The “Spiritual” and “Social” Celebration of Diwali
Dear Friends, In 1936, right after his return from a year long trip to India, Paramhansa Yogananda had an inspiration to celebrate the true spirit of Christmas in a unique way. On Christmas Eve, he held an eight-hour meditation commemorating what he called “Spiritual Christmas”: He and many of his students meditated deeply and invited the Christ Consciousness to be … Read More
The Virtue of Disease
We know that disease is an obstacle on the path to God. It is very hard to find God when the body is aching and we feel all kinds of physical disharmony. Disease, further-more, is of a threefold nature, just as man is a triune being. Man has a body; man has a mind; and man has a soul. Disease … Read More
Superconsciousness – 5 Minutes Away
It was my first year at Ananda. I heard many people talking about the importance of seclusion. So I decided to go on one myself. I booked a nice remote cabin at The Meditation Retreat at Ananda Village. I was to be there for 5 days. All by myself. The first few hours after reaching there were very nice. It … Read More
Two Best Friends – Mind and Breath
Bharat and Milind were the best of friends right from early childhood, through teenage years and adulthood. Everyone called them buddies for life. Hand-in-hand they would walk, keeping pace with each other, and just imagine how one of them would feel instantly the other’s moments of pleasure and pain. Their laughter melting into tears of joy would take the two … Read More
Proof of God
We read about God in the various scriptures. We hear of His presence and hear Him praised in the sermons of religious men and saints. We imagine Him behind the veils of beauty in Nature. We think about His existence through the logic within us. But all of these windows through which we try to see God are fitted with … Read More
The Light that Binds Us
For several years when I was younger, an image often came to mind of small girl, about 3 years old, with blond hair in pigtails. I didn’t give it much thought at the time, as all of us probably have images and memories that occasionally float through our minds. Some years later I married Jayaji and we had a daughter. … Read More