Sharing Spiritual Experiences?

Swami Virajananda, a direct disciple of Swami Vivekananda, received initiation as well as monkhood training from Swami Vivekananda. He also served as the Head of the Ramakrishna Mission and Math for a considerable period of time. His book ‘Towards the goal Supreme’ published by Advaita Ashrama contains priceless spiritual wisdom for Sadhakas. It’s a delight for hard-core meditators and young Sadhakas who are filled with zeal to excel in spiritual Sadhana. A few quotes from Swami Virajananda are given here verbatim. The book is available on Kindle. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

1. Do not tell anybody else, except the Guru, the realizations, the visions, or similar experiences, that spiritual practices may bring to you. Always keep your spiritual treasure—your inmost thoughts—hidden within you. These are not for vulgar gaze. These are your sacred possessions to be shared only between you and the Lord in secret. Likewise, do not talk of your defects and blemishes to others. You lose thereby your self-respect and the respect of others for you. They are for you to confess to the Lord. Pray to Him for strength to overcome them.

2. When by the continued practice of Japa and meditation, the mind will have become calm and purified, then mind itself will be your Guru, or guide, and you will have proper understanding of everything, and find the solutions of your spiritual doubts and questions within yourself. The mind will tell you what you should do, one thing after another, and how you should conduct yourself.

3. Faith works wonders—makes the impossible possible. Faith plies its boat, setting sail over dry land. The doubting self is drowned even in ankle-deep water.

4. Addiction to Siddhis and Bibhutis (occult and superhuman powers) leads men into the bondage of Maya and delusion through the temptation of enjoyment, and drags them down from the Ideal. The craving for these powers is not only a great obstacle to the realisation of God but it also gradually debases and ruins a person. Occult powers do not bring forth love of God nor lead to salvation. At best, they bring name and fame, and the enjoyments of desired objects in this world; and to satisfy these desires, mostly unholy, one does not even shrink from ruining others. Hence, true Bhaktas shun these powers like poison.

5. As drunkards or drug-addicts feel intensely miserable and find everything out of joint if they do not get their drink or drug at the accustomed time, so do the Sâdhakas (aspirants) feel on that day when for any reason they fail to do Japa and meditation as usual. So it is also with everything, more or less, when a particular habit is formed, either good or bad.

6. The more you strengthen the con-viction that the Holy Name and the Person named, are one, the more you will feel His presence in the heart of your being. 

7. Practise Japa and austerities with all your heart as much as you can. You should, however, have it firmly fixed in your mind that God can be realised solely through His grace (2), and not as a result of your practising so much Japa and austerities. Spiritual practices are meant merely for tiring the wings, so to speak. A bird wants to rest as soon as its wings are tired. After flying far out at sea, the bird discovers that there is no other resting-place except the mast of a ship, and it perches there. But unless the feeling that God is the only refuge grows into an unshakable conviction, no one can take shelter completely in Him and know Him to be his All-in-all.