Decisions Decisions Decisions

Yogacharya David

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Decision making is a fascinating field of study. How we make decisions both large and small determines the kind and quality of life we live. Do you have one more bite to eat or push the plate away? Do you seek out new opportunities in life or do you stay in hiding? Do you strive for Self-realization or are you unconsciously and blindly stumbling through your days?

I have been in a transitional time in these past few weeks. My recovery from a small intestine resection that removed three tumors has gone extremely well. As of today I have no cancerous tumors as has been confirmed by a recent MRI of the brain and full body CAT and PET scans; very happy news.

Now I am faced with decisions about after-care; according to medical doctors it is a very high likelihood that new tumors will grow. There are several allopathic drugs that may be partially or fully successful in keeping cancer from recurring, each with their unwanted side effects; I am also looking into a leading Naturopathic physician for supportive care as well as the ongoing treatment my marvelous chiropractic/neuro-link doctor provides. Each doctor gives his educated guess as to what the right course of action should be, plus I have had input from many of you on standard and alternative care as well.

How do I go about deciding what to do next? The first thing I do is I go inside and commune with God. I still the mind, turn the whole matter over to Him. I feel peace and quiet in the inner Presence; that is my starting point. I know with a certainty that God is in charge of this whole play. There is a mighty purpose behind all that He does, and I am content to play my role as He so chooses.

Being connected, I then gather information. What this and that doctor and care provider are saying, what friends and research tell me, assimilating all I can from external resources. I then take this accumulated knowledge and seek wisdom by mindfully surrendering all at the feet of God. “Oh Lord, here is the situation as You well know. What is the right thing for me to do at this time?” Then I open myself to His prompting. What do I feel right about doing in connection with Him? What thoughts come to me in that Light and with clarity? What brings me peace and a sense of ‘right action’?

Sometimes the message is to simply rest in Him. When the time is right some thought, a sense of direction comes out of the peaceful silence that makes me know what to do next. Over the years this process of decision making has never failed me. I can directly compare it to times when I have not used this process; it correlates closely with making bad decisions when I ignored God.

It is amazing at the amount of energy we expend in taking false steps and burn up in anxious energy, all to no avail. A favorite image comes from the blacksmith. He heats the metal to the right temperature before he shapes and bends the metal to good effect. The blacksmith knows he can pound away forever if the metal is not hot enough and he will get nowhere. When the metal is ready, a few well-placed blows may be all that is needed.

Even so God may have us in the fires of purification; we desperately would like to jump out of those flames! However, by staying still and centered throughout it all we take His cue as to when the hammer blows should come in order to bring it about correctly. This all-important timing is critical to fulfilling His will.

If, in your silence, you have no answer, that is a red light. You may get a yellow light to proceed with caution, or the green light comes for an all-out go! This knowingness requires your trust and your willingness to be still before you act. Decision making like this becomes clear from practice and patience. When you get the knack of it, it will be very obvious to you when it is divine will that is operating through you and when you are being governed by the dictator-ego.

As you can easily apprehend decision making is a fascinating field of study, and when you take the time and make the effort to go deeper it brings you into harmony with your true Self and with God. In this way the world you live in is a great teacher, and the large and small challenges you face provide the very means to achieve the greatest goal in life, your oneness with God.

Health Note: As mentioned above, I have completed a series of tests: an MRI of the brain, and CAT and PET scans of the rest of the body. There are no signs of any tumors in this body. Blood tests and all other metrics have come back positive. This is all great news! Now, the focus is on keeping this body in perfect health. There are several options on the table and it will be interesting to see what God decides. All is in His keeping. Jai Gurus, Victory to God!

 

The Simple Peace and Joy In Finding God

Yogacharya David

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Picture: Krishna as a cowherd boy; by Gargi (Lakshmi of Anandashram)

One of the remarkable things about our spiritual path is that the benefit of its practice is not just for an imagined future, but it is realized in the here and now.

Many who follow religious ideals think that the rewards for leading a spiritual life will not be known until arriving at a much anticipated after-life. This deferred gratification can take many forms, but it justifies withholding from doing things you would really like to do now, so that God and heaven may reward you later.

The spiritual “rewards” I have known have come embedded in my practice itself. Communing with God brings tremendous peace and bliss; being His instrument of service in the world gives me real joy and fulfillment; and living in complete surrender to Divine Will makes me know what right action truly is. I would not trade this life for any other.

