The Dice (of Life) are Loaded!

The Dice (of Life) are Loaded!

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

John 3:16

This quote comes from a nighttime conversation with Jesus by a man called Nicodemus. Nicodemus was a scholarly Pharisee and a member of the ruling council in Jerusalem called the Sanhedrin. He came at night because he didn’t want to be seen with Jesus during the day but he was very drawn to get to know Jesus and his teachings.

Naturally this quote seems to be a reference to Jesus himself being sent into the world. But there is a deeper meaning revealed by Paramhansa Yogananda. And it fits into the conversation with Nicodemus because Nicodemus came seeking the deeper teachings. Jesus didn’t identify himself, personally, in that quote. He used the phrase “only begotten Son.”

Jesus, like other great teachers called avatars, have realized their oneness with God. This achievement is the destiny of all souls through time and space when at last the soul makes the choice to seek freedom in God. For Jesus the use of the personal pronoun “I” has a much deeper meaning and context than Jesus a man who lived in time and space.

God’s presence in the world, Yogananda taught, is manifested in two ways: first, in the innate, indwelling silent intelligent bliss of the soul. This presence has many names but Yogananda mostly used the term Christ-Consciousness (or, at times, Krishna consciousness). The second, is the Holy Spirit, the primordial, vibration out of which all forms appear and are sustained (and withdrawn). This Holy Spirit is viewed as feminine in India and is depicted in the various forms of the goddesses. Viewed impersonally as the foundation of the creation itself, It is the “Amen,” the “Aum,” the “Amin” chanted by devotees around the world. In the form of Jesus the man who had achieved complete identity with God’s immanent presence in creation, It is the “Word” that was made flesh and dwelt amongst us.

In manifesting the universe it was essential that distinguishable objects, energies, thoughts and feelings be created. God, being ONE, had to separate thought from feeling, idea from form, subjective from objective. It is in this projection from God who is One and beyond creation into manifesting the infinity of diverse forms in creation that is the primordial act of love of God sending his offspring, his consciousness, or son, both into and as the world: having as it were two distinguishable manifestations.

This expression of God’s love, His love being the primordial intention and feeling is the macrocosm of creation. Jesus had achieved union with both the indwelling consciousness and the creation itself in addition to union with God beyond creation, in short the Trinity, in a prior incarnation.

The creation is itself an act of love: God seeking to share His love with all; God giving to us the freedom to love or reject Him. His love is literally the heart of all created things and Beings. God’s love is unconditional for it demands nothing in return and gives us the freedom to return or to reject that love. We see in human that a man and woman uniting in love create another human being. Love is the intention, the impulse that creates.

All of this philosophy is a complex way of saying THE DICE ARE LOADED. God gives to each soul the choice to choose freedom or to remain seeking fulfillment in the creation. In a meaningful way, however, the dice are loaded toward seeking God because there is no other reality to be found. God IS the creation; God IS the intelligent perception with which we view it; God IS the feeling we have of our own existence and, by extension, God is the identifications, attachments, and emotions we project upon the world around us. It’s not that we don’t have the choice but at some point we have the realization that there is a better choice! We realize that there is a way out of disappointment, boredom, endless change and the existential suffering inherent in our separation from life and from God.

About once or twice a year I visit a prison south of Aberdeen along the southern coast of WA. I have several inmates there that I correspond with by email, phone and video. I was invited to be a “visitor” to an annual religious event sponsored by a local Zen Buddhist teacher. Each recognized faith tradition is allowed to do this but the WA Department of Corrections doesn’t (yet) recognize Self-realization as a separate faith. As an approved visitor I am not allowed to also have the role of an outside religious teacher or minister. But a friend of ours, a fellow Nayaswami, lives in Elma not far from the prison and he has submitted a proposal to offer a six week meditation class to get something started. Later perhaps we can file for separate religious recognition.

Speaking of the “dice are loaded” it was inspiring to see that among the 50 or so inmates who applied to attend the Zen Buddhist program, there were many who are very sincere. Sometimes the extremes of life make the choices we have very clear. I suppose this is one reason it is difficult to advance spiritually after death in the astral world where, for a person of goodness, it’s like going on vacation to Hawaii. We need the contrast to help us to see the consequences of our choices and to have the incentive to make a disciplined effort. “There but for the grace of God go I”

Consistently throughout the Old Testament of the Christian Bible you see the prophets giving dire warnings to the Israelites against their faithlessness. And yet in each case, the prophet also gives the hope, promise and means of redemption. No matter how far the Israelites, meaning you and me, fall, mercy and the way out is also extended to us.

This promise is repeatedly given also in the gospel of Luke, as, for example in the story of the Prodigal Son; and, the story of the lost sheep; even the story of a lost coin.

Here’s the thing though. We have the choice. As the commentaries on Sankha Darsana aver, God cannot be proved. Only intuited.

Thus most people on the planet in this age of Energy and Self-interest (Dvapara Yuga) are busy with making money, gaining status, finding satisfaction or self-improvement. The realization of the divine presence comes only to those whose souls have awakened to a certain point.

This is the function of the sat guru, the savior, the avatar. Yet even the saints and lesser teachers, too, serve the role of pointing a finger to the moon: the “moon of my delight who knowest no wane: the soul.” (Quatrain 74 of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam)

Most people are so busy with sense impressions of sight, sound, etc and thoughts, emotions, imagination, and memories that they don’t notice that all of these things are invisible. They are mental impressions, images and silent words in our minds; and, importantly, our response to them!

This is why mindfulness is the beginning of our awakening. We begin to realize that the world is in our head, not objectively, but subjectively. Our world revolves primarily around what we think and feel. Of course outward circumstances play a part, yes, but mostly their impact depends on our mental and emotional response to them.

This is the very definition of our soul’s freedom: “yogas chitta vritti nirodha.”  Yoga is the neutralization of the reactive waves of likes and dislikes.”

