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Men are like pillow-cases. The colour of one may be red, that of another blue, and that of the third black; but all contain the same cotton within.

Ramakrishna

That is very good. But never get into your head that your faith alone is true and every other is false. Know for certain that God without form is real and that God with form is also real.
RAMAKRISHNA

Alone Certain Faith False Good Head
Can you therefore say that there are no stars in the heavens during the day? Because you cannot find God in the days of your ignorance, say not that there is no God.
RAMAKRISHNA

Day God Heaven Ignorance Say Therefore
But it is not sufficient to bind him again into the world.
RAMAKRISHNA

Again Bind Sufficient World
The Hindus call it ‘jal’, the Christians ‘water’, and the Moslems ‘pani’. But it is one and the same thing.
RAMAKRISHNA

Jal Pani Religious Same Thing Water
Too much study of the scriptures does more harm than good. The important thing is to know the essence of the scriptures.
RAMAKRISHNA

Book Essence God Harm Important Learning Scripture Study
Make your meditation a continuous state of mind. A great worship is going on all the time, so nothing should be neglected or excluded from your constant meditative awareness.
RAMAKRISHNA

Continous Meditation Mind Neglect State Time Worship
Hearing about Benares is different from reading about it; but seeing Benares is different from either hearing or reading.
RAMAKRISHNA

Benares Different Hearing Reading
The breeze of grace is always blowing; set your sail to catch that breeze.
RAMAKRISHNA

Catch Determination Grace Persistence Sail
Wisdom leads to unity, but ignorance to separation. So long as God seems to be outside and far away, there is ignorance. But when God is realised within, that is true knowledge.
RAMAKRISHNA

God Ignorance Long Meditation Outside Separation
The compassion that you see in the kindhearted is God’s compassion. He has given it to them to protect the helpless.
RAMAKRISHNA

Compassion Given Helpless Protect
Sunlight is one and the same wherever it falls; but only a bright surface like that of water, or of a mirror reflects it fully.
RAMAKRISHNA

Bright Fall Heart Mam Mirror Reflect Sunlight Surface
Bondage and Liberation are of the mind alone.
RAMAKRISHNA

Alone Bondage Liberation Mind
The magnetic needle always points to the north, and hence it is that sailing vessel does not lose her direction.
RAMAKRISHNA

Aways Direction Heart Magnetic Man Needle North Ocean Vessel
It is not lust alone that one should be afraid of in the life of the world. There is also anger. Anger arises when obstacles are placed in the way of desire.
RAMAKRISHNA

Afraid Alone Anger Arise Desire Lust
Forget all the worldly knowledge that thou hast acquired and become as a child, and then will thou get the divine wisdom.
RAMAKRISHNA

Acquired Child Divine Forget Knowledge Wisdom Worldly
The richest gem of all. How many pearls and precious stones Are scattered all about The outer court that lies before The chamber of your heart!
RAMAKRISHNA

Court Gem Outer Pearl Precious Richest Scattered Stone
When the head of a goat is severed from its body, the trunk struggles for some time, still showing signs of life.
RAMAKRISHNA

Goat Head Man Perfect Serve Struggle Time Trunk
One day, it was suddenly revealed to me that everything is pure spirit.
RAMAKRISHNA

Day One Pure Spirit Sudden
They are so replete with love that whatever they do is a good action.
RAMAKRISHNA

Action Do Good Replete Whatever
The fool who repeats again and again: “I am bound, I am bound,” remains in bondage. He who repeats day and night: “I am a sinner, I am a sinner,” becomes a sinner indeed.
RAMAKRISHNA

Fool Guilt Night
Disease is the tax which the soul pays for the body, as the tenant pays house-rent for the use of the house.
RAMAKRISHNA

Body Disease House Soul Tax Tenant
A boat may stay in water, but water should not stay in boat. A spiritual aspirant may live in the world, but the world should not live within him.
RAMAKRISHNA

Aspirant Boat Live Spiritual Stay Water World
Live in the world like a waterfowl. The water clings to the bird, but the bird shakes it off. Live in the world like a mudfish.
RAMAKRISHNA

Bird Live Mudfish Off Shake Spin Water Waterfowl
If you want to go east, don’t go west.
RAMAKRISHNA

Confuse East Go Want West
As long as I live, so long do I learn.
RAMAKRISHNA

Learn Live Long
Do yourself what you wish others to do.
RAMAKRISHNA

Do Other Wish Yourself
So when a person dies in a state of ignorance, he is born again; but when he becomes well baked in the fire of true knowledge and dies a perfect man, he is not born again.
RAMAKRISHNA

Again Die Fire Ignorance Knowledge Naked Person True Well

Men are like pillow-cases. The colour of one may be red, that of another blue, and that of the third black; but all contain the same cotton within.

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Men are like pillow-cases. The colour of one may be red, that of another blue, and that of the third black; but all contain the same cotton within.

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