By Swami Kamalananda
(Excerpt from the Self-Revelation Magazine 2002)
Self-Revelation, Atma-jnan, is the ideal and the spiritual heritage of our church. We are here for the knowledge of the Soul. But there is a second purpose—that of sharing the life. You attend the services of this church with the idea that this is your spiritual home. You meet and welcome one another with the joy and interest of being fellow devotees on a path which, through our own Gurus and the lives of other sages and saviors from time immemorial join us together as a congregation. This congregation comprises a spiritual family. As all families do, it has treasured occasions worth savoring and remembering, contributions of love and dedication. Our parental ties of family are maintained by the traditions of values and histories appreciated over time. Our spiritual family prospers, too, from recognizing the lives that have come before ours and have prepared the way for us to have the comfortable and inspiring abode of worship and the vast spiritual heritage that we enjoy.
From time to time, as newcomers attend the church, they inquire about the absence of social gatherings or other activities beyond worship and meditation. They have questions such as why there seems to be no formal membership, and what is the nature of “belonging,” of congregational fellowship.
Our church IS unusual in the way it is supported and maintained, and in that very expression the spiritual ideal and fellowship can readily be understood. With creative and thoughtful devotion, every part of the church grounds, the preparation of the Temple and Sunday School for their services, all the publications and other projects—all are the dedicated expressions of our fellow worshippers of God. The work continues throughout each week and throughout the year.
I should explain that my guru himself, from the very beginning life of his church, took active part in every such care—cleaning, painting, polishing floors and pews, sweeping walkways, painting and trimming bushes. There is very little that we all do today in the care of our church that Swami Premananda did not do. From the very first responsibilities that I was given in the church I became aware of the importance and the benefit of work as worship…as sadhana, “the realization of the spiritual life.” That blessed legacy—a tradition of the Swami Order understood by all who aspired to Kriya Yoga—defines our church more than a membership roster could. There is no growth in yoga without service. Those who love, serve.