Concepts of God

We may ask, is our concepts of God personal or impersonal?

At the beginning of spiritual life most people pay homage to a personal God. This enables them to fix their minds on their concept of God and strengthens their power of concentration. As long as one regard himself as a psycho physical being, conscious of body, mind and ego and aware of  weaknesses and limitations, he feels the need for prayer and other external supports. He prays to the personal God for protection, guidance and grace. However, as he awakens to his true nature as a spiritual being, he will realize that he is none other than the personal God, a manifestation of Spirit, the one without another.

Religious community

In practice, a religious community's conception of the Divine is determined by its conviction that the object of its devotion is of uppermost greatness. Its teachings are presented either by the spoken or written word and are based on oral tradition or texts. It regards authoritative, as well as metaphysical assumptions and valuations widely shared by the community's members.

Western thought about God has fallen within some broad form of theism. Theism is the view that there is a God which is the creator and sustainer of the universe and is unlimited with regard to knowledge (omniscience), power (omnipotence), extension (omnipresence), and moral perfection. Though regarded as sexless, God has traditionally been referred to by the masculine pronoun.

To Plato, God is transcendent, the highest and most perfect being and one who uses eternal forms, or archetypes, to fashion a universe.

Aristotle saw God passively responsible for change in the world in the sense that all things seek divine perfection. God imbues all things with order and purpose, both of which can be discovered and point to His (or its) divine existence.

Early Christian Thought

Having been born out of Judaism, Christianity monotheistic and affirmed that God created the material of the universe out of nothing (ex nihilo). But it also affirmed the Trinity as multiplicity within unity, a view it regarded as implicit in Judaism.

Consistent with theism, Augustine (354-430) regarded God as omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, morally good, the creator (ex nihilo) and sustainer of the universe. Despite these multiple descriptors, God is uniquely simple. Being entirely free, he did not have to create, but did so as an act of love. His creation reflects His mind.

Renaissance Thought

 God moved out of the intellectual center of knowledge as faith was no longer grounded in reason and reason was no longer supervised by faith. The power of the church waned and society found inspiration in the classical world. Interest in this life and the world drove interest in science.

Reformation

The Reformation period saw an emphasis on divine sovereignty over human affairs as a corollary to its emphasis on fallen humanity’s inability to achieve a right place with God. If humans cannot come to God unaided, then it is God who must choose some to be right with him. Since the Reformers affirmed that divine choice cannot be based on merit, love must be the central divine attribute operating in salvation.

Enlightenment

Philosophy began splitting from religion as the two moved in opposite directions with regard to reason. Religion was retreating from reason both by emphasizing the divine will over the divine intellect, and in the human realm, by emphasizing faith over reason. Meanwhile, broad elements in the culture turned away from the authority of the church

Modern Period

Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) also rejected empirical knowledge as a way of knowing God. In fact, he maintained that God cannot be demonstrated at all, yet neither can his existence be disproved. As humans, we typically go beyond what we can rightly infer, and our idea that God can be objectively known is an example. Nevertheless, as an idea, God has regulative value for our thinking in that it acts analytically and gives a sense of unity to our experience. Practically, too, the idea of God grounds important moral beliefs

Incorporeality (otherworldliness)

God has no body (from Latin, incorporale), or is non-physical. This is a central tenet of monotheistic religions, which insist that any references to God’s eyes, ears, mind, and the like are anthropomorphic. Christian belief in the incarnation is a unique case in which God takes on human form in Christ.

Immutability

Those who accept the view that God is outside time are able to argue, that God cannot change because any change would have to take place inside time. The view that God is an absolutely perfect being can also lead to the conclusion that he cannot change

Goodness

Whereas classical Greek religion ascribed to the gods very human foibles, theism from Plato onward has affirmed that God is purely good and could not be the author of anything evil (see Plato’s Republic).

In Judaism divine goodness is thought to be manifested especially in the giving of the law (Torah).

In Islam it is thought to be manifested in divine revelation of truth through the prophets, especially as revealed in the Qur’an.

And in Christianity it is manifested in the gracious granting of Christ as the way of salvation.

The form a religious community takes varies from one religious community to another.

(In 2012 according to the centre for the study of Global Christianity, there were 43,000 different denominations with their dogmas and creeds).

It may take the form of worship, and involve praise, love, gratitude, supplication, confession, petition, and the like.

But it can also take the form of a quest for the ultimate concern.

The two forms of ultimate concern may be combined or exist separately. Christianity and theistic (the belief that at least one deity exists) Hinduism combine both.

In Theravada Buddhism and Taoism, on the other hand, the ultimate concern typically takes the second form but not the first.

Disagreement exists between those who regard the divine reality as personal and those who do not. Theists believe that even though the object of their ultimate concern transcends all finite realities it is more like a person than anything else with which we are ordinarily familiar, and typically conceptualize it as a perfect person.

