We always forget that religion does not consist in hearing talks, or in reading books, but it is a continuous struggle, a grappling with our own nature, a continuous fight till the victory is achieved.
It is not a question of one or two days, of years, or of lives, but it may be hundreds of lifetimes, and we must be ready for that. It may come immediately, or it may not come in hundreds of lifetimes; and we must be ready for that. The students, who sets out with such a spirit, finds success.
Swami Vivekananda
(The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda / Volume 4 / Addresses on Bhakti-Yoga/The Teacher of Spirituality)
No impure soul can be religious; that is the one great condition; purity in every way is absolutely necessary. The other condition is a real thirst after knowledge. Who wants? That is the question. We get whatever we want — that is an old, old law. He, who wants, gets. To want religion is a very difficult thing, not so easy as we generally think. Then we always forget that religion does not consist in hearing talks, or in reading books, but it is a continuous struggle, a grappling with our own nature, a continuous fight till the victory is achieved. It is not a question of one or two days, of years, or of lives, but it may be hundreds of lifetimes, and we must be ready for that. It may come immediately, or it may not come in hundreds of lifetimes; and we must be ready for that. The students, who sets out with such a spirit, finds success.
Swami Vivekananda
(The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda/Volume 4/Addresses on Bhakti-Yoga/The Teacher of Spirituality)
