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Date Posted: 11:36:10 04/27/05 Wed
Author: H - 19 Mar 2005
Subject: Re: Ramdas & Hamilton
In reply to: Vijay - 18 Mar 2005 's message, "Ramdas & Hamilton" on 11:34:31 04/27/05 Wed


Three years after that, in late 1957, Mother Hamilton and her husband Ralph paid an extensive visit to Ramdas at his Ashram in Kerala, India. It seems to have been a moving experience for all of them.

Their conversations with Ramdas are reproduced in the book "The Gospel of Swami Ramdas" (presently out of print). I own a copy, but Yogananda is scarcely mentioned and Kriya not at all. But Ramdas made an interesting remark on spiritual practice in general. I will put this here, and also another one of interest.


ctober 15, 1957

Ralph Hamilton: "Is is that one has to go through a series of troubles, ceremonies, and so on, step by step before one can realise God?"

Papa: "All that is done to know the greatness of grace. We do not admit it easily. When we pass through many disciplines in order to realise Him, we find ourselves helpless, because we have not achieved anything. Then it is that we surrender ourselves to Him, because He is the friend of the helpless. Unless we become helpless He will not be our helper. To make ourselves realise that we are helpless we have to pass through all these disciplines. These disciplines by themselves will not enable us to achieve anything. Indirectly they will make us feel helpless. [...] It is very clear from the story of the two frogs in a pot of curds that you must churn, churn and churn, and stop. Then butter is formed, which will release you. You struggle for a while and afterwards give up the struggle by utter surrender to the will of God. In that state of surrender you get Him; but not by merely struggling. Struggle is a sure condition of progress. Struggle must cease in a state of surrender."


November 6, 1957

Papa: "Some friends come and ask Ramdas whether they are progressing or not. As Ramdas has already told you, he does not see the exterior of these persons. He sees them as God. So he tells them, 'You are He. Why do you pretend that you have to attain anything? Give up the pretence.'

It is not that Ramdas cannot understand or gauge the progress of the devotees. It is possible. But he does not tell them because there is a great danger in doing so. If he tells them that they have advanced, they become proud, and pride goes before a fall. If he tells them that they are not, they feel dejected and even give up their efforts to realise Him. In either case there is danger.

Ramdas is like a mirror. All saints are. You see in him your own reflection. Whatever answers he gives are words put in his mouth by yourself because it is you who make him talk. If you come before him with an open mind, revealing the Self in you, you will see the Self in Ramdas. When you put a question to Ramdas you are for the time being raised to that level and therefore that reply comes from Ramdas."

Mildred Hamilton: "Father (Ralph) still feels that the ego in me has not yet been crucified."

Papa: "Others' opinions about us need not be always correct. Nobody can understand another. God alone can understand us. We cannot understand saints from what they talk or do. We must know them only from what they are. Only God can know them. You must, both of you, become spiritual dynamos. You must be able to radiate peace and joy wherever you go in America and lead people on the path of God."

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