The major theistic traditions have therefore described ultimate reality as an omniscient mind and an omnipotent will.

Other spiritual traditions are non-theistic. Advaita (non Dual) Vedanta is an important example.

The Brahma Sutra starts with the aphorism (an inquiry into the nature of Brahman) it states that direct realization (of Brahman) is possible. Although unmanifest, it is associated with traits as being eternal, imperishable, ever-pure, without the attributes (of the Gunas), indivisible, full, perfect, all-knowing, ever free, considered vast (being all-pervasive), self-effulgent, beyond all imagination (associated with name and form), unthinkable, meaning its features cannot be thought of (the concept of truth, standing distinguished from mere imagination).

Another Vedic concept of the Supreme is: Sat Existence, Chit Consciousness and Ananda Bliss.

It is hoped that this paper has helped you toward a better understanding concerning the concept of God.

Prayer and Meditation

True meditation is a state of relaxation, calmness. The mind becomes relaxed and calm only when it feels secure and is detached from desires.

Life is full of uncertainties and difficulties, and modern conditions of living have increased mankind’s anxiety and feeling of insecurity. The best way to overcome fear and insecurity is to constantly pray to the supreme Lord, the controller of the destinies of all beings.

Even those who practice repeating the name of the Lord (japa) and meditation have to pass through dark periods when they feel oppressed and hopeless. During such periods prayer gives great support to the soul.

“In all our necessities, trials, and afflictions, there is no better or safer remedy than prayer, and hope that God will provide for us in his own way.”

                                                      St. John of the Cross

Meditation is the conscious, self-directed focusing of a continuous stream of thoughts on a physical or mental object. This becomes possible only if the mind is free from the influence of external objects and desires.

This withdrawal of the mind or the will is called pratyahara or (internalization of the senses). One way to do this is by repeated practice.

 Intense prayer can also direct our attention away from sense experience and thus internalize our focus. Prayer is the bhakti yogi’s way of practicing pratyahara (internalization).

Every person is capable of a certain degree of concentration on external objects or even on mental images, provided he likes them.

The main difficulty is in concentrating the mind at a higher center of consciousness. For this two conditions are to be fulfilled.

The higher spiritual center should be developed and made active to some extent.

And then the will and mental energies must be given an elevated focus. Prayer accomplishes both these tasks.

Prayer is the best way to stimulate the heart center. After a day’s distracting work we may feel that our mental energies have become scattered in different parts of the body, and it may be difficult for us to meditate. When this happens, we should try intense prayer.

When we focus our prayer from the heart center, we are filled with new strength.

When meditating, if our mind is not lifted up into sattva, it may sink into tamas, inertia, and possibly be overpowered by sleep. That is why meditation at times ends up in sleep. The best way to avoid drowsiness during meditation is to pray. Prayer and sleep can never go together. Prayer keeps the mind alert.

Prayer gives a sense of security to the soul when it detaches the will from desires and objects, activates the higher centers, gives a higher direction to thoughts, keeps the mind alert, and above all, clears the way for the inflow of divine power.

As we go on praying intensely, we finds that gradually prayer merges imperceptibly into dhyana, or true meditation.

One may begin prayer using many words. But as prayer gains in intensity and depth, words drop away by themselves, leaving only a silent aspiration in the heart. Then the inner Image becomes still and the mind flows in silence toward it. Prayer has transformed itself naturally and spontaneously into meditation.

This is the ultimate goal of prayer.

Prayer is the simplest first step on the path of bhakti, or devotion. But if it is to become an effective and powerful tool, it must fulfill certain conditions.

The first condition is a prayerful attitude. Not everyone has the inclination or capacity to pray. Those who find it difficult to pray may try other spiritual techniques.

The test of a prayerful attitude is spontaneity. True prayer bubbles up from the bottom of the heart spontaneously. But it is also true that through practice one gradually acquires or strengthens the capacity to pray.

The prayerful attitude must be supported by strong faith in the existence of God und that God listens and responds to prayer. This faith must be so strong that there is no room for negative or contrary thoughts. If we pray for something but are deeply convinced that we are not going to get it, we only obstruct the working of God’s grace.

Along with faith there must be a reduction of egotism and a spirit of self-surrender or sense helplessness. In fact, it is out of sheer helplessness that many people pray to God. A person who is sure of everything need not pray.

A devotee of God uses every experience of sorrow, suffering, and difficulty as an incentive to pray to God. The devotee refuses to depend on matter, he depends only on Spirit. Strong in the strength of God, he is not afraid even of death.

This does not mean that we should pray only when difficulties come. Prayer becomes effective as a spiritual discipline when there is continuity and intensity in it.

A true aspirant prays only for God or a higher vision. His need is internal and does not depend on external things. When difficulties come his way, he is ready to face them.

The human soul is surrounded on all sides by the boundless ocean of divine power and light. And yet how few people make use of it! It is not even necessary to pray to a deity. It is enough to open our heart to the divine power and light.