The vows Mother had me take at Kriya have the same benefits. Not drinking alcohol or using recreational drugs was not easy in the beginning. But now it is not only easy, it makes me feel ill to even imagine going down that road. Not smoking cigarettes, how stupid would it be to take up that habit? And no sex without marriage–how much trouble, confusion, sorrow and pain that saves me, and I would never know the more profound pleasures there are to be found in a committed, long-term marriage.

If I enact a thought experiment and imagine that there was no reward in an afterlife for living a life of truthfulness and spiritual discipline, would I regret having lived my life in this way? Absolutely not. The life I live here brings me the greatest happiness, and I would not change a single part of it.

There are many people who live lives they know are not in sync with their own highest good, yet they continue to do so without any serious thought to changing their habits. This lack of harmony with their inner knowing causes them great suffering. However, when your life comes into balance and you have congruity between Spirit, thought, word and action, then you have a credible claim on peace today.

It can seem that others are zooming by you by taking short cuts and living out of harmony with nature and Spirit’s lawful principles. But believe me, they will never know the simple peace and joy you experience in finding God.

Whether your dharma has you living in a cave or a mansion, whether you are in the humblest or most visible vocation, if it is right for you then you need not envy anyone in this whole world; for you are exactly where your loving Creator has placed you. At times it may be a great struggle to get there, but living in your true Self fulfills all of your heart’s desires today, from moment to moment.

 

Truth Makes You Free

Yogacharya David

 

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Picture: Beloved Swami Ramdas

 

The great Teachers of the world have given us the same truths.  Buddha taught us to purify ourselves and have compassion for all creatures.  Jesus Christ asked us to love all beings as we love ourselves.  Krishna taught us to see the Divine in each and everyone in the world.  Mohammed taught us to submit to the will of God and be His instruments.  If we but follow the teachings of these great Masters, we have no reason to quarrel among ourselves on any account.

— Swami Ramdas

 

There are those who like to point out the faults of religion as proof that there is no God. But it is an interesting thought experiment to think of this world without religion, no great religious leaders down through time who called struggling mankind to a higher life. Would this world really be better off?

 

For any honest appraisal you would have to know that the world is vastly improved for having Rama, Krishna, Loa Tzu, Buddha, Zoroaster, Jesus and Mohamad to name a few. The fact we can find examples of hypocrites and abusers of faith has to be held in balance with the billions of souls who have striven for a better life because of their faith and spiritual practice.

 

All religious impulse ultimately leads to the singular goal of Self-realization. To see all mankind in a march toward realization gives new meaning to world events. Through the struggle of sorting through the violence, ignorance, and darkness of collective consciousness, individual souls are inspired to rise above the tumultuous noise of this world to at last find transcendent Truth.

 

Realizing this Truth will alone free the soul from the thralldom of Maya, universal ignorance. This world is rough play. However, when souls love one another, serve one another, seek the Light within and in one another, this world consciousness is lifted higher, changed for the better and this holds the promise of transforming this world into a peaceful garden; where the lion will lie down with the lamb.

 

Therefore you should not be discouraged or doubt when faced with the oppositional force you see in the world, and sometimes right within your own self. Rather, you should use these painful events as reminders that you are called to a higher life and heed the call of those great God-men and God-women who have gone before you.

 

To realize this great Goal of mankind you must submit to the will of God and be His instrument, see the Divine in all creation and its creatures, and feel love and compassion for all. These practices purify your mind and will lead you to the blissful universal vision in which faith and practice is supplanted by actual realized experience. You then know the Truth, and that Truth sets you free.

 

Health Update: I continue to grow stronger each day. I have greater endurance and am in need of less rest. On Wednesday I had an MRI of the brain and there was no sign of cancer. The surgeon called me his “star,” and noted my recovery was very, very good—thanks to your many prayers and the miraculous power of the body to heal.

 

I am currently off all medication. I am taking food grade dietary supplements of vitamins and minerals, and I have started a pro-biotic and pre-biotic regimen to reconstitute the intestinal health after the antibiotics (that destroys good bacteria as well as the bad) and surgical assaults on the body.