This invisible world is the gateway to world of Spirit. In the next higher age (4000 AD or so), the third age called Treta, humanity at large will gain awareness of the invisible world of conscious energies and Beings whose influence and magnetism dictate more than anything else our experience of life. For now, however, we are not generally there.

For us, we need to develop our will power, refine our devotion even if we only dimly perceive God, the gurus or saints; we need to craft our self-discipline using the tools of yoga. These tools are the four paths of yoga: action, thought, feeling and meditation. These paths are not limited to those practicing yoga but are for all people in all faith traditions. (For others, prayer is the substitute for what we call meditation. Deep prayer leads naturally to meditation.)

For us in this age, our invisible influences are incarnate in the form of our friends and fellow truth-seekers. These are what guide us the most. This is why having fellowship, a church, an ashram, a community is so important. Paramhansa Yogananda said that our “environment is stronger than will.” As our mothers noticed when we were in grade school, the kids we hung out with were a greater influence on our behavior than parents or teachers.

This is where today’s affirmation on calmness fits in. The path to God begins with awareness and awareness flourishes in the ocean of calmness. With calmness the fog of mental distraction lifts and reveals the sunshine of God’s presence. This is why meditation holds the central place on the path of Self-realization.

As we are fond of quoting our founder and teacher, Swami Kriyananda, “It’s not WHAT you do, it’s HOW you do it.” Meaning the awareness and calmness and intention behind your actions, your thoughts and feelings is what counts. This is what is meant when Jesus said “Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.” (Matt 24:40). Two people can do the exact same task, even two ministers of the Lord, but one will be uplifted into grace while the other merely goes through the motions.

This too is the source for Jesus’ inexplicable remark that “the poor ye shall have always with you but not me.” It is true communion, awareness of the Spirit within us, awareness of the touch of transcendence, that we seek. It is not common and should be sought with calm even mindedness, expected with the joy of the soul, and cherished in our heart. Jesus of course taught and touched the poor, so his remark has to be understood in its proper context.

When the soul has “ears to hear” and “eyes to see” the invisible world of Spirit, the guru-savior comes to stimulate that memory and inflame our resolution to seek the “pearl of great price.” When that Christ-child is born in the humble manger of our hearts, he sends the Holy Spirit, the intelligent energy of Divine Mother, to re-arrange circumstances to support our resolution.

I am reminded of the strange story of Sasi, a college friend of Yogananda’s who spent weekends at Master’s ashram. Sri Yukteswar warned the young man that his life was disorderly and wild and that unless he reformed he would be dangerously ill. Sri Yukteswar encouraged Sasi to wear a gemstone bracelet but Sasi objected saying he had no money and he preferred to depend on Sri Yukteswar’s grace! Swami Sri Yukteswar predicted that in one year hence Sasi would bring to him three sapphires but it would be too late.

Sure enough a year later, Sasi was ill to the point of death; and, as predicted, he came desperately to Swami Sri Yukteswar with three sapphires. Swami Sri Yukteswar informed Sasi that the gemstones were of no use. Swami Sri Yukteswar entered into meditation and when finished Swami Sri Yukteswar told Sasi to wear an astrological bangle and in a few weeks would be well.

In a few weeks Sasi was on his deathbed agsin but despite Yogananda’s concerns and listening to Swami Sri Yukteswar’s original reassurance, Sasi suddenly recovered having felt Swami Sri Yukteswar’s presence. Sadly, Sasi ceased to did not continue his relationship with Swami Sri Yukteswar. Surely Swami Sri Yukteswar knew that in advance but felt the guidance to respond to Sasi’ s unfailing faith and thus cured the boy that he would live a full life notwithstanding his absence.

THE DICE ARE LOADED. This is the gospel, the good news. Rejoice. To even WANT to be free means your soul has awakened and the time for knowing God has come to you!

A New Dispensation - Second Coming of Christ

 In Chapter 4 of the Bhagavad Gita Krishna says to Arjuna, his disciple,

“O Bharata (Arjuna)! whenever virtue (dharma) declines, and vice (adharma) is in the ascendant, I incarnate Myself on earth (as an avatar). Appearing from age to age in visible form, I come to destroy evil and to re-establish virtue.

Who knows the truth touching my births on earth and my divine work, falls no more down to earthly birth. To Me he comes, dear Prince!”

The descent of a world savior-teacher (an avatar) into human form is a rare event in human history. As it is, saints are rare enough but the birth of one such as Jesus Christ, Krishna, Buddha and in this modern era, Paramhansa Yogananda and the lineage that sent him to the West, heralds a new covenant, a new dispensation for those “with ears to hear and eyes to see.”

No avatar comes for everyone in the world though some have a larger family to serve than others. It is not quantity but quality that the great Ones come to bring. That “quality” is spiritual power, the grace to rise given to those who “receive Him.”[1]

The spiritual family of a world teacher contains the broad range of human beings from sinners to saints yet, like the calm at the center of the storm (of delusion), the avatar offers a powerful vortex of grace. The avatar typically has at least two kinds of people to uplift: the inner circle of disciples who are ready to be liberated and enlightened (and to do so give their all to serve the work), and the larger family of souls to be blessed and inspired most likely for the benefit of future lifetimes. A third “circle” would be the avatar’s general influence upon society at large.

As time goes on after the appearance of the avatar, the family grows and branches out. The power of the ray of grace will tend to diminish, perhaps be diluted and even go in opposite directions from its source. Sub-groups split off into individual sects, each emphasizing different aspects of the avatar’s mission and teachings. Hence the need from age to age of a repeat of the avatara (descent of Spirit into human form).

