Escondido Center of Self Realization Fellowship

May 28 Wisdom The rishis wrote in one sentence profundities that commentating scholars busy themselves over for generations. Endless literary controversy is for sluggard minds. What more quickly liberating thought than God is nay, God? Swami Sri Yukteswar, in Autobiograhy of a Yogi Photo: Sister Gyanamata, Mother of Wisdom, [who left her body on November 17, 1951] a disciple for 27 years, became a sister of the Order of Self-Realization in 1932.

June 14 Expansion So long as we are immersed in body consciousness, we are like strangers in a foreign country. Our native land is omnipresence. - Paramahansa Yogananda, Sayings of Paramahansa Yogananda Lessons

May 27 Wisdom Your true personality begins to develop when you are able, by deep intuition, to feel that you are not this solid body but are the divine eternal current of Life and Consciousness within the body. Paramahansa Yogananda, Man’s Eternal Quest

June 13 Expansion Eternity yawns at me below, above, on the left and on the right, in front and behind, within and without. With open eyes I behold myself as the little body. With closed eyes I perceive myself as the cosmic center around which revolves the sphere of eternity, the sphere of bliss, the sphere of omniscient, living space. - Paramahansa Yogananda, Metaphysical Meditations.Image: Solar Eclipse, elements from NASA

May 26 Wisdom As you look upon creation, which appears so solid and real, remember always to think of it as ideas in the mind of God, frozen into physical forms. Paramahansa Yogananda, SRF Lessons

June 12 Expansion Everything is God. This very room and the universe are floating like a motion picture on the screen of my consciousness. I look at this room and I see nothing but pure Spirit, pure Light, pure Joy. The picture of my body and your bodies and all things in this world are only rays of light streaming out of that one sacred Light. As I see that Light I behold nothing anywhere but pure Spirit. - Paramahansa Yogananda, talking to disciples at SRF Hermitage, Encinitas, California. Image: Star forming region of deep space NGC 602, elements from NASA

May 12 Discrimination Saintliness is not dumbness! Divine perceptions are not incapacitating. The active expression of virtue gives rise to the keenest intelligence. Swami Sri Yukteswar, in Autobiography of a Yogi Photo: Tara Mata (Laurie Pratt) worked closely with Paramahansa Yogananda for over 25 years as editor of his writings, she was instrumental in getting Autobiography of a Yogi successfully published. Paramahansaji placed his full trust in her for the posthumous publication of his writings in accord with his instructions.

May 25 Wisdom The greatest thing you can do to cultivate true wisdom is to practice the consciousness of the world as a dream. If failure comes, say: It is a dream. Then shut off the thought of failure from your mind. In the midst of negative conditions, practice opposition by thinking and acting in a positive, constructive way. Paramahansa Yogananda, Man’s Eternal Quest Photo: When Paramahansaji learned only white people would be allowed to attend his lectures in Washington, DC, in 1927, he founded an Afro-American ... center to teach my Negro brethren.

May 24 Wisdom This life is a master novel, written by God, and man would go crazy if he tried to understand it by reason alone. That is why I tell you to meditate more. Enlarge the magic cup of your intuition and then you will be able to hold the ocean of infinite wisdom. Paramahansa Yogananda, Sayings of Paramahansa Yogananda

June 11 Expansion Every minute is eternity because eternity can be experienced in that minute. Every day and minute and hour is a window through which you may see eternity. Life is brief, yet it is unending. The soul is everlasting, but out of the short season of this life you should reap the most you can of immortality. - Paramahansa Yogananda, SRF Lessons

May 11 Discrimination Remember that finding God will mean the funeral of all sorrows. Swami Sri Yukteswar, in Autobiography of a Yogi

May 23 Wisdom It is not necessary to go through every kind of human experience in order to attain ultimate wisdom. You should be able to learn by studying the lives of others. Why become helplessly involved in an endless panorama of events in order to discover that nothing in this world can ever make you happy? Paramahansa Yogananda, Man’s Eternal Quest Photo: Paramahansa Yogananda at Niagra Falls in New York, 1927

June 10 Expansion Each time a swarm of worries invades your mind, refuse to be affected; wait calmly, while seeking the remedy. Spray the worries with the powerful chemical of your peace. - Paramahansa Yogananda, in a Para-Gram

June 9 Peace When we become filled with the joy of making others happy and giving them God-peace, then we shall know that God is expressing himself through us. - Paramahansa Yogananda, in a Para-Gram

May 10 Loyalty Birthday of Swami Sri Yukteswar To keep company with the guru is not only to be in his physical presence (as this is sometimes impossible), but mainly means to keep him in our hearts and to be one with him in principle and to attune ourselves with him. Swami Sri Yukteswar, The Holy Science Photo: Sri Yukteswar with Paramahansa Yogananda and Richard Wright in a religious procession, Serampore, 1935