 

I will see the oncologist on Monday and find out what he recommends for the immunotherapy. There is the chance there are cancerous cells left in the stomach after the tumors have been removed. Since my immune system was more than capable of eliminating the melanoma on the skin—even without my notice—now it is a matter of alerting the immune system to fighting in the stomach as well. Thank you again for all your loving prayers, my rapid recovery is a clear demonstration of the power of prayer.

Work Is Love Made Visible

Yogacharya David

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Picture: Krishna and Arjuna racing off to serve all humanity

Activity is the natural outcome of static Spirit. Like the enormous lake feeds the waterfall, that makes for the river that moves to the sea, so does transcendent Spirit, still and without end, naturally express itself as all creation and its creatures, including mankind.

Mankind is capable of highest consciousness, however as we see signs daily it often times responds to its lowest nature. When we, as humans, put our minds upon attaining supreme God-consciousness, then the battle between lowest and highest natures ensues. Lowest nature is selfish, greedy, fearful, and it can be vicious. Highest nature is loving, kind and full of service.

To attune ourselves to action based on the highest nature requires, we must be mindful of our thoughts, words and actions. We know the difference when we are acting out of our highest nature and when we are responding to the demons within. All sincere aspirants will immediately self-correct when temporarily taken over by the seductive devilish nature and re-align with angelic purity and Light.

The great Khalil Gibran declared that, “Work is love made visible. And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work…And what is it to work with love? It is to weave the cloth with threads drawn from your heart, even as if your beloved were to wear that cloth. It is to build a house with affection, even as if your beloved were to dwell in that house. It is to sow seeds with tenderness and reap the harvest with joy, even as if your beloved were to eat the fruit. It is to charge all things you fashion with a breath of your own spirit…”

To be in tune with loving activity we first acknowledge that God is the Source of all movement, from the subatomic electrons to vast galaxies, and everything in-between. Let us not allow a mundane mindset to seep into our lives. Each moment is a unique expression of Spirit, there can be no such thing as “time to kill,” for all time is filled with inexpressible Divine Feeling if we but have the eyes to see and the ears to hear.

First, make daily contact with God within through your deepened communion with the Infinite Spirit. Then mindfully enter into this world of activity by expressing joy, peace and bliss; letting these qualities saturate your thoughts and words and guide your activities. All time and space is filled with sacred vibration, so live life fully and be an instrument of Spirit at all times and in all places.

Master’s Birthday

Yogacharya David

1940s PY Pronams

 

Today we celebrate Master’s (Paramhansa Yogananda’s) birthday. What an absolute difference this great spiritual Master has made in my life, and in the lives of so many, many people. Certainly the Autobiography of a Yogi continues to be a best seller and is a spiritual classic that has moved new generations to spiritual depths of feeling and perception that would have otherwise remained hidden.

It is difficult to measure the attainment of another, however we can contrast Master’s life and work to many who write books and more books and give public talks and never come close to being qualified to tying the latches of Master’s shoes. Truly Master stands heads above so many others, with very few peers.

When Master drew Mother to him he set into motion a spiritually uplifting current that is transmitted to all of us. A disciple of Master’s once told me that for any other person to be a guru after Master would “block his light.” I had never heard such a load of ignorance in all my life (this would only be true if that one claiming to be a guru was filled with ego). I can tell you, and you do not need me to say it for you know it yourself, Mother’s Light only added to Master’s Light, making for tremendous illumination for all.

There are many who are currently re-reading the Autobiography of A Yogi, and others who are studying his lessons, and still others who are reading the books published in his name (although many of his books have been heavily edited and in some cases the “voice” of the author nearly disappears, still many of these sayings and writings are our only access to them and the Master’s Spirit will still inspire us in spite of the filters of heavy handed editing). Master sought to make yoga and religion well-reasoned and understandable, demonstrable and experiential by every man, woman and child. Since seeking out happiness is a universal need, he showed that only by realizing God will you know lasting bliss and happiness. Therefore the path to Self-realization is needed by everyone walking the globe.

My prayer is that with the marking of Master’s birthday you will be inspired to delve deeper into his writings, and as the Master said, for every hour of reading, meditate two hours. Your going deeper into God-consciousness is the greatest way to please the Master, then broadcast that Light of God you discover within yourself to the entire world. Just think of a world in which all people, everywhere, are striving to know the truth of God and express His loving will in this world. This spiritual transformation is what the Master came to bring about, and each of us can do our part by following in his footsteps.

