The Good Life

Achariya George Adams
Speaks on "The Good Life"
Sunday, May 3, 2015 at 11:00am

How many times have we heard someone say that so and so is living the good life.   Usually, when we hear those words we think of a life of leisure, health, wealth and material comforts, a life without worries or problems.  This, however, is a limited view of life and its goodness. The word “Good” has its origin in the word “God.”  So our subject could just as easily be “The God Life” or we could say more correctly that “God is life!” or “Life is God.”

This Sunday, we will go beyond the limited materialistic view of our life and view our life in its totality.   We will look at our life from the perspective of the God centered life.  We will address questions such as:  What is our spiritual mission in life?  How can we tap the happiness and joy that exists within us?  By life, do we mean just  this earthly existence or are we on a greater journey through the various planes of consciousness?    We will also consider the importance of love and service and what the Messengers of God had to say about the Good life.  Most importantly, we will consider the nature and role of God, our Soul, within and without, and how that realization of Soul leads to “The Good Life!”

—Achariya George

From the Gurus and Swamis:  AUM

"Life is already perfect, but as humans our destiny is to realize and thereby consciously attain to that perfection.  There is a process of consciousness which can be called 'learning to live,' and that process, simply, is religion in its purest and most universal meaning.  Art is the perfection of self-expression, and religion can be described as the art of living--living so as to perfectly experience and express the divinity of soul,"

—Swami Kamalananda, "Frontiers of the Spirit," p.139

"The glory of God is great.  He is real, and He can be found....Silently and surely, as you walk on the path of life, you must come to the realization that God is the only object, the only goal that will satisfy you; for in God lies the answer to every desire of the heart."

—Swami Paramahansa Yogananda, "How You Can Talk with God"

"God, give me thy light that I always may carry it in my heart and illumine my life with truth and vision, love and peace."

—Swami Premananda, "The Inner Path to God" 

"I fill the cup of life with divine libation,
I am the soma juice of inspiration,
the nectar of sweet love,
the elixir of vigor and strength,
the healing balm of compassion,
the fountain of eternal youth,
the shaman's potion of harmony and peace.
Who will drink of my heavenly bliss?"      

—Srimati Kamala, "Frontiers of the Spirit, Hymn to Saraswati" (p. 184)

Noble Thoughts: ("Let Noble Thoughts come to us from all sides." —Rigveda)

"I am life.  I am the reality of consciousness.  Meditate upon me as immortality, eternal life and bliss.  Life and immortality are essentially the same.  Immortality is bliss.  Immortality gives existence to soul   Bliss is realized in everlasting life.  Consciousness, the pure intelligence, reveals the truth.  He who meditates upon me as eternal life and bliss, lives in peace on earth and attains bliss and immortality in the world of divine perfection and glory."

—Swami Premananda, "Light on Kriya Yoga,"  translated into English from the original Sanskrit

"As soon as you start to pursue a dream, your life wakes up
and everything has meaning."
 
—Barbara Sher
 
"Opportunities to find deeper powers within ourselves
come when life seems most challenging."
 
—Joseph Campbell

Abode of Peace

Srimati Carrie Trybulec
Speaks on "Abode of Peace"
Sunday, April 26, 2015 at 11:00am

If we are wondering when will there be peace on Earth, maybe we are asking the wrong question.  Maybe we should ask: What is the abode of peace? Where does peace dwell? How do we find it? 

Let us turn our reflection to this thought from the Bhagavad Gita: "Unless one has realized peace within, where else can one find it?"

-Srimati Carrie

FROM SWAMIS AND GURUS:    

“Do you know what you will find if you keep the goal of your meditation clearly in mind? The answer to your every human problem will come to you from the Infinite. The healing of every mental disturbance and every heartache and pain will come to you from the Infinite presence of the Divine within you. When you close your eyes to the world and observe more subtle currents of light than those of the objective world, you will discover a Truth bolder than science or theology. You will experience the life of God and your own soul in your meditation. You are made in the image of God. Therefore you have the power to feel your existence everywhere. How? Through the consciousness of soul. Soul is pure consciousness, ever self-existent, perfect. Its whole attention is perfectly (equally) distributed and fully concentrated everywhere. The reality of God is knowable but only in terms of itself. How and where is that experienced? In the soul.”

-Swami Kamalananda, The Mystic Cross
 

“I have found a source of peace within me whose depth I cannot fathom. I have spiritualized my consciousness with thy infinite divinity. And I have found thee everywhere in the beauty and glory of thy cosmic universe. Thou dost come to me through the loveliness of thy cosmic nature. I come to thee in the divinity of the unfolded qualities of my soul.” 

-Swami Premananda, The Inner Path to God
 

“There should be complete harmony between the inner spirit and the outer life. The qualities of soul must inspire and perfect all aspects of self-expression. That is the secret of spiritual life.” 

-Shyamacharan Lahiri

NOBLE THOUGHTS

“One who has attained perfect control over his mind and complete mastery over his senses who is free from attachment and aversion, while living in the world of sense objects, he realizes peace. Impossible is the attainment of wisdom by the uncontrolled mind. Impossible is meditation for the restless. Peace can never be attained without meditation. And unless one has realized peace within, where else can one find it?”

-From Srimad Bhagavad Gita: The Revelation of the Supreme Self, Translated by Swami Premananda (chp 2 vs 64 & 66)

“Lord, make me a channel of Your peace;
Where there is hatred, let me bring love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.”

-St. Francis of Assisi

Spring Flowers

Achariya Fritz Kramer
Speaks on "Spring Flowers"
Sunday, April 19, 2015 at 11:00am

As we bask in the unfolding warmth, beauty and color of Spring, let us set our minds on one of the most sacred symbols loved by man; flowers. From the Golden Lotus of our Temple, to the Flower of Life pattern embraced by mathematicians and ancients alike, this Sunday we will meditate on the sublime and profound lessons offered as nature bursts forward all around us. May the seeds and fruit these flowers bear implant inspiration and wisdom along our divine path.

—Acharya Fritz

 From the Gurus and Swamis: AUM

"All great revealers of truth, sons of God, avatars, messiahs and saviors, have realized and revealed the truth of the immortality of soul. Spring brings an unforgettable reminder of this glorious fulfillment in the perfection of God."
 
—Swami Premananda

"If you want to understand this life we must remember the fine work He is doing in the flowers, the flame of His mind that is burning in our thoughts, the thoughts that are pouring from our souls, and the worlds upon worlds that are spread out over the great vastness of the Cosmos."

—Swami Yogananda

"When the lotus opens, the bees come of their own accord to seek the honey; so let the lotus of your character be full-blown, and the results will follow."

—Swami Vivekananda

Noble Thoughts: ("Let Noble Thoughts come to us from all sides." —Rigveda)

"Who are you, reader, reading my poems an hundred 
     years hence? 
I cannot send you one single flower from this wealth of the
     spring, one single streak of gold from yonder clouds. 
Open your doors and look abroad. 
From your blossoming garden gather fragrant memories
     of the vanished flowers of an hundred years before. 
In the joy of your heart may you feel the living joy that sang 
     one spring morning, sending it's glad voice across an
     hundred years."
 
—Rabindranath Tagore, "The Gardener"
 

"Work on with the intrepidity of the lion but at the same
time with the tenderness of a flower."
 
