Dear Friends,
Often, over the years, friends have told me of their longing to be part of a spiritual group – to spend time in the holy vibrations of a temple and enjoy the company of spiritually minded friends.
Then weeks, months, or even years would pass and I would hardly see them.
I knew their longing was sincere. But the pace of life in the modern world worked against our spiritual aspirations. This isn’t an excuse. It is, however, a fact that we must acknowledge and deal with.
Work, family, and health problems eat up our days. Where is the time for God? In a world dedicated to stimulation and entertainment, we must find a path of life that will bring us peace and joy.
AUM: The Music of Creation
I recently went to buy a bottle of laundry soap. What could be simpler? I found, however, that I was unable to decide which one I should buy. With mounting desperation, I bent toward the shelves, carefully reading the labels.
Then I realized that there was a loudspeaker right over my head, and the ugly vibrations of the music were interfering with my concentration.. I couldn’t escape the so-called “music,” but I realized that I could shield myself by humming a song of my own choosing. And then I was able to buy the soap.
Sound is the substance of creation. When God projected the cosmos from His being, he used the vibration of AUM – the blissful sound that we hear in meditation.
Sound vibrations do not simply bounce off us; they merge with us. More than any other artistic medium, music affects our consciousness. That is why Swami Kriyananda has devoted so much energy to creating the right kind of music – music that will help people in their spiritual development.
Good Company
Swami Kriyananda tells of a day when he had to walk to a meeting in San Francisco. On the way, he had to pass through one of the most sensually oriented districts in the city. People were standing in the doorways of nightclubs, urging him to come inside and sample the “delights” awaiting him.
As he walked, he chanted, “Sri Ram, Jai Ram, Jai, Jai Ram.” The more others tried to entice him away from his awareness of God, the more he felt himself being bathed with divine bliss.
Joy Is Within You
Yogananda said that we carry within us a “portable paradise.” “Always keep your attention at the point between the eyebrows, the center of divine communion in the human body,” he advised. “Come out a little to eat and talk, then go back to that inward reality.”
Rest in the Self
At times, meditation may seem like “just one more thing to do,” in a life already overbooked with schedules and deadlines. Our spiritual practice, however, is the best antidote to stress, because it brings us to a state of rest in God’s peace, love, and joy.
To be spiritually successful, we need to build into our lives the uplifting vibrations of Spirit. We can’t control the weather, but in the portable paradise, the sun always shines.
In His Joy,
Asha