A man who forgets his real Self for numerous lives becomes so riddled with complex suffering that he cannot stand himself or his own habits. But as soon as he tries earnestly to improve, he will discover the path to happiness. There are millions of people on this earth who keep bringing unconsciously upon themselves all kinds of unpleasant incidents, and invite disaster by the power of their own thoughts and set feelings, and they ignorantly blame some imaginary external factor, such as fate and destiny. But when you realize that it is your own uncontrolled thought processes and unconscious feelings springing from your subconscious mind which magnetically brings to you most of your troubles in life, you realize then that the mind is the instrument that God has given to you to lead yourself from darkness into light, from sorrow into joy, from ignorance into wisdom, and from the fear of death with the full knowledge that you are an immortal being.
So the Master said, “By the faculty of divine initiative within you, you can defeat every invasion of fate created by the power of your own past karma or bad actions, and march victoriously into paradise. Do not continue to live in the same old way. Make up your mind to do something to improve your life, and then do it. Change your consciousness; that is all that is necessary. A higher life means a higher state of consciousness. Resolve that you are not going to be affected by problems and you are not going to be finicky, you are not going to be the victim of habits and moods, you are going to become free like a lark. You need not remain the same old self. Destroy the image you have superimposed upon your true Self. Bring forth the soul-image that God gave you. Every day, when you look into the mirror, you should see reflected there a better person.”
That’s what a great advantage a mirror was, I had it for twenty years right there and pointed to the Guru’s picture, that was my mirror. No matter how I felt, I had that big picture of my Guru. I sat down in front of him, I looked at him very close. That was the mirror of my conscience. If Yogananda is your guru, and you have done something really wrong, go to his picture and look into his eyes and see how you feel.
I remember Dr. Lewis, who was the first disciple of Paramahansa Yogananda –– Dr. Lewis said, “Well, when Master asked me that question, I answered very quickly. I did not realize what I was saying.” The Master said, “Dr., will you promise me that during our life as I train you, you will never avoid me?” Dr. Lewis said, “Of course!” He said, “Mama Mia.” He said, “After that,” he said, “How many times I didn’t want to see that guru, because he was my walking conscience.” Like a man like Abraham Lincoln and why did we love him? He was the conscience of our nation. If ever we had a good president it was he.
Planes of consciousness correspond to various levels of thought. Thought, conversely, is an indicator of the plane of consciousness in which one’s mind dwell. Life unfolds its wealth according to the unveiling of higher states of consciousness. A higher life means a higher consciousness. In other words, you have to take some principle; you must become like steel, like steel within yourself, and gentle like a flower to other human beings. But with yourself you must have a shield where nobody can hurt you anymore, and no one can bring out of you ugly thoughts of revenge and retaliation. Not easy if you want to be at peace within yourself. And therefore, remember I want you to know the suffering you are experiencing in life physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually are prods to remembrance that you have forgotten God, that you are not making enough effort. Once you take that vow of Kriya, of Kriya Yoga in Self-Realization, you have made a commitment which is terribly serious. Make no mistake about it.
Therefore, the Master said, “if you change your mind from the worldly consciousness of the senses to the consciousness of God, you become a conqueror.” I add, “which the television is endlessly filling.” All achievements lie within the mind. Ask yourself, am I a slave to my senses, or am I a king? Am I a creative genius, or a victim of circumstance? Am I in divine peace or am I poor within? And that, my dear, to be poor within is the worst form of poverty, because it leads to alcoholism, to drugs, and obsessive materialism.
Therefore, be realistic. What is the true reason you are here? The Master said, “Life here on earth appears futile and chaotic until we are anchored in the Divine.” That is why I always tell you that I am here to testify of the supreme importance of Spirit. Do not concentrate upon ephemeral worldly goals and human attachments. Such absorption draws your mind away from the Lord and your eternal Self in Him. Therefore, remember that all difficulties in life that confront you are meant only to stimulate you to greater effort.
Therefore, so that you may reach greater heights, if it is happiness you want, have it. There is nothing to stop you. You are an immortal child of God. Your mind should be charged with joy and detached from all unpleasant experiences. Strengthen your will power so that you will not be controlled by circumstances, but will control them. Plan your life so that you will be able to accomplish all the good things you want to do, that you know you should do. As you work and play, remember it is God who is working through you; thus you will develop endurance and strength.