—Swami Vivekananda, "Pearls of Wisdom"


"Earth teach me quiet ~ as the grasses are still with new light.
Earth teach me suffering ~ as old stones suffer with memory.
Earth teach me humility ~ as blossoms are humble with beginning.
Earth teach me caring ~ as mothers nurture their young.
Earth teach me courage ~ as the tree that stands alone.
Earth teach me limitation ~ as the ant that crawls on the ground.
Earth teach me freedom ~ as the eagle that soars in the sky.
Earth teach me acceptance ~ as the leaves that die each fall.
Earth teach me renewal ~ as the seed that rises in the spring.
Earth teach me to forget myself ~ as melted snow forgets its life.
Earth teach me to remember kindness ~ as dry fields weep with rain."

—An Ute Prayer

Living in the Light

Achariya George Adams
Speaks on "Living in the Light"
Sunday, April 12, 2015 at 11:00am

All messengers of God have shared with us the message that God is light.  In the Upanishads, the message is “Brahma Jyotismati—God is light.”  In the Koran we find the same message: “God is the Light of the Heavens and the Earth”and in the ancient Gayatri Prayer we are invited to meditate upon God as that “effulgent Reality” from whom the whole universe is projected What do we mean when we say “God is Light?” 

What is our relationship to that Light and to the universe?  Are we separate from that light or are we a ray of that divine light manifesting in this world of duality?   What did Jesus of Christ Consciousness mean when he said, ‘If thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.”   Is it true as it states in the Upanishads, “The soul of man is of identical nature with the God of the Universe.”

What about living in the light?  Do we see that Light in the world around us and in our dealings with that world.   Are we guided by that light in our daily life. Can we find joy in this world of light and shadow? 

This Sunday we will address these questions and more.   —Achariya George

From the Gurus and Swamis:  AUM

Thy light engulfs my consciousness And all is transformed into one immeasurable effulgence.
Light Light! Light! Ever-receding infinite light everywhere. I am that light.
In this cosmic radiance of ever-expanding illumination
I lose myself and become my universal Self.
Eternity commingles with infinity
As I become the witness to my omnipresent Self.
I am endless in my being and eternal in my existence.
Joy in rhythm of dynamic serenity
Surges in the resplendent glory of immensity.
I am consciously lost in the boundless bliss of my all pervading Self.
In the light of my transcendental Self
I am revealed unto Myself.

— "Prayers of Self Realization," by Swami Premananda

The great spiritual masters and saviours of the world have realized and taught the mystic kundalini path of self illumination.   Christ found the kingdom of light—of heaven—within himself, and he initiated his disciples in that light.  He instructed them to find the light within themselves in meditation and to live selflessly by its divine power and illumination.

Conscious of no limitation of body and mind himself, Christ perceived his own light (energy) as drawn from the cosmic source:  “The Father in me doeth the works.”

—"The Mystic Cross," by Swami Kamalananda

“…in the infinity of immeasurable Light, the illimitable effulgence of pure consciousness, the self merges with the cosmic Self and soul realizes God, nay soul becomes God.”

—"The Gayatri Prayer," by Swami Premananda

Noble Thoughts: ("Let Noble Thoughts come to us from all sides." —Rigveda)

"In the attitude of silence the soul finds the path in a clearer light, and what is elusive and deceptive resolves itself into crystal clearness." —Mahatma Gandhi

"Light my light, the world-filling light, the eye-kissing light, heart-sweetening light!"   —Rabindranath Tagore

"Nothing can dim the light that shines from within."  —Maya Angelou

The Master of Resurrection

Swami Kamalananda
Speaks on "The Master of Resurrection"
Sunday, April 5, 2015 at 11:00am

All disciples of God look to the mystery of resurrection as taught and exemplified through the Christ-conscious life of Jesus.  Spring glorifies this most spiritual event in the life of man: Resurrection is eternally for WHAT LIVES, humanly speaking, for those who are prepared to lift themselves from the moorings of mundane living and arise through more subtle regions of body and mind into the Cosmic Life of God.  —SK

 From the Gurus and Swamis: AUM

"When all the developments of ignorance are withdrawn, the heart, being perfectly clear and purified, no longer merely reflects the Spiritual Light but actively manifests the same, and thus being consecrated and anointed, man becomes Sannyasi, free, or Christ the Savior.

"Through this Savior the son of man becomes again baptized or absorbed in the stream of Spiritual Light, and, rising above the creation of Darkness, Maya, enters into the spiritual world and becomes unified with Abhasa Chaitanya or Purusha, the Son of God, as was the case with Lord Jesus of Nazareth."

—Swami Sri Yukteswar, from THE HOLY SCIENCE

"As nature puts on new green so human beings seek to adorn themselves in more beautiful expression.  In the objective regeneration of the earth we see the spirtual rebirth of man exemplified.  So from the human body the eternal soul rises in all its beauty and perfection.  Whether the body is beautiful or not does not matter. The important thing is that soul resides within.  Its potential glory is so vast, so limitless, that mind cannot comprehend nor intellect reveal it.  The flowers coming forth from the earth follow a systematic intelligent law.  The unfoldment of the human soul follows the same definite and unalterable path."

—Swami Premananda Giri, from SEVEN MYSTIC HOLYDAYS

"(Christ), O Shepherd of Souls, wandering hearts are of themselves seeking the one fold of divine devotion.  We have heard the ever-calling music of Thy infinite kindness. Our one desire is to be at home with Thee, to receive the Comic Father with joyous, open eyes of wisdom, and to know that we are all sons of our own One God."

 —Swami Yogananda Paramahansa, from WHISPERS FROM ETERNITY

Noble Thoughts: ("Let Noble Thoughts come to us from all sides." —Rigveda)

"This old, old day of our earth is born again and again every morning. It comes back to the original refrain of its music. 

If its march were the march of an infinite straight line, if it had not the awful pause of its plunge in the abysmal darkness and its repeated rebirth in the life of the endless beginning, then it would gradually soil and bury truth with its dust and spread ceaseless  aching over the earth under its heavy tread. 

"Then every moment would leave its load of weariness behind, and decrepitude would reign supreme on its throne of eternal dirt.

But every morning the day is reborn among the newly-blossomed flowers with the same message retold and the same assurance renewed -- that death eternally dies, that the waves of turmoil are on the surface, and that the sea of tranquility is fathomless.  The curtain of night is drawn aside and truth emerges without a speck of dust on its garment, without a furrow of age on its lineaments."

—from THE PROBLEM OF SELF by Rabindranath Tagore

"O seeker, know the true nature of thy soul
And identify yourself with it completely.
I feel liberated from the clutches
Of the material world
And now have reached the highest crest
Of the earth;
Again I ascend above to mid-air;
From there to paradise, to seventh Heaven;
Surely now I am in the domain
Of unlimited ocean of eternal glory.
May my awareness be full of brilliance
And shine forth like the effulgent sun."

—VEDAS: Yajur, Atharva and Rig

"One who has transcended all illusions of this world, who is free from ignorance and sorrow, and who has attained liberation from all personal desire and attachment, such a one of self-enlightenment and wisdom is worthy of adoration.  Even his true and faithful disciples deserve reverence; following them we attain such virtue as cannot be measured by the standards of the world of duality."

—Buddha, from the  DHAMMAPADA

Who Comes in the Name of the Lord?