May 9 Loyalty God is equally present in all, but He is most definitely expressed in the heart of the spiritually minded, loyal person who thinks only of Him. Through your loyalty to God you can establish your Oneness with Him. Loyalty attracts the Divine Attention. Thus when the storms of life gather, and the waves of trials buffet you, you can guide the boat of your life safely to the divine shores by realizing His omnipresence. Paramahansa Yogananda, in a Para-gram

Special Thought for May on Mother’s Day In India we like to speak of God as Mother Divine, because a true mother is more tender and forgiving than a father. The mother is an expression of the unconditional love of God. Mothers were created by God to show us that He loves us with or without cause. Every woman is to me a representative of the Mother. I see the Cosmic Mother in all. That which I find most admirable in woman is her mother love. Paramahansa Yogananda, Man’s Eternal Quest Photo: Sri Daya Mata, India

May 8 Loyalty You will find that everything will betray you if you betray your loyalty to God. So let not one drop of oil fall from the lamp of your attention in the sanctuary of silence as you meditate each day; yet carefully perform your duties in the world. Paramahansa Yogananda, Man’s Eternal Quest

January 18 Obedience Even the great masters listen humbly to their gurus, because it is the way of righteousness. Paramahansa Yogananda, Self-Realization Magazine Painting: John the Baptist performs the Baptism of Christ by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1618-1682)

January 17 Obedience It is easy for me to plant the seed of love for the Divine in those who are in tune with me. Those who obey my wishes are in reality not obeying me but the Father in me. God doesn’t talk to men direct, but uses the channel of the guru and his teachings. Paramahansa Yogananda, Self-Realization Magazine

January 16 Obedience Without God-realization you have little freedom. Your life is ruled by impulse, whims, moods, habits, and environment. By following the advice of a true guru, and by accepting his discipline, you will gradually emerge from sense slavery. Paramahansa Yogananda, Sayings of Paramahansa Yogananda Photo: Milky Way over Mesa Arch in Canyonlands National Park, Utah

January 15 Obedience Obedience to the guru is necessary for attunement with his wisdom. It is not slavery to follow the wish of a God-realized guru, because his wish gives independence and freedom. A true guru is the servant of God, carrying out His plan for your liberation. Realize this, and you will always obey, until you find perfect freedom in Spirit. Paramahansa Yogananda, Self-Realization Magazine Photo: Rainbow above Jonsvatnet lake, Trondheim, Norway

January 14 Obedience Sometimes students say to me: Such-and-such person is making better spiritual progress than I am. Why? I reply: He knows how to listen. All men would be able to transform their lives by hearing with deep attention the simple counsel given in the ethical code of all religions. It is the stony core of egotism in the hearts of most men that prevents their listening carefully to the wisdom of the ages. Paramahansa Yogananda, God Talks With Arjuna: The Bhagavad Gita Painting: Moses with the Ten Commandments by Philippe de Champaigne, 1602 - 1674

December 17 Christmas Christ is born in the cradle of tenderness. Love is a greater power than hate. Whatever you say, say it with love. Harm no one. Judge not others. Hate none, love all; behold Christ in all... Think of everything in terms of universality. Paramahansa Yogananda, Journey to Self-realization Painting: Madonna and Child, Giovanni Battista Salvi da Sassoferrato (1609 - 1685)

December 16 Christmas I will prepare for the coming of the Omnipresent Baby Christ by cleaning the cradle of my consciousness, now rusty with selfishness, indifference, and sense attachments; and by polishing it with deep, daily, divine meditation, introspection, and discrimination. I will remodel the cradle with the dazzling soul qualities of brotherly love, humbleness, faith, desire for God-realization, will power, self-control, renunciation, and unselfishness, that I may fittingly celebrate the birth of the Divine Child. Paramahansa Yogananda, Metaphysical Meditations Painting: Adoration of the Magi, Heinrich Hofmann, 1824-1911

January 13 Obedience If we allow our will to be led by the wisdom of a master, whose will is in tune with God’s, the master then seeks to guide our will in such a way that we travel swiftly on the road back to divinity. The chief difference between a worldly man and a saint is that the wise man has attuned his will to the Divine Will. Rajarsi Janakananda, Rajarsi Janakananda: A Great Western Yogi Painting: Prayer of Moses after the Israelites go through the Red Sea by Ivan Kramskoy, 1861

December 15 Christmas To bring divine awareness into our human consciousness we must outgrow the limited conventional concept of Christ. To me, Christmas is a thought of spiritual grandeur a realization that our minds are an altar of Christ, the Universal Intelligence in all creation. Paramahansa Yogananda, Journey to Self-realization

October 30 Overcoming Temptation The old orthodox way is to deny temptation, to suppress it. But you must learn to control temptation. It is not a sin to be tempted. Even though you are boiling with temptation, you are not evil; but if you yield to that temptation you are caught temporarily by the power of evil. You must erect about yourself protecting parapets of wisdom. There is no stronger force that you can employ against temptation than wisdom. Complete understanding will bring you to the point where nothing can tempt you to actions that promise pleasure but in the end will only hurt you. Paramahansa Yogananda, SRF Lessons Photo: Stone Bridge in Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah in Winter