God made you His child. You have made yourself a beggar. If you have convinced yourself that you are a helpless mortal and you allow everyone else to convince you, then you have passed a decree in your own mind that you are down and done for. No judgment from God or fate, but your own pronouncement of yourself which keeps you poor and worried. Even against the negative opinion of the rest of society, if you bring out by your all-conquering God-given will the conviction that you can’t be left to suffer in difficulties, you will feel a secret divine power coming upon you; and you will see that the magnetism of that conviction and power is opening new ways for you.
Now you should understand that this is highly scientific. One day our physicists will explain to us what it is to be spiritual. When you pray, hold your heart into your hand like a bowl. You are going to God. God will not change your circumstances. You open yourself to God; God pours His cosmic energy, fills up the bowl of your heart; that energy begins to flow into every cell of your body, and you become magnetic like the solar system and the galaxies. Everything is interrelated with the power of magnetism you begin to draw to yourself automatically the things you need.
I saw it in Sri Yukteswar’s service I led the other night. It was so clear to me, I said to the people out of the blue, “go to the altar; hold your heart into your hand; receive the divine magnetism you need. I never knew it until it came to me the other day. It was so clear. God will not change anything; He is going to give you the power, the power of magnetism, which is going to be able to draw that which uplifts you.
And remember the Master said, “know thy way; acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy path.” His ways are unknown and mysterious to those who rely on their own understanding; but for those who seek His face unceasingly with utmost faith and devotion, and attune their earthbound will with His wisdom-guided will, He will give the greatest blessings, directing them in every activity. Learn to commune with God by meditating intensely, and you will know exactly what course to follow to the minutest detail. Be alert to the intuitive prompting, that means remain centered. Be alert to the intuitive prompting which comes from within, and you will see that daily activities form a perfect pattern of spiritual and material fulfillment.
How did I become a monk? How did I get this incredible kingdom, living in the house of God? I live in paradise in this Lake Shrine. I always knew it. But I had to make a paradise of this box (body) right here. I had to, as much as I could, lock up that Pandora’s box of my own mind. You cannot change that mind, but you can bypass the mind. When you live in intuition of the soul there is no more thought process. You feel all things. It’s like love. Love is not a mental concept. You don’t say to somebody, “Hold a minute; I have to read a book about love to know if I love you.” You know very well if you love a person or not. How? You feel it.
Therefore remember that this is what you and I are going to face at the end of our life. When this book of life shall be closed there will remain with you only the realization gained from desires you have fulfilled in connection with God. So man must realize that his own happiness lies not in pleasing men, but God, the earth’s sole President and Owner. The whole world may not know you, but if Christ knows you, you are eternally a spiritual king, a spiritual queen. Always say to yourself, “Lord, Lord, not my will, but Thine.” You are entitled to a nonattached state of great inner freedom. You harbor only one wish: Lord, I want only to do Thy will, whatever it might be.
So my dear, unless you begin to make room for God and begin to remove from your life so many desires the greatest enemy in your spiritual development: too much desire for entertainment. Can’t you remain by yourself and begin to think deeply and entertain yourself by your own mind? The desert was made by God for you, not to go with those crazy bikers or shooting, You go to the desert to remember, you go to the Grand Canyon, you go to the Zion National Park, all the incredible beauty of this planet to make you remember the beauty of your own soul. If you have a chance, go to Monument Valley in Utah, where John Wayne was ceaselessly chasing Indians. You go there and sit in the silence, unbelievable silence. You have absolutely no effort to make. You sit down and are bathed by the beauty of the love of God who approaches you in silence
Sri Daya Ma said to us, “Never be discouraged. Never think that you cannot make the spiritual grade, no matter how steep it seems at times. One of the most consoling and heartening encouragements Master gave to us was this reminder: A saint is a sinner who never gave up, which we should remember whenever we get discouraged or feel that we have fallen short of our spiritual goal. The saving grace of the would-be saint is that he never gives up. He always keeps on trying, no matter how many times he falls, no matter how many mistakes he makes. By never giving up we prove to God that our devotion, our loyalty, our desire for Him, is unconditional.
When the Lord is once convinced that it is He alone we want then He is satisfied, in spite of all our weaknesses and shortcomings.” Isn’t that encouraging? In spite of all our shortcomings, our sins, our mistakes, when you can convince the Lord, “I want go Home, my Lord. Have mercy on me,” what can He do. When they asked Sri Yogananda, “Master, will you forgive me?” And the Master said, “What else can I do?” So then God takes us by the hand and He walks with us and He talks with us and He tells us that we are His own.
It is God who guides you to live a higher and a higher life, who reawakens you. You don’t have to polish your ego. You just have to step out of it. Everything good is waiting for you.
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