Master—Happy Birthday—and thank you for being born and bringing this universal message of liberation and freedom to one and to all!

 

Give Love

Yogacharya David

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I have been keenly aware of how much I have missed our coming together during these past months; when we were traveling and then with the current medical procedures.

One thing about love, it constantly wants to express itself. As I have often said, love is both a noun and a verb. First, it is like the sea, a state of Being content within its expansive Self. And second, love is like a flowing river, always moving and expressing itself. In realizing God you simultaneously and easily have both aspects of love.

I remember the charming and instructive story of Papa; he had a cold and Mataji kept him wrapped up and gave instructions he was not to meet with devotees. Papa was pacing back and forth and finally said, “Sometimes Ramdas must do what he must do!” And he went out to talk with the devotees who sincerely desired to see him.

When I was going to meet with you all for our Christmas/New Years’ Service I too was lovingly warned not to do it, it was too soon after the operation. However, God within would not be denied. I started out the Service with a hoarse voice, but then later I was told that it grew to full strength as the talk proceeded. When God gives to you through this form, He also gives to me. I feel the river of love effortlessly flowing through me, and I too receive, even as it is given.

This is the great secret of love, the more we give, the more we receive. If out of fear and resentment we do not give, then we do not receive. This is never truer than our relationships with husbands, wives, children, parents or past best friends. It is true we can have our expectations dashed to the ground by others, especially those close to us. But, to choose cutting off the flow of love because of pain and disappointment we have had means that we sentence ourselves to a barren existence that dries up the very love we seek.

Courage means that we give love, even when it is not returned; that we even give love for hate, to love our enemy. This does not make us a “doormat” that can be stepped upon and be used by others, for this does neither them nor us any good. But, inwardly we do not close off our hearts even to those who have abused and betrayed our trust; for who needs love more than those who have closed hearts.

So let us pray for and love all of this world, just as it is. We see those who are filled with anger, hurt and fear that seek to hurt others in retaliation. However, as an author said of Mahatma Gandhi’s ahimsa philosophy, An eye-for-eye and tooth-for-tooth would lead to a world of the blind and toothless. All healing begins with love and wisdom, and healing ends with an immersion into love and wisdom. We may protect ourselves, but let us always be guided first by love, and not retaliate with anger for anger that perpetuates an endless cycle. Rather, wisely give love for anger for the resolution of yours and the world’s ills.

 

 

Awakened Life-Force

Yogacharya David

 

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Picture: Tibetan painting of Chakras

It has been interesting to observe the role of life-force during the past several months. With low blood counts for months before I went into the hospital I relied upon life-energy coming in at the medulla oblongata and along the spine to fulfill what I was directed to do through this body, even though it was a struggle I was able to do all that God had asked me to do due to this vital energy that is independent of bio-chemical processes.

With the operation I had, and the recovery time immediately after, the role of life-energy was consumed with sustaining the body and enacting its healing. As I was healing I continued to feel that life-force in the spine and this added force made recovery go smoothly. Both doctors and nurses as well as visitors all commented on how well I looked; recovery was going extraordinarily well due to the role of life-force. Prayers from many, even from great distances, added enormously to the life-energy and its healing power.  

Physical science has yet to recognize the role of life-force that is independent of, and superior to biochemistry. It is evident that even though we all inhabit human bodies, we eat food and breathe oxygen, yet there are vast differences in the life-force we exhibit. It can run the gambit of extraordinary physical health and vitality, emotional range, mental liveliness, all the way to spiritual illumination. Physical science can explain part of why individuals have these differences, but it cannot explain it all.

As my body’s recovery has continued, life-force (what in yoga is called prana) has been made available for other uses. As recovery proceeded it was as if I was “waking up” to other areas of life. I could now envision our coming together for a Christmas/New Years’ Service; the idea of doing more writing, being able to focus on Mother’s Work, and opening myself to the “next phase” of my life’s work all came alive for me.

There is no doubt that for full functioning in this world the body needs to be an instrument that is in working order through biochemical processes; in this physical science has made tremendous progress. Like a vehicle, you are not going to get far if the car is mechanically unsound, and like a computer you are not going to be able to surf the web or use it to write if a virus is destroying it. However, even if the vehicle and the computer are functioning perfectly, they will simply remain inert without a human being operating them. Even so, a human body may have nothing physically wrong with it, but without a soul and spirit guiding the life-energy flowing through it, it will have no meaning and will not really come to life.