Srimati Carrie Trybulec
Speaks on "Who Comes in the Name of the Lord?"
Sunday, March 29, 2015

The significance of the mystical and sublime Palm Sunday is universal.  We recall that sacred time when Jesus returned to Jerusalem. As the crowds spread their garments and waved their palm branches, they shouted “Hosanna! Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”

Let us take this time to reflect on the question: “Who comes in the name of the Lord?” Perhaps we may find that our own spiritual journey echoes this very question.  

—Srimati Carrie

From the Gurus and Swamis: AUM

"The life of Jesus of Nazareth is not the life of just one man. It sets forth a spiritual pattern which each of us must follow to walk on the path of God. Jesus no longer walks with us on earth, not at least in his physical body, yet we gather each year to observe Palm Sunday. There is a profound meaning and deep significance when we search for the inner meaning of this historical event. In the light of mysticism, the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem symbolizes a stage in the journey of life, in the pilgrimage of self-unfoldment, which each and every soul must make. 

"It is in the heart, devout and enlightened, that we are to welcome Christ and unfold his divinity. It is that inner unfoldment, inner illumination, which brings back to our conscious knowledge the realization of the spiritual holiness and perfection of the Christ which are innate within us." 

—Swami Premananda, "Seven Mystic Holydays"

“Spiritual life cannot be compartmentalized. True and holistic awareness of life is the goal of subjectivity and comes from the consciousness that every expression, perception and aspect of life is permeated by the same spirit that is within us. Meditation therefore is as broad as life itself. To be spiritual is to see all, to do all, to love all in the consciousness of God.”

—Swami Kamalananda, "Reflections on Still Waters”

Noble Thoughts: ("Let Noble Thoughts come to us from all sides." —Rigveda)

"Yes, they are coming, the pilgrims one and all — coming to their true inheritance of the world, they are ever broadening their consciousness, ever seeking a higher and higher unity, ever approaching nearer to the one central Truth which is all-comprehensive."

—Rabindranath Tagore, "Soul Consciousness"

"It is the Spirit of God that must teach us Who Christ is and form Christ in us and transform us into other Christs."

—Thomas Merton, "New Seeds of Contemplation"

"I was glad when they said unto me,
Let us go into the house of the Lord.
Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together:
Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, unto the testimony of Israel,
To give thanks unto the name of the Lord. 

For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.
Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.
For my brethren and my companions' sakes, I will now say,
Peace be within thee. 
Because of the house of the Lord our God I will seek thy good.

—Psalm 122, "The Holy Bible," King James Version

Eternal Law

Achariya Ajay Jeffrey Bauer
Speaks on "Eternal Law"
Sunday, March 22, 2015 at 11:00am

The laws of humankind have been instituted to help human beings live in harmony with one another on this plane of existence. There is a higher law, the Eternal Law, which allows us to live in harmony with our own true dharma and with God himself. By guiding our thoughts, words and actions by the Eternal Law we are inexorably drawn closer to God, and ultimately to oneness with Him. Human laws have a relative and limited benefit; only by living in concordance with the Eternal Law is true peace assured on this earthly plane. Buddha has given us an infallible guide to following this law in "Dhammapada, the Path of the Eternal Law."

—Acharya Ajay

 From the Gurus and Swamis: AUM

Dharma is not merely a teaching about life itself. It is the way of all life itself. When one feels that truth is more necessary to his happiness than comfort, and that harmony with a universal being is more powerful than the assertion of his separate ego; when he realizes that his "best course" is what benefits all, then his freedom is assured. He has found the cosmic dharma.

—Swami Kamalananda, “Reflections on Still Waters”

Karma is the invariable law of manifestation. It is the law of the phenomenal world. It is inexorable. Creation is a systematic progression. 

—Swami Premananda, “The Law of Self-manifestation”

Man himself has given the cause of his limitation; he must be prepared to face the effect. On the other hand, by giving self-liberating causes man regains the effect in illumination. For the categorical truth is that the quality of the cause determines the character of the effect. This scientific truth is called the law of karma.

—Swami Premananda, “Dhammapada”

Lord Buddha, Thou Symbol of Sympathy and Incarnation of Compassion! Give us determination, that with urgency we, too, may pursue Truth. Teach us to seek the Sovereign Remedy of mankind.

May thy blessings, O Buddha, help all mortals to attain the Great Awakening!

—Swami Paramhansa Yogananda, “Whispers from Eternity"

Noble Thoughts: ("Let Noble Thoughts come to us from all sides." —Rigveda)

"He, alone, whose wisdom is firmly established on the inherent and eternal divinity of the Self, can guide his senses to attain spiritual unfoldment through obedience to the law of their normal manifestation. He is thus protected by the law of the soul as well as by the law of the senses, and should be considered to be a man of intelligent obedience to all the laws of righteousness."

—Buddha, "The Path of the Eternal Law, Dhammapada," translated by Swami Premananda

"The greatest wisdom
Is to follow the Tao,
The Tao is mysterious, unfathomable,
Yet within is all that lives,
Unfathomable, mysterious,
Yet within is the essence,
Shadowy, intangible,
Yet within are vital principles,
Principles of truth
Informing all creation,
The lessons of life
Inherent in the Tao."

—Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching," translated by Diane Dreher 

"Thou art the path of duty.
Thou art the guide of seekers.
Thou art the supreme mystic.
Thou art worshipped by all the worlds.
I adore Thee.
Thy work is imperishable.
Thy law is unalterable.
Thy bliss is everlasting.
Thy liberality is the light of the sun.
I adore Thee."

—Sir Joginder Singh, "Sikh Ceremonies"

The Wisdom of Renunciation

Swami Kamalananda Speaks on
"The Wisdom of Renunciation"
Sunday, March 15, 2015 at 11:00am

Wise renunciation inspires, sustains and fulfills one’s progress on the path of spirituality. However, renunciation itself means walking the “razor’s edge,”  for inspired practice requires knowledge, self-reflection and constant discrimination!

Although there is a single standard that has guided the wise in their renunciation, there are many, many ways and stages of renunciation for us to understand.  Contemplating the sublime secrets of this sacred principle we find exactly how renunciation enhances and expands our life’s divine bounties.

—SK

From the Gurus and Swamis: AUM

"The functioning of the human body has a twofold purpose. One is the harmonization and coordination of all the faculties of our nervous system. The other is the illumination and revelation of our soul.

The hidden power of God within us is the activating and creative force of our senses as well as of our soul."

—Shyamacharan Lahiri

"I have put on the garb of renunciation,
As I travel on the path of life.
I have discarded the will of the finite self;
And all the selfish desires of my heart,
Like a flock of frightened falcon birds,
Have taken their flight to some unknown region.
I have broken the ties of personal attachment,
Spun by the twist of myriads of sensory existences.

Once again my mind has witnessed the universality of soul;
And I have discovered the joy and strength of tranquillity.
The thirst for pleasure and the lust of possession
Have abjured their claim upon my yearning spirit.
The lure of success and the fear of failure
Have lost their hold upon my awakened soul.
In freedom I walk the way to self-liberation."

—Swami Premananda, "Prayers of Self-Realization", Prayer No. LVI, page 84

"O Infinite Alchemist — spiritualize our weakness into strength, our wrong thoughts into right thoughts.
Grow Thou a flower of Thy Understanding out of every seed of activity.
With Thy magic wand of foresight, teach us, Thou, to transmute our ugly demons of selfish ambitions into fairies of all-serving, noble aspirations.
Train Thou each stallion of desire to race for Thy Abode.
Transform our dark ignorance into golden wisdom.
Transmute all base ores of disqualifications into liquid streams of spiritual gold, steadily rushing for Thy Shore."