What is an avatar? An avatar is a soul, like you and me, who in past lives has achieved God-realization. Such a one returns to human birth voluntarily, as an act of love and as a son of God, to do God’s work on earth according to the unique expression of that soul’s nature and the needs of those who are “his own.”[2]

Some devotees emphasize the divine nature of the avatar and equate the avatar with the descent of God Himself. And, why not, for when the soul becomes God-realized the soul IS God though no single expression can limit Infinity. (It is not right for such a one to say I AM GOD, but, instead, “God is manifest in me.”) Other devotees emphasize the human or historical nature of the avatar and his impact on world history or upon the lives of individuals. It is not either-or, but both-and, depending on what eyes and ears are able to perceive.

I would like to contrast the mission and expression of Jesus Christ with that of Paramhansa Yogananda. The times in which each lived were very different. Jesus was born in a far-flung, dusty province of the Roman Empire as inconsequential as any though, importantly, among the “Chosen people” who had chosen love and obedience to God according to the covenant of Abraham and Moses.

Yogananda, born in timeless India, nonetheless entered the twentieth century in what was the first global century in recorded history. From bullock carts to trains and planes, television, radio, movies and the nuclear age, the contrast with the life of Jesus Christ could hardly be greater.

Jesus was more like a wandering Hindu sadhu than a pope in his royal robes and palatial surroundings. Jesus decried the potential for a “rich man” to enter the kingdom of heaven saying that to follow him to eternal life one must leave all possessions and the worldly life behind. While honored in the breach by Christians at large down through the centuries this is the example Jesus set for his direct disciples.

Yogananda’s param-guru, Lahiri Mahasaya was commissioned by Mahavatar Babaji to eschew the attraction of a monk’s life to return to the householder life to begin sharing the liberating teachings of kriya yoga to any who were sincere, regardless of caste, class or the absence of outer renunciation.

This, then, is the new covenant, the new dispensation for our age: that regardless of social status or class, anyone who strives for soul-emancipation can receive the heretofore esoteric but liberating techniques of advanced yoga life-force control that can accelerate their spiritual advancement beyond the normal pace bestowed by good works, prayers and rituals alone.

Additionally, Paramhansa Yogananda taught that Jesus’ promise of his “second coming” is fulfilled in Yogananda’s mission by the awakening of Christ consciousness (soul-consciousness) through advanced meditation techniques, devotion and the spiritual life. Yogananda’s purpose was to resurrect the deeper and universal teachings of Jesus which are aligned with those of Krishna in ancient India and which apply to all people of every nation and generation.

“The time to know God” (through meditation) “has come!” Yogananda announced. No longer shall East and West “never ‘twain [to] meet” for the needs of humanity in this global era is to transcend sectarian differences and, while, if one chooses, to retain one’s treasured faith tradition, to accept all true spiritual paths as sincere channels for those who love and serve God in this world.

May the Light of Christ-consciousness shine upon you!

Swami Hrimananda

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[1] John 1:12

[2] An avatar may take birth as male or female. The gender of the avatar is inconsequential. More likely the avatar’s gender is that which is suitable and appropriate to the accomplishment of his mission.

What is the Best Way to Pray? Is God Personal or Impersonal?

 What is the Best Way to Pray? Is God Personal or Impersonal?

The best way to pray is any way you can and will! Who cannot but feel for the people in Israel and Palestine fighting one another with civilians being targeted and taking the brunt of the violence. All war is stupid, but stupidity is endemic. As much as millions yearn for peace, war is a consistent fact of human existence as far back as we have records. It would seem to be a necessary part of the human drama.

As it was said during the last so-called “world” war, “There ain’t no atheists in foxholes.” If it requires hardship, pain, and suffering to trigger an appeal to a greater power, then so be it.

Contemplating the vastness and complexity of the universe and the human body and life, we are confronted with two choices: head down and get mine, or, head up, and embrace our part in the symphony of life. 

Life tends to push our head down into the details, let’s face it. And there are many details, more now than ever before in history. The head-down mudra of the cell phone symbolizes this reality. Who can blame those billions who, overwhelmed by the sheer volume of facts, energies, and circumstances that surround them, prefer the original head-down mudra of the ostrich. Tempting it is to hide under the covers or binge on Netflix.

Whatever opinions you may have of so-called pagan worship of the gods and the elements, at least in that worship there is a recognition that there are forces greater than our own that impact our lives.  Not as much can be said of billions of humans on our planet today between their indifference, their atheism, or agnosticism. Real paganism is the worship of the false idols of money, power, and pleasure.

Human consciousness is poised between the old and the unfolding new. The old contains static beliefs and social immobility; well-worn ritual and dogma; hierarchy and privilege; exploitation and abuse; power and helplessness. The new promises freedom but threatens us with chaos. Our world is confused and polarized, at best.

As there are many levels or stages of awareness and consciousness among humans so also does higher consciousness descend through many layers of God-ness and good-ness through forms such as angels and devas, saints and avatars, sages and heroes, peacemakers, teachers, caregivers, and parents.

The best way to pray is that which opens our hearts and minds to a power greater than our own. Not in abject self-denial but in self-expansion and love.

Jesus gave to us the Lord’s prayer newly revised in yogic pentameter:

Our Father who art in the heaven of Eternal Bliss, sacred is the vibration of Thy presence above, below, and within. Give us this day the sustaining life of Thy joy, the cleansing power of Thy love, the guidance of Thy wisdom, and the healing power of Thy peace. Forgive us our forgetfulness of Thee as we forgive others who hurt us, and may our tests strengthen our resolve to seek Thee alone. I shun the false promises of material desires, for Thou art my life, my love, and the light and glory of all life forever and ever. Amen.

Jesus shows us as do many great saints, East and West, that praying to God in a personal form is both beautiful and powerful. Never mind that God is “infinite.” I can think of several saints who encourage us to put aside our definitions of God in favor of developing a personal relationship propelled and flavored by the fragrance of pure love.

