This time of year is very special for a variety of reasons. Think of what most people do during winter, when it’s more quiet and darker outside earlier. Maybe people sleep more or maybe they watch more movies, television. Maybe they go out more because of boredom. But for a devotee and disciple it can be a very special time. … Read More
India Makes It Much Easier
There was a time when Yogananda had an extraordinary experience here in India. When he came back for that brief period of time in the mid thirties, and he met Yogi Ramaiya. Yogi Ramaiya was also a self-realized soul, free of all karma, like Yogananda himself and the other avatars. Yogananda said that when he met Yogi Ramaiya and they … Read More
From Mischief to Meditation
Inspired From A Classic Tale Once upon a time, there was a baby elephant named Ramu. He led a very happy and carefree life in the south Indian kingdom of Vijayanagara. This kingdom was ruled by the noble King Krishnadevaraya, who’s good deeds had earned him the undying love and respect of his people. Ramu was very cute and the … Read More
The Mission and Dharma of Realised Masters
Each one of us comes with a mission. We come with past karma: we have things that we need to complete; and we come with a dharma: which is a pathway to our growth. When we arrive, we are at a particular point in our evolution, from ignorance and unawareness to complete awareness. When we are awake and ready especially … Read More
Deceiving the Unwillingness Monster – Part Two
The thought of playing football is one of the few things that makes me excited and very enthusiastic. It’s fun to contemplate what Swami Kriyananda said : “Most people are willing or unwilling according to their likes and dislikes.” If you think about that, you realize how true it is. If somebody asked us to do something that we like, … Read More
Deceiving the Unwillingness monster – Part One
This topic of willingness is one that we try to emphasize in our own spiritual training, right from the moment that we come into the path. If most of us did a little bit of introspection at the beginning, what we probably noticed is that there’s a ton of resistance that comes up. Just something simple like meditating five minutes … Read More
Does God Hide The Truth
Does God hide the truth? I don’t think so. I think we hide from the truth. Swami Kriyananda says, that we depend and we live a lot by our reasoning faculty. That if we are not able to make sense of things, we think there is something wrong. And we try our best to arrange circumstances in a reasonable way … Read More
God! God! God!
These words are by Yoganandaji, from the book Practicing the Presence of God; “There cannot be any excuse for not thinking of God – Day and night, rolling in the background of your mind, God, God, God. Whether you are washing dishes or digging a ditch, or working in an office or a garden, whatever you may be doing inwardly … Read More
Abiding in God
The title “Abiding in God” given by Swami ji made me close my eyes and sense the feeling coming from it. Yes, immediately I felt protected and safe within myself. Master gave us this meaningful poem:Thou and I are One Thy Cosmic life and I are one.Thou art the Ocean, I am the wave; We are one.Thou art the Flame, … Read More
To Those who Think Me Near, I Will Be Near
Close to the time when Paramhansa Yogananda was getting ready to leave his body, he would drop a few hints and say, “my work is almost done. I just have a few more things left.” He was preparing the disciples for the inevitable time to come. And in one such moment Swami Kriyananda asked his Guru: “Master, will you be … Read More
How to Attune to The Guru
The first sentence of the Autobiography of a Yogi is – “The characteristic features of Indian culture have long been a search for eternal truths and the Disciple-Guru relationship.” Why Disciple-Guru? Because the disciple needs to call the Guru. When the disciple is ready the Guru will appear, but the disciple must be humble enough to understand, “I need help … Read More
With God, Everything is Fun!
A common problem we hear people express is a sense of burden: “I’m all alone with this responsibility. I don’t know what to do.” In Paramhansa Yogananda’s teachings, he asks you to simply remind yourself more often to include God in what you do. Live as you live, but live with God. You’re not alone. Convince yourself that you’ll never … Read More