Fate and Freedom

Achariya Fritz Kramer
Speaks on "Fate and Freedom"
Sunday, April 10, 2016 at 11:00am

"It was meant to be." How often we hear those words used to explain events and circumstances in our lives. Yet, if we subscribe to the idea that things are just meant to be, where is our agency? Where is our free will? From time immemorial, great souls have taught that action, effort and responsibility are foundational to the spiritual path. Does destiny play a role too? Let's gather together in the Temple this Sunday to contemplate fate and freedom.
 
—Acharya Fritz
 

From the Gurus and Swamis AUM
 
"There is no such thing as fate; you make your own destiny. God has given you independence to shut out His power or let it in. You have more strength to overcome difficulties than you have troubles to overcome. You can remedy your mistakes because God has given you reason and will. First you must make up your mind; then hold your will steadily to your purpose until it is completed. Discipline yourself to develop your sleeping spiritual powers. Claim your divinity. Unite your consciousness with God, and receive blessings direct from His hand."

—Swami Yogananda Paramhansa

"If it be true that we are working out our own destiny here within this short space of time, if it be true that everything must have a cause as we see it now, it must also be true that that which we are now is the effect of the whole of our past; therefore, no other person is necessary to shape the destiny of mankind but man himself." 

—Swami Vivekananda

 
"By the process of spiritual involution, the law of Karma draws us into the bondage of the phenomenal world. And, by the way of spiritual evolution, this same law again sets us free in the universality of the Self."
 
—Swami Premananda
 

Noble Thoughts:

 
"God's greatest gift to man
In all the bounty He was moved to make
Throughout creation -- the one gift the most
Close to his goodness and the one He calls
Most precious -- is free will."

—Dante Alighieri, Paradiso
 

"Man is not fully conditioned and determined but rather determines himself whether he gives in to conditions or stands up to them. In other words, man is ultimately self-determining. Man does not simply exist but always decides what his existence will be, what he will become in the next moment."

—Viktor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning

"The happiness which God designs for His higher creatures is the happiness of being freely, voluntarily united to Him and to each other in an ecstasy of love and delight compared with which the most enormous love between a man and a woman on this earth is mere milk and water. And for that they must be free."

—C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Seasons of the Soul

Achariya George Adams
Speaks on "Seasons of the Soul"
Sunday, April 3, 2016 at 11:00am

This Sunday we have chosen for our meditation the subject, “Seasons of the Soul .” We will explore the spiritual journey of the individual and of human society as he/she and they seek to find meaning and happiness in this world of dual experience.

Currently, we are experiencing a change of seasons from winter, where we were deluged with snow, buffeted by the wind and treated to the extremes of cold weather; to a new season of Spring, where the trees that appeared lifeless and barren are now blazing forth in all their resplendent glory.  The harbingers of Spring have arrived with the crocuses pushing through the crust of the hard soil and the promise of the beautiful azaleas just around the corner. 

What do these seasons reveal to us?   First, they reveal that God, the Absolute, the One without a Second, the changeless Reality, both transcends and permeates all creation. 

Secondly, the Seasons reveal that the progression of Soul occurs not just in mankind individually, but in all nature. To quote Swami Premananda: 

“Bless us that we may realize thee within us, and thy presence in each and every object and being of the universe; That we may realize thou art sleeping in minerals, Dreaming in plants, awake in animals, conscious in human souls; That we may love all as part of our own soul in thy Cosmic soul.”

Finally, the seasons reveal to us that life is progressive.  As individual souls, we are traveling progressively “from the unreal to the real, from darkness to light, from death to immortality.” Our spiritual goal is to unfold our innate divinity to its absolute perfection, in the words of the Blessed Nazarene, “to be perfect, even as the Father in Heaven is Perfect.”

As a society, we are entering into a season of unimaginable advances in knowledge and accelerated expansion of technology, what Swami Sri Yuteswar refers to as the age of Dwarupa Yuga.  With the advance of this great knowledge and technology, our spiritual idealism becomes even more essential for the future of humanity. It is critical that this advance of scientific and technical knowledge be complemented with an understanding of the unity of the Soul as reflected in the faiths of mankind. 

Please join us this Sunday!  All are Welcome!

—Achariya George
 

From the Gurus and Swamis: AUM

"Let us therefore, find God not only in Jesus of Nazareth, but in all the Great Ones who preceded Him, in all who have come after Him, and in all who are yet to come.  Our worship is unbounded and free. They are all manifestations of the same infinite God.…

Our salutations go to all the past Prophets, whose teachings and lives we have inherited, whatever their race, clime, or creed.  Our salutations go to all those God-like men and women who are working at present to help humanity, whatever their birth, colour or race.  Our salutations go to those who are coming in the future—living Gods—to work unselfishly for our descendants."

—Swami Vivekananda, Christ The Messenger

 
"The light is in the East.  The light of God shines at Kutastha, the spiritual eye.  
The practice of Kriya meditation illumines the entire inner being with the effulgence of cosmic consciousness.
Meditation establishes inner equilibrium.  It restores harmony within the nervous system, clarifies the mind, increases the will power and inspires constructive emotions.
Subjective serenity, self-confidence and fearlessness are inevitable fruits of meditation.
AUM and Kriya constitute the secret of meditation.  By meditation on AUM and the practice of Kriya, the fulfillment of the highest spiritual aspiration is attained."

—Shyamacharan Lahiri, Sayings of Shyamacharan Lahiri

 
"Heaven is not a place.  It is a state of consciousness; it is the state of pure-consciousness.  Immortality is not to be acquired, but to be discovered within.  While it remains concealed behind the mask of the human body we fail to recognize our immortal being.  Death is the discardance of one garment, and reincarnation is the putting on of another.  In this continuous play of the game of earthly life, the soul of man comes and goes, wearing a different costume consistent with its propensities."

—DHAMMAPADA,The Path of the Eternal Law, Translation by Swami Premananda

"Purnam adha purnam idam
Purnat purnam udacyate,
Pumasya purnam adaya
Purnam eva avasisyate.
SHANTI SHANTISHANTI”

“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.
PEACEBLISSPEACE”

—Ancient Invocation

 

Noble Thoughts

"The need of the world today is for a religion of the spirit, which will give a purpose to life, which will not demand any evasion or ambiguity, which will resemble the ideal and the real, the poetry and the prose of life, which will speak to the profound realities of our nature and satisfy the whole of our being, our critical intelligence and our active desire."

—S. Radhakrishnan, The Spirit In Man

 

"What I want to achieve—what I have been striving and pining to achieve these thirty years—is self realization, to see God face to face, to attain Moksha.   I live and move and have my being in pursuit of this goal.  All that I do by way of speaking and writing, and all my ventures in the political field, are directed by this same end.  But as I have all along believed that what is possible for one is possible for all, my experiments have not been conducted in the closet, but in the open; and I do not think that this fact detracts from their spiritual value."