—Swami Yogananda Paramhansa (from "Whispers from Eternity")

Noble Thoughts: ("Let Noble Thoughts come to us from all sides." —Rigveda)

"The crucial problem of perfection and interior purity is in the renunciation and uprooting of all our unconscious attachments to created things and to our own will and desires ... In getting the best of our secret attachments - ones which we cannot see because they are principles of spiritual blindness - our own initiative is almost always useless. We need to leave the initiative in the hands of God working in our souls either directly in the night of aridity and suffering, or through events and other men ... Do not look for rest in any pleasure, because you were not created for pleasure; you were created for JOY."

—Thomas Merton, "New Seeds of Contemplation"

"Calm, discrimination, detachment (but not indifference) are all very important, for their opposites impede very much the transforming action. Intensity of aspiration should be there, but it must go along with these. No hurry, no inertia, neither rajasic over-eagerness not tamasic discouragement - a steady and persistent but quiet call and working. No snatching or clutching at realisation, but allowing realisation to come from within and above."

—Sri Aurobindo, "Bases of Yoga"

"This balanced combination of effort, inner detachment, and genuine equanimity helps us to come home within ourselves, and arrive at a feeling of inner peace and oneness. We can live in the total fullness of being, just as we are, rather than striving for the illusory pot of gold at the end of some vivid yet intangible rainbow. This great letting go and letting be brings forth the soulful wisdom of allowing, of being precisely where you are, who you are, and what you are — beyond running toward or away from anything."

—Lama Surya Das, "Awakening the Buddha Within"

And Now Yoga

Achariya Fritz Kramer
Speaks on "And Now Yoga"
Sunday, March 8, 2015 at 11:00am

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali begin with just three words: atha yoga anushasanam. Or, very roughly translated, "Now, after prior preparation through life, the study and practice of Yoga begins." Let us come together this Sunday to meditate upon this great sage, contemplate these inspired words, and consider where we have come from, as well as the path we set off on as each one of us makes the decision, and now yoga.

—Achariya Fritz

From the Gurus and Swamis: AUM

"There flourished in India a great philosopher, Patanjali by name. He collected all the facts, evidences, and researches in psychology and took advantage of all the experiences accumulated in the past...He was followed by many others who took up parts of what he had discovered and made a special study of them."
 
—Swami Vivekananda

“Patanjali’s date is unknown, though many scholars assign him to the second century B.C. His renowned Yoga Sutras presents, in a series of brief aphorisms, the condensed essence of the exceedingly vast and intricate science of God-union — setting forth the method of uniting the soul with the undifferentiated Spirit in such a beautiful, clear, and concise way that generations of scholars have acknowledged the Yoga Sutras as the foremost ancient work on yoga.”

—Swami Yogananda Paramhansa

Noble Thoughts: ("Let Noble Thoughts come to us from all sides." —Rigveda)

"With prayers for divine blessings, now begins an exposition of the sacred art of yoga."

"In the Yoga Sutras, it is the seer or the true Self who is to be discovered and known. Yoga is therefore considered to be a subjective art, science and philosophy."

—B.K.S. Iyengar," Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali"

"When the five cognitive faculties are withdrawn in the serenity of mind, and the objectified intelligence retires for subjective illumination, then the path of Self-revelation is opened to the wise. This state of subjective serenity, wherein the senses are poised in the calmness of mind and the intelligence seeks illumination, is called Yoga."

— "Katha Upanishad," translated by Swami Premananda

"If you desire independence, fix your steady thoughts upon the true nature of the Self. In this way, the quality of equanimity is fully cultivated in the individual."

—Kunda Kunda, "Niyama Sara," a Jain text

In the Battle Din of Activity

Achariya George Adams
Speaks on "In the Battle Din of Activity"
Sunday, March 1, 2015 at 11:00am

Amidst the battle din of activity and unheard by any, my silent war cry will be God, God, God!

God! God! God!
by Swami Paramhansa Yogananda

From the depths of slumber,
As I ascend the spiral stairways of wakefulness,
I will whisper:
God! God! God!

Thou art the food, and when I break my fast
Of nightly separation from Thee,
I will taste Thee, and mentally say:
God! God! God!

No matter where I go, the spotlight of my mind
Will ever keep turning on Thee;
And in the battle din of activity, my silent war-cry will be:
God! God! God!

When boisterous storms of trials shriek,
And when worries howl at me,
I will drown their noises, loudly chanting:
God! God! God!

When my mind weaves dreams
With threads of memories,
On that magic cloth will I emboss:
God! God! God!

Every night, in time of deepest sleep,
When my peace dreams and calls, Joy! Joy! Joy!
My joy comes singing evermore:
God! God! God!

In waking, eating, working, dreaming, sleeping,
Serving, meditating, chanting, divinely loving,
My soul will constantly hum, unheard by any:
God! God! God!   

It is interesting to note that the objective setting for the dialogue between Arjuna and Krishna in the Srimad-Bhagavad-Gita, "The Revelation of the Supreme Self," occurs on a battlefield.  This war, however has nothing to do with the objective ravages of slaughter and mayhem, but in its true meaning reflects the symbolic battle that is constantly being waged between the propensities of our ego and the illuminating guidance of our soul.  The dialogue between Arjuna and Krishna speaks to the spiritual quest of man for the light and perfection of God.
 
This Sunday we will ask ourselves what are the dynamics at play in the great battlefield of our soul?  How are we to transmute the propensities of our ego and emerge into this transcendental height of elevated spiritual consciousness?  In the words of the hymn, "How can we make this life complete, a pure and living prayer?"
 
It is appropriate that we contemplate this subject during the Lenten season, the symbolic period of prayer and fasting by Jesus in the wilderness before embarking on his ministry.  Moses, Elijah, Jesus and all souls experience this phase of unfoldment.  As it is revealed in the "Eternal Truths of Absolute Monism," "Make thine own self pure by good thoughts, good words, good deeds."

Our life is an inner as well as an outer journey.  Amidst the battle din of activity, may our silent war cry be, unheard by any: God, God, God!

—Achariya George

From the Gurus and Swamis: AUM

"Every man is essentially divine.  Man is the divine self.  The ideal of human existence is the recognition of man's spiritual self.  Religion is the realization of man's divine nature, otherwise called self-realization.  When man realizes his true self, spirituality guides his daily life and conduct.  Life guided by spiritual vision insures inner contentment and world peace."

—"The Law of Self-Manifestation (Karma Yoga)" by Swami Premananda
 
"Spiritual Vision: We are from Spirit; therefore, we reach out for the perfection of God.  We intuitively know our ultimate spiritual destiny.  We are convincingly aware within our consciousness that the perfection of God is the divine destiny of our soul, of all souls.  We feel that God is the source, the substance and the sustenance of all."
 
—"101 Noble Thoughts" by Swami Premananda

"Every man is a repository of all divinity.  You are not unrighteous, you are perfect.  You are not unkind, you are all-loving.  You are never miserable, you are always peaceful.  You think of yourself negatively because you do not know your true nature.  The moment you know your self you are awakened to your absolute divinity.  You are not man, you are God."
 
-—"The Path of Pure Consciousness" by Swami Premananda

"Be in the world and do your part, but do not be caught up and bound by its delusions, or you will be enslaved."  
 
