One wants to become a Devotee of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission:–
A) General Devotee
1. Must have devotion for the spiritual ideal ( can belong to any religion, language, nationality etc.)
2. Must go through the life of Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada Devi, Swami Vivekananda, the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna.
3. Regularly visit the Ramakrishna Centre near to your area of residence and keep contact with the monks of the centre and take part in the activities.
4. Must have liking for service ideal if he wants to serve poor and needy through the service activities of the centre.
B) Initiated Devotee
1. Must have devotion for Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekannanda ( can belong to any religion, language, nationality etc).
2. Must go through the life of Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada Devi, Swami Vivekananda, the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, Karma yoga, Raja yoga, Jnana Yoga and Bhakti Yoga of Swami Vivekananda.
3. Accept all other religions as a path to God realization and all gods and goddesses as true.
4. Must have desire to perform spiritual practices like Japa and Meditation etc.
5. Could approach any monk or Monk in charge of the centre and get the details for initiation. Usually the initiation or Mantra Diksha or Guru Upadesam is given by a few selected very senior monks in the order like Rev. President Maharaj, Rev. Vice-president Maharaj etc. Get the details of initiation and express your willingness and the Monk in charge will help in arranging you to get spiritual initiation in the Sri Ramakrishna Mould of Spiritual practices.
Ten Commandments for Sri Ramakrishna Devotees by Revered
Swami Ranganathanandaji Maharaj
1. Be regular and steady in your spiritual practices. This is the best way of serving one’s Guru.
2. Keep in touch with the Ramakrishna Sarada Devi Vivekananda literature as much as you can.
3. Visit the Math regularly, at least once a week and take part in the prayers and discourses. Do not miss the important celebrations.
4. Try to keep in personal touch with the monks by seeking interviews with them, once in a while, and make the best use of it and not fritter away the time in worldly talks.
5. Kindly remember to keep a percentage of your income for the service activities of the Math and thereby help the Math in rendering its services effectively.
6. Try to visit Belur Math, Dakshineshwar, Kamarpukur and Jayarambati at least once in your lifetime, if not more, by properly planning your pilgrimage.
7. Though you are free to visit other religious centres and persons, please remember that it should be without prejudice to your own way of life adopted as per the Ramakrishna Vivekananda traditions. It is better, therefore, you consult the local Head before doing so.
8. Avoid all occult practices and magic and miracles that will harm your spiritual life.
9. Co-operate with the activities of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission, as much as you can, whole heartedly.
10. Make it a point to present only Ramakrishna–Vivekananda literature as gifts on happy occasions to your relatives and friends. This is the best form of spiritual practices for this age.