—Mahatma Gandhi, Gandhi’s Life In His Own Words

Light of Resurrection

Swami Kamalananda
Speaks on "Light of Resurrection"
Sunday, March 27, 2016 at 11:00am

"LIGHT OF RESURRECTION"
In Christ Consciousness Jesus experienced himself as one with Ultimate Self of all the Universe. The resurrected soul lives, figuratively speaking, pure, and tender as a lily, and yet strong and fearless, loving and joyous as the Spring which bursts upon us with its bountiful, astonishing beauty. Immortality triumphs. Hope triumphs. Faith triumphs. O, Thou Supreme Light of Resurrection!

—S.K.

From the Gurus and Swamis: AUM

"Our daily living may enslave our consciousness in the outer world and enchain our cognitive perception. Mind tends to become overfilled with finite thoughts and to be buried under the debris of finite concepts.  When awakened from that entombment, soul is resurrected from the grave of ignorance into the light of inherent wisdom. That is the true meaning of Easter as the mystics have realized and revealed."

—Swami Premananda Giri
 

"The Eternal Father, God, the only Substance in the universe, is not comprehensible by man of this material world, unless he becomes divine by lifting his self above this creation of Darkness or Maya: 'Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen'. (Hebrews 11:1) 'Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the son of man, then ye know that
I am he'." (John 8:28)

—Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri
 

"The Lord says in the Gita: 'Whatever actions thou dost perform, dedicate them all as offerings to Me.  Thus no action of thine can enchain thee with good or evil karma.
You are on this earth for God.  It is His world, not yours.  You are here to work for Him. Life will very much disappoint you if you labor only for yourself, because eventually you will have to leave everything; you will be forced to practice renunciation then'!"

—Swami Yogananda Paramahansa
 

Noble Thoughts: 

"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 . . . . 

"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” 

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."

—from the Vedas (Yajur, Atharva and Rig)

Heaven on Earth

Achariya Fritz Kramer
Speaks on "Heaven on Earth"
Sunday, March 20, 2013 at 11:00am

This Sunday is the observance of Palm Sunday, the Holy Day marking Jesus of Christ Consciousness' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Let's join together as a congregation to consider the mystical significance of this event, and what it has to teach us about spiritual identification. These lessons are timeless, yet hold particular importance for our moment in history -- one that sees a drastic redefinition of personal identity and cultural mores. In a world seemingly filled with good and evil, pleasure and pain, may God grant us the guidance and wisdom to identify with that which transcends those relativities, as we seek to find Heaven on Earth.

—Achariya Fritz
 

From the Gurus and Swamis: AUM

When a perplexing question comes to you...do you follow the way of spiritual power, represented by the Christ principle or that of expediency? The mob shouts for worldly, objective and finite things. The soul seeks to lift itself to God. By which will you be ruled?
 
—Swami Premananda

The wise do not indulge in grief for things that are inevitably changeable and evanescent...They master the restlessness that is synonymous with mortal life, and experience consciously the complete calmness, or silence, accompanying freedom from identification with the body.

—Swami Yogananda

Hold to the idea, "I am not the mind, I see that I am thinking, I am watching my mind act," and each day the identification of yourself with thoughts and feelings will grow less, until at last you can entirely separate yourself from the mind and actually know it to be apart from yourself.

—Swami Vivekananda

Noble Thoughts

"Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye servants of the Lord, praise the     name of the Lord.
Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and for evermore.
From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the sun the Lord's name be praised.
The Lord is high above all nations and his glory above the heavens.
Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high,
Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!"

—Psalm 113:1-6

"And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one. I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one."

—John 17:22-23

"Having become one with Brahman, joyous in the serenity of Self, he neither grieves nor desires; the same to all beings, he attains supreme devotion unto me.
By supreme devotion he knows me in truth and reality, what and who I am; having thus known me in truth and reality, he forthwith enters into me."

—Srimad-Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Swami Premananda

Innate Divinity

Achariya Ajay Bauer
Speaks on "Innate Divinity"
Sunday, March 13, 2106 at 11:00am

What is our true nature? Are we “born in sin” as some would have us believe? No - we are soul, born of God. As children of God, the purity, perfection and peace of God are our true nature and birthright. Let no one tell us otherwise. During this Lenten period preceding Easter we focus on renunciation. What is it that we renounce? Simply put, we renounce all concepts, attitudes and habits that veil the perception of our innate divinity as soul born of God.

—Ajay


From Gurus and Swamis: AUM

Pure is my heart, my Lord, for my heart is thine altar.
Pure is my soul, O Spirit, for my soul is thyself.
Infinite is my love, O Beloved, for thou comest unto me only in love.

—Swami Premananda, “Prayers of Self-Realization”
 

The universe is the manifestation of One life and Consciousness. Thus every created being is a partial and valid representation of the same divine reality. This Pure Consciousness, evolving through all species, from the amoeba to a Buddha or a Christ, is destined always to fulfill its potential, the realization of Absolute Perfection.

—Swami Kamalananda, “Reflections on Still Waters”
 

All souls are created by God. Let a man contemplate upon the truth, reality and qualities of his soul and he will attain to the realization that he is a spiritual being, a divine spirit endued with all the attributes of virtue and righteousness.

—Shyamacharan Lahiri, “Sayings of Shyamacharan Lahiri”
 

Noble Thoughts: 

"Within this earthen vessel are bowers and groves, and within it is the Creator:
Within this vessel are the seven oceans and the unnumbered stars.
The touchstone and the jewel-appraiser are within;
And within this vessel the Eternal soundeth, and the spring wells up."

—Kabir, " One Hundred Poems of Kabir"
 

"These rivers, my dear, flow, the eastern toward the east, the western toward the west. They go just from the ocean to the ocean. They become the ocean itself. . . That which is the finest essence - this whole world has that as its self. That is Reality. That is Atman. That art thou [Tat tvam asi]."

—Chandogya Upanishad
 

"In this return in love in the divine ground every divine way and activity and all the attributes of the persons are swallowed up in the rich compass of the essential unity. All the divine means and all conditions, and all living images which are reflected in the mirror of truth, lapse in the onefold and ineffable waylessness beyond reason. Here there is nothing but eternal rest in the fruitive embrace of an outpouring love."

—Jan Van Ruysbroeck, "The Adornment of the Spiritual Marriage"

Thy Light

Srimati Carrie
Speaks on “Thy Light”
Sunday, March 6, 2016 at 11:00am
 

As the sun lifts above the horizon, so, too, is our consciousness lifted in self-unfoldment. 

Our aspiration for enlightenment is not merely to be a light unto ourselves but to share that light with others.

God is the eternal Light guiding the entire universe. That Light illumines our soul with revelations of Truth and Perfection.