Many of the Vedic prayers are not directed to any particular aspect of God. They are mostly affirmations.

Finally, it should be remembered that we do not thrust prayer on everybody. For those who do not feel the need for it and for those who feel a dislike for it, there are other ways, like the path of Self-inquiry and meditation.

However, it is also true that, protected and supported by divine grace, the one who prays moves faster on the spiritual path than the person who depends solely on his own limited resources.

While some of us toil all our lives, swimming against the current, others set their sails and let the wind of divine grace carry them across the ocean of consciousness.

 

Meditation Guidelines – Roy Eugene Davis

Om Vibration Meditation

Listen to subtle sounds that you hear in your ears and around the head. Gently endeavor to go beyond the first sounds that you hear, to more subtle sounds. When the sound is clear and constant, use it as a self-manifesting mantra. Consider it to be an aspect of the omnipresent Om vibration. Let you attention and awareness somewhat merge in that sound. Expand your awareness in it. Contemplate the radiant field of the supreme Reality from which Om continuously emanates. Aspire to apprehend and experience that radiant field. When listening to Om, have your attention and awareness in the higher brain. Let your innate urge to have your consciousness completely restored to its original, pure wholeness determine the results of Om vibration meditation.

Yogananda on Om meditation

“Close your eyes. Relax. Be aware of the inner darkness around you. Feel it. Imagine to be filled with Om vibration. Imagine it to be as large as Planet Earth, ten so large that it contains the stars and the planets – everything in the universe. Imagine it to be infinite, without boundaries. Fill all space with the consciousness. of bliss (joyousness), with you attention equally everywhere. Be conscious of you immortality, knowledge, peace and the all pervading energies and life forces. Remain identified with the Om vibration for as long as you can, as often as you can. The infinite reality of God will then be known to you.”

To have wholeness desires fulfilled he advised hi disciples to ‘Float’ them in Om vibration with the firm faith and soul-felt conviction that they would definitely be realized, He said that one should only have ‘necessary desires’ which would enable purposes of real value to be fulfilled without interfering with spiritual practices and aspiration to be Self –realized.

Prayerful Meditation

Pray to the ultimate Reality for success in meditation practice: verbally, mentally or with wordless aspiration to realize your true nature and you relationship with the Infinite. Do it when you first sit to meditate or anytime during your practice session. Acknowledge the omnipresent Reality around and within you. Pray spontaneously or use a prayer of your choice. Example: Infinite Reality, I sincerely want to be spiritually enlightened. Calm and illumine my mind. Bring forth from within me all of my innate, divine qualities. Purify my intellect. Expand and clarify my awareness. Completely restore my consciousness to its original, pure wholeness.

Then wait for the response, which will emerge from within you. Observe the subtle changes in mental states and states of consciousness that occur. Patiently wait in a sense of communion with the presence of God or a sense of being in God.

Affirmative Meditation

Affirm that what you want to experience or realize is emerging into your consciousness. Affirm audibly or mentally. If you begin with audible affirmation, speak quietly, whisper it, mentally speak it, them calmly sit, knowing and feeling that what was affirmed is experienced and realized. Use an affirmation that you prefer, or use this one:

The radiance of my pure essence of Being is fully emerging into my conscious awareness,

Feel the purity of your essence of Being pervading your mind, clarifying and enlarging your consciousness, bringing forth your spiritual qualities and revealing all knowledge of your true nature and of the Reality and its processes.

Enlivening the Energies of the Chakras and Internalization of attention

In the human body seven major nerve plexus in the spine and brain are located where channels through which life force flows in the subtle body converge at energy centre (chakras).

First chakra, located at the coccygeal plexus, at the bottom of the spine. It is associated with modified, blurred and fragmented states of consciousness.

Second chakra, is located at the sacral plexus. It is associated with partial spiritual awakening mixed with modified states of mind and consciousness.

Third chakra is at the lumbar plexus. It is associated with rational thinking and effective functional abilities.

Fourth chakra is at the dorsal plexus. It is associated with fervent spiritual aspiration, self control and Self awareness.

Fifth chakra is at the cervical plexus. It is associated with powers of discriminative intelligence.

Sixth chakra is in the frontal region of the brain. It is associated with improved powers of intuition.

Seventh chakra is in the higher brain. It is associated with clarity of awareness and transcendent super-conscious states.

In people who are not spiritually inclined, much of their life force is dormant in the lower chakras. It may be aroused by fervent aspiration to be spiritually enlightened; nurturing compassion, harmlessness, honesty, and truthfulness; devotional prayer, super-conscious meditation practice and by being with spiritually conscious people and having mental and spiritual attunement with them. The environmental influences that pervade places where others have prayed and meditated, such as shrines, retreat centres, or quest ashrams may also arouse one’s life force and evoke spiritual inclinations.

