Our Beloved Mother Hamilton
by Yogacharya David Hickenbottom
The Reverend Mother Yogacharya M. Hamilton was a direct disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda, whom she reverently called Master. Mother met Master in the year 1925. Her love and devotion to Master was unqualified as her lifelong Guru. Master healed Mother and her children of several serious illnesses. Master made Mother a minister in 1949, adding to her duties of Center Leader in Seattle. He also gave her direct permission to initiate others into Kriya Yoga, and later gave her the unique distinction as the only woman Yogacharya in his world-wide organization, and only one of six (Yogacharyas) in total.
Mother once said she was the product of two fully realized Masters. After the passing of her Guru, Mother received inner direction to go to India. There, in an ashram in the South of India, Swami Ramdas, affectionately known as Papa, put Mother through the Mystical Crucifixion. Through these terrific experiences, the New Testament scriptures’ inner meanings were revealed to her. Hidden beneath the outward story of Jesus was the story of what every man goes through in his ascent from the human to the Divine.
This is Mother’s unique contribution to the fund of world knowledge. Mother’s love and service to God and Guru was complete and she was a blessing to all who knew her.
She was born on Christmas Day, December 25, 1904 and attained Mahasamadhi on January 31, 1991.
Ramakrishna made this statement one time that there was a salt doll who wanted to go into the ocean so that she could come back and tell all what her experience had been. She went into the ocean, but she melted and so, therefore, she was unable to come back. But God gave me a peculiar insight one time, which is in an article that appeared in The Vision magazine many, many years ago. I said the salt doll went into the ocean but the spirit of the ocean again drew the salt to her bosom and fashioned of it a form which she placed back on earth to tell all men everywhere that God is life and life is God. And this is my purpose here, to tell you that though I were dead, still I live. And though you die to the things of your senses, to your human ego, so also will you rise; and like the Christ, you will live a life of eternal happiness, eternal joy in Him. There will be no more death, ever, ever, ever. You may change forms, but you will know beyond doubt that death is just a deeper state of sleep, that Easter means a new birth, a new life, the reality of who and what you are in God.
—Mother Hamilton (From Talk No. 780326)
As I’ve told you many times before, to realize your oneness with God inside is not to quit living but to start living, really to start living for the first time. Life is eternal; it is Ever-New, Ever-Conscious, Ever-Existing Bliss. And the Ever-New part is the thing which keeps it interesting, which keeps it going. I don’t care if you have absolute oneness with God, still you are so vast. He is so vast. And you are so vast in your oneness with Him that you keep exploring the facets of your own being forever and forever and forever because He’s infinite! He’s eternal! And it never stops, not until the last breath you draw in this incarnation or any other one because God is life, all of it! And life is God.
—Mother Hamilton (From Talk No. 780115)
Mother Hamilton: “Guru-Disciple Relationship.” 
A Talk Given by the Reverend Mother Yogacharya M. Hamilton on April 24, 1964 in Seattle, Washington. Click on the title above in order to download a copy of Mother’s talk in PDF format. (If you need assistance with using Adobe Acrobat, click here.)
Mother Hamilton: “Mother’s Holy Science.”
Excerpts from a talk given by Mother Hamilton on April 26, 1981, entitled “The Throne of God.” For use in studying Swami Sri Yukteswar’s The Holy Science. Click on the title above in order to download a copy of Mother’s talk in PDF format. (If you need assistance with using Adobe Acrobat, click here.)