Here is the great discovery in ancient times by yogis, we can consciously access greater life-force by intelligent means. This allowed yogis to exist without oxygen for long periods of time, and to either heat or cool the body to counter temperature extremes. Life-energy is also a healing force and can be used to heal one’s own body or the produce healing for others. As it comes to light in Western science the discovery of life-force will be one of the great “new discoveries” of all time.

As an intelligent force, prana does not just respond to your conscious use of it, but it will also guide you. In this regard we may distinguish between two different forms of life-force. In the first case life-force guides natural processes, the growth of plants, movement of planets, and the health of human beings among billions of other functions in nature. There is also Prana we spell with a capital P. This higher, transcendent Prana is Divine Intelligence attuned to a much higher frequency of thought and energy than nature’s prana.

We know this Prana through the awakened faculties in the spine and brain; in these times these faculties are usually dormant in human beings. Guidance gained through intuitive perception of higher consciousness is of a much greater order; it is an expression of Divine Will. Through merging human will with Divine Will Prana forms the basis for the next stage of evolution. This is referred to as the transformation of the human into the Divine.

As we enter into this New Year become conscious of prana life-energy coursing through your body as a tingling, electrical force that is necessary for all your body functions. Then stretch your subtle senses to feel that same vital force in nature, giving life and consciousness to water, trees, and animals. Through deep meditation awaken awareness in your cerebrospinal system to Pranic Life-Force, the life-giving, blissful and all-knowing Consciousness that has the capacity to lift you up into your oneness with God. Be a pioneer in this greatest of discoveries today and bring in the New Year with the promise of a much greater life! Have a blissful and prosperous New Year.

 

The Light Ever Shining

Yogacharya David

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This Christmas morning the full moon shines above as a beacon of light to all the darkened world below. This reminds me that the Christ-child was born into this world to bring Light and illumine all creation, to all those who would receive the Light.

Avatars (the descent of Divinity into flesh) come to this world to help awaken it to the fact that all creation is of Divine origin. The world and those identified with it lose all relationship with their innate Divinity, and thus suffer and create further suffering for others. God, a respecter of man’s free will, beckons all humanity to rediscover the truth of their true nature. However, mankind is stubborn and stiff-necked in their adherence to being bound in their ignorance.

Therefore God sends examples of fully realized Beings, avatars of immense spiritual realization and strength. These divinely realized Beings are not meant to be set up as idols and worshiped from a distance; rather they come to awaken the same Divine nature in each individual that the avatar is awakened to within him or herself. It is man’s ignorance that says, “Divinity resides in that one only.” This ignorance acts in opposition to the very reason why an avatar takes incarnation. To embrace and become fully awakened to one’s own Divine nature fulfills the purpose of a Divine Incarnation.

To “receive” Jesus Christ is more than to proclaim faith in his Divinity, it means to realize through experience your same Divinity. It means you have looked within and you have seen the Divine Light shining as a star; you have been inspired by three wisdom kings to surrender the gold of the world, the bitterness of the world, and even your joy and worship at the feet of the Christ-Light being born within you. It is to protect that Light from the vain jealousy and hatred of King Herod, seething within and seeking to destroy the Light. It is to love and nurture that Christ-Child-Light at every turn, to never deny it or side with the forces of this world in their desire to suppress that same Light. To receive the Christ means that you experience the whole story within you.

So, on this precious Christmas morning, let us sense the sacred meaning embedded in these wonderful stories and images. Let us follow that star by going deeper into a meditative state in which we are illumined within by the Christ Light. Let us hear the angelic music of Spirit singing the song of Bliss and Joy that is within and everywhere about us and manifests as universal love and service. These are not just stories of another time and place, this is your journey, discovering who and what you truly are. It really is, as is said, “The Greatest Story Ever Told!”

It is in this Spirit that I write to you this morning, and it is my keen desire that you should know the truth of it. Not simply because I have said so, or that great realized Beings have told you so, but because you were inspired to seek this truth out within the laboratory of your own Being.

