It is common knowledge that God often spoke to Paramahansa Yogananda. Yogananda was explaining in his lecture in 1946 at the San Diego Temple in California that perfection can never be found in this world. If perfection existed here in this world no one would ever want to leave it of their own accord and go back to God. As you clearly see all the imperfection in this world, you will start to see all the perfection in God and seek only Him. What does this really mean? It means misery is not your enemy but your best friend because it leads you to seek God. This means God is using evil not to hurt us but to make us disenchanted with the playthings of this world. This is the reason God permits evil and injustices on this earth.
The scolding started with an argument. Yogananda knows that God does not object to his arguments as the Lord is very patient. The Guru said to God “You being perfect in bliss have never suffered, how do You really know what our suffering is? And still you put us all through these tests with no business doing it. Why did you create us against our will? We surely did not ask to be born to suffer as mortals.” God answers Paramahansa Yogananda, “I have given everyone free will to come back to Me and by choosing good instead of evil to eliminate suffering.”
The test of the Lord is to know “evil,” to see if we will choose His gifts or Him. Most don’t want evil but it being palatable like poisoned honey making the temptation hard to resist. This is a funny world but the consequences of our incorrect actions aren’t very funny! This is why I scold and quarrel with Him. Why have You made these terrible temptations so pleasurable? Well, this is God’s trick. You deserve to suffer if you’re going to act like an idiot.
God says, “You are made in My image and you should behave like Me.”
Guru says, “But people don’t know that.”
The Lord says, “This is what My saints are striving to tell them. I will not force them to be good.”
Guru says, “Why in the world did you put us in this mess?”
The Lord says, “This is the way it is; and this is the way it will be.”
Once you have obtained the freedom of God, suffering will have a different meaning to you. But first obtain that freedom. Learn to live and work without attachment and desire and without being caught up in all the evil that will come your way. From the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda.