December 14 Silence From the depths of silence the geyser of God’s bliss shoots up unfailingly and flows over man’s being. Paramahansa Yogananda, Sayings of Paramahansa Yogananda Photo: Yellowstone River, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

October 29 Overcoming Temptation Remember that as a child of God you are endowed with greater strength than you will ever need to overcome all the trials that God may send you. Paramahansa Yogananda, Man’s Eternal Quest

December 13 Silence You should sit in silence before deciding about any important matter, asking the Father for His blessing. Then behind your power is God’s power; behind your mind His mind; behind your will His will. Paramahansa Yogananda, The Law of Success Photo: Cathedral Peak and Lake, Yosemite National Park, California

December 11 Silence Build your inner environment. Practice silence! I remember the wonderful discipline of the Great Ones. When we used to talk and chatter, they would say: Go back into your inner castle. It was very hard to comprehend then, but now I understand the way of peace that we were shown. Paramahansa Yogananda, SRF Lessons Photo: Twelfth century Eltz Castle nestled above the Moselle River in Germany

October 28 Overcoming Temptation Shall you be better able to fight [bad habits] tomorrow than today? Why add today’s mistakes to yesterday’s? You have to turn to God sometime, so isn’t it better to do it now? Just give yourself to Him and say: Lord, naughty or good I am Your child. You must take care of me. If you keep on trying, you will improve. A saint is a sinner who never gave up.- Paramahansa Yogananda, Sayings of Paramahansa Yogananda

October 27 Overcoming Temptation Temptation is a sugarcoated poison; it tastes delicious; but death is certain. The happiness that people look for in this world does not endure. Divine Joy is eternal. Yearn for that which is lasting, and be hardhearted about rejecting the impermanent pleasures of this life. You have to be that way. Don’t let this world rule you. Never forget that the Lord is the only reality. Your true happiness lies in your experience of Him. Paramahansa Yogananda, Man’s Eternal Quest Photo: Autumn Alley, Carpathians, Ukraine

October 26 Overcoming Temptation Doing something wrong from a moral or material standpoint is not the only meaning of temptation. Forgetting your soul by becoming too engrossed in the body and its comforts is temptation too. - Paramahansa Yogananda, SRF Lessons

October 25 Overcoming Temptation Temptation is not our own creation; it belongs to the world of maya (illusion), and all men are subject to it. But to enable us to free ourselves, God gave us reason, conscience, and will power. Paramahansa Yogananda Man’s Eternal Quest Photo: Glendurgan Garden - Cornwall, Great Britain

October 24 Overcoming Temptation Desires are the most unrelenting enemies of man; he cannot appease them. Have only one desire: to know God. Satisfying the sensory desires cannot satisfy you, because you are not the senses. They are only your servants, not your Self. Paramahansa Yogananda, Sayings of Paramahansa Yogananda

October 23 Overcoming Temptation When you permit temptation to overcome you, your wisdom is a prisoner. The quickest way to banish temptation is to first say no and get out of that particular environment; then reason it out later when calmness and wisdom return. Paramahansa Yogananda, SRF Lessons Photo: Lake Louise, Alberta Canada

October 22 Overcoming Temptation Evil has its power. If you side with it, it will hold you. When you make a misstep, return immediately to the ways of righteousness. Paramahansa Yogananda, Sayings of Paramahansa Yogananda Photo: Stepping stone path at the Caoling Historic Trail in Taiwan

October 21 Overcoming Temptation The worst of all temptations is restlessness. It is evil because it keeps your attention on the world and thus causes you to remain in ignorance of God. If you meditate regularly, you will be with God all the time. Paramahansa Yogananda, SRF Lessons

October 20 Courage Fear nothing else, but try to fear fear. Remember, no matter what your tests are, you are not too weak to fight. God will not suffer you to be tempted more than you are able to bear. Paramahansa Yogananda, Self-Realization Magazine Photo: Siberian Eagle Owl

October 19 Courage I have bled for Thy Name; and for Thy Name’s sake I am willing ever to bleed. Like a mighty warrior, with gory limbs, injured body, wounded honor, and a thorn crown of derision, undismayed I fight on. My scars I wear as roses of courage, of inspiration to persevere in the battle against evil. I may continue to suffer blows on my arms outstretched to help others, and receive persecution instead of love, but my soul shall ever bask in the sunshine of Thy blessings, O Lord. Thou dost guide Thy soldier’s campaigns that conquer for Thee the lands of human hearts now oppressed by sadness. - Paramahansa Yogananda, Whispers from Eternity Painting: Joan of Arc kissing the Sword of Deliverance, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, c. 1863

October 18 Courage The wise devotee should be cautious, rather than afraid. He should cultivate a courageous spirit, without rashly exposing himself to conditions that may arouse apprehensions. - Paramahansa Yogananda, Self-Realization Magazine

October 17 Courage Fearlessness means faith in God: faith in His protection, His justice, His wisdom, His mercy, His love, and His omnipresence. To be fit for Self-realization a man must be fearless. Paramahansa Yogananda, God Talks With Arjuna: The Bhagavad Gita