Paramahansa Yogananda - About Prayer

 “Blessed are those who pray for others, for in so doing, they become aware of the unity of all life. We are not isolated beings, struggling alone against the forces of adversity. Our happiness is linked with the happiness of all; our highest fulfillment lies in the welfare of all. May you ever be aware of the constant protection and all satisfying love of God”.

“When you pray to God, do it from the bottom of your soul. Tell what you truly feel and not what you think He would like you to feel. Be completely sincere towards Him, because there is no way you can hide your inner feelings from Him. An intense prayer gives you a very strong mental force. Your thoughts will then be focused and centred upon Him. Without honesty, this won’t happen. If you don’t feel any state of devotion, pray to Him like this: “God, help me love You.”

He is for you exactly what you really need and He will do for you much more than you can ever imagine.

More than anything search Him for Himself, for His love. Ask Him:

“Reveal Yourself to me!” If you ask Him to come to you in such a sincere way, He will certainly be always there for you.

Don’t ever pray with a beggar’s attitude. Never forget that you are a child of God. So, as such, you have a right to His treasures. Pray to Him and at the same time be sure that He is listening to you, because He will certainly fulfill all your prayers if you pray with love.

A firm faith and love are the most important elements in prayer.

How should you love God? Love Him as a poor man loves money, as a drowned man longs for a breath of air, as a man lost in the desert longs for a glass of water. Love Him with the enthusiasm of all lovers during their first love.

When you learn how to love Him from all your heart, then you will find Him. It is only then that you will be a true yogi, a human being who has reached the union with God.”

Paramahansa Yogananda on Introspection

India's Rishis from time immemorial have carefully analyzed the whole of human existence and advised people how to realize life's highest potentials. Psychology teaches you what you are; ethics tells you what you should be. The sages emphasized both as part of true religious training for spiritual unfoldment in body, mind, and soul.

Every day we look into a mirror to observe our face and body, because we want to look our best before others. Is it not even more important to look daily into the inner mirror of introspection, self-analysis, to insure the proper visage of that which is behind the superficial appearance?

All outer attractiveness is derives from the divinity of the indwelling soul. And as even a little pimple or scar on the face spoils its beauty, so are there psychological disfigurements of anger, fear, hatred, jealousy, and worry from the uncertainties of mortal existence, which mar the reflection of the soul. If every day we strive to free ourselves from these defacements, the beauty of our inner being will shine forth.

By analysis we see that human troubles are threefold: those that afflict the physical body, those that attack the mind, and those that obstruct the soul.

Disease, old age, and death are the difficulties of the body. Psychological ills invade the mind through sorrow, fear, anger, unfulfilled desires, discontentment, hate, nervous excitation or emotional obsession. And the soul sickness of ignorance, which is the underlying cause of all our other troubles possible.

True freedom lies in the consciousness of the soul. We need to analyze ourselves and determine to what extent our soul consciousness is bound by the roots of ignorance. Real freedom is only possible when those roots are severed.

We need to plan our lives, and see how we will change through constantly improving yourselves. We need to seek out good company, company that reminds us of the noble things in life. We need to be conscious of our habits; of how we schedule our day; of how we can hold on to our inner calmness. And every so often inwardly ask, “Lord, am I wasting my time? How can I get some free time every day, just to be with You.

We need to start the day with meditation and pray deeply to God and ask for guidance. We need to be determined to do the best we can and when night comes we will go to sleep knowing that you we have put the day to good use. 

Paramahansa Yogananda on the Benefits of meditation

What is meditation? Becoming one with the soul.... When man communes with his soul within, the forgotten times and powers of the deathless Self will come back into his consciousness. Meditation means to remember that one is not a mortal body but an immortal soul, one with God.

The proximity of happiness is as close as one's own Self; it isn't even a matter of attaining, but only of lifting the soul-shrouding veil of ignorance. The very word "attaining" implies something one wants but does not have − a metaphysical error. Bliss is the irrevocable divine birthright of every soul.

Meditate. As soon as you take away the ripples of sensations from the lake of the mind, God's heavenly bliss bursts forth from the soul. His bliss is already there, but it is hidden within you. The more you meditate the more you will feel the endless joy of God.