-Srimati Carrie

From Gurus and Swamis: 

“Awaken yourself from the gloom of ignorance. You have closed your eyes in the sleep of delusion. Awake! Open your eyes and you shall behold the glory of God – the vast vista of God’s light spreading over all things.” 

-Swami Yogananda Paramhansa, Where There is Light

“My destination is Self-illumination in the infinite effulgence of the Light where the dusk is dissolved into dawn and the dawn is eternal. The Light is the first beginning and the ultimate liberation of all. I will behold and become the Light that is forever the Light. The Light is God.”

-Swami Premananda, Prayers of Soul

“We may strive for greater light all our life, but take heart: That striving itself makes us free and happy. We will not mind the struggles and hardships that life inevitably brings as long as we remember the truth of self-enlightenment and the perfection of Light.”

-Swami Kamalananda, The Mystic Cross

Noble Thoughts:

“Like the light of the sun, the man of enlightenment comes as a guest to a home. The host accords him the peace of his home. Therefore, I must welcome my guest with the consciousness of purity.”

-Katha Upanishad
 

“Arise, shine, for thy light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon thee.”

-Isaiah 60:1 
 

“In my house, with Thine own hands,
Light the lamp of Thy love!
Thy transmuting lamp entrancing, 
Wondrous are its rays. 
Change my darkness to Thy light, Lord! 
Change my darkness to Thy light. 
And my evil into good. 
Touch me but once and I will change, 
All my clay into Thy gold
All the sense lamps that I did light
Sooted into worries
Sitting at the door of my soul, 
Light Thy resurrecting lamp!”

-Rabindranath Tagore
 

“How can I know anything about the past or the future, when the light of the Beloved shines only Now.“ 

 ~Rumi

Remembering the Soul

Swami Kamalanda
Speaks on "Remembering the Soul"
Sunday, February 28, 2016 at 11am

This Sunday during our worship we will remember the life of Russell Hallam Bauer. Recalling and honoring his life is an opportunity for us to reflect on the journey through life in ways that serve God and bless all with happiness, peace and wisdom -- remembering the Soul.

The Bauer family invites all present to join for a luncheon/reception in the Puja Hall of the Gandhi Center afterwards. Please join them for this sacred time and fulfillment.

-SK

From Gurus and Swamis:

"Listen, my friend, hast thou ever thought who thou thyself art and whence thou hast come?
Think; and aspire to learn the truth about all these.

"Let not thy life be guided by the consciousness of enmity or friendship, nor by that of hatred or amiability.
If thou desirest peace and emancipation, learn to be equally loving and kind to all.

"There is but one Reality that permeates thee and me and all beings.
Rise above the consciousness of separation, and realize thyself in all and all in thee."

—Swami Shankarachariya, "Moha-Mudgar"

"What can a human do to attain Wisdom? He cannot think his way to it. He must strive to receive it from above, in ever deeper meditation.

"Be not impatient.  Proceed steadfastly with your spiritual development.  Day by day, making the best use of what you know already, expand your understanding.

"Inwardly, as our souls soar high on mighty wingbeats of inspiration, thought will escape the confines of material life and embrace the vastness of Universal Wisdom."

—Swami Yogananda Paramhansa, from "The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam"

"In ascending serenity
Thou dost lift my consciousness into
        transcendental bliss.
The world with its never-ending pageant
        of beauty and grace,
Life with its shadow of joy and shade of
        perfection,
The heart full of passion for possession
        and longing for bodily existence,
All these and even I have ceased to exist
In this ever-expanding effulgence of
        limitless immensity.

"Illumination from the eternal source of light
        overfills my inner self,
Flooding the past—present—future from
        my consciousness,
As I merge and emerge in my universal
        Self in the ocean of peace."

 —Swami Premananda, from "Prayers of Self-Realization"
 

Noble Thoughts: "Let Noble Thoughts come to us from every side." —Rig Veda

“Spiritual: That word is vague; nevertheless, through the dim light which reaches us across the barriers of physical existence, we seem to have a stronger faith in the spiritual Man than in the physical; and from the dimmest period of his history, Man has a feeling that the apparent facts of existence are not final; that his supreme welfare depends upon his being able to remain in perfect relationship with some great mystery behind the veil, at the threshold of a larger life, which is for giving him a higher value than a mere continuation of his physical life in the material world."

 —Rabindranath Tagore, from "The Religion of Man"

"Come then, like the self-illumined souls of the higher planes of consciousness, let us live in peace on earth."

—Buddha, from "Dhammapada: The Path of the Eternal Law"

Path of Pure Consciousness

Srimati Carrie
Speaks on "Path of Pure Consciousness"
Sunday, February 21, 2016 at 11:00am

Throughout life we witness the many divine manifestations of God. There are an endless variety of living forms, but there is only one life that lends existence to all.

Our purpose is to realize the essence of the universe, so that we may realize what we truly are—manifestations of the eternal, perfect and pure Consciousness, Existence, Bliss Absolute.

It is the light of the Self that illumines the path of life and the journey of Soul.

—Srimati Carrie

From the Gurus and Swamis: AUM

“Meditation prepares us to know God. It purifies the heart, spiritualizes the body, makes the mind calm, and sets the soul free. After your daily meditation, pray thus: My heart is pure; my mind is calm; my soul is free; I am above all limitations; reveal thyself unto me, O thou God of Consciousness-Existence-Bliss Absolute.”

—Swami Premananda, “The Path of Pure Consciousness (Jnana Yoga)”
 

“All nature continually offers itself to the Infinite: ever drawn into its light, finding its way in harmony and its ultimate freedom in the One. Is Nature’s spontaneous renunciation not also the law of my own soul? When my soul will merge into pure light, leaving no portion in darkness, touching and illuminating all, conscious of the One Self I will be a true renunciate, performing all my actions as effortlessly as the sun rising and the meadowlark singing.”

—Swami Kamalananda, “Reflections on Still Waters”

Noble Thoughts:  "Let Noble Thoughts come to us from every side." —Rig Veda
 

“So come, return to the root of the root of your own soul.
Although you appear in earthly form,
Your essence is pure Consciousness.
You are the fearless guardian of Divine Light.
So come, return to the root of the root of your own soul.”

—Rumi

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

—Matthew 5:8
 

“He has succeeded who purifies himself, who remembers the name of his Lord and prays.”

—Surah Al-A’la 87:14-15
 

“Just as the moon travels the path of the heavens, so happiness follows him who is calm and wise, contemplative and unattached, virtuous and self-disciplined, pure and noble.”