Sit upright. Put your attention and awareness in your spine and the higher region of the spine.

Locate the chakra at the base of the spine. Feel it. Mentally chant Om and feel the vibration response.

Ascend to the second chakra. Feel it. Mentally chant Om.

Continue to go up through the chakras to the front region of the brain. Pause a moment, go down through the chakras. Chant Om and feel the vibration at each chakra. Pause at the bottom chakra; then again go up and down through the chakras. Do it several times.

Conclude the practice by staying in the higher brain. Chant Om there for a few minutes; listen to Om; somewhat merge with it; go beyond it to pure consciousness.

When practicing this routine, if you see a bright light in the front region of the brain or in the higher brain, it can be helpful to allow your attention be attracted to it. Subjective perceptions of light, caused by the activation of brain centres when attention is internalized, are not a super natural event. If bright light is not seen, don’t be concerned. It is more spiritually beneficial to experience superconscious states and to awaken to Self and God realization.

During meditation if you have perceptions of mental scenes of people or places, memories of pleasant or unpleasant events, or emotional surges, avoid pre-occupation with them. If you feel inclined to allow your body to sway or arms to move, inhale mildly tense the muscles of the body, exhale and relax. Maintain a firm, balanced seated posture. Remember that the purpose of meditation practice is to be superconscious. Detach your attention and awareness from external conditions.

Visualization Meditation

When you notice, that you are passive or inattentive during you meditation session, do something to focus your attention. Pray or use a meditation technique, or imagine that your awareness is clear and that you are spiritually awake. Creative imagining can remove your attention from a limited sense of self-identity, clarify your awareness, and make you receptive to experiencing refines states of consciousness.

Mentally see and feel yourself fully conscious in the present moment.

See yourself as spiritually enlightened.

Imagine yourself to be a joyous bubble of pure consciousness, in the infinite ocean of consciousness. As a joyous bubble of pure consciousness, expand to omnipresence. Imagine that you are omniscient, that you have all knowledge of supreme Consciousness and its processes.

Aspire to actually experience what you sexualize. When you are calm, you may have spontaneous, transcendent perceptions.

Analytical Meditative Contemplation

After sitting for a while in a calm, Self aware state, if you are inclined to sit longer, meditatively contemplate that which you want to more fully comprehend.

Contemplate you true nature. Inquire, ‘What am I?’ if you ask ‘Who am I?’ you may be inclined to think about aspects or characteristics of personality-oriented self identity. By discarding all that is not permanent, the personality, the mind and physical body, you will be able to know, that you are the changeless observer. At first, such knowledge may be a well reasoned conclusion. In time, you will have a viewpoint that provides you with experience of what you are.

Contemplate the Reality commonly referred to as God, its expressive aspect with attributes and its pure existence or absolute aspect.

Meditatively examine the categories and processes of cosmic manifestation from the Radiant field of the expressive aspect of supreme Reality to the primordial field of nature (the Om vibration with causative influences that produce space, time and cosmic forces). Desire to comprehend how the blending of the attributes of the Radiant field and primordial nature individualize unites of pure consciousness.

Meditatively contemplate what you were like when you were first individualized, before you became involved with space time phenomena and temporarily forgot your true nature. Identify with your pure conscious essence of Being.

Insights may not always be had when you are examining higher realities. Later, when you are not trying to understand what you want to know, or when you are reading metaphysical literature, knowledge may suddenly emerge into awareness.

Transcendent Meditation

Acknowledge your pure conscious essence, and then patiently sit alert expectation of discovery. It thoughts or feelings persist, ignore them. If your attention wanders, focus it on what you intent to realize. With attentive practice, you will soon be able to transcend ordinary states of consciousness. When your Self realization is flawless, it will prevail when you are engage in activities and relationships. The purity of your essence of Being will continuously enliven your body, refine you nervous system, purify your mind, illumine your consciousness and bring forth from within you seemingly endless steams of knowledge of higher realities. When you consciousness is as pure as your essence of Being, you will be fully, spiritually enlightened, permanently liberated from all the conditions which formerly confined and limited you.

By your own right endeavors and God’s grace, liberation of consciousness can be realized in your current incarnation. Your right endeavors allow rapid spiritual growth to naturally occur. Because of the inherent inclinations of super Consciousness to express more freely as and through units of itself, the more receptive and responsive you are to its inclinations to be nurturing and transformative, the more evidence of grace you will have in your life. As your spiritual awareness improves, your further spiritual growth will be easier and more rapid.

Non dual consciousness is the natural state.

The Advaita truth of non dual consciousness, or oneness of Being, has often been thought of as something hidden or difficult to experience, when it is quite ordinary and available in every moment. Non dual consciousness is the natural state. Of course, a dramatic experience of oneness is a rare event. But why wait for something so rare when this sweet and satisfying oneness is right here, right now?