Nonetheless, our prayers should rise to the heaven of God’s nature as joy or pure love, and not try always to pull God down to make our lives more comfortable or successful. We cannot help but pray for the relief of suffering of others and sometimes even ourselves, but the highest prayer seeks to know God who is our very Self, our nearest and dearest. “God knows what you need before you even ask.”

Swami Kriyananda, a direct disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda, describes in one of his many books (“Awaken to Superconsciousness”) that he makes it a rule for himself never to pray for himself. He admits that is not an expectation he has of anyone else. During his life, he experienced significant incidents of physical pain from operations and procedures. In the book mentioned, he tells of when he had a kidney stone attack. He could barely talk or move. After a time of intense pain, he recalled that he was scheduled to give the talk at the Sunday Service in a short while. He prayed to Divine Mother not for relief from the excruciating pain but to mention that if She wanted him to give the talk, She would have to make it possible for him to speak! The pain left him instantly. Ironically, he DID have trouble speaking as he was suffused with divine joy for the miraculous demonstration of Her love.

Unless we are significantly impersonal with respect to our own feelings, desires, and bodily compulsions, we would do better to relate to God in a more personal form.

Is God personal or impersonal?

In the ancient teachings of India, God has not only made this world but did so by BECOMING all things and endowing all creation with a spark of divine consciousness. After all, think about it: what else could God have made the universe out of except “Himself?” Divinity must, in some way, be present in every atom of creation even if well-hidden and deeply asleep.

The universe is God’s child and as such must contain, in varying degrees, elements of the nature of God’s impulse to have brought forth the creation in the first place: elements such as consciousness, the impulse to create, and choice. As the source of all created things is God’s consciousness, the greater the degree of self-awareness (consciousness), the greater one’s potential for creativity and choice. When awareness turns inward upon itself it has the potential to transcend the inherent limitations of form: including the human body and subtler aspects of human consciousness linked to the body: such as thoughts, emotions, memories, and imagination. When awareness turns inward to perceive its own nature it begins the return journey to the Consciousness out of which all things were born. Meditation is the art and science of consciousness.

In this return journey to God (as Consciousness), our perceptions become increasingly subtle and refined. We see this even in ourselves as we outgrow the toys of childhood and move increasingly through life with ever greater awareness and wisdom (hopefully). At the border of Infinity, we encounter stories such as that of Ramakrishna Paramhansa: he enjoyed a loving relationship with Divine Mother who appeared to him in vision and form but when his guru, Totapuri appeared in his life, Totapuri guided him to go beyond divine form into the formless bliss of God-consciousness.

We should be careful, however, not to grade God-consciousness as if we were the teacher. God is as much present IN forms as BEYOND forms. To one with “eyes to see” there is no difference. But we must also be careful not to imagine we are “one with the Father” in our present state! Tricky stuff, eh?

Yogananda said, “You will know when you will know.” “When this I shall die then shall I know who am I.”

Thus it is that Krishna encourages us to relate to God in the personal form. Responding to Arjuna’s question in the Bhagavad Gita comparing prayer to the impersonal Absolute to the personal form, Krishna states that “for embodied beings, the path of dedication to the Absolute is a more difficult way.”

Why be concerned if devotees extoll their love for Jesus or Krishna above all else? As Jesus said to the woman who washed his feet with her tears, “Her sins, which are many, are forgiven for she hath loved much.” God has everything; God IS everything; but God awaits our love.

May the light of Christ, the Infinite Consciousness, be with you always,

Swami Hrimananda

 

Do You Have a Soulmate?

                                                     Do You Have a Soulmate?

Photo by Ryan Holloway on Unsplash

 

My wife, Padma and I just celebrated our forty-fifth wedding anniversary. Soul mates? Almost everyone uses the term in respect to marital relationships even if it is unclear where the term came from. The internet says the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge first used the term in the English language in a letter he wrote in 1822 on the subject how to have a happy married life. His, however, was not a happy marriage because the woman he first loved married someone else. Carl Jung also mentioned the possibility of a soul-mate “somewhere in the upper world.”

Plato, some say, quoted Aristophanes in his text Symposium for the reasons behind the human yearning for a soulmate. Others say that it was Aristophanes who explained the origin for our yearning for a soulmate. Evidently the story goes like this: the great god Zeus split humans with four arms and legs and two heads apart from their other half because he was jealous of the happy, united and courageous humans.

In the teachings of India, there is the Ardhanarishvara, a depiction of Shiva and Parvati as half man and half woman. But maybe this doesn't suggest the concept of soulmates but a depiction of the genderless nature of our soul. But no matter because there’s no point my arguing with the all but universal interpretation of the soulmate concept as that of the perfect union of male and female.

The are variations on the use of term soulmates ranging from a red-hot romance to an eternal bond. The latter concept goes something like this: each of us, as a soul, has a twin soul: our other half, as it were, which was formed at the birth of our creation long ago and at which time we were separated from one another. (Never mind "why!") Our soul's goal, then, is to find and reunite with our twin or half-soul. This explanation requires the concept of of reincarnation. Accordingly, at some point in our own soul’s evolution we must encounter our soul mate in order to achieve complete fulfillment and final liberation from delusion. 

In the book “The Life Everlasting” by Marie Corelli we find a famous and popular fiction novel about the spiritual love between two people, a man and a woman. Swami Kriyananda, a direct disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda, stated that this novel was the only book of its kind that Yogananda read. Not satisfied, however, with the overly romantic aspects of this story of soul mates, Swami Kriyananda actually re-wrote the story placing it on a higher plane than romance.[1]

Yogananda touched upon the soul mate concept in his talks and writings, but only lightly. He acknowledged the precept but insisted it was not a romantic relationship but a relationship between two half souls or twins. This of course flies in the face of the common usage of the term.

Gender was, he said, irrelevant. Even the physical location is not so important given, as he stated, that soul mates could be on different planets and find each other in their etheric forms. He evidently felt to acknowledge the validity of the concept but thought to correct its popular romantic interpretation.