—"Dhammapada: The Path of the Eternal Law" (Translated by Swami Premananda)

True Love

Achariya Fritz Kramer
Speaks on "True Love"
Sunday, February 14, 2016 at 11:00am

This Sunday's worship service happens to land on February 14th, coinciding with the celebration of Valentine's Day. People around the world will give gifts as symbols of friendship, affection and romance. But why limit ourselves to only those flowers and chocolate? Rather, may we take this opportunity to meditate on the divine ideal of True Love. We all have experienced some degree of love in our hearts. Yet, some is never enough, and we still long for love's fullest  expression. Let us gather together in the Temple this week to contemplate our search for true love, and strive to feel it in ever deeper ways.

—Acharya Fritz

From the Gurus and Swamis: AUM

"All things in the universe are of divine origin and deserve to be loved; it has, however, to be borne in mind that the love of the whole includes the love of the parts."

—Swami Vivekananda
 

"In the universal sense, love is the divine power of attraction in creation that harmonizes, unites, binds together. It is opposed by the force of repulsion, which is the outgoing cosmic energy that materializes creation from the cosmic consciousness of God. Repulsion keeps all forms in the manifested state through maya, the power of delusion that divides, differentiates, and disharmonizes. The attractive force of love counteracts cosmic repulsion to harmonize all creation and ultimately draw it back to God. Those who live in tune with the attractive force of love; achieve harmony with nature and their fellow beings, and are attracted to blissful reunion with God."
 
—Swami Yogananda Paramhansa
 
"Love reveals God. God does not refuse the demand of his devotee. Love wins God. God becomes a devotee in the presence of devotion. Why? Why is it that God, man and animal, nay, all objects of the universe, respond to the power of love? Why do we all long for love? Because love is the essence of creation."

—Swami Vivekananda
 

Noble Thoughts: "Let Noble Thoughts come to us from every side." —Rig Veda

"The very fire of love which afterwards is united with the soul, glorifying it, is that which previously assails it by purging it, just as fire that penetrates a log of wood is the same that first makes an assault upon it, wounding it with its flame, drying it out, and stripping it of its unsightly qualities until it is supposed that it can be penetrated and transformed into fire."

—St. John of the Cross, "The Ascent of Mount Carmel"


"Love is life. All, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love. Everything is united by it alone. Love is God, and to die means that I, a particle of love, shall return to the general and eternal Source."

—Leo Tolstoy, "War and Peace"
 

"Love is that you remain standing
In front of your Beloved.
When you are deprived of all your attributes,
Then His attributes become your qualities.
Between me and You, there is only me.
Take away the me, so only You remain.
I am the Supreme Reality."

—Al-Hallaj, "The Essential Mystics" edited by Andrew Harvey

Our Spiritual House and Heritage

Achariya George Adams
Speaks on "Our Spiritual House and Heritage"
Sunday, February 7, 2016 at 11:00am

This Sunday we have chosen for our meditation the subject “Our Spiritual House and Heritage.”  As we approach the Lenten season we give thanks for the priceless gift of our Spiritual Home and Heritage that inspires us to strive to live in the higher levels of our spiritual self with inner joy and contentment and to walk the path of self unfoldment together.

The season of Lent highlights our path of spiritual self-unfoldment. Lent is associated with the life of Jesus of Christ Consciousness. Its true meaning is found in the journey to Supreme Resurrection inspired through the philosophy of Advaita Vedanta (Absolute Monism). As Absolute Monists we reflect upon the message of Lent from its most universal perspective and incorporate the steps to Supreme Resurrection into our lives; also to express our gratitude to our spiritual ancestors for their spiritual gifts and dedication.

This Sunday we will begin the Season of Lent with “Ash Wednesday.” In the words of Swami Premananda of India in "The Seven Mystic Holidays," p24:

"In the inner life of the Christ, we find the real purpose of our own life. And we find,  step-by-step, how soul gradually progresses towards its highest perfection.  It is a gradual unfoldment, slow, steady but assured. It follows seven successive stages which may be verified in the lives of all godly souls—Moses, Buddha, Sankarachariya, Mohammed, Zarathustra, and many others. These great souls are universal and do not belong to any religious sect or denomination, but to all humanity.”

—Achariya George 

From the Gurus and Swamis: AUM

"When man understands even by way of inference the true nature of this creation, the true relation existing between this creation and himself; and when he further understands that he is completely blinded by the influence of Darkness (Maya) and that it is the bondage of Darkness alone which makes him forget his real Self and brings about all his sufferings, he naturally wishes to be relieved from all of these evils.  This relief from evil or liberation from the bondage of Maya, becomes the prime object of his life."

—Swami Sri Yukteswar, "The Holy Science"
 

"How are we to mediate upon that effulgent Reality, the God of Light?  We are to visualize a pure effulgence, a bright but soothing light within our body especially at Dorsal, the Anahata, the Spiritual Eye, the Kutastha; or the mystic thousand–petaled lotus, the Sahasraram. Then with devotion and determined thought silently, without moving lips or tongue, utter the Sacred Word, the Mantram,while at the same time contemplating upon its divine significance.  AUM:  I and my Father are one; I am that I AM and I am Brahman are some of the Mantrams of meditation on the God of Light."

—Swami Premananda, "The Gayatri Prayer"
 

"Jesus the Christ is not dead.  He meets with you and me here and now when we give him a place in our hearts.  He lives in the heart of every devotee through all eternity. He knew whereof he spoke when he said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.”  (John 14:6).  This was not the statement of an arrogant mind but of one who had realized the Reality of God and sought to share the path of God."

—Swami Premananda, "Seven Mystic Holidays"

"Self-realization is not a new religion.  It is the most ancient of all religions.  It is as ancient as God.  It is as ancient as the Soul of man.  Self realiztion is not founded by any man, it is established by God.  When God gave man a Soul, with it He gave him his religion.  Self Realization."

—Swami Premananda, "The Religion of Man"

Noble Thoughts: "Let Noble Thoughts come to us from every side."  —Rig Veda

"The highest wisdom is for us to know that all is God.  Until each of us realizes our own inherent godliness and divinity, the name of God is just a word to us.  By the practice of meditation and by purification of the body, mind and heart, let us seek to fulfill the divine mission of our lives, guiding them by the illumination of wisdom, divine will, love and realization.  Let us ignite the light and love of Christ within us." 

—Swami Premananda, "Seven Mystic Holidays"
 

"The same Self when viewed in relation to relative categories is perceived as finite, but when it is cognized in its true nature it is realized as the Infinite.  To illustrate, we may take water as an example.  Water is water no matter where it may exist.  Yet, when water is bound on either side by its banks it is called a river, but when the same water reaches the shoreless sea it is designated as the ocean.  Here are many rivers of life, but there is only one ocean of existence.  Journeying through the various rivers of life we shall all reach the ocean of existence (pg. 111)."