Prayer Discourse II

“God is the love that upholds the universe. It is the ocean of life and power that pervades all creation. Through prayer, we can attune ourselves to that Infinite Power, and bring healing to body, mind, and spirit”.

                                                    Paramahansa Yogananda

Some people regard prayer as a vague and ineffective exercise in wishful thinking. The ordinary person resorts to prayer only when in dire trouble and when all other options have failed. But Paramahansa Yogananda taught that true prayer is scientific, being based on precise laws that governs all creation and is a daily necessity for harmonious living.

He explained that our physical bodies and the material world we live in are condensations of invisible patterns of energy. That energy in turn is an expression of finer blueprints of thought, the subtlest vibration which governs all manifestations of energy and matter.

He stated that the whole of creation was brought into being by God first in thought or idea form. Then the Divine Consciousness willed those thought patterns to condense into light and energy, and finally into the grosser vibrations of matter.

 

As human beings, made in the image of God, we are different from the lower forms of creation: we have the freedom to use these same powers of thought and energy. By the thoughts we habitually entertain and act upon, we create the circumstances in which our life unfolds.

Prayer correctly done is based on understanding of this truth, and on the application of the universal forces of creation: It needs to be in tune with the mind of God concerning patterns of health, harmony, and perfection; lastly one needs to use will power and be a channel for the energy to materialize those patterns.

Prayer is the way by which we can attune our human mind and will to the consciousness and will of the Divine. When through prayer, we form a loving, personal relationship with the Infinite, His response will be unfailing.

By patient and persevering application of God’s unlimited power, we can, with His love and help, create whatever circumstances we desire, and dissolve difficulties and disease not only for ourselves, but for others.

Here are some key points to be remembered for effective prayer:

Concentration

Successful prayer depends to a great extent on the ability to concentrate, the ability to free the mind from distractions and to focus it one-pointedly on whatever one wishes to attain. The subtle yet powerful energies latent in thoughts, feelings, and the spoken words may be gathered into an all powerful prayer through a definite method of concentration. Vast reservoirs of mental power may be tapped through concentration, and may then be used for any outward manifestation or inward experience.

The Power of Will

Will power is an essential element in prayer. “Continuous, calm, powerful use of the will influences the forces of creation and brings a response from the Infinite. When we persist, refusing to accept failure, the object willed must materialize.

When we continuously work that will through our thoughts and activities, what we are wishing for has to come to fruition and the desired result will somehow manifest. In that kind of response lies God’s answer.

In prayer it is necessary to distinguish between a passive attitude that God will do everything, and the other extreme of relying only on our own efforts.

A balance should be struck between the medieval idea of wholly depending on God and the modern way of sole reliance on the ego.

When Jesus prayed, “Thy will be done,” before undergoing the trial of crucifixion, he was not denying his own will. It took complete mastery of will to surrender to God’s divine plan for his life. Few people have developed their will power to that extent. But God expects us as His children to exercise His gifts of reason, will, and feeling to the best of our ability in every endeavor.

While utilizing all means at our disposal to achieve success, we should simultaneously seek guidance from the Divine Presence within. This balanced attitude leads to poise, understanding, harmonization of our human and divine faculties, and attunement of our human will with the will of God.

Devotion, Love for God

Prayer imbued with devotion is the most effective prayer. Devotion, love for God, is the magnetic attraction of the heart that God cannot resist.

Paramahansa Yogananda said: “The Searcher of Hearts wants only your sincere love. He is like a little child: someone may offer Him his whole wealth and He doesn’t want it; and another cries to Him, ‘O Lord, I love You!’ and into that devotee’s heart He comes running.”

Knowing all things before we ask, God is more interested in our love than in long outdrawn prayers. It is better to have a heart without words than words without a heart. Mechanical prayer, devoid of attention and feeling, is like absentmindedly offering wilted flowers to the Lord, an offering not likely to get much response! But if we call again and again on God, with devotion, concentration, and will power, we will come to know beyond doubt that our prayers are heard and answered by that Divine One whose power and loving concern for us is absolute and unlimited.

How can our prayers influence the lives of others?

In the same way that they elevate our own: by implanting in their consciousness positive patterns of health, success, and receptivity to divine help.

The minds of illumined masters

The minds of illumined masters, who have perfectly attuned their will with God’s will, can transmit the divine power to bring instantaneous healing of body, mind, and spirit.

The writings and lectures of Paramahansa Yogananda are abound with examples of such healings. Though they seem miraculous, divine healings are the natural result of fulfilling the universal laws of creation. By conveying God’s idea patterns of perfection with sufficient will power and energy to manifest them in the minds and bodies of others, these enlightened ones follow the same process by which everything in the universe was formed.

Any person who prays according to these principles will find that his or her prayers also have a tangible influence. And though our individual power is obviously less than that which a master can convey, when the prayers of many are united, the powerful vibrations of peace and divine healing thus generated are of inestimable value in helping to manifest the desired results.

