Excerpt from The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

January 12, 2004

Dear Sisters and Brothers:

Here is an excerpt for your spiritual enjoyment. Personally I find an uncanny

resemblance between Amma's parables and this nineteenth century Avatar.

"Those whose spiritual consciousness has been awakened never make a false step.

They do not have to reason in order to shun evil. They are so full of love for

God that whatever action they undertake is a good action. They are fully

conscious that they are not the doers of their actions, but mere servants of

God. They always feel: "I am the machine and He is the Operator. I do as He does

through me. I speak as He speaks through me. I move as He moves me."

Fully awakened souls are beyond virtue and vice. They realize that it is God who

does everything.

There was a monastery in a certain place. The monks residing there went out

daily to beg their food. One day a monk, while out for his alms, saw a landlord

beating a man mercilessly. The compassionate monk stepped in and asked the

landlord to stop. But the landlord was filled with anger and turned his wrath

against the innocent monk. He beat the monk till he fell unconscious on the

ground.

Someone reported the matter to the monastery. The monks ran to the spot and

found their brother lying there. Four or five of them carried him back and laid

him on a bed. He was still unconscious. The other monks sat around him sad at

heart; some were fanning him.

Finally someone suggested that he should be given a little milk to drink. When

it was poured into his mouth he regained consciousness. He opened his eyes and

looked around.

One of the monks said, "'Let us see whether he is fully conscious and can

recognize us." Shouting into his ear, he said, "Revered sir, who is giving you

milk?"

"Brother," replied the holy man in a low voice, "He who beat me is now giving me

milk."

But one does not attain such a state of mind without the realization of God."

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