—Swami Premananda, "Dhammapada" 
 

"Purnam adah purnam idam
Purnat purnam udacyate,
Purnasya purnam adaya
Purnam evavasisyate.
SHANTI SHANTISHANTI”

“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.
PEACEBLISSPEACE”

—Ancient Invocation

Prayerful Steps

Srimati Carrie
Speaks on "Prayerful Steps"
Sunday, January 31, 2016 at 11:00am

With each prayerful step, I ascend the mountain of my consciousness. I climb to new heights yet unknown to me. But my soul knows this path and carries me forward. Even with the physical and mental challenges that await my body and mind, my soul does not suffer the difficulties that ensue.  It raises me up to heights of infinite beauty and eternal joy.  With each prayerful step, I am guided by God and Gurus.

—Srimati Carrie

From the Gurus and Swamis: AUM

“The wandering monk wanders along the path of life to reach what destination? And to attain what goal?  The goal is known only to his intuition and not to his intellect. He is a recluse. The young renunciate walks slowly. He is not in any hurry; he stops, casting his glance about and around and wondering about the mysterious maya of nature, and then he resumes his known-unknown journey. He is a pilgrim.”

—Swami Premananda, "A Wanderer" from "Prayers of Soul" 

“I have a particular habit which I cultivate regularly and which brings me innumerable and incomparable joys. It has become a meditation, and it requires a particular method which I observe carefully. I walk. I walk, and the technique for my walking meditation requires that I be outside in every season, for the purpose of being with Nature on her terms and realizing her every secret climate. I enjoy feeling part of her elements, gentle or harsh, wet or dry, hot or cold…for this meditation I simply give myself to Nature. My communion is always richly rewarding, for Nature gives herself so entirely to me. I walk alone."

—Swami Kamalananda, "Frontiers of the Spirit"
 

Noble Thoughts: "Let Noble Thoughts come to us from every side." —Rig Veda

“In the life of the Indian there was only one inevitable duty, the duty of prayer, the daily recognition of the Unseen and Eternal. His daily devotions were more necessary to him than daily food. He wakes at daybreak, puts on his moccasins and steps down to the water’s edge. Here he throws handfuls of clear, cold water into his face, or plunges in bodily. After the bath, he stands erect before the advancing dawn, facing the sun as it dances upon the horizon, and offers unspoken orison. His mate may precede or follow him in his devotions, but never accompanies him. Each soul must meet the morning sun, the new sweet earth and the Great Silence alone!”

—Ohiyesa, Santee Dakota physician and author
 

“I am but a poor struggling soul yearning to be wholly good, wholly truthful and wholly non-violent in thought, word and deed, but ever failing to reach the ideal which I know to be true. It is a painful climb, but the pain of it is a positive pleasure to me. Each step upwards makes me feel stronger and fit for the next.”

—Mahatma Gandhi

“One step firmly taken makes easier all the others.” 
“All the hundred separate paths meet in the Eternal.”

—Sri Aurobindo
 

“We cross infinity with every step; we meet eternity in every second.” 

—Rabindranath Tagore
 

“Lead, kindly Light, amid th'encircling gloom;
     Lead thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home;
     Lead thou me on!
Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene--one step enough for me.”

—Hymn by John Henry Newman

God is Light

Achariya George Adams
Speaks on "God is Light" 
Sunday, January 24, 2016

This Sunday we have chosen for our meditation the subject, “God is Light!”  This truth has been revealed to humanity in all times and all lands.  In the ancient Gayatri prayer, we are admonished to meditate on that 'effulgent' reality from whom the whole universe is projected.  The prophet Mohammed tells us, “God in the Light of the Heavens and the Earth.”  Zarathustra refers to God as “Ahura Mazda,” the Supreme Light and the blessed Nazarene tells us, “If thine eye be single thy whole body shall be full of light.”

The light of God is both a spiritual ideal and a reality.  As a spiritual ideal the light of God illumines the path of our daily life and guides us as we seek to unfold our innate divinity to its absolute perfection.  As a reality, the light of God is revealed to us in our meditation as our soul. In our soul, we are one with the reality of God. In the words of the Prophet Moses, “I am that I am.” In the words of Jesus of Christ Consciousness, “I and my Father are one.”  In the words of our Vedic ancestors, “I am Brahman, the Absolute Self.”

The symbol for the wisdom of God is light.  At our soul essence, we are comprised of three constituent qualities, wisdom, life and love.  On our altar we represent these qualities of soul with effulgent light, fragrant incense and consecrated water. Self-transformation comes to that individual who is able to unfold these qualities in his or her life.  In the words of Christ, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

—Achariya George

From the Gurus and Swamis: AUM

"The knowledge and realization of truth usher in the era of illumination. Truth alone is the eternal light. Only in the revelation of truth is the everlasting good attained."
 
—Sayings of Shyamacharan Lahiri. translation by Swami Premananda
 
"Darkness may reign in a cave for thousands of years, but bring in the light, and the darkness vanishes as though it had never been. Similarly, no matter what your defects, they are yours no longer when you bring in the light of goodness. So great is the light of the soul that incarnations of evil cannot destroy it."
 
—Swami Yogananda Paramhansa, "Where There Is Light" 
 
"Thou alone art the light of my soul. Let the effulgence of thy divinity touch my mind, heart and consciousness that I may unfold thy attributes within me until thou and I become one in absolute perfection. What a heaven of light, love and bliss there must be where soul meets God and God is revealed in his cosmic glory."
 
—Swami Premananda, "The Inner Path to God"
 
"In our thoughts and meditation we are gradually revisualizing our life by the light of God. We are building our own spiritual home, a temple furnished and filled with the light of all the noble virtues of our own souls. We are making our own body a temple, a temple in which we meet God." 
 
—Swami Kamalanandam, "The Mystic Cross"

Noble Thoughts: "Let Noble Thoughts come to us from every side."

—Rig Veda

"Meditate.
Live purely. Be quiet.
Do your work with mastery. 
Like the moon, come out from behind the clouds!
Shine!

—Buddha

"Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark."

—Rabindranath Tagore

"Every man must decide whether he will
walk in the light of creative altruism
or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.
 
—Martin Luther King, Jr.

"I salute the light within your eyes
where the whole universe dwells."
 
—American Indian

Desire of Nations

Achariya Ajay Jeff Bauer
Speaks on "Desire of Nations"
Sunday, January 17, 2016 at 11:00am

The phrase “Desire of Nations” comes from the Old Testament in prophesizing the coming of the Messiah. We sing these words at Christmas time in the carol “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” All of life can be seen as motivated and driven by desire. Desire animates life and propels it onward – but to what final destination? What is the “Desire of Nations,” the One grand desire that informs all other desires? What is its fulfillment?

—Acharya Ajay

From the Gurus and Swamis:  AUM

"There is an eternal desire in every human heart, and our life's activity in its every detail is an attempt to fulfill that desire. In the realization of the self, the eternal desire of the heart attains its complete, permanent, and perfect fulfillment. Blessed is he who has realized the Self."

