Spiritual Guidance: Selections From “Sad Vani – A collection of the teachings of Sri Anandamayi Ma (vegetarian),” Part 1 of 2

“Most people have the power of hearing, but the majority are so captivated by the melodies of the world that they will not easily give ear to devotional songs. The only way to counteract this is regular repetition of one of God’s Names, anything from 10 to 10,000 times, or else to devote some time every day to prayer or meditation, the search for the Self, satsang [spiritual gathering], the singing of God’s praises, religious discourses, or any other practice of the kind. In this way the mechanism of body and mind will by and by become attuned to the vibrations of religious music and be able to appreciate it.

Without regular practice no science can be mastered. Similarly, sustained effort is necessary for those who aim at Self-realization. This should be borne in mind. Just as a watch has to be wound every day, so the winding of the machinery of the mind with the key of divine contemplation at least once daily, will greatly assist in purifying one’s thinking.”

“When you seek the company of others, remember you are out to find the good and beautiful. Truly, if you are simple and sincere inwardly as well as outwardly, your heart will be pure and full of joy, and your intelligence and reason sound and accurate. Then you will find good everywhere and nothing will appear to be evil. God alone is perfect; no person can be free from defects. By making a practice of seeing the good qualities in others, the same virtues develop in yourself, for as you think so you become.”

“Forever banish from your heart anything in the nature of fear, anxiety or despondency. Where joy, enterprise and diligence are, there the Supreme Energy Itself is present. Learn to see God in all worthy undertakings of mankind. If you can do this, you will pass from the material world of karma to Reality, the Brahman, which is identical with the realization of Supreme Bliss.”

“In worldly life it is necessary to be mindful of praise and blame. But on the spiritual path, unless one becomes indifferent to both, one cannot remain firm and steadfast. In order to progress inwardly, one must concentrate on the one Goal, in other words, become absorbed in the One. Therefore it is imperative to cultivate activities and states of mind that promote one-pointedness, and to withdraw as far as possible from all external distractions.”