But before I dismiss the romantic version, I, being committed to the mantra BOTH-AND, will state simply that the traditional and almost entirely universal attraction between male and female is at least an example of the impulse humans have, deeply embedded, to seek their mate. I say this without cynicism and without the need to affirm its lowest common denominators, procreation or sexual attraction. In the lives of humans, the interplay, indeed almost necessity, for male and female to help one another is obvious, necessary and genuinely creative. It cannot be so easily dismissed. I would simply say, for now, that the attraction between male and female hints at the deeper truth of soul-attraction. Those romanticists who seek to justify their relationships on the basis of having found their soul mates: well, let them have their day. For it is how they feel, at least for a time! What I feel this points to is the sacredness and importance of friendship. Human friendship could be seen as a precursor to the more permanent fulfillment implied by the idea of soul mates.

The soul, however, is without gender: this is explicit or implicit in the teachings of East and West.[2] One’s soul mate, therefore, must surely offer us a necessary balancing of soul qualities, not physical or egoic qualities. What humans experience on those levels is, as I said above, merely a precursor, or hint, of the deeper need for balance and for the possible truth that each of us, in our soul nature, has a soul friend whom we are seeking in order to achieve fulfillment on the highest level of manifested consciousness.

Moving away, then, from romantic and egoic attractions, I have noticed that in the lives of saints we sometimes find a saint who has a brother or sister saint, co-equal or even one who is in the shadows. The companion saint is one who makes it possible for the saint to achieve the goal of his/her incarnation. Examples are many and might include: St. Francis and St. Clare; St. John of the Cross and Saint Teresa of Avila; Paramhansa Yogananda and Rajarshi Janakananda; Babaji and Lahiri Mahasaya; Yogananda and Swami Sri Yukteswar; Ramakrishna Paramhansa and Swami Vivekananda; Krishna and Arjuna; Rama and Sita; Jesus and John the Baptist; Ramana Maharshi and Sri Rama Yogi. My selection of possible pairs may be imperfect but curious nonetheless.

I assume the greatest saints, the avatars or saviors, are lacking nothing in soul-fulfillment but when they return to human form they may be accompanied by their soulmate in order to fulfill their divine mission.

Going back to our roots in lower life forms, we see how plants and animals help each other in a variety of ways. We also see that some animals mate for life. 

On the highest level wherein the soul merges into God it would be fair to say that our true soulmate is God: the divine intelligence, energy and bliss beyond all created spheres.

Following Yogananda’s seeming reticence to speak at any length on this subject, his disciple and greatest public proponent of Yogananda’s teachings, Swami Kriyananda, counseled that one should not go looking for one’s soulmate. Instead, he suggested that a devotee seek liberation in God through the guidance of one’s sat (true) guru. In so doing, the question of finding one’s soul mate would be left to the divine will. This seems to me to be a wise and practical suggestion. So long as we are still enmeshed in our own karma and are still influenced by our egoic karma, our soul's ability to recognize our soulmate is compromised.

Just as on the path to God we may have many teachers, so on the path to freedom we may have many friends and helpmates. The recognition of that one who is our soulmate may be best left to the time when we have achieved or come close to soul liberation and thus have the eyes to see the truth that shall make us free.

A possible lesson behind this idea of our having a soul mate is a reminder to treat all others as soul friends for indeed in God we are that! There is a footnote in Yogananda’s “Autobiography of a Yogi” quoting Buddha saying that the reason to love everyone is because “in the very numerous and varied lifespans of each man, every other being has at one time or another been dear to him.”

In conclusion: the concept of soul mate is interesting but has very little practical application to our lives. Best to seek the unconditional love and wisdom of God, and let the details work themselves out from there.

Blessings and joy to you!

Swami Hrimananda

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[1] See the book, Love Perfected, Life Divine by Swami Kriyananda. Crystal Clarity Publishers.

[2] In the New Testament Jesus is asked what happens after death if a woman had been married several times on earth: which husband would she be with in heaven? Jesus dismissed the question essentially as nonsense saying there is no marriage in heaven. This implies the genderless nature of the soul (at least to my way of thinking).

The Value of Guilt: a lesson from Judas Iscariot

Guilt, these days, gets a lot of brickbats. It's true that obsessing over one's past errors is unproductive and unhealthy but maybe we are misinterpreting the function of guilt to tell us something. As our body warns us with pain when we misuse it, so too can our conscience warn us through our thoughts and emotions. 

I'm not a historian of the evolution of Western psychological therapy, but I can say that blaming cultural conditioning for instilling guilt seems, to me, an overreaction to the cultural norms of the past.

And there are indeed some who try to "guilt-trip us." We have the proverbial Jewish mother "guilty tripping" her adult child for not calling her daily. We have the fundamentalist preacher or the priest preaching the threat of hellfire. This behavior can indeed inflict mental harm especially if instilled at an early age. But to claim that one should live a guilt-free life is like a tired old Existentialist throwing the baby out with the bathwater. 

And, who knows, maybe the real message in regards to excessive preoccupation with guilt is simply a warning that we have become obsessive? That fact doesn't necessarily negate the message of guilt itself.

Meditation and introspection can help us discern whether guilt has a valid message for us to consider or whether it comes from outside ourselves and has no merit. 

All I'm saying is that guilt has its place in our lives. 

Paramhansa Yogananda counsels us that if confronted with a critique, ask yourself if there's any truth to it. If so, consider what you can do to change your behavior or make amends but, if you honestly, sincerely and calmly conclude there is no merit to the critique, then let it go. 

His guru, Swami Sri Yukteswar, advised in such heated moments to respond calmly, "Maybe you are right." By neither admitting nor denying, you buy time to contemplate the situation in a quieter, calmer moment. There are other responses too such as thanking a person and saying that you'll have to think about it. (When you are being critiqued as a representative of a principle or an organization, it may, however, be appropriate to be more proactive in your response because your response is not in self-justification but in self-defense of something greater than your ego.)