-- Swami Premananda, “The Path of Pure Consciousness”

"Naturally everyone desires to live life "to the fullest." Paradoxical as it may seem, the fullest measure of life is realized only in the attainment of simplicity.

"As one progresses in life he learns to become more attuned to one being:
He hears and heeds one word.
He follows one light.
He resolves the multifarious ways of duality by the consciousness of One, pure and simple."

—Swami Kamalananda, “Reflections On Still Waters”

"With the power that flows from perceptions of Thee,
      may I calm my storms of restless desires.
The sunshine of Thy joy penetrates to the innermost
      depths of my being. With the hunger of ages I feed
      upon Thy light.
By Thy grace and by my constant wakefulness, may
      this bliss be mine forever and forever."

—Swami Yogananda, “Whispers from Eternity”

Noble Thoughts: "Let Noble Thoughts come to us from every side."

—Rig Veda

"The soul cannot progress except with the light which God has given it as a nuptial gift; love works the likeness of God into the soul. The peace, freedom and blessedness of souls consists in their abiding in God's will. Towards this union with God for which it is created the soul strives perpetually."

—Meister Eckhart, "Sermon VII – Outward and Inward Morality"

"A spiritual aspiration consists in having an intense need to be one with the Divine, to give oneself wholly to the Divine, not existing outside the divine consciousness, so that it is the Divine that is all in all for you in your integral being, and you feel the want to have a consistent union with him, to have the feeling of his presence, of his guidance in all that you do, of his harmonizing all the movements of your being. That is spiritual aspiration."

—The Mother, "Sri Aurobindo and the Mother on Aspiration"

"O God, my whole concern and desire in this world,
Is that I should always remember you
Above all things of this world,
And that in the next
I should meet with you alone.
That is why I always pray: 'Your will be done.'"

—Rabi'a, translated by Andrew Harvey in "The Essential Mystics"

Purer Lives

Achariya Fritz Kramer
Speaks on "Purer Lives"
Sunday, January 10. 2016 at 11:00am

As we enter the initial weeks of a New Year, it is natural for our minds to be attracted to the subjects of transformation and resolution. Yet, at the core of that desire to change exists an underlying principle. Let us consider the first stanza of a hymn we often sing together, Dear Lord and Father of Mankind:

"Dear Lord and Father of mankind,"
Forgive our foolish ways!
Reclothe us in our rightful mind, In purer lives Thy service find,
In deeper reverence, praise.

This Sunday morning we will join in the Temple to meditate on the subject of purity. Whether outer or inner, purification plays a critical role in spiritual practice and thought. Great souls from all times and lands have encouraged and guided us to distill our existence to it's truest essence. In these first days of 2016, may we lift our hearts and minds to this ideal as we strive to live purer lives. 

—Achariya Fritz

From the Gurus and Swamis: AUM

"Purity in body and mind — cleaning the body externally and internally from all foreign matters which, being fermented, create different sorts of diseases in the system, and clearing the mind from all prejudices and dogmas that make one narrow."
—Swami Sri Yuketswar

"Purity of heart means transparency to truth. One's consciousness should be free from the distortions of attachment and repulsion to sense objects." 

—Swami Yogananda Paramhansa

"Let men have light, let them be pure and spiritually strong and educated, then alone will misery cease in the world, not before."

—Swami Vivekananda

Noble Thoughts: "Let Noble Thoughts come to us from every side."

—Rig Veda

"Make thine own self pure by good thoughts, good words,
good deeds."

— "Avesta"

"God can never be realized by one who is not pure of heart. . . . The path of self-purification is hard and steep. To attain perfect purity one has to become absolutely passion-free in thought, speech and action; to rise above the opposing currents of love and hatred, attachment and repulsion."

—M. K. Gandhi, "An Autobiography"

"This purity of heart brings at least momentary deliverance from images and concepts, from the forms and shadows of all the things men desire with their human appetites. . . . In the vivid darkness of God within us there sometimes come deep movements of love that deliver us entirely, for a moment, from our old burden of selfishness, and number us among those little children of whom is the Kingdom of Heaven."

—Thomas Merton, "New Seeds of Contemplation"

"When the heart is pure, you are always happy. Concentration of the mind comes automatically without your even trying. Only an impure mind runs here and there, forcing us to bring it back again and again. All the senses are controlled, too, and then comes Atma darsana yogyatvani, fitness for Self-realization or the vision of the Atma. . . . 

Just be pure in thought, word and deed."

—"The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali," commentary by Swami Satchidananda

Take My Yoke Upon You

Swami Kamalananda
Speaks on "Take My Yoke Upon You"
Sunday, January 3, 2016 at 11:00am

The feeling of self-renewal inspires our reflection, orientation and dedication as we once again "stand at the gate of the year.” Many wonderful subjects flood into our minds at this time:  new  beginnings, spiritual resolution and prayers for greater faith, to name only a few. A need to gather all our noble aspirations with comprehensive focus draws us to examine the enduring life and message of the great prophet-soul Jesus in the light of his realization of Yoga.

As a traditional part of our worship we will offer together the “Wisdom of Jesus” gathered from his positive teachings.

—S.K.

From the Gurus and Swamis:  AUM

"One who knows the first vital thread binding all the things formed in shape, color and words
knows only the physical form of the universe, and knows very little.

"But the one who goes deeper and perceives the string inside the string, the thin web binding separate life-forces with cords of unity, knows the real Being.

"Only he knows truly the almighty, omnipotent and omnipresent God Who is within and beyond all the formulated entities of the vast universe. O Divine Seeker! Penetrate deeper to know the Ultimate Truth."

—Atharva Veda (10.8.38)

"Note of explanation: The “Holy Master” Swami Shankaracharya writes about (below)—is the venerable bestower of knowledge. Unlike the philosopher’s stone which turns iron into gold—the light, the true Holy Master—is a radiance of universal light from within himself, peerless and yet all-powerful to the true disciple."  (S.K.)

"Just as, by virtue of the fragrance diffused by the sandal tree other trees around it are also full of fragrance at all times and afford shelter from heat to diverse beings, so they who have derived wisdom from the teacher, with hearts full of mercy, emancipate by their teachings all those who are fortunate enough to stand in their presence.

"When, through mercy of the venerable Holy Master, there arises in any person whatsoever the realization, “That very Brahman am I,” that person indeed loses all feelings of doubt.  With mind free from illusion he attains liberation even while living in the body. The consciousness of limitation is completely dissolved. He is merged in the Highest, the sole abode of eternal bliss."

—Swami Shankaracharya

"When one, cultivating the Divine Spirit or Omniscient Love within his heart, is able to withdraw this JNANAMAYA KOSHA (the Body of Intelligence), then the innermost sheath, CHITTA, the Heart . . . becomes manifest. Man is then called DEVATA or Angel in creation.