—Swami Paramahansa Yogananda

Noble Thoughts: ("Let Noble Thoughts come to us from all sides." —Rigveda)

"Opportunities to find deeper powers within ourselves come when life seems most challenging." 

—Joseph Campbell
 

"See the good in people and help them.  In a gentle way you can shake the world." 

—Mahatma Gandhi

As God Composes

Swami Kamalananda
Speaks on "As God Composes"
Sunday, February 22, 2015 at 11:00am

We all understand what a composition is…be it elemental (functional) or artistic.

Exploring the very purpose and process of composing opens our minds and hearts to identifying with God as living parts of His vast, continuously creative composition.

—SK

From the Gurus and Swamis: AUM

"Volumes of Thy Savior Voice plunge through the microphone of loving hearts. The Voice of Thy Wisdom is roaming through the ether of minds, searching for ecstasy-tuned hearts. Thy sermons of warning sadly pass, unheard by the souls deafened by the static of their sense-pleasures. O Divine Broadcaster, tune our souls, smothered beneath the static of indifference; tune us with the fine touches of Thy perceptions, and thus grant us the privilege of hearing Thy Magic Song of ecstatic awakening!"

—Swami Yogananda Paramhansa from "Whispers from Eternity"

"All souls are ever-unfolding spirits constantly progressing towards the attainment of their fulfillment. In this community of human family I have advanced in threefold culture — physical, mental and spiritual. The refinement of sense-perception is the higher evolution of the body. The enlightened mind communes with the subtle elements and concealed beauty of the phenomena of Nature. Intellect opens the door of the truth of the universe of creation, and intuition reveals its ultimate essence. Self-unfoldment in the realization of the ever-increasing dimension of the innate divine qualities of the soul is the spiritual culture of man."

—Swami Premananda Giri, from "Prayers of Soul"

"God, Brahman, is truth, knowledge and eternity, the supreme, pure, self-existing, uniform, unalloyed bliss, and always pre-eminent. By the absence of all existence besides itself, i.e., when the Supreme Truth is fully realized, nothing remains but This. Without supreme desire for liberation from the bondage of conditioned life there is no path open for knowledge of the true self. The wise become God, Brahman, only by direct realization and are free from grief and filled with bliss. They fear nothing from anywhere."

—Swami Shankaracharya, from "The Crest-Jewel of Discrimination and Wisdom"

Noble Thoughts: ("Let Noble Thoughts come to us from all sides." —Rigveda)

"We are to recognize in this whole universe a reflection magnified of our own most inward nature; so that we are indeed it's ears, it's eyes, it's thinking, and it's speech — or, in theological terms, God's ears, God's eyes, God's thinking, and God's Word; and, by the same token, participants here and now in an act of creation that is continuous in the whole infinitude of that space of our mind through which the planets fly, and our fellows of the earth now among them." 

—Joseph Campbell, "Myths to Live By"

"If we could compose conscious poetry or music through conscious manipulation of higher vibrations, we would create masterpieces endowed with initiatory powers. Instead of a poetry that is a fantasy of the intellect and a nautch-girl of the mind, as Sri Aurobindo put it, we would create a mantric music or poetry to bring the gods into our life. For true poetry is action; it opens up little inlets in the consciousness —we are so walled in, so barricaded! — through which the Real can enter."

—Satprem, "Sri Aurobindo, or the Adventure of Consciousness"

"The way in which man can find his own place is to tune his instrument to the keynote of the chord to which he belongs ... The chording vibration sounds in the innermost being of man and can only be heard in silence. When we go into the inner chamber and shut the door to every sound that comes from the life without, then will the voice of God speak to our soul and we will know the keynote of our life."

—Hazrat Inayat Khan, "The Music of Life"

Crossroads

Achariya Ajay Bauer
Speaks on "Crossroads"
Sunday, February 15, 2015 at 11:00am

Our lives seem to be so complex these days with myriads of choices to be made and a seeming infinite number of paths open to us. In the clear light of discrimination, however, we perceive that, in reality, there are only two paths open to us: the path leading toward God or the path leading away from God; the path guided by ego or the path illumined by the light of soul; the ascending path or the descending path. At every moment in our lives we stand at the crossroads of these two paths. Which do we choose?

—Achariya Ajay
 

From the Gurus and Swamis: AUM

"We are always at the crossroads of our spiritual destiny.
Will we proceed along the same habitual route or take a new direction?
Will we repeat the same old problem or take a higher-minded course to solve them?

The old path offers only perpetuation of the old.
The new one will surely bring new challenges, but also the promise of greater happiness and wisdom."

—Swami Kamalananda, “Reflections on Still Waters”
 

"Let me present myself before my conscience
And judge my thoughts and deeds by the light of truth and righteousness.
Teach me to know myself as I am
With all my imperfections as well as my virtues.
The light of thy divinity shines forth within me in celestial radiance.
O God of wisdom and love, let me know my true self
And realize my oneness with the good and beauty of every heart."

—Swami Premananda, “Prayers of Self-Realization”
 

"Can sightless men appreciate the glory of light? Can the deaf know the charms of melody? Can those blinded by self-indulgence behold the health-and-beauty rays that flow from the sun of self-control? Can bewildered ones, spiritually poor but striving only for material riches, know aught of the wealth of peace?

"Father, help us to develop our powers of discrimination. May we be not satisfied with fulfillments of earthly hopes, essentially ego-tainted and limited.

Oh boundless being, Transcendent Treasure! Teach us to seek the highest goal - realization of Thee."

—Swami Paramahansa Yogananda, “Whispers from Eternity”

Noble Thoughts: ("Let Noble Thoughts come to us from all sides." —Rigveda)

"Buddhi  is the luminous light of mind. In its discriminating light mind no more pursues objects of desire, which purchased with pain, breed pain. In the dawn of right understanding, difference between real and unreal become clear,...the links of attachment are loosened and the search for truth begins."

—Raja Sir Dalgeet Singh, in "Sikh Ceremonies" by Joginder Singh
 

"What is called the voice of conscience is in reality the voice of God Himself...The greatest step towards perfection which a man can make, is to keep himself habitually in such a state that he can always hear the voice of God when He speaks, to endeavour to possess himself in peace, to avoid everything that may distract him, everything that makes him uneasy, everything to which he is inordinately attached."

—John Nicholas Grou, "Manual for Interior Souls"

"Control speech by mental effort; control the mind by the faculty of discrimination; control this faculty by the individual will; merge the individuality in the infinite absolute Atman and reach supreme peace.

Know, O wise one, that a man needs dispassion and discrimination as a bird needs its two wings. Without them, a man cannot reach the top of the vine from which flows the nectar of liberation.

—Shankara, "Shankara's Crest-Jewel of Discrimination" 

Moral of the Story

Achariya Fritz Kramer
Speaks on "Moral of the Story"
Sunday, February 8, 2015 at 11:00am

From time immemorial, man has placed considerable importance on codes of conduct. All societies and cultural traditions develop standards, rules, guidelines to delineate and define right action. That outward structure is mirrored within us as well, as we construct our personal moral and ethical identities. Yet, what is right, and why? Through the tool of parables, great teachers from all times and lands have answered these questions. Let us come together this Sunday to meditate on the moral of their story.