Take the heinous deed of Judas Iscariot.

Notwithstanding the claims of some interpretations of the Book of Judas, the canonical accounts make it clear that Judas betrayed Jesus and that when Judas realized his error he, out of guilt, killed himself. I'm not a proponent of suicide as a solution to anything but I do believe in the law of karma and its corollary, reincarnation. 

Paramhansa Yogananda claimed to have met Judas in a recent incarnation which, after presumably many incarnations subsequent to his betrayal of Jesus, Judas had worked out his karma and achieved soul freedom with the help of an enlightened Indian master of the nineteenth century. Judas' recognition of the nature of his error, irrespective of the reaction of taking his own life, was obviously a goad to come back and carry on the work of redemption. Even as merely an interesting story, it has a message for us. 

It is important not "to kill the messenger" of guilt and ignore the message. This is true whether the feeling of guilt rises up within you or is delivered uncharitably by someone else. It takes courage to perform the spiritual surgery of self-examination and ruthless self-honesty. Wallowing in one's guilt and defining oneself by our mistakes is the mistake that we make all too often: by so doing we effectively excuse ourselves from making the effort to change. 

Once we resolve to do better, we need to shake the dust of guilt from our feet and get back up and carry on with our journey toward soul-perfection. It is at THIS stage that the modern disdain for guilt has its place. As Swami Sri Yukteswar was quoted by Paramhansa Yogananda in "Autobiography of a Yogi," "Forget the past. The vanished lives of all men are dark with many shames. Human conduct is ever unreliable until anchored in the Divine. Everything in future will improve if you are making a spiritual effort now."

This quote truly sums up the wisdom of how to deal with our errors.

As Lord Krishna teaches us in his homily to Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita, the soul is pure, free, and without stain just as God beyond creation is the same. Live more in the freedom of the soul and karma cannot touch you. If the "I" that erred has been dissolved there is no "I" to which karma that can hurt you. 

Let us congratulate Judas on his spiritual victory and let us work on our own with as much courage and determination.

Swami Hrimananda 

Self-Realization: Church of All Religions! It's for Everyone!

Paramhansa Yogananda, author of "Autobiography of a Yogi," called his work a "Church of All Religions." It is a curious phrase because it implies a gathering of different churches under one roof, but that's not what he meant. Instead, Yogananda's teachings emphasize that the underlying goal of religion is to achieve Self-realization. When asked whether he was establishing a new religion Yogananda's reply was "It is a new expression." A new expression of that truth which is one and eternal, described in Sanskrit as sanatan dharma. 

Yogananda predicted that some day the goal of Self-realization would unite all religions. This does not suggest a new Catholic Church since the very nature of Self-realization is individual. Groups don't achieve Self-realization: individuals do. The meaning intended is that someday truth-seeking devotees would come to seek God by direct, intuitive inner perception. Jesus Christ put it well and simply: "The kingdom of heaven is within you." Meditation is the primary means for such a direct, spiritual perception. It was taught by Yogananda and is taught throughout the world by many teachers and traditions. The rapid spread of meditation in the twenty-first century more than hints at the truth of Yogananda's words.

Yogananda insisted that his was not a sect. From a historical or social point of view, organizations or groups founded to learn, share and practice Yogananda's teachings cannot but be viewed as sects. It seems obvious that he must have meant that the very nature of what he taught could not be (or should not be) sectarian! 

[A side note to the term Self-realization is found in the name of the organization he established with the addition of the word "Fellowship." In this simple fact Yogananda acknowledges the two great commandments of the Old Testament that Jesus Christ quoted when asked to summarize his teachings: love God and love thy neighbor as thyself. Thus Yogananda was suggesting that an individual seeking Self-realization would do well to share that journey with others in divine fellowship. But, I digress.]

In the July-September 1942 edition of Yogananda's magazine "Inner Culture," he writes about the newly created church in Hollywood that he called the "Self-Realization Church of All Religions."

At the time, he had a pulpit set up on the dais that symbolized all religions. It was opposite the pulpit that he and his ministers used. In the article Yogananda wrote he asks: "If our Father is One, then even though we may worship Him in different churches, why should we worship Him divided in spirit? Let us worship Him in oneness of brotherly spirit in Churches of All Religions, founded for the purpose of realizing God, not through belief, but through our Self's experience, by true devotion and meditation." He prayed that this new church of all religions "will help remove the dark shadows of ignorant division existing in many churches." Yogananda hoped that his church of all religions could inspire others to append this phrase ("Church of All Religions") to their name  to indicate unity in the worship of the one God. 

The truth in all religions to which he alludes is that each of us, individually, must return to our own inner center wherein divinity resides. Many have noted that Yogananda gave special emphasis to the teachings of Krishna and Jesus Christ. He did not expound upon other religions. One reason for his choice was that Jesus and Krishna (the latter in the reincarnated form of Babaji) are part of his spiritual lineage. But he was also emphasizing the "essence" of all religions and having shown the way for the teachings of these two great world teachers, it is not difficult to apply his insights to other great faiths. Put another way, Yogananda showed the essential oneness of truth itself, apart from its many and diverse forms, beliefs, histories, and rituals. God, the eternal Self, pervades the entire universe.

It cannot be denied, however, that the phrase "church of all religions" is too easily misunderstood. It would seem to suggest that any particular church with that in its name would be a kind of interfaith church where different faith traditions are practiced and acknowledged. Yogananda never did invite ministers of other faiths to use that pulpit in the Hollywood church. Very few ministers of other faiths during his lifetime, and even now, would use that pulpit except to declare the benefits and primacy of their own, "true" faith. Yogananda did not intend to teach syncretism for that would be skimming the surface. His goal was to identify the singular wellspring of wisdom out of which religion springs.