Worldwide Peace and Healing Through Prayer

In a world where humanity is ravaged by war, poverty, disease, anxiety, and lack of purpose in life, compassionate men and women naturally wonder, “What can I do to help lessen the world’s problems?”

Paramahansa Yogananda answered:

 “Only spiritual consciousness, realization of God’s presence in oneself and in every other living being can save the world. I see no chance for peace without it. Begin with yourself. There is no time to waste. It is your duty to do your part to bring God’s kingdom on earth.”

As we realize the presence and the love of God within, we develop our ability to radiate it without. This is the practical answer to the troubles of humankind, for there is a dynamic relationship between our consciousness and world conditions”.

Yogananda

 “The sudden cataclysms that occur in nature, creating havoc and mass injury, are not ‘acts of God.’ Such disasters result from the thoughts and actions of man. Wherever the world’s vibratory balance of good and evil is disturbed by an accumulation of harmful vibrations, the result of man’s wrong thinking and wrong doing, you will see devastation”.

“When materialism dominates man’s consciousness, there is an emission of subtle negative rays; their cumulative powers disturb the electrical balance of nature, and that is when earthquakes, floods, and other disasters happen.”

God-Contact brings Individual and International Healing

Yogananda stressed that the negative vibrations of selfishness, greed, and hatred which bring disease and unhappiness to individuals, war and natural disaster to nations can be overcome if enough men and women turn to God in meditation and prayer.

By changing ourselves through spiritual living and communion with the Divine, we automatically radiate vibrations of peace and harmony that do much to counteract the negative effects of inharmonious living.

Thus, as a channel for the healing power of God, prayer for others is one of the highest services we can offer. Material charity, social welfare work, and other forms of relief are valuable and necessary in temporarily alleviating the suffering of others, but correct prayer strikes at the root cause of the world’s suffering: the wrong thought patterns of mankind.

Through correct prayer, each of us can help in the most effective way possible to bring peace and healing to the world and to any of our dear ones in need of aid.

Prayer Discourse

Prayers may be grouped into two main divisions: secular and spiritual. Secular prayers are for the fulfillment of worldly desires and needs. Life is full of uncertainties, and in the life of every person come times when one finds himself in the grip of forces which are beyond his control. When confronted with fear and despair, sorrows and difficulties, millions of people turn to God in prayer.

Does intercessory prayer work?

There is no need to go deep into the question whether intercessory prayers are answered. We only need to look at our own experience for an answer. However, there are studies available on the subject. How accurate they are is another question.

For our purpose this paper leads us to focus on the second type of prayer, the spiritual prayer, practiced as a spiritual discipline.

The primary purpose of spiritual prayer is to seek divine assistance in attaining moral purity and spiritual progress. A true devotee of God prays not for material things, which are after all transitory, but for spiritual enlightenment. Prayer represents the first stage in one’s quest for higher consciousness.

Even those who do not believe in a personal God or in the effectiveness of prayer should pray for others in order to free themselves from thoughts of dislike, jealousy, and selfishness which are harmful to us. Prayer in this sense is only a way of purifying oneself by sending good thoughts to others rather than focusing on one self.

Since all individual minds are parts of a cosmic mind, this leads us to realize, that we are all linked,.This kind of prayerful thinking will benefit others. One may in this way render service to others in silence, which is a form of mental karma yoga.

It is important for us to understand that the act of praying involves concentration. Our concentration may not be as intense as in contemplation or meditation, but it is nevertheless a great help in keeping our mind focused on our prayer.

We should pray not only for the fulfillment of our inner needs, but also because the very act of praying will take us closer to God.

As we advance on the path of surrendered prayer, the aspect of concentration becomes more important than fulfillment of needs.

All the great religions of the world teach prayer. Christianity gives the greatest importance to it. Christ himself prayed long hours and taught his followers to watch and pray. His apostle St. Paul’s exhortation to pray without ceasing is well known.

                                                      1Thess 5:17

Origen, a great third-century Christian theologian of Alexandria, says that to pray for earthly things is disobedience to God.

St. Augustine points out that the purpose of prayer is not to instruct God, but to elevate man, to bring man round to what he ought to desire, the desire for God.

Prayer for St. Thomas Aquinas is concerned only with man’s faith and contemplation of God’s love.

To St. Teresa of Avila prayer is the only door to those mystical graces that the Lord bestows upon the soul.

 

In Hinduism, prayer once dominated the life of the people particularly during the Vedic period. But later on worship, meditation, and self-inquiry almost completely replaced it. Though the common people still prayed, prayer as a spiritual discipline was seldom stressed by the great teachers.