—Achariya Fritz

From the Gurus and Swamis: AUM

"Understand that God seeks not your rituals and sacrificial judgement of human behavior, but rather your compassionate wisdom and divine understanding."

—Swami Yogananda

"Every man possesses a soul. Soul, in its very nature, is pure and perfect. The perfection of the soul remains intact under all circumstances. Nothing can defile the purity of soul. A man is spiritual or non-spiritual, not because he has a spiritual or a non-spiritual soul, but according to the degree to which he has succeeded in unfolding and realizing within himself the inherent divinity of his soul."

—Swami Premananda

"Karma-Yoga is the attaining through unselfish work of that freedom which is the goal of all human nature. Every selfish action, therefore, retards our reaching the goal, and every unselfish action takes us towards the goal; that is why the only definition that can be given of morality is this: That which is selfish is immoral, and that which is unselfish is moral."

—Swami Vivekananda

Noble Thoughts: ("Let Noble Thoughts come to us from all sides." —Rigveda)

"Ethical conduct implies something beyond ethics - prayer, faith, and trust in God. Ethics is, then, not simply a code of rules by which one learns to play social games; it aims at the complete formation of the human person. In addition to knowing the objective norms of conduct, one must also acquire a kind of intuitive sense of how to put them into practice in individual circumstances. Here ethics blends into the art of living, and becomes, in fact, the education of human love."

—Thomas Merton, "Love and Living"

"If our mirror is not clean, we can never see the true reality of things and people, because we find everywhere the reflection of our own desires or fears, the echo of our own turmoil...In order to see, it is obvious that we have to stop being in the middle of the picture. Therefore the seeker will discriminate between the things that tend to blur his vision and those that clarify it; such essentially will be his 'morality'."

—Satprem, "Sri Aurobindo, or the Adventure of Consciousness"

"The highest morality is universal. We should render devoted service to the world in every possible way, remembering that every one of our brethren has a claim on us...Mankind is one, seeing that all are equally subject to the Moral Law. All men are equal in God's eyes."

—M. K. Gandhi, "Ethical Religion" 

Source of Perfection

Srimati Carrie
Speaks on "Source of Perfection"
Sunday, February 1, 2015 at 11:00am

God is the Source… and the Perfection.  We, as manifestations of that Source, are continually guided toward realization of that Perfection. We are guided by God, by Guru, by Nature, by Wisdom, Love and Beauty. All that inspires our spiritual unfoldment guides us to the Perfection that resides within us. With consistent and concentrated effort, let us meditate on the glory of that effulgent Reality, from whom the whole universe is projected.

-Srimati Carrie

From Gurus and Swamis:

“The source, the cause, and perfection of the visible world will always exist in the invisible. The knowledge of religion and philosophy will remain concealed from the perception of time and space of the visible world, eluding measure and mystifying objectified consciousness.”

-Swami Kamalananda, “Frontiers of the Spirit”
 

“In the beginning of Jnana Yoga, after the mind is made completely calm and objectless, the Yogi receives the first glimpse of the Self, as ever expanding effulgent consciousness imbued with joy. As the meditation itself deepens, in this or in some future existence, the Self is realized in its absolute perfection. Thus, man the Self, meditating on the Self, realizes himself as pure Consciousness-Existence-Bliss Absolute.”

“Let man be awakened to the knowledge of his indwelling divine light, and his whole life will become an enlightened progress to perfection, in both objective achievement and subjective revelation.”

-Swami Premananda, “The Path of Pure Consciousness”

Noble Thoughts:

Purnam adah purnam idam
Purnat purnam udacyate,
Purnasya purnam adaya
Purnam eva avasisyate.

“That is Perfect; this is perfect;
Out of That Perfection emanates this perfection;
In the ocean of Perfection surge the waves of perfection;
Yet that Perfection is never lost.”

-Upanishadic Invocation (Translated by Swami Premananda)
 

“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”

-Matthew 5:48
 

“As for God, His way is perfect.”

-Psalm 18:30
 

“God only taught the Perfect Man His Most Beautiful Names and placed them within him, because the Perfect Man is the spirit of the world and the world is his body.”

-From Ibn Arabi’s Summary of the Naqsh al-Fusus (Translated and compiled with commentary by William Chittick)
 

“Brahman, who projects his own qualities into manifestation as creation, gives guidance to each in perfecting its development. When the journey of self-unfoldment is completed, he draws all unto his transcendental absolute perfection.”

-Svetasvatara Upanishad, “Eight Upanishads” (Translated by Swami Premananda)

As God Breathes

Swami Kamalanda 
Speaks on "As God Breathes"
Sunday, January 25, 2015 at 11:00am

The harmonious relationship of body, mind and soul is maintained by the consciousness-bearing life breath. The profound meanings born of this simple truth extend into every realm and level of cosmic existence and to all animate beings.  Our own breathing links us in the vast and vital cosmic process, but at the same time it intimately affects our individual well-being, both objectively and subjectively.

What is this "mindful breathing" and how can we utilize it for our greatest divine potential?  Our subject is at the heart of all yoga practices and meditation.

—Srimati Kamala

From the Gurus and Swamis: AUM

"I shall no longer call Thee unseen, for during my worship I shall look straight through Thy infinite, starry Eyes into Thy Mystic Heart. With Thy Breath of the heaving wind I shall mix my borrowed breath. My wordless chants of yearning for Thee will sing in cadence with my heart-throbs. I shall feel Thy Heart throb in all hearts. I shall watch Thy Working Hands in the laws of gravitation and all other forces. In the feet of all living creatures I shall hear Thy Footsteps.....

"The pores of the sky sweat with Thy life, and Thy blood runs through Thy veins of rivers, streams, streamlets and the blood-cells of men. No more as unseen shall I worship Thee, but as the seen, Cosmic-bodied Idol of my soul."

—Swami Yogananda Paramahansa, "Whispers from Eternity"
       

"When one realizes God within himself, he perceives his all-abiding presence everywhere.

"There is a mystic path of God-realization within every human. It is called by the initiate the "Susumna." It is concealed within the spinal system.

"When the mind becomes completely established within the Susumna, then the Prana flows therein in rhythmic radiance. This is known to the Yogi as the divine breathing.

"The practice of the divine breathing brings about a complete spiritual transformation from within."

—from "Sayings of Shyamacharan Lahiri" by Swami Premananda
 

Noble Thoughts: ("Let Noble Thoughts come to us from all sides." —Rigveda)
 

"I know not how thou singest, my master! I ever listen in silent amazement.
"The light of thy music illumines the world. The life breath of thy music runs from sky to sky. The holy stream of thy music breaks through all stony obstacles and rushes on.
 
"My heart longs to join in thy song, but vainly struggles for a voice. I would speak, but speech breaks not into song, and I cry out baffled. Ah, thou hast made my heart captive in the endless meshes of thy music, my master!"
 
—Rabindranath Tagore, "Gitanjali" 

"Soul, the individual self, is the beginning of man. It is the hidden source of the life-force of his creative power. When this life-force is withdrawn from all sense organs, it is transformed into the radiant power of subjective illumination."
 