Please accept this as my Christmas Card to you, this year I simply have not been able to send out my usual Christmas Cards. We have received so many beautiful cards, and with each card I receive the love and good wishes sent with each of them. One card came from Dianne D. had this wonderful quote from C.S. Lewis that says so much: “The Son of God became a man to enable men to become Sons of God.”

Have a joy-filled Christmas.

Winter Solstice Soaring

Yogacharya David

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Picture: View of Himalayas from Dahl Cheena

Each year the earth’s rotation around the sun brings the northern hemisphere to its furthest distance from the solar center, the Winter Solstice. It is the darkest time of year and symbolically it is the death of the calendar year. Since ancient times there has been a connection with the change of seasons, the movement of the stars and changes in consciousness.

When I first became aware of awakening to higher consciousness I did not need an astrologer to tell me that the Winter Solstice had powerful influences, for I was fully cognizant that each year it would take me into a deep experience. The annual buildup to the solstice was always a powerful and difficult time for me. There are many people who talk of having holiday blues, and while there are many human reasons for this there are also many who are consciously or unconsciously experiencing the influence of the Winter Solstice.

A great feeling of psychic pressure and isolation would descend on me weeks before the solstice. Since my late teens I was aware through pre-natal memories and Grace that there was something more to life than simple human existence. I did not have a name for this something more, it might be God, but if it was it was different than a vague or philosophical notion of God, it had to do with something deeply personal, yet beyond my personhood; I had an incredibly strong drive and need to know what that something was. Each year the build-up to Christmas, and more explicitly to the solstice, was like entering into the threshing floor where the wheat is beaten in order to release the grain of realization from the shaft of ignorance.

There is an important difference between a crisis that involves the ego only and a spiritual crisis. The ego looks exclusively to itself in such a crisis, becoming more self-involved by feeling sorry for itself and looking to blame others or feeling shame at its own existence. In a spiritual crisis the self looks beyond the ego to find answers; it expands rather than contracts. My spiritual crisis of the solstice would, just as predictably and mysteriously, lift with the apex of the solstice; then I would feel its uplifting power.

The chick that is still surrounded by the shell of the egg begins to peck at the shell, knowing somehow that the answer to a larger world lies outside of the shell. With increasing vigor it pecks and pecks at the limiting shell to find release. If some outside force were to break the shell apart prematurely the chick would not develop properly and it would be prone to sickness and death. Likewise, there is something in the struggle to know God by pecking apart the shell of ignorance that is necessary for the development of the individual; otherwise the realized Self would not fully develop.

Realization brings a new way of looking at life-experiences. The pain and difficulties of the past are still remembered, however there is now a known purpose behind every blow taken in life, and this makes all the difference. When we come to know there is an exact and ennobling reason for everything that happens then spiritual suffering is resolved, which is the largest portion of suffering in the world. I now see how each painful build-up to the solstice down through the years was awakening a greater inner resolve to know God.

During this past year the build-up to the solstice “crisis” has been of a physical nature. This body went through three hospitalizations culminating in the removal of three tumors and the removal of three sections of the small intestine. This morning as this solstice arrives I have felt a definite inward release from the body’s crisis. It began this a.m. with an experience with Mother and Father Hamilton, replaying many scenes of their early spiritual life together through my inner vision. Then came an infusion of spiritual power flowing into this body; this was followed by an inspiration to write to you about the nature of the winter solstice. Now a surge of bubbling blissful joy is flooding my being and radiating out. Without pre-awareness on my part the body and spirit continues to replicate the pattern of the Winter Solstice cycle with the precision of a cosmic clock. Do we not live in a marvelous and wonder-filled universe?  

I have often thought we missed the timing of the birth of Christ by a few days; what should have been the winter solstice. There is a definite uplifting spiritual current that comes at this time. I am reminded of my stay at a small Ashram established by Anandamayi Ma in the Himalayas at Dahl Cheena. Watching from the porch of the small dharmashala at the Ashram, that was perched on a plateau hundreds of feet above a valley floor below, giant eagles would launch themselves from nearby tree branches with barely a flap of their wings and then soar upon the updrafts. Six foot wings made them soar without effort.

Taking full advantage of this change at the Winter Solstice, stretch your wings and feel the solstice’s uplifting currents and fly with “wings as Eagles” (Isaiah 40:31).

