Life can sometimes be downright discouraging when things don’t go the way we want or expect.

Today’s class was on living a balanced, integrated life. Paramhansa Yogananda said that a true scripture must address all levels of our being: physical, energetic, mental/emotional, and spiritual.

Here, then, with nine gems from the Bhagavad Gita, is a five-minute overview of the evolution of consciousness we all must experience.

Last week a dear friend of ours from India visited Ananda Village for the first time. What a wonderful experience it was showing her around and explaining to her the many aspects of this remarkable community.

So, how do we find solutions? The best way is to let the Divine solve the problem for you. If you can get yourself out of the way, and use your intuition, a solution will come quickly.

It’s not always easy to feel joy in life, especially when we’re bombarded with discouraging news and wrenching images of human suffering. Yet holding on to happiness in spite of everything is a challenge which confronts everyone.

So how do we beat karma? Not by trying to make everything pleasant.

It’s often easier to visualize Yoganandaji’s consciousness as impersonal and spanning infinity than to think of him as “the closest of dear friends.”

At the peril of disillusioning you, dear friend, I thought you might enjoy seeing my New Year’s resolutions for the coming year. I’ll keep it simple, which suits my nature.

The story goes that at the time of Christ’s birth there was a fourth wise man who was also watching the skies and knew that a great enlightened being was about to appear on earth.