In modern times Sri Ramakrishna (guru of Swami Vivekananda) has revived it. In the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna one finds the Master recommending prayer on several occasions. Once a devotee asked him, “Then what is the way, sir?” Sri Ramakrishna answered, “Prayer and the company of holy men.” After explaining the benefits of holy company, the Master continued, “There is another way: earnestly praying to God. God is our very own. We should say to Him: ‘O God, what is Thy nature? Reveal Thyself to me. Thou must reveal Thyself to me; for why else hast Thou created me?’ One should pray to God with a longing heart.

A unique feature of Hinduism is that it offers to humanity two great highways, to liberation: the path of knowledge, jnana yoga, and the path of devotion, bhakti yoga.

These two highways represent two fundamentally different orientations of the human soul to be united with the ultimate Reality.

In jnana yoga the ultimate Reality is regarded as impersonal and without attributes, whereas in the path of bhakti, it is regarded as personal with or without a human form.

Secondly, jnana yoga emphasizes self-effort while bhakti yoga, like Christianity is the path of divine grace.

Thirdly, the path of jnana is subject oriented; it is an inquiry into the true nature of Reality as the subject. The path of bhakti is object-oriented; it is an attempt to realize the true nature of God as the highest object and establish a true relationship with him.

The path of bhakti involves what Martin Buber calls an “I and Thou” relationship between the soul and God. (Martin Buber was an Austrian-born Israeli Jewish philosopher best known for his philosophy of dialogue, a form of existentialism centered on the distinction between the I–Thou relationship).

The path of jnana involves an “I-That” relationship, as the Advaitic interpretation of tat tvam asi (that thou art) clearly shows; but even this relationship is illusory, and what jnana yoga establishes is not a relationship, but the real nature of the transcendent Self.

 

The “I-Thou” relationship can be expressed in three ways: prayer, worship, and meditation. These are the three most important disciplines of the path of bhakti and represent three successive stages.

 

The Sanskrit word for prayer is prathana and means a prayer of request. It means asking God for help to free oneself from the stronghold of the senses and turn away from the darkness of ignorance to the light of truth.

This represents the first stage in the quest for higher consciousness in which one, realizes his limitations and opens his heart to divine power and light. It is in effect a movement from God to the soul.

Worship

Worship is offering something to God. It may be one’s body (karma yoga), mind, and soul in surrendered service. Worship shifts the focus of one’s activities from the ego to the divine and detaches the soul from external objects. It is primarily a movement from the soul to God.

 

As a result of these two movements, the soul draws closer to God. This act of approaching God is what dhyana or meditation means. The Vedantic term for meditation is upasana which literally means, sitting near, sitting near God.

 

We can say that prayer, worship, and meditation represent three degrees of the development of intimacy between the soul and God. One begins spiritual life by asking God for favors, then starts offering service to Him, and finally succeeds in being near Him.

These three steps as outlined above represent three stages in the progressive transformation of one’s consciousness.

When Christ in the Sermon on the Mount speaks about asking, seeking, and knocking at the door, he is referring to these three stages, prayer, worship, and meditation.

Christianity raised prayer above all other disciplines. During the middle Ages, Christian spirituality recognized three disciplines: meditation, prayer, and contemplation.

Christian meditation corresponds, not to what is called dhyana in Yoga (which is nowadays translated as meditation, but to manana or reflection which follows reading.

Prayer during the early centuries did not have any definite method, and each individual was free to pray in his own way. Later on it became to be called affective prayer or contemplation or prayer of the heart a practice of uniting oneself with the inner Life in prayer, word and breath.

Contemplation was regarded more as an experience resulting from meditation and prayer than as a discipline. It meant an intimate knowledge of God, which was God’s free and loving gift to the soul. In this sense it corresponds to samadhi in yoga.

What should be emphasized is a prayerful attitude, an attitude of submission to God throughout one’s spiritual life.

In Christian spirituality there are two definitions of prayer which have come down from ancient times.

One is: “Prayer is a conversation with God.”

The other is: “Prayer is the raising of the soul to God.” This definition is more general and can be applied to all the different forms of Christian prayer, but applies specifically to Christian mysticism.

What is prayer?

Prayer is “speaking to God.” It represents the first attempt of the ordinary human soul to approach God. Just as our meeting with our fellow human beings takes the form of a dialogue, so also the first meeting of the soul with God takes the form of an inner dialogue. It is the first effort of the soul to express its spiritual aspiration, for that is the only way the infant soul can orientate itself to the supreme Reality.

 

Just as a child speaks about its needs to its parents or a student seeks guidance from a teacher, so does the soul speak openly to God about its difficulties, needs, and wishes. It is by expressing its needs that the child goes closer to its parents and understands its relationship to them. In the same way, prayer takes the soul closer to God and reveals its relationship with him. It is this speaking to God and dependence on His grace that distinguish prayer from other disciplines.

 

Though God is unseen, prayer is not a monologue. It is a mystic interior exchange with the unseen divine Partner going on through the medium of faith. A true devotee does not feel that God is unknown or does not respond. His burning faith makes God a living presence. It is this continual exercise of faith that makes prayer a spiritual discipline.

