The essence of world brotherhood and the essence of our spiritual path are the same: to seek unity (yoga) where others see only diversity. Yogananda urged us again and again to see God’s smiling face hiding behind all outer appearances: behind the stars and moon, the dawn and the dusk, the flowers and, yes, the weeds. All is made of God’s light.
I assume that everyone who is reading this blog agrees with these basic concepts, but how do we put them into practice? Start with your meditation, since most of us begin our day that way. Always end your meditation by visualizing and praying for world peace. But today, in honor of the concept of world brotherhood, try also to visualize the faces of people of different races, religions, and nationalities.

World Brotherhood

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Every day we’re faced with dozens of choices. Some are large ones requiring thoughtful decisions, but many are so small they never even register on a conscious level, but come more as feelings and reactions. In all of these choices, be they mental or emotional, there is an option that expands and lifts us, and one that contracts us into greater self-centeredness.
When our reactive processes get aroused, they block our ability to make any choice, let alone the right one. At these times the best strategy is to do a reset: take a few deep breaths, step away from the problem for a bit, or even get a night’s sleep.

Do the Right Thing

With his awareness of who we were, Swamiji helped us to reach our own potential also by suggesting challenging new areas of service. To each one, he gave assignments according to what we needed to learn, and stood beside us as we sometimes fumbled our way forward. Opening new vistas to reach for, Swamiji often worked silently and unseen beside us, guiding us forward toward the goal.

If all he had accomplished was a legacy of inspiring books and lectures, it would have been a remarkable offering to his guru. But what was perhaps most precious was that he gave of himself in so personal a way to help countless individuals on their journey to God.

The Generosity of Light

A friend recently shared an analogy that not only gave me a good chuckle, but provided a completely new meaning to the term “divine guidance.” Usually we think of this as intuitive answers or inner guidance. But he compared it to the GPS (Global Positioning System).
When we’re travelling, the first step is to enter our destination into Google Maps. Then it does its magic and gives us a detailed route to follow. If we wander off from the recommended path, the GPS doesn’t get upset with us, it simply recalculates the route and offers new directions. It’s similar with the Divine.

God-Powered Steering

What does the battle of the Bhagavad Gita represent in our own spiritual life?

The Charioteer

What are the qualities Swamiji modelled for all of us and how might we model them in our own lives?

World Brotherhood

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