It strikes me that perhaps a clearer phrase could be "Church of the Eternal Religion." Unfortunately, this may not be an improvement because being in the singular suggests a specific sect and might even sound boastful.Yogananda's phrase points more directly at his intention: to suggest that all churches have something in common.

In the sanctuaries of the Blue Lotus Temple in Bothell, WA and the Temple of Light at Ananda Village near Nevada City, are symbols of the different major religions on the surrounding walls.

While these temples are dedicated to the teachings and lineage of Yogananda they yet affirm by these symbols the universality that Yogananda intended.

Yogananda's teachings are like a wheel: the hub at the center is Self-realization (union with God) through devotion, service and spiritual practice. The spokes of this wheel are the ways in which we "love thy neighbor" by bringing our ideals into creative and serviceful expression in daily life. Yogananda gave countless lectures and classes on success in business; marriage and relationships; vegetarianism; health; yoga postures; meditation for everyone; world trade and politics; future trends and predictions; and much more. 

Swami Kriyananda, founder of the worldwide work of Ananda and personally trained by Yogananda, followed in Yogananda's footsteps with some 150 books on all manner of subjects; he wrote music and chants; founded intentional communities following Yogananda's prediction of their future spread; and established schools for children and centers for meditation and yoga.

I think it is important for followers of Yogananda who seek to share his teachings to recall that he, and later, Swami Kriyananda, did not limit their teachings to disciples of Yogananda's lineage. Yogananda is a world teacher for our age and he offers practical solutions to the great challenges of our times. Even in respect to meditation, the central hub of his teachings, he taught meditation and universal spiritual teachings for all sincere seekers, not just disciples. His book of "prayer-demands," "Whispers from Eternity," contains a lifetime of inspiration for anyone who is sincere. The universality of his spiritual teachings he called Raja Yoga, following the tradition of yoga based on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and the Bhagavad Gita. 

Ananda worldwide emphasizes Yogananda's teachings for "everyone" through portals such as the Ananda School of Yoga and Meditation (Expanding Light Retreat, CA); Yogananda Academy of Europe; and the Institute of Living Yoga (Seattle, WA). These and other Ananda centers offer to all students teacher certifications in yoga and meditation. Countless programs on a range of how-to-live subjects are offered through the various Ananda centers. Such programs are increasingly being made available in virtual form on the internet.

Yogananda taught a "mindfulness meditation" decades before mindfulness achieved the widespread acclaim it enjoys now in the twenty-first century. The practice of observing the breath in synchronization with a silent mantra or affirmation didn't come from him because it comes to us from ancient times and is found throughout the world in one form or another. 

The technique he taught is termed "Hong Sau" after the mantra that is used. In the delightful story of the Pilgrim's Way, the Jesus prayer is used in synchronization with the breath also. There are other examples in various faith traditions that tell us that watching the breath with silent prayer is both ancient and universal. It is natural and effective for internalizing one's awareness.

Yogananda created a series of thirty-nine standing exercises which are also synchronized with the breath. These can be used as a prelude to sitting for meditation or independently, as a form of exercise. These exercises came to be known as the Energization Exercises and they can be found on YouTube. The basic idea is to alternate tensing a muscle (or a group of muscles) as you inhale and then exhale as you relax the muscle. 

Meditation and yoga have long been known to benefit everyone, regardless of belief or religious affiliation: even atheists. Teachers routinely note that some students whose initial interest was only for physical or mental benefits have an awakening of higher aspirations and awareness. Swami Kriyananda used an expression that Ananda teachers find helpful: "Prana (energy) has its own intelligence." The practice of yoga and meditation allows the practitioner to become more aware of the intelligent, vibrant energy that animates the physical form. This energy, called "prana" or "chi" in the orient, communicates a sense of well-being, peace, and joy as it distributes its natural vitality throughout the body and nervous system. The first step is to become aware of this energy and that awareness, by repeated practice, comes under one's conscious control.

In teaching the Hong Sau meditation technique and the Energization Exercises, together with his writings and classes on various "how-to-live" topics, Yogananda was addressing the needs of many people. He was content to have people of all faiths or no faith benefit by these practices.

I wonder if he foresaw the swelling tide of seekers who describe themselves as "spiritual not religious?" Or the growing number of people, otherwise sincere, who are challenged by the word "God," or "church?" During his life, these trends were not so visible. The use of the term "church" was, at that time, natural and appropriate. The fact that Yogananda offered the core concepts of self-awareness and energy awareness to the public at large and not just those who were followers suggests that he saw his life's work in the broadest possible terms. Those of us who would serve that work should do so likewise.

Because the "church" word can be problematic to the growing numbers of yoga students, Ananda has experimented in the past with alternate terms, the most popular of which was, for a time, "mandir." Mandir is a Sanskrit term for a building that is essentially a church or, more precisely, the place of the dwelling of God. (One's body might also be termed a "mandir.") But unfamiliarity with the term made it clumsy so, instead, the term "temple" has been used more often in recent years.

Might we consider the use of the term "Temple of All Religions" or "Temple of the Eternal Religion?" One term that has come into use is the "Temple of Light." This is the name of two of the three eight-sided, blue-tiled domes (hemisphere) that now exist: the first in Italy; the second, near Seattle, and the third at Ananda Village in northern California. (Near Seattle the dome is called the Blue Lotus Temple.) This is a intriguing alternative to "church of all religions" because "Light" is itself universally a symbol used by all religions. However, the word "temple" refers only to a building while "church" can be both a building and a congregation or fellowship.

As an aside, another experiment at Ananda worldwide has been to call the fellowship of members, students or supporters the "Sangha:" a Sanskrit term used by Hindus and Buddhists. But, like the word "mandir," it is less familiar to the public at large and we have too often felt to default to the term "church" because it is more familiar in the West and to the various government agencies we have to deal with.