 

How to pray?

Talks with those whom we love are always personal and informal. The interior conversation with God, or prayer, too must be intensely personal, natural, and spontaneous. We need to feel free to pray in our own way. Prayer itself will guide us how to proceed further.

 

Nevertheless, not all people have an equal capacity to pray, and may not be clear about what to pray for. Even those who habitually pray may not always be in a mood to pray. To help such people, formal prayers have been composed such as; lead me from the unreal to the real, from darkness to light, and from death to immortality. But true prayer is something welling up from the depths of one’s heart according to the soul’s needs.

 

Prayer can be done in two ways: externally and internally. In external prayer one stands or sits before an image or of the Lord and gazing at the image with heartfelt love.

In internal prayer one sits with closed eyes, visualizes the Lord’s image in the heart, and appeals to him mentally.

 

We learn that over time to cultivate an increasing capacity of love as abide, in the interior communion of our heart and find refuge in God, whether in our silent prayer practice, or in the ceaseless prayer of daily life.  We come to know that our true home is God, the Kingdom of God within us.

 

Some people seem to think that prayer would reduce them to the position of a beggar, which is beneath their dignity. Ignorance and egoism lie at the root of such thinking.

In begging there is no relationship between the beggar and the begged. But spiritual prayer is addressed not to a total stranger, but to a Being who is the Soul of one’s soul, the Ruler of the universe, one’s eternal and inseparable Beloved.

When a child expresses his needs, his parents do not think it to be begging; they only give him what really belongs to him. Similarly, prayer is only a way of preparing ourselves to receive what is really ours by divine right. Prayer is only seeking guidance from the eternal guru, the teacher of all teachers.

Another wrong notion about prayer is that it is only a form of aspiration. But, as St. Teresa has pointed out, “It is one thing to desire the grace of devotion, and quite another thing to ask God for it.”

Aspiration becomes effective only when converted into a spiritual discipline

Still another notion, though not wrong, is that prayer is only a lower form of spiritual practice meant for beginners. This is indeed true, for prayer may be regarded as the kindergarten of spiritual life. But when it comes to spiritual life, most people are mere babies and need a kindergarten.

Paramahansa Yogananda Prayers

“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 centered 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”.

O Spirit, make my soul Thy temple, but make my heart Thy beloved home where Thou wouldst dwell with me in ease and everlasting understanding.

Divine Mother, with the language of my soul I demand realization of Thy presence. Thou art the essence of everything. Make me see Thee in every fiber of my being, in every wisp of thought. Awaken my heart!

O Bestower of unceasing bliss! I will seek to make others truly happy, in gratitude for the divine joy Thou hast given me. Through my spiritual happiness I will serve all.

Heavenly Father, teach me to remember Thee in poverty or prosperity, in sickness or health, in ignorance or wisdom. Teach me to open my closed eyes of unbelief and behold Thine instantaneously healing light.

O blazing Light! Awaken my heart, awaken my soul, ignite my darkness, tear the veil of silence, and fill my temple with Thy glory.

Heavenly Father, charge my body with Thy vitality, charge my mind with Thy spiritual power, charge my soul with Thy joy, Thine immortality.

O Father, Thine unlimited and all-healing power is in me. Manifest Thy light through the darkness of my ignorance.

Heavenly Spirit, bless me that I may easily find happiness instead of becoming worried at every test and difficulty.

Teach me to feel that Thou art the power behind all wealth, and the value within all things. Finding Thee first, I will find everything else in Thee.

Invincible Lord, teach me to use my will unceasingly in the performance of good actions, until the little light of my will burns as the cosmic blaze of Thine all-powerful will.

Yoga and Meditation

In these days yoga and meditation are becoming very popular, and millions of people in the East and the West are practicing them. But not many people seem to understand that dhyana or true meditation is a fairly advanced stage of concentration. A large number of people seem to spend their whole life trying to meditate.

 

Attempting higher degrees of concentration without fulfilling the primary conditions is one of the main causes for failure in spiritual life. Unreal things cannot change one’s life. It is always good to remember that a simple prayer which one can do can transform his life far more than a higher spiritual technique which is beyond one’s capacity.

 

“This divine maya of Mine is difficult to overcome; those who take refuge in Me alone cross over this illusion,” says Krishna. Spiritual power is necessary in order to overcome the obstacles and gain spiritual experience. Just as physical strength comes from the food provided by the physical universe, and knowledge comes from ideas originating in the mental universe, so also spiritual power comes from God. At the unseen touch of the golden rays of God’s grace the heart bursts into bloom.

 

The main purpose of prayer is to seek divine power says Ramakrishna. “Through prayer all individual souls can be united with to the Supreme Soul”. There is an inner resistance in all of us to the free flow of divine power. This resistance comes from the ego. Prayer reduces the inner resistance and opens the heart to grace.