The Eternal Life of Ramakrishna 🌼

As Ramakrishna neared the end of his earthly journey, he could neither eat nor drink, which caused great concern among his disciples. Swami Vivekananda, overcome with emotion, knelt at his master’s feet and pleaded:

"Why don’t you ask God to take away your illness? At least ask Him to let you eat and drink! God loves you, and if you ask, a miracle will surely happen! He will free you."

Other disciples joined in the plea.

Ramakrishna, moved by their devotion, replied, "Very well, I will try."

Closing his eyes, his face radiated an inner light, and tears streamed down his cheeks. In that moment, all pain seemed to dissolve. After a time, he opened his eyes, meeting the joyful gazes of his disciples, who were certain a miracle had occurred.

Ramakrishna spoke:
"Vivekananda, you fool! You asked me to do something foolish, and I, in my simplicity, obeyed. I asked God, 'Why can’t I eat or drink? At least let me do that much.' And God replied, 'Why do you cling to this body? You live on in your disciples. Through them, you eat and drink.' In that moment, I felt a profound freedom, and I wept."

Ramakrishna’s sense of unity with all life transcended his physical being. When his wife, Sarada Devi, asked if she should follow mourning customs after his death, he gently reassured her:

"I am not leaving. I will remain here in everything around you. You will see me in the eyes of those who love me, feel me in the wind and rain. When a bird takes flight, perhaps you will remember me. I will always be here."

Sarada Devi honored his wisdom. She wore no mourning attire and shed no tears, finding solace in the love of Ramakrishna’s disciples. To her, he was never gone, for his presence continued to illuminate her life.

#Psychology

@Motivation

⏳Expectation ✨

There’s an Eastern proverb: "You can only pour from the jug into the cup what’s inside the jug." Meaning, if it’s filled with water, but you wish for wine, desire alone won’t make it happen.

The same goes for people: sometimes you wait in vain for someone to act a certain way, but they simply aren’t filled with what’s needed to meet your expectations.

#Psychology

@Motivation

🕰Past, Future, Present ✨

Three wise men debated about what is more important to a person—their past, present, or future. One of them said:

— My past makes me who I am. My skills come from what I learned in the past. I believe in myself because I’ve succeeded in things I’ve done before. I like people who made me feel good in the past or those who remind me of them. I look at you now, see your smiles, and expect your disagreements because we’ve argued many times, and I know you’re not used to agreeing without a debate. 😌💬

— That’s impossible to agree with, — said the second, — if you were right, a person would be doomed, like a spider, to sit day after day in the web of their habits. A person is made by their future. It doesn’t matter what I know and can do now—I will learn what I need in the future. My vision of who I want to be in two years is far more real than my memories of who I was two years ago because my actions now depend not on who I was, but on who I am going to become. I like people who are unlike those I’ve known before. And our conversation is interesting because I anticipate an exciting battle of ideas and unexpected twists. 🤔

— You’ve missed the point, — interrupted the third, — the past and future exist only in our thoughts. The past is gone. The future is yet to come. And no matter if you’re reminiscing about the past or dreaming about the future, you act only in the present. It’s only in the present that you can change your life—the past and future are beyond our control. It’s only in the present that you can be happy: memories of past happiness are bittersweet, and waiting for future happiness is full of anxiety. 😊

#Psychology

@Motivation

🎨A Parable About Life's Expectations 🚪

A famous artist painted his latest masterpiece. On the day of its unveiling, many journalists, photographers, and well-known people gathered to see it. When the time came, the artist pulled off the cloth covering the painting. The room erupted in applause. 👏

The painting depicted the figure of Jesus, gently knocking on the door of a house. Jesus looked almost alive, leaning his ear against the door as if trying to hear whether someone inside would respond. 💫

Everyone admired the beautiful work of art. But one curious visitor noticed a mistake in the painting. The door had neither a lock nor a handle. He asked the artist:

— But this door seems to be locked from the inside, how can anyone enter without a handle? 🤔

— That’s correct, — the artist replied. — This is the door to a person’s heart. It can only be opened from the inside. 💖

Moral:

We all expect Love, Joy, Compassion, Happiness, and Success in our lives. But for them to appear, we can’t just sit idly by. We need to take action. At the very least, we must open the door… ✨

#Psychology

@Motivation

💭How to Deal with Bad Thoughts ✨

1. Shift Your Focus 🎯
Don’t try to stop thinking about the "white monkey"—instead, think about the "black one." Or even better, a "purple flamingo." Try to switch your mind to a different subject that you love thinking about but has positive connotations. Keep a few thoughts in your mind that require further questions and answers, drawing you into a different flow of thinking. 🔄

2. Avoid Stress 🧘‍♀️
Some people think they can fight off obsessive thoughts with a strong distraction, like arguing with neighbors or running naked through the city on a winter night. However, studies show that the more you shake up your emotions, the weaker your brain becomes against the "alien invasion" of unwanted thoughts. Instead, calm down and rest. The more energy and mental strength you have, the better your chances of resisting the attack.

3. Postpone Bad Thoughts ⏳
Make a deal with your intrusive thoughts—you’ll give them attention, but later. Schedule "half an hour for heavy thinking" into your daily routine, but not before bed—try lunchtime instead. When you reflect on what’s bothering you during a break, you’ll quickly get back to work and forget about the problems. 🗓
Over time, your subconscious will get used to the fact that intrusive thoughts have their specific time slot and will stop bothering you at other times. Then you can think about how to eliminate these thoughts completely. ✔️

4. Focus on Your Goals 🏆
How is a bad thought different from gas? According to physics, gas fills any available space, and a bad thought fills even the space that isn’t available! It makes us focus on it, forgetting there are many wonderful things in the world worth thinking about instead. 🌍
Intrusive thoughts especially love people who have no big life goals or interesting hobbies. Pull yourself out of sad thinking by focusing on your path to success and what will bring you fulfillment. If you work on it, you can gradually train yourself to think positively. 🌟

#Psychology

@Motivation