—translated by Swami Premananda, "Eight Upanishads, Aitareya Upanishad"

Bless Your Heart

Achariya Fritz Kramer
Speaks on "Bless Your Heart"
Sunday, January 18, 2015 at 11:00am

As we approach the middle of winter, our coldest weeks, may we contemplate the source of warmth within. The congregation will join together this week to spend some time with our hearts. They are the first organs to form inside our bodies. After only 21 days, the heart begins to pump, creating the circulation necessary to build and power the brain and nervous system. This pumping will continue unceasingly until the day we depart this plane of existence. Yet, this physical role is but a part of the heart's divine duty. From time immemorial, man has asked God to bless our hearts, to sanctify and purify our center of feeling, allowing us ever greater alignment to and perception of Love and Truth. Let us do just that this coming Sunday.

—Acharya Fritz

From the Gurus and Swamis: AUM

"Love is the inherent quality of the human heart. We, as yet, may not have developed the perfect intellect to understand metaphysical truths; our physical strength may not be adequate to allow us to work and serve; we may be mentally deficient, or physically weak, but the unending flow of the fountain of love is in every one of us."

—Swami Premananda, "The Magnetic Power of Love (Bhakti Yoga)"

All righteous self-expressions and actions are inspired by love that is enshrined within the heart. Abiding peace is the ultimate goal of life. Happiness is the realization of joy within our hearts. It is the exaltation of spirit within our inner being.

—Shyamacharan Lahiri
 

"Think of a space in your heart, and think that in the midst of that space is a flame burning. Think of that flame as your own soul. Inside that flame is another effulgent light, and that is the Soul of your soul, God. Meditate upon that in your heart."

—Swami Vivekananda, "Lectures on Raja Yoga"

Noble Thoughts: ("Let Noble Thoughts come to us from all sides." —Rigveda)

"In Chinese, there is no discrete concept for mind nor is there a discrete concept for heart. One single concept, Xin (pronounced 'shin'), embraces both...The conditioning of life and all it's traumas causes us to believe that the brain and mind are the directors of life, but when the thinking self is allowed to become integrated with the feeling self in the HeartMind, everything changes...When this integration occurs, Yin-Yang/body-spirit come into balance...Your being radiates. When the HeartMind is clear your Shen, or Spirit, is revealed."

—Roger Jahnke, "The Healing Promise of Qi"

"Anahata is the great Cakra in the heart of all beings. The Maha-svacchandra—Tantra says:
'The great ones declare that Thy blissful form, O Queen, manifests in Anahata, and is experienced by the mind inward-turned of the Blessed Ones, whose hairs stand on end and whose eyes weep with joy.'"

—Arthur Avalon, "The Serpent Power"
                

"From the blossoming lotus of devotion, at the center of my heart,
Rise up, O compassionate master, my only refuge."
—Jikme Lingpa in "The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying" by Sogyal Rinpoche

Realization of the Self

Achariya Ajay Jeffrey Bauer 
Speaks on "REALIZATION OF THE SELF"
Sunday, January 11, 2015 at 11:00am

"Lead us from the unreal to the real, From darkness to light, From death to immortality."

— "Brhadaraṇyaka Upanishad"
 

Since the dawn of civilization the evolution of humankind can be understood as the continuing search for that which is real. Both science and religion have had, and continue to have, the pursuit and understanding of “reality” as their primary goal. What is the ultimate reality of this universe? It is God, Sat-Chit-Anandam, Consciousness-Existence-Bliss Absolute. The entire manifested universe is projected from that one Absolute Reality. Realization means “to make real”. Self-realization means perceiving God the Absolute as the ultimate reality of our being.

—Acharya Ajay

From the Gurus and Swamis: AUM

Behold the forms of creation. From what have they come? When they vanish, to what realm do they go? Close your eyes and contemplate the Source.  All that is visible to you, all thought and all feeling as well, have come out of that Source. Do not be afraid of formlessness. It is the Reality that has given you life. By its existence, intelligence and perfection all your noble aspirations will be realized. Into that Reality alone you are bound. You meditate that your whole life will steadily, joyfully, radiantly emerge into the pure consciousness of its transcendental being.

—Swami Kamalananda, “Reflections on Still Waters”
 

"Realization of the Self is the highest ideal of man. Self is pure, Self is perfect. It is not defiled by the limitations of mind and body. Every man is the Self. The realization of the Self reveals Wisdom-Existence-Bliss Absolute."

—Swami Premananda, “Realization of the Self”

"The Eternal Father, God, Swami Parambrahma, is the only Real Substance (Sat) and is all in all in the universe."

—Swami Sri Yukteswar, “The Holy Science”

Noble Thoughts: ("Let Noble Thoughts come to us from all sides." —Rigveda)

"What is, tell me, the absolute reality That leaves no room for any doubt whatsoever?
Listen carefully! Stop becoming attached to this or that, And, dwelling in your true absolute nature, Take pleasure peacefully in the reality of the world!"

—Abhinavagupta, in Daniel Odier, "Tantra"

"The individual soul has to change the human or egoistic for the divine, supreme and universal view and live in that realization. It is necessary, therefore, to have the knowledge of the Transcendental Self, the sole unity, in the equation so'ham, I am He, and in that knowledge to extend one's conscious existence so as to embrace the whole Multiplicity.

All parts of the lower being must consent to this realization; to perceive with the intellect is not enough. The heart must consent in a universal love and delight, the sense-mind in a sensation of God and self everywhere, the life in the comprehension of all aims and energies in the world as part of its own being."

—Sri Aurobindo, "Isha Upanishad", translation and analysis

"Multiply the efforts of the ordinary person a hundredfold, and you can actually master this Tao. Even if you are ignorant you will become enlightened, even if you are weak you will become strong—no one who has done this has ever failed to reach the realm of profound attainment of self- realization."

—Liu I Ming, in Andrew Harvey, "The Essential Mystics"

Wisdom of Jesus

Srimati Carrie
Speaks on "Wisdom of Jesus"
Sunday, January 4, 2015

As we begin a new year, let us realize the blessings of Soul that guide us ever to God. These blessings are the illuminating qualities of Divinity within us.

Let us ever draw from that eternal source of love, peace and hope. May the power of God strengthen our hearts and illumine our minds.  

—Srimati Carrie

From the Gurus and Swamis: AUM

“When I walk with you in your light I know more of myself. I become self-illumined in illumination. I have no shadow, and I find none. In my light - I know you and the truth of your reality and the perfection of your attributes - as well as the attributes of perfection. You are always the One— in your Oneness."

—Swami Premananda, “Prayers of Soul”
 

“Every person has the potential to know God and to realize a life of great happiness and joy. But one who still looks to worldly knowledge or any worldly means to bring him lasting peace and happiness will not find peace and happiness in this life or the next.

“It is inevitable that he will continue to be discouraged by his lot in life and will lose faith in himself. Life can become Godly, good and fulfilling only when one treasures the Soul and looks to the Soul for wisdom and happiness.”

—Swami Kamalananda, “Reflections on Still Waters”
 

“The revelation and realization of God is the highest ideal of meditation and the supreme goal of life. Meditation is the conscious awareness of the presence of God within us.  It is the constant remembrance of the transcendental Spirit with and within our subjective consciousness.

"God reveals himself within us when our consciousness is made pure by liberating it from all concepts of duality and thoughts of finitude. God reveals himself as the infinite self-consciousness, all-pervasive and limitless immanence and boundless bliss.

"God not only reveals himself within us but also unveils within our subjective consciousness the divine nature of our spiritual self, our soul. God is not only the substance of our soul but his attributes also constitute the qualities of our soul."

