“To work with God’s happiness bubbling in the soul is to carry a portable paradise within you wherever you go.”
~ Paramahansa Yogananda
Happy Good Friday everyone! I hope this finds you preparing for a wonderful holiday weekend. And setting aside even just a few moments in church or in meditation to truly connect with the divine, that which Jesus gave his life for.
Upon waking and watching the warm sunrise this morning, I was drawn to think of my favorite book “Autobiography of a Yogi” written by Paramahansa Yogananda. It was named one of the 100 best spiritual books of the 20th century, and reads almost like a fairy tale. Yogi shares with us his unforgettable story of saints and yogis, science and miracles, death and resurrection. With chapters entitled The Saint with Two Bodies, The Tiger Swami, The Levitating Saint, The Cauliflower Robbery, The Law of Miracles, The Woman Yogi Who Never Eats …. He uses the mystical to open our hearts to all that is possible in this world, and beyond.
“So long as we believe in our heart of hearts that our capacity is limited and we grow anxious and unhappy, we are lacking in faith. One who truly trusts in God has no right to be anxious about anything.”
The great masters tell us that to really experience God, we must drop all notions of thought, all symbolism, because that which is ‘real’ is outside of our conceptual thinking. It must be intuited from the heart. The great prophets remain silent when requested to unveil the ultimate secrets. Thus, it is beyond words.
I was thinking about my Dad, who recently labeled himself “A Realist”. When we become identified with only what the eye can see and the mind can comprehend, I think we become trapped. There is so much more beyond this physical world, if we only open ourselves up to it. Dad and I don’t talk about God. But my heart ached just a little for him when he said that.
Yogi spent his life seeking out what most of us refer to as God. And he was highly connected to Christ himself, whom he had many streaming conscious moments with. Yogi wrote a 1,700 page book based on these insights, entitled “The Second Coming of Christ: The Resurrection of the Christ Within You.” It sits atop my book shelf, waiting to be read.
In his final chapter, Yogi quotes Christ:
“Be still, and know that I am God.”
“Christ meant this of himself, and of you and me. Never flaunting His omni-presence, the Lord is heard only in the immaculate silences. Each human being has been created by God as a soul that will uniquely manifest some special attribute of the Infinite before resuming its Absolute Identity. All men, endowed thus with a facet of Divine Individuality, are equally dear to God.”
“Ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace.”
The people of a hard-pressed 20th century hear longingly this wonderful promise. The full truth within it is realizable by every devotee of God who strives to repossess his divine heritage.
Thank you Yogi for sharing your connection with the holy trinity. It is through your offering that I began to have some semblance of knowing … Bless you Christ for sharing your wisdom, so many can have hope of salvation, even it they are not seeking.
So this Easter weekend, may you enjoy good company, good food, maybe a chocolate easter bunny or two, but most of all, may you know and feel the light, God’s love, bubbling up within you ♥
Paramahansa Yogananda
For Us, For God