Form the habit of meditation. It is the only way to find everlasting happiness of the soul; and when you have that, nothing else matters.

Even though you may be able to do everything else but meditate, you will never find joy to equal that which comes when the thoughts are silent and your mind is tuned to the peace of God.

If you ask, "How do I know there is such joy as you describe?" this is my testimony: if you practice meditation every day, deeply and consistently, you will find that ever-existing, ever-conscious, ever-new joy, ever increasingly manifest within you. And with practice it will stay with you in activity and in silence alike − even in sleep. It is a joy that will constantly guide you to right action in everything and will respond to your prayers.

You have to demonstrate that for yourself. And this is my further testimony: that, once God's joy has been found, all desires for other gain will dwindle in comparison. Your consciousness will expand. You will be able to stand unshaken amidst jarring trials. The whole world will not be able to lure you to forsake the bliss that you will find in meditation. You will enjoy all other things in that divine joy.

Paramahansa Yogananda on the Power of Affirmation

The Scientific Use of Concentration and Affirmations for Healing In- harmonies of Body, Mind, and Soul through Reason, Will, Feeling, and Prayer

Words saturated with sincerity, conviction, faith, and intuition are highly explosive vibrations, which, when set off, shatter the rocks of difficulties and create the change desired....Sincere words or affirmations repeated understandingly, feelingly, and willingly are sure to move the Omnipresent Cosmic Vibratory Force to render aid in your difficulty. Appeal to that Power with infinite confidence, casting out all doubt; otherwise the arrow of your attention will be deflected from its mark.

Nothing is greater than Cosmic Consciousness, or God. His power far surpasses that of the human mind. Seek His aid alone. But this counsel does not mean that you should make yourself passive, inert, or credulous; or that you should minimize the power of your own mind. The Lord helps those who help themselves. He gave you will power, concentration, faith, reason, and common sense to use when trying to rid yourself of bodily and mental afflictions; you should employ all those powers while simultaneously appealing to Him.

As you utter prayers or affirmations, always believe that you are using your own but God-given powers to heal yourself or others. Ask His aid; but realize that you yourself, as His beloved child, are employing His gifts of will, emotion, and reason to solve all difficult problems of life.

Spiritual well being

Spirituality is unique to each individual. Spirit refers to the deepest part of us, the part that lends meaning of our world. Our spirit provides us with the revealing sense of who we are, why we are here and what our purpose for living is. It is that innermost part of us that allows us to gain strength and hope.

Spiritual wellness may not be something that we ordinarily think of, yet its impact on our life is unavoidable. The basis of spirituality is discovering a sense of meaningfulness in our life and coming to know that we have a purpose to fulfill.

For some of us spirituality may be equated with traditional religions such as Christianity, Hinduism or Buddhism. For others, it may mean growing in our personal relationships with others, or through being at peace with nature and the world.

Assessing your Spiritual Health

Where are you at this point in your spiritual life? Take a moment to reflect. Do you feel a sense of worth, hope, purpose, commitment, peace, joy, love? Do you have a positive outlook on life? Or do you experience feelings of emptiness, anxiety, hopelessness, apathy or conflict? These may be signs of spiritual poverty in your life and may be the reason for unhappiness or dissatisfaction.

Spirituality and Wellness

Many wellness behaviours can benefit our spiritual health. Such behaviours include feeling connected with others, feeling part of a community, volunteering, having an optimistic attitude, contributing to society and having self love.

Here are some ways to help improve our spiritual health:

·         Be quiet. Take time for yourself every day, even if it's just before you go to sleep, or when you get up in the morning.

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    Be open. Spiritual experiences can happen anywhere at any time.

·         Practice being non-judgmental and having an open mind.

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    Be receptive to pain or times of sorrow. It is often in these times when we discover how spirituality can help us cope.

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    Forgiveness.

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    Pray, meditate or worship.

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    Live joyfully.

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    Allow yourself to believe in things that aren't easily explainable.

Be Thankful, be Happy, be at Peace.