
What are the benefits of celibacy? What exactly happens when a person practises Brahmacharya? The yoga traditions of Hinduism have made a deep study of this. According to them, the sexual impulse and the human energy that fuels it, when checked and controlled, become converted into a refined, subtle power called ojas. A yogi tries to transform all of the sexual energy into ojas through the practice of celibacy. It is only celibacy - or chastity in the case of the married - that causes the ojas to rise and be stored in the brain. Lack of chastity produces loss of mental vigour and moral strength.
According to the Hindu tradition, if one practises Brahmacharya for twelve years, a special nerve, called medha nadi in Sanskrit, is developed. This produces spiritual intuition, a strong memory and a remarkable capacity to grasp the subtle realities of life. It may not make a person an intellectual prodigy or a wrestler but it definitely makes him healthy, both physically and mentally.
For the sustained practice of contemplation our brain needs to be strong and calm - and this becomes possible through Brahmacharya because it provides nourishment and vigour to the brain. It also nourishes our creative energy and makes it flow on a higher plane. The validity of these claims is borne out by the actual experience of people who have practised Brahmacharya.