It is the sectarian consciousness associated with "church" that is the issue. Yogananda railed against what he called "churchianity" -- the process by which organizational consciousness eventually eclipses the inspiration of its founder and true devotees. In the West we remain suffused in corporate and organizational consciousness. But both organization and inspiration are needed. Yogananda called the organization the "hive" and the inspiration and God-contact the "honey." The devotees bees create the hive wherein they can come together to sip and share the the nectar of inner peace. Unfortunately, the history of religion shows us the temptation we have to succumb to the former and lose touch with the latter.

But it's not just organizational consciousness: it's sectarianism. Even yogis can be fundamentalists because rigidity and dogmatism can manifest in the consciousness of anyone. I've heard that one international group of Krishna devotees insisted that because the Bhagavad Gita says one's meditation seat should have kusha grass then one cannot meditate unless you can get some kusha grass!

Historically, clergy, monks, nuns, Swami's and Abbots have been given power, prestige, status and even wealth. What arises all too easily is pride of position; in short, egotism. And then there's what I call the holier-than-thou-syndrome. We see it in the running baiting of Jesus Christ by the those rascal Pharisees. In the case of the Pharisees, their "holiness" consisted of nothing more profound than a hypocritical obedience to minor purity and ritual laws at the expense of true devotion. But even sincerely devotional people can fall into narrowness, insisting that their Jesus or Krishna is the only way, or, that any other aspect of the spiritual path beyond devotion is somehow "less than." Spiritual growth cannot be defined outwardly but surely it includes a growing expansiveness of awareness: one that includes the reality of others as manifestations of God.

The words we use are important but more important than these is the degree to which we sincerely strive to be channels for the inspiration to which we have been drawn. The real temple, ultimately, is our soul, surrounded by our physical form, and our feeling and perceptive bodies. In the far distant future, when perhaps a golden age of higher awareness dawns, the need for temples will vanish but for now and, until then, we need places and symbols for that higher state of consciousness. We also need one another in service, fellowship and devotion. Let our body-temples be churches of all religions seeking the One Father-Mother, Friend, Beloved God. Let this temple embrace all humanity, all Life.

Blessings of light and freedom to all,

Swami Hrimananda

Meditation Tips: Overcoming Subconscious Images and Influence

A question came in today and it went like this: "Recently when I meditate, I visualize graphic content where I have to shake my head to snap out of it. I feel these visions are coming up from previous jobs and/or lives, bringing up anger and distrust in humanity. This is very unsettling. I understand it is coming up for me to process suppresse​​d emotions, yet it effects how I relate to others. How can I overcome this?

 Dear Friend,

The intrusion of subconscious images and memories is one of the side effects of meditation. One's meditation technique and motivation for meditation play key roles in the influence of the subconscious on our meditation. 

There are several aspects of what you are reporting and they come from different approaches. Let me list some of them:

1. There is value in the instruction that responds to these images with the guidance that says to us: "When negative images appear in the mind, do not react: do not suppress them; simply observe them with a calm, steady mind until they dissolve like fog under the noonday sun." This instruction can be related to Patanjali's second sutra "Yogas chitta vritti nirodha" (The state of yoga comes when the mental and emotional reactive processes are stilled.) This practice requires the ability to concentrate deeply without emotional response. Accordingly, this approach DOES NOT always work when the images are overpowering. This is the stoic, or gyanic, approach.
2. Energy control (karma yoga). This approach, based on raja yoga, encourages the meditator to raise the prana/energy to the higher chakras and thus bypass or lessen the influence of the memories stored in the lower chakras. This approach instructs the meditator to anchor the attention at the point between the eyebrows AND to awaken the natural love of the heart in order to raise that feeling upward to the Kutastha (point between the eyebrows). Then, when and if negative images appear to the mind, simply hold steady with one's attention at the spiritual eye reinforced by devotional pulsations from the heart center upward. Here, too, however, it is important to stay calm and centered in the spine. The more one reacts emotionally to such images the less control one will have in facing them or transcending them.
3. Bhakti. The devotional path is greatly helped by the suggestions above but for some people devotion (alone) is their Ishta Devata, or Chintamani. Accompanied by prayer or mantra and offered upward from the heart, devotional fervor, the grace of the Mother, can dispel the gloom of past lives, all of which, Swami Sri Yukteswar explains, are "dark with shame." 
4. General. Transcending the past, the hidden subconscious memories, should never be a process of denial or suppression. ("Of what avail," Krishna asks, "is suppression!") At the same time, their stored up energy exists and can be best countered by putting out conscious, intentional and present-tense energy upward toward the seat of the soul (crown chakra--approached via the point between the eyebrows). A practical view of this is to suggest a multi-level approach to your sadhana: yoga exercises (or Energization Exercises taught by Yogananda--see YouTube or the Ananda meditation app); prayer including healing prayers for others; mantra and chanting; breath control (pranayama); and silent, inner communion. Supporting sadhana can be daily service in the spirit of nishkam karma (non-attachment), spiritual reading and study, satsang with other devotees, seeking the company of saints, pilgrimage to places made holy by the presence of saints and masters, and living according to the precepts of yama/niyama. 

Lastly, the only reality is here and NOW. Calmly dismiss images from the past as easily as you would turn off the tele-vision like a rerun of an old sitcom or Bollywood movie. Respond to these with dis-interest! You can even address them like old friends from whose company you have decided to depart. "Oh, you again! Hey, sorry, I'm just NOT interested, thanks for the visit but I've got more important things to do." What did Swami Sri Yukteswar say about the time, as a child, that his mother tried to scare him by saying "There's a ghost in the closet"? He marched over to the closet; opened the doors; and guess what? NO GHOST. He concluded the story with the lesson: "Stare fear in the face and it will vanish."

OK? I've given you lots to "chew on!" Bite it off and chew it! (As Paramhansa Yogananda would say).

Nayaswami Hriman

Seattle WA USA