A Touch of Light Podcast
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How we work with others is an indication of how we work with ourselves. We can apply these principles to our own lives.
The doors to this sacred realm are always open. The choice is ours whether we want to dwell there. Living in our guru’s ashram is a state of mind, and much more: It is constantly reaching out for union with God, until we realize that the guru’s ashram has always resided in our own heart.
How can we learn to cultivate friendships everywhere and see our unity? It’s always a joy to share inspiring events that come into our lives, especially when they come unbidden and filled with “education and entertainment”—the purpose of all our life’s experiences, according to Paramhansa Yogananda.
Why does memory exist at all? Researchers are trying to discover what the mechanism is that holds and releases our memories.
Every soul yearns for the light, and will find a way to grow toward it. No matter what the obstacles, the soul will find its way upward just as a blade of grass will sometimes grow through a slab of concrete. What follows is taken from the journal of a young woman who lives in an area where it is nearly impossible for young women to find a quality education.
How can we save ourselves endless trouble and heartache? Before any important choice, we ask, “Will this help my spiritual evolution?”
It is helpful to recognize that we have two dharmas: the timeless dharma of the soul aiming to reunite with God, and the dharma of our current life. Happiness and success will follow only if we align the actions of this life with the eternal dharma of our soul.
There are times when life seems to bear down on us. It’s difficult then to remain positive amidst the challenges in our life, and that we see in the lives of others, and in the world at large. Yet in this world of duality, the alternating waves of joy and sorrow are a constant. It's how we deal with them that keeps us either forever tossed on the crashing waves of maya, or resting in the unmoving peace of God.
We can’t get far with problems, either in daily life or in meditation, unless we learn to concentrate on one thing at a time. Here's how...
Within each of us lies a seed of hope that we truly can achieve our spiritual goals. Though the soil of our consciousness may sometimes seem barren and dry, if we nurture this seed, it can keep us going.
How to make meditation more personally meaningful and enjoyable.
We mistakenly think that the chains of karma keep us forever bound in delusion, when, in truth, we have the power at any time to make the kind of choices that will set us free.
Many of you reading this blog will have heard Swami Kriyananda’s beautiful song, “The Shawl of Gold.” But few of you will have heard the rest of the story. This is how it was revealed to me in my meditation.
On an even deeper level, try to see beyond the individual’s love to feel God’s love coming to you through your friend in the form of their present. Swamiji has given us a beautiful affirmation: “I give thanks to the giver behind each gift, and to the one Giver behind all that I receive. My gratitude rises with devotion’s incense to the throne of Omnipresence.”
The essence of world brotherhood and the essence of our spiritual path are the same: to seek unity (yoga) where others see only diversity. Yogananda urged us again and again to see God’s smiling face hiding behind all outer appearances: behind the stars and moon, the dawn and the dusk, the flowers and, yes, the weeds. All is made of God’s light. I assume that everyone who is reading this blog agrees with these basic concepts, but how do we put them into practice? Start with your meditation, since most of us begin our day that way. Always end your meditation by visualizing and praying for world peace. But today, in honor of the concept of world brotherhood, try also to visualize the faces of people of different races, religions, and nationalities.
How to detach from any problem and approach it with the understanding that only consciousness is real.
Much of the benefit of this practice comes from the conscious decision to make a plan for the week, and then to carry out your daily act of “micro joy.” What better time to start this than the day after Thanksgiving? Take a few moments right now to think about those things for which you are grateful. Write a few notes of gratitude to those who have helped or uplifted you during the year.
In the face of a world in turmoil, let’s remember that God’s love for us—in fact, simply God’s love—is the only important thing, the only reality. Whether it’s expressed through the love of another person, through a pet, or through a challenging situation, look behind the surface, and see God’s love. Let it saturate your heart, and then share it with everyone. So where do we find love? If we have eyes to see, everywhere.
The heart of a devotee naturally overflows with the desire to help others. In fact, this yearning is one of the first signs of a refined consciousness. In a sense it is that impulse that brought this world into existence in the first place. God, the only thing that really exists, is ever-existing, ever-conscious, ever-new bliss. That bliss is ever expanding and, as Swami Kriyananda put it so simply and beautifully, “It is the nature of joy to want to share itself with others. So God created a multitude of seemingly separate souls so that He could share His bliss.”
What can we do to help bring light into the world and reestablish peace and harmony in human hearts?
Do you want to help create a better world? It begins with you taking responsibility for changing yourself. Here, then, is a simple three-step process to get started.
The world in which we live today is rife with tension, dishonesty, power-seeking, violence, and warfare. In the face of it all, feeling helpless and hopeless as so many do, it is far too easy to fall into a pit of despair. Yet each of us has within him the power to make a difference. Here are three ways that we can release the power of one.
An Indian friend of ours recently mentioned a phrase that really caught my attention. While guiding her son through a challenging period she told him, “Show me your friends, and I will show you your future.” This phrase can also serve as a noteworthy reminder for ourselves. At times we can get a little careless about this aspect of life, but its significance is indeed profound. Paramhansa Yogananda said, “The company you keep is important. If you leave your coat in a room where people are smoking, pretty soon it will smell of smoke. If you leave it outside in the garden, later on, when you bring it indoors, it will carry with it the fragrance of fresh air and flowers.
Kriyanandaji often spoke of the importance of bringing “keen, alert attention” to everything that we do. The next step is deeply to focus our attention not only on what we’re doing outwardly, but inwardly on God. This is essential for deeper meditation and spiritual awakening. Paramhansa Yogananda said, “The minutes are more important than the years. If you fill the minutes of your life with thoughts of God, you will find the years of your life automatically saturated with the consciousness of God.
Yoganandaji taught that it is what we do that makes us holy, not what we don’t do. His guru, Sri Yukteswar, said, “The vanished lives of all men are dark with many shames. . . . Everything in future will improve if you are making a spiritual effort now.” Only three things are absolutely essential: First is the desire to improve; second, the self-discipline to practice consistently; and finally, being open to help from a guide. Other qualities are important, but if these three are in place, the rest will follow naturally in its own time, just as the flowers of spring develop naturally into the fruits of fall.
What is it that makes us inwardly withdraw from deeper experiences in meditation? One common cause is a feeling that we’re not yet ready or worthy to experience expanded states of awareness. This is just the ego trying to defend its own turf. It plants in our mind the misconception that we have to earn the right to grow spiritually.
It would be helpful to introspect and try to feel the core purpose of your own life, the trunk of your particular tree. What motivates and energizes you? Look for themes that have been there since early childhood. As you meditate, try to feel the essential aspiration of your life. Once you have a sense of your purpose, it is important to honor it and allow it to guide your major life choices. As long as you stay aligned to your core purpose, the forms in which it will be expressed will reveal themselves. Those who stray from their essential vibration never seem to feel settled in anything they do.
“I want to be your disciple.” Seventy-five years ago, on September 12, 1948, a young man knelt before Paramhansa Yogananda, and with intense yearning spoke these words. It was the beginning of a journey that changed his life, and by extension our life, and the lives of millions of others throughout the world.
Life is a journey filled with highs and lows. Sometimes it feels like a roller coaster, bursting with exhilarating peaks and gloomy valleys. At other times, it feels like the repetitive routine of a Ferris wheel that simply turns in endless circles. We will continue to ride the cycle of life from one incarnation to the next until we have learned our lessons. Paramhansa Yogananda said that ultimately this cycle becomes an “anguishing monotony.”
