“Initiation into subjective meditation is like a bridge to those who are earnest and determined to transcend all inner finiteness. Realization of the imperishable Brahman, the absolute Self, is the goal of self-liberation.”
Read moreLove is Soul
All possess love. We not only possess love, but we also have the spiritual strength to express it. To possess love is to manifest it. One whose heart is imbued with love can never hide it, for his whole being radiates it. Can a full-blown rose hide its fragrance? Then how can anyone ever conceal the sweetness of love? For love is sweeter than the rose
Read moreAscending Consciousness
With ascending consciousness soul offers itself in sacrifice throughout its human pilgrimage to God, and sacrifice can be perceived and understood in the manifestation of the human personality at four levels.
Read moreWhy Do We Meditate?
We meditate to live in the consciousness of God, to enlighten our life with the spirit of God. That is our goal. This soul within us is God. Therefore, it is through our own soul that we will come to know God. All meditation begins with the soul, not with the senses.
Read morePath of Self-Enlightenment
Speak ill of no one, hurt no one, steadfastly follow the path which leads to self-liberation, be moderate in the enjoyment of life, from time to time seek solitude, but always keep your mind firmly established on the highest Self: These are the conditions of the path of self-enlightenment.
Read moreOne Cord of Spirit
Swami Premananda with his Guru, Swami Yogananda, in front of the original Church building which is now our Sunday School and Church of the Children.
When you find that your soul, your heart, every wisp of inspiration, every speck of vast blue sky, every shining blossom of the sky, the mountains, the earth, the whippoorwill, and the bluebells are all tied with one cord of Rhythm, one cord of Joy, one cord of Unity, and one cord of Spirit, then you know that nothing exists but the waves of His Cosmic Sea.
Read morePrayer Beads
The idea of life as a continuous prayer reveals the sublimity of soul through constant remembrance of God, the source and perfection of life. Prayers of praise and thankfulness, prayers of devotion and longing, prayers of hope and peace...all maintain a prayerful thought throughout every dimension of life. Prayer is an act of communion with the Divine. It is the constant thought of God.
Read moreBending Near the Earth
The Angels, Gracious Light of Soul, bending near the earth in me touched the golden harp strings of my heart and the worlds in silent obeisance lay to hear their voices: "Peace and Joy! Peace and Joy unto All!.”
Read moreBehold a Light
In our thought 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.
Read moreThe Rabbit in the Moon
The figure that appears in the moon to Indians is not that of a man but a rabbit, and the story of how it got there is a lesson of charity brought through nature's own tender creature.
Read moreSpirit of Generosity
Generosity is the expression of the soul living harmoniously, enlarging in consciousness and divine will. Life offers us at every turn the opportunity to be generous, charitable and giving.
Read moreGandhi and the American Indian
The entire religious experience of the American Indian—purification of mind and body, prayer and fasting, a strong personal relationship with God, meditation to learn from the “Great Mystery” its teaching beyond words—describes the spiritual heritage that nourished Mahatma Gandhi perfectly in one word: Yoga, the ideal of union of soul with God and the oneness of Man-God-Nature.
Read moreCity of Light
Serve and guard the light, never allowing doubt, distrust, or despair to creep into your life. Bring the light of goodness and godliness to your own Prag-Jyotis-Pura and keep the lamp lit to draw others to their divine light. Try to see the same light in nature—the light that draws all life together, that emanates from one source and that leads, draws and guides all life onwards.
Read moreWho Weaves the Web
Marbled Orb Weaver Spider
He it is who weaves the web of this maya in evanescent hues of gold and silver, blue and green, and lets peep out through the folds his feet, at whose touch I forget myself.
Read moreThe Cosmic Vibration of Prana
Astronomers bring us to the threshold of pure Yoga philosophy with their assertion that we see only ten percent of our universe. The ninety percent that is imperceptible to our senses exists as potential to be penetrated by our minds. We must bring that light of consciousness within our minds to a similar state of vibration of cosmic light to be aware of the rest of the vast, yet unseen, universe.
Read moreUniversal Love
One who is completely free from ill will and is friendly and compassionate towards all, who has overcome attachment and egotism, who is self-composed in pain and pleasure, and forgiving, who is ever content, meditative, serene, resolute in spiritual effort, and whose mind and intellect are dedicated to me; he who is thus devoted to me is dear to me.
Read moreThe Birthright of Every Soul
The purpose of Yoga is seeking our largest, most enduring and most powerful identity. In this process we realize a potential consciousness that may seem dormant or undeveloped but is ultimately the most powerful, meaningful and sublime reality of Life.
Read moreGandhi and the Sermon on the Mount
Journalist and author, Vincent Sheean wrote the following description of Gandhi, saying that Gandhiji “was so penetrated with the truth and beauty he felt in the verses of the Sermon that through years of effort he actually became something like a summation of the Beatitudes, the meek, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemaker. His reverence for Jesus and the Sermon on the Mount illumined his long struggle and gave him strength for it.”
Read moreLight of Pure Consciousness
How do we utilize the light of consciousness, the knowing faculty of the soul? We can describe the ways that the light of pure consciousness manifests and grows in “terms of enlightenment.” First of all, the soul, as God in man, is Pure Consciousness, Suddha Chaitannya.
Read moreThat Indwelling Power
We intuitively know that within our innermost self abides the power of Spirit, the power which is so benign and efficacious that it must have its origin in God. When we become consciously aware of the presence of that indwelling power, a new inspiration quickens our hearts and minds.
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