"When the Heart or innermost sheath is also withdrawn, there is no longer anything to keep man in bondage to this creation of Darkness, MAYA. He then becomes free, SANNYASI, the Son of God, and enters into the creation of Light."

—Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri, "The Holy Science"

"One who has seen the light of God at the spiritual eye, Kutastha-jyoti, has become consciously aware that he is a son of God.

"Man is a potential god. Only when he is fully awakened to the divine nature of his soul is he capable of following the path of God with love and wisdom, purity and peace."

—Shyamacharan Lahiri, "Sayings of Shymacharan Lahiri," translation by Swami Premananda

"The joy of God is realized in all its perfection if the love of God is awakened in the heart.  Nevertheless, I have discovered within me a state of serene happiness and sublime contentment independent of any and all objective conditions.  It is the state of profound peace within me.  It is always within the inmost depth of my consciousness.  I never lose it.  It is permanent and ever abiding.  It is the peace of God in my soul, the bliss of my highest Self.  It is my peace now and forever."

—Swami Premananda Giri, "Seven Gifts of God To Me"

Life Lessons from My Guru

Achariya George Adams
Speaks on "Life Lessons from My Guru"
Sunday, December 27, 2015 at 11:00am

As we approach the cusp of another New Year, we exhibit immense gratitude for the ideal, philosophy and practical wisdom that has come to us through our line of Gurus.  With this in mind, I have chosen for our meditation the subject, “Life Lessons from My Guru” with the hope that these life lessons will sustain and inspire the members of our spiritual family as they have my life.     

These life lessons embrace all aspects of our life as well as our inner and outer journey to the Supreme Self   Whether it is marriage, the ideal of service, our view of life and death, meditation or our overall life purpose, we are blessed to be introduced to the highest and most universal ideal and philosophy of life in all of these areas. 

We have taught that the true Guru is to be found within.  The outer guru directs us not to himself or herself, but to the Great Guru within.  Through the relationship with the inner Guru we find happiness, guidance and peace.

—Achariya George 

From the Gurus and Swamis: AUM

"The role of the Guru, as described in the Gita, is "dispeller of darkness" (from gu, "darkness" and ru, "that which dispels"). A true God-illumined guru is one who, in his attainments of self-mastery, has realized his identity with the omnipresent Spirit.  Such a one is uniquely qualified to lead the seeker on his or her inward journey toward perfection."

—Swami Yogananda Paramhansa
 

"To the devotee even a little bird is a revealer of universal truths.  In it he sees the manifestation of that eternal Existence which gives life to all.  In its care for its young, he perceives the reflection of the protecting care of the Almighty.  In its song he hears the voice of God.  When it soars high up in the sky, he realizes the truth that Life is not limited by any earthly condition."  

—Swami Premananda, "Chintamani"
 

"Masters of all religious thought have taught that to gain the deepest knowledge-bliss-will we need to meditate, for man contains within himself the source of light."

—Swami Kamalananda, "The Mystic Cross"

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

"Let us be silent lest we may hear the whispers of God." 

—Ralph Waldo Emerson
 

"Matter is Energy.  Energy is Light.  We are all Light Beings." 

—Albert Einstein

  
"When everything is seen as One, we return to the Source and stay where we have always been."
 
—Seng-t'san
 
 
"Self-inquiry directly leads to realization by removing the obstacles which make you think that the Self is not already realized."
 
—Ramana Maharshi
 
 
"Guru is the Creator
Guru is the Preserver
Guru is the Dissolver
Guru, indeed, is the limitless Consciousness.
Homage to that supreme inner Guide"

—Shankaracharya; "Guru Stotram"

O Come, All Ye Faithful

Swami Kamalananda
Speaks on "O Come, All Ye Faithful"
Sunday, December 20, 2015 at 11:00am

Your Temple will be adorned on Sunday in many traditional Christmas ways: The tree on the altar, wreathes, pointsettias and lights all around to warm our hearts for worship.

We take time to reflect on the first Christ-birth. For ages mankind has commemorated the birth of those souls whose birth on earth has come as given by God to awaken us, to guide us to a salvation promised by them, and to bring “peace on earth” and “goodwill to all.”

The essential thing is that we strive to see Light within ourselves. When people are conscious of the light in themselves, then that light will shine through their lives in greater purity and radiance than the world will ever know.

The Angels,
Gracious Lights of Soul,
bending near the earth
in me
touched the golden harp-strings
of my heart,
and all 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.....

—S.K.

From the Gurus and Swamis: AUM

"Our One Father, we are traveling by many true paths unto Thy one abode of Light…. Make us feel that the diverse religions are branches of Thy One Tree of Truth….Bless us that we may enjoy the intuition-tested, ripe, luscious fruits of self-knowledge hanging from all the branches of many-voiced religions."

—Swami Yogananda Paramahansa, from  "Whispers from Eternity"
 

"Traveling on the path of eternity,
Thou hast come to lead us on the way of perfection.
To awaken within us the realization of our immortal nature
Thou hast descended upon this earth.
To bring peace to our sorrowing hearts
Thou hast taken thy place among us.
Thou art Christ,
The source of wisdom and bliss.
We bow to thee in adoration and joy."

—from: "Prayers of Self-Realization" by Swami Premananda
 

"A person needs his body to bring into fruition and creative beneficence the divinely endowed qualities of his soul. What a lamp is to the light, the body is to the soul."

—Shyamacharan Lahiri

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

"Free from all limitations of birth am I. I am the changeless Reality, the Supreme Lord of all creation. Yet by the power of my own mystic law I come into being.

"O Bharata, whenever and wherever divinity becomes subdued and humanity struggles to emerge out of ignorance, then and there I incarnate myself.

"To assure salvation to the virtuous, to awaken the ignorant, and thereby to manifest divinity on earth, I incarnate myself from time to time."

—"Srimad-Bhagavad-Gita," Ch 4, vs 6-8
 

"For nowhere can a mind find retreat more full of peace or more free from care than his own soul."

—Marcus Aurelius

Prepare Ye The Way

Srimati Carrie
Speaks on "Prepare Ye The Way"
Sunday, December 13, 2015 at 11:00am

The path to God has been tread by the mystics, rishis and saints of all times and all lands. These great souls have divinely inspired humanity with the highest ideals.

The prophet Isaiah in the Old Testament foretold of the voice in the wilderness that would prepare the way for the Lord. 

The news from the angel Gabriel of the birth of this holy one is revealed to us in the Bible and the Qu’ran.

It is said that John the Baptist emerged from the wilderness as a messenger, fulfilling this prophecy. When Jesus came to be baptized, John recognized the divine consciousness of Christ. 

Let us, too, prepare the way and make straight the path toward realizing the Divine in us and in all beings.