— “Sayings of Shyamacharan Lahiri”

Noble Thoughts: ("Let Noble Thoughts come to us from all sides." —Rigveda)

"I maintain that every major religion of the world -Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Sikhism, Taoism, Zoroastrianism - has similar ideals of love, the same goal of benefiting humanity through spiritual practice, and the same effect of making their followers into better human beings. All religions teach moral precepts for perfecting the functions of mind, body, and speech...The great teachers wanted to lead their followers away from the paths of negative deeds caused by ignorance and to introduce them to paths of goodness."

—The Dalai Lama, "Ocean of Wisdom"
 

"Light has come into the world, and every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or the darkness of destructive selfishness."

 —Martin Luther King, "The Strength of Love"
 

"'Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.' This sentence alone would save mankind if all books and prophets were lost. This purity of heart will bring the vision of God. It is the theme of the whole music of the universe. In purity is no bondage. Remove the veils of ignorance by purity. Then we manifest ourselves as we really are and know that we were never in bondage."

—Swami Vivekananda, "The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda," V. 7

A New Chapter - 2015

Achariya George Adams
Speaks on "A NEW CHAPTER – 2015"
Sunday, December 28, 2014 at 11:00am

This Sunday, as we approach New Year’s Eve 2015, we will close one chapter and open a fresh, new chapter in the book of our life story.  What this new chapter will bring is a choice for each of us.

Turning the pages of this new chapter, we will share moments of spiritual inspiration and introspection regarding the ingredients of a happy, joyous and peaceful life, ingredients that include spiritual insights into who we are and our relationship to the universe.   These ingredients also include the yoga(s) of divine love and service to our fellow man.

Along the way, we will listen to the call of our soul and our response to its call.   We will examine our life ideal and its importance to our life expression and reflect upon the messages of the avatars, sages and savants of all times and lands as they apply to us in our contemporary life. 

In addition, to the yoga(s) of love and service, we will determine the role that our mind plays in the building of our lives and consider the role of meditation in the enrichment and realization of the divine consciousness within each of us. 

In this next life chapter, we will learn that we are immortal beings, at one with the Supreme Spirit, advancing upon the evolutionary path of our soul, as it seeks to unfold its innate qualities toward the realization of its oneness with the light, wisdom and love of the transcendental, immortal, and unchanging Source of all that is.

The New Chapter—2015 is an opportunity for each of us to renew our relationship with ourselves, our fellow beings and most importantly with the Supreme Architect of the Universe.   God bless us!

--Achariya George 

From the Gurus and Swamis: AUM
 

"That is Perfect;  this is perfect. Out of That Perfection emanates this perfection. In the ocean of Perfection surge the waves of perfection. Yet that Perfection is never lost."

PEACE        BLISS     PEACE

– "Light on Kriya Yoga," by Swami  Premananda

“What is the true and real purpose of my life?  It must be that I am here on earth in order to fulfill a definite goal.  Otherwise my life, nay my very existence in this world would become a meaningless pursuit of fruitless nothingness.   A life without a purpose is a blind venture in a vacuum….Therefore, the supreme ideal of my life here is twofold, the one is to reveal and realize the presence of God and his attributes within my pure and illumined consciousness and the other is to share all his divine gifts unto me with my fellowmen and fellow beings everywhere and always.”

—"The Abode of Peace Within My Consciousness"  by Swami Premananda

 
“How great is the power of our mind!  God has endowed our mind with powers so marvelous and mystifying that with them we are able not only to understand the truth of the created universe, but also to comprehend the majesty and magnificence of the cosmic Creator.
 
God is indeed the supreme Creator.  Man is also a creator.  Man creates by the powers of his mind, for in the potencies of the human mind shines the glory of God’s intelligence and creativeness.”

— "The Gayatri Prayer" by Swami Premanada

 
“But what is meditation?  Here I present the following five definitions of meditation:
     1.  Meditation is entering the kingdom of God within us….
     2.  Meditation is the establishment of mind on the attributes of God which adorn our soul…
     3.  Meditation is the way by which the desires of our soul are fulfilled…
     4.  Meditation is remembering the presence of God within us….
     5.  Meditation is soul’s communion with God.  Soul alone can directly commune with God."

— "Meditation and Self-unfoldment, The Divine Way of the Soul" by Swami Premananda

 
“Mind is the forerunner of all activity, mind is the highest among all sensory powers”

— "The Path of the Eternal Law: Dhammapada" translated by Swami Premananda
 

“Realization  transcends the sphere of intellect.  Self is beyond the mind.…Higher than all powers is the realization of immortality.

Superior to all happiness is the realization of oneself as absolute bliss.  The culmination of all knowledge is the realization of universal oneness.  This is self-realization.”

— "Srimad-Bhagavad-Gita, The Revelation of the Supreme Self" by Swami Premananda
 

Noble Thoughts ("Let Noble Thoughts come to us from all sides." —Rigveda)

“Far more indispensable than food for the physical body is nourishment for the soul. One can do without food for a considerable time, but a man of the spirit cannot exist for a single second without spiritual nourishment.”

—Mahatma Gandhi

“When love prevails, fear departs.  In the law of love—give all, sacrifice all.   Gain is irrelevant, so what is there to fear?

—Rumi               

“Forgiveness is not an occasional act.  It is a permanent attitude.”

—Martin Luther King

“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls.”

—Joseph Campbell

Mystic Birth and Adoration of Light

Swami Kamalananda speaks on
"Mystic Birth" and "Adoration of Light"
Sunday, December 21, 2014 at 11:00am

The Angels Gracious Light of Soul, bending near the earth in me touched the golden heart strings of my heart and the worlds in silent obeisance lay to hear their voices "Peace and Joy! Peace and Joy unto All!" Upon this midnight clear I listen to their Word resounding still.

—Swami Kamalananda

From the Gurus and Swamis: AUM

“God has showered me with endless gifts. How can I ever count with my mind the infinite benefactions which my divine Creator bestows upon me from his blessed Soul? The offering from soul transcends the comprehension of mind. The bounties of God are beyond all power of human apprehension. The blessings of God are as transcendental as his perfection. Yet with a humble heart and grateful thankfulness let me always remember these gifts of my God to me."

—Swami Premananda, “Seven Gifts of God to Me”
 

"To be a son of God is not something one has to acquire: rather, one has only to receive His light and realize God has already conferred on him, at his very inception, that blessed status."

—Swami Yogananda Paramahansa
 

“That life is most blessed which is dedicated to manifest the attributes and righteousness of God for the inspiration, enlightenment, happiness and peace of all.”

—“Sayings of Shyamacharan Lahiri"

Noble Thoughts: ("Let Noble Thoughts come to us from all sides." —Rigveda)

"The Supreme, the Best Being of all,
the Source of Light for the world, art Thou, O Mazda!
As the Fountain of Light, as the World-Creator,
Thou revealest Thyself, O Most benevolent Mazda!
With Thy love, bless us with all things good,
for all the days of a long life, O Mazda!"
 
—Zarathustra

"In the spark of soul is hidden something like the original outbreak of all goodness, something like a brilliant light which incessantly gleams, and something like a burning fire which burns incessantly. This fire is nothing other than the Holy Spirit."
 
—Meister Eckhart

"The light of the Self reflects on itself, always turning to its own rapturous presence as the only knowledge that exists. In the impeccable space of our own heart, love adores love, bliss revels in bliss, light shines on light, every action is an act of worship and all perceptions are forms of meditation."
 
—Swami Shantananda