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"Divine Bliss", by Rosa and Sergio
Domian |
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( distributed by Rishi Belgium :
sophie.peeters@euphonynet.be ) |
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FOREWORD
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First
published in Italian ( "Divina Beatitudine", ed. Mediterranee 1995 )
and French ( "Swami Premananda - Enseignements d'un maitre de
sagesse", Amrita 1996 ), this book on Swami Premananda's
spiritual teachings is now (2009) appearing for the first time in
English. |
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It contains
most of the speeches, satsangs, interviews and writings until 1995.
All texts are taken from booklets published by the Sri Premananda
Ashram, from the Ashram monthly magazine and from audio and video
recordings... |
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We hope that
the book will help English speaking people to approach the teachings
of Swami Premananda and help them on the way to self realisation. |
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INTRODUCTION |
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"
Embodiments of the Divine ! ". Why do many speeches of
Swami Premananda start with this appeal ? It is an invitation
to discover the real essence of man, the nature which is present in
the depth of our souls, the real nature that we have forgotten.
Since time immemorial man is lost in deep oblivion. He has
forgotten the real essence, he has removed the presence of the
Divine from his innermost depths, the divine light burning in the
depths of his heart... This is the reason for Swami's
appeal, but who is ready to listen ? Who is ready to receive his
message ?
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... The
speeches which make up this book can just give an idea of his
teachings and of his mission, but they are a poor image of the
personality of the master, that can be understood only by
experiencing, in the same way as the botanical name cannot give an
idea of a fruit, but it is necessary to taste it... |
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... We are
living in an epoch where divisions among men are becoming deeper and
deeper under the impact of many forces. Political forces that
try to exploit man for their own profit, are trying to urge brother
against brother. Religious forces convinced to have the
monopoly of truth try to discredit other spiritual paths, all those
who have taken a different approach. Faced with this situation
many masters have already brought their message of mutual
understanding and tolerance. Time is come to pull down all
barriers between religions, barriers dividing men that have taken a
different path, recognising that all paths aim at the same goal.
Time has come to undertake a deep transformation, to declare a
complete opening to any form of religious experience. All
the different teachings have been revealed by masters that know the
ultimate truth, but every master, every prophet has given to his
teachings his personal approach. In the same way that it is
possible to attain the peak of a mountain by different ways, every
religion brings to the same peak, to the same goal. |
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In this
situation Swami Premananda intends to bring his contribution, even
against many forces that want to oppose, to stop the evolution in
order to protect vested interests, to protect a power that in the
course of time has created structures. It is necessary to make
a distinction between religion and the different churches.
Religion is one, churches are many. Religion is the fact of
God, churches are the product of man, and as such are not perfect. |
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It is
necessary to bring back a sense of unity, because men should feel
again like brothers, even when they have chosen a different way to
God... This is one of the missions of Swami Premananda in
this incarnation, a mission that humanity must fulfil, even if many
signs seem to demonstrate the contrary. But faith and trust
can break every chain, can sweep away every barrier. This is
the divind plan ! Jai Prema Shanti ! |
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Which is the right
path among all those indicated by great avatars and saints ?
(
Extract from "Divine Bliss" ) |
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Swami Premananda
: You come to this world with many
ideas, so in the journey that you have started, where do you intend
to go ? It is possible that you go in a completely different
direction. There are no rules that you should follow in this journey.
Lord Jesus has shown a path, why do you not take this path? Then
came Prophet Mohammed and gave us beautiful thoughts in the Koran.
Lord Buddha came to this world to show the path of meditation, and
so on. Threre are thousands and thousands of sages who came to this
world and they all gave you new and good ideas on how to follow the
path. There are also a number of books about the path that you
should take. You read all these books and you left none aside, you
read everything, but at the end, what is left ? Confusion, because
you do not want to follow any path. Follow at least one path
perfectly ! |
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The importance of a
guru on the spiritual path
(
Extract
from "Divine Bliss" ) |
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Swami Premananda
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The word guru means remover of darkness. A true guru is always full
of bliss. He is a friend, a philosopher and a guide to his devotees.
Devotion to the guru is essential for spiritual attainment. Garlands
and offerings alone will not take us to God.... |
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Trying to
understand your guru is more difficult than counting the
number of stars in the Milky Way. The sun shines impartially,
but its rays are reflected more on surfaces such as water,
mirrors and polished metals. Likewise, divine light also
shines regardless of caste or creed. Pure minds of good
people and good hearts of sadhus reflect the light of
divinity. In the same way the guru appears to us in the form
we imagine him to be. He resembles a crystal clear spring
which perfectly reflects everything. His form is the
reflection of devotees minds. He can appear at the same time
as God or any other form. He resembles God in this respect.
He incarnates himself in this world for the sake of true
devotees...
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The guru is a person who sacrifices his life for his devotees. He is
like a candle which gives light while it melts away... |
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Paramatma is omnipotent,
omnipresent and omniscient but he incarnates himself in a human body
to teach people the correct way to live. Avatars are souls that have
attained wisdom or atma jnani. Sri Ramakrishna defines atma jnani as
a living person yet dead to his world, whose desires and attachments
are crushed down like those of a corpse... |
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When the waves ride over one
another, they prevent us from viewing the bottom of a sea. Similarly,
the waves of our mind ride over one another and prevent us from
knowing the blissful state of our mind. Only when our mind is at
peace do we enjoy and feel the blissful state of our mind. The atma
jnani is a person who thinks that the joy and bliss that he has been
searching for outside in the world has always been within himself.
The Bhagavad Gita says that wisdom is covered by desire as fire is
covered by smoke. When the wind of intelligence blows, the smoke of
desire is carried away and the fire of wisdom is visible. Some
effort is needed to remove dirt from a mirror...
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Being close to my body gets you
nowhere. If you can get close to my soul or to the divine power
within me, that is worthwhile. Nobody has come to be with me always
but just to be here for a certain period...
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It is a very great opportunity
for you if you get the chance to be in the company of sadhus, saints
and sages. To be in their company brings about a transformation in
your hearts and makes you full of love, respect and affection... |
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We need a teacher for our
instruction and to prepare for the activity we will undertake in our
daily life. In the same way we need a guru in order to progress
spiritually... |
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If you go on a wrong path, the
guru gives you a warning by way of a test and directs you towards
God. Always remember that guru's tests are in order to avert
bigger dangers in life...
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It is rare good fortune that
grants the blessings of a true guru and the grace of God. You have
taken this birth in order to receive such a special opportunity. The
guru transcends all earthly duality, he is the ultimate embodiment
of truth and he is your guide on the spiritual path. He has the
ability to bestow the highest attainment known to man. Thus, he
should be approached with true humility and it is important to
seriously consider your motives for wanting the guru's blessings and
his divine grace... |
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