—Srimati Carrie
 

From the Gurus and Swamis: AUM
 

"The path of life is secured only when it is built on the attributes of God. I know I can follow thy path because thou hast given me thy light in my soul."

—Swami Premananda, “The Inner Path to God”
 

"Through every experience and condition God offers us light. The teachings and practices of religions are merely suggestions to our soul – to heed the light on its path, to remember its source and destiny in light.

"The greatest teachers of life have been the mystics. The nature of their mystical knowledge has compelled them to emphasize the eternal more than the historical. They have stressed the Reality to be known rather than themselves as its personal agents, and they have humbly served humanity with the encouraging promise of their experience of truth. They have not placed strict proclamations or doctrines before us but have guided us to the path of enlightenment within ourselves."

—Swami Kamalananda, “Reflections on Still Waters”

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

"A voice of one calling: In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken."

—Isaiah 40, Old Testament
 

"In the same way I saw an ancient path, an ancient road, traveled by the Rightly Self-awakened Ones of former times. And what is that ancient path, that ancient road, traveled by the Rightly Self-awakened Ones of former times? Just this noble eightfold path: right view, right aspiration, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration...I followed that path."

—Buddha, “Nagara Sutta”

Peace on Earth

Achariya Fritz Kramer
Spekas on "Peace on Earth"
Sunday, December 6, 2015 at 11:00am

During this season of holy days, it is only natural to feel a deep desire to meditate on love, joy and peace. Yet, in a world filled with so much conflict, what does peace mean in our time? Dissolution? Resolution? Mitigation? Let us join together this Sunday to contemplate what the narratives of Hanukkah and Christmas reveal to us on this matter, lifting our hearts and minds to the ideal of Peace on Earth.

—Acharya Fritz

From the Gurus and Swamis: AUM

Those who remove our troubles, dispel our doubts, and bestow peace are true teachers. They perform a Godlike work.

—Swami Sri Yukteswar
 

Be at peace. Do not disturb yourself. You never were in bondage, you never were virtuous r sinful. Get rid of all these delusions and be at peace.

—Swami Vivekananda

Peace emanates from the soul, and is the sacred inner environment in which true happiness unfolds. 

—Swami Yogananda
 

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

"Rabbi Jacob used to say:
Better a single moment of awakening in this world
than eternity in the world to come.
And better a single moment of inner peace
in the world to come than eternity in this world.
Why?
A single moment of awakening in this world
is eternity in the world to come.
The inner peace in the world to come
is living in this world with full attention.
The two are one, flip sides of a coin
forever tumbling and never caught."

—Pirke Avot 4:22, quoted in "Essential Mystics" by Andrew Harvey
 

"In the larger spiritual context, peace is the setting in which all beings at all levels of existence dwell in concord with each other within the embrace of the divine Heart. In traditional Indian perspectives, peace holds the universe together: all beings everywhere, in all realms - on the earth, in the skies and in the heavens above them—are joined to each other through peace. It is for this reason, in part, that the study and recitation of sacred texts in the yogic context, as with other spiritual practices, often begin and end with a threefold affirmation: shanti, shanti, shanti."

—William K. Mahoney, "Exquisite Love, Heart-Centered Reflections on the Narada Bhakti Sutra"
 
 
"Evoking the presence of the Great Compassion, let us fill our
     hearts with our own compassion - towards ourselves and
     towards all living beings.
Let us pray that all living beings realize that they are all
     brothers and sisters, all nourished from the same source of life.
Let us pray that we ourselves cease to be the cause of
     suffering to each other.
Let us plead with ourselves to live in a way which will not
     deprive other beings of air, water, food, shelter, or the
     chance to live.
With humility, with awareness of the existence of life, and
     of the sufferings that are going on around us, let us
     pray for the establishment of peace in our hearts and
     on earth. Amen"

—Thich Nhat Hanh, quoted in "Earth Prayers" by Elizabeth Roberts and Elias Amidon
 

Who Shall Rule the Earth?

Swami Kamalananda
Speaks on "Who Shall Rule the Earth?"
Sunday, November 29, 2015 at 11:00am

Witnessing with hearts breaking, the eroding of our world order and horrors of visciousness so utterly inhumane, our confidence and faith in the possibility of peace for life on earth is shaken. What will be the prevailing power in our life and in the lives of generations to come? Sadly, ashamedly, we see that no creature on earth can surpass a human being in actions so mercilessly “inhumane” and so violent. 

We need wise guidance and understanding to examine the plight of mankind on earth at all times. We long through our own living only to be true and to help others, to console them and to facilitate an end to suffering. We aspire to learn to live wisely, to live by the righteousness of Truth. 

Inevitable questions come to mind: What determines the survival of humanity? To whom shall the Earth belong? Who will rule the world?

—S.K
.

 From the Gurus and Swamis: AUM

God permeates our entire being with his divine presence.  The realization of the immanence of God within one’s own being is the foundation of spiritual life and the inspiration of righteous self-expression.
 
All righteous self-expressions and actions are inspired by love that is enshrined within the heart.
Abiding peace is the ultimate goal of life. 
 
—from "Sayings of Shyamacharan Lahiri" translated by Swami Premananda

When we truly understand the real value of this world in our life, then we do not lose our interest in it, becoming indifferent and despondent, but on the contrary, we love it.  We work for it and live in it with wisdom, calmness and peace.
 
The value of this world in our life is to enable us to realize our spiritual perfection.
 
—Swami Premananda, from "God the Universal Reality"
 

He who is realized as “I am the One that is the All” by those who see, by their reason, all this universe as existing within themselves and their own self, as the Birthless Being residing in the heart of all beings, — May that Lord, as the destroyer of the darkness of samsara, be forever praised.
—from the “Hymn to Hari” Swami Shankaracharya
  

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

Our spirit is a being of a nature quite indestructible, and its activity continues from eternity to eternity. It is like the sun, which seems to set only to our earthly eyes, but which, in reality, never sets but shines on unceasingly.

—J.W. von Goethe, “Conversations with Eckermann"

 
In my vain life I have seen everything:  there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evil-doing.

— "Holy Bible," Ecclesiastes 7:15
 
And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of
righteousness, quietness and trust forever.

— "Holy Bible," Isaiah 32:17

 
…. We hold it important that the individual should be true in his goodness. His outer good work may continue to produce good results, but the inner perfection of his personality has its own immense value, which for him is spiritual freedom and for humanity is an endless asset though we may not know it.  For goodness represents the detachment of our spirit from the exclusiveness of our egoism; in goodness we identify ourselves with the universal humanity. Its value is not merely in some benefit for our fellow beings, but in its truth itself through which we realize within us that man is not merely an animal, bound by his individual passions and appetites, but a spirit that has its unfettered perfection.  Goodness is the freedom of our self in the world of man, as is love.

—Rabindranath Tagore, from "The Religion of Man"