 

Blessings of God Gurus and You

Yogacharya David

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Picture: I pronam to you; taken at sunset on the shores of the Arabian Sea by Chad

I thank you all for your great love and prayers over these last months. I feel like I am in good hands for this surgery tomorrow. I was in for a maximum iron infusion last evening and the attending nurse had worked at the University Hospital for many years with some top surgeons there, and for the last couple of years she has been at Providence. She said if there was anyone she would want as a surgeon, it would be my surgeon.

I think I have the easiest “job” tomorrow, that is to show up for the surgery. Others will be working hard and some may have worries, but I will be fast asleep!

I do not know what recovery will look like afterwards, but when I can I will let you know how I am doing. I am sure that in between time Carla and Cate will send out notices on my current status. For now, I am doing well, the body is very tired and has its ways of showing its displeasure, but I feel the blessings of God, Gurus and you.

 

Be Born Anew

Yogacharya David

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A devotee recently said that she planned to spend Christmas Eve and morning alone, deeply meditating instead of rushing about to far-flung family. She had a glow as she spoke of this coming event.

While many may not be in a position to take this time away from the many events scheduled during these holidays, I would very much encourage you to plan time for your spiritual Christmas, as well as your social Christmas. If the holidays are only for eating and drinking and making merry, then where is the time for celebrating the birth of Christ?

Sri Yoganandaji used to take the day before Christmas for a six hour meditation at Mount Washington. Oftentimes he would have visions of Jesus during this time and feel deep communion with him. Then on Christmas day he would have social Christmas with food and the exchanging of gifts. He was balanced in all ways.

This is a powerful time of year and we can live it in such a way that wears us out through activity, or we can feel melancholy and blue, or we can live it in balance; celebrating the birth of Christ-consciousness within and enjoying social Christmas as well. We can drink deeply from the well of Bliss within, and then share that Divine Light with all the world. How much more do we have to share with this world when we have contacted God first!

Even though I may not be able to be with you in body for these Christmas celebrations, I will definitely be with you in Spirit. I would remind you that the breadth and depth of Christ-Consciousness cannot be fully fathomed by the human mind; so there is always more for us to experience, learn and be transformed as we dive deeper and soar higher in this mighty venture of knowing God.

Do not let your mind limit you to the possibilities of what you may be as you grow in Christ-Consciousness. You are a child of the Infinite, and as such you are made in His likeness and image. This season symbolizes the birth of this supreme Consciousness into the world and in you. Be sure to capture its sacred significance as it approaches and receive God’s great gift for you, to be born anew in Christ Consciousness.

Health Note: The most recent news has come from the long awaited results of the Las Vegas biopsy. Dr. S. said it surprised him but the tumor showed signs of being melanoma. When I said I thought of that as skin cancer he said yes, it starts on the skin, but can migrate to different parts of the body. He thought I must have had the cells on the skin but my immune system successfully fought it off. Then some of the cells floated through the blood system and started growing in the stomach. There are times when the immune system does not recognize that these cells do not belong and the tumor is left to grow. They will take further samples during the operation but he feels confident it will confirm this diagnosis, as it fits all the facts known so far. In aftercare I would receive immunotherapy; boosting the immune system so that the immune system recognizes and destroys any future growth of these melanoma cells. They will also use some of my cells for a research project to develop a vaccine for others. My hemoglobin count has dropped more, but is not at the point of needing transfusions. The doctor has ordered intravenous iron to be injected early this week before the operation, which is still scheduled for the 10th  at 10 a.m.

Additional Note: There are a larger number of recent emails I have received stating I have appeared in many dreams. In all cases it has been assuring to the dreamer that all is well, with everything proceeding toward positive results. As always, it is wonderful to hear from you.

Freedom In the Divine Presence

Yogacharya David
20151129 Jesus
Jesus In the Cosmos

Jnana translates as discrimination, “This is not of God and this is of God, the highest Light and Truth.” Jnana helps to clear us from attachment by dis-identifying with those things that are not of God, and immersing ourselves into those things that are of God. There are many categories of attachment that ensnare the mind, but the body-mind relationship is certainly one of most powerful.

Identification with the body means when your body feels pleasure or pain you have no separation between those sensations and who you are. We are seduced from an early age by pleasure. We like the feeling of pleasure and become totally consumed by wanting more and more and thus creating attachment. Of course pain is also present when living in a body and our attachment to pain even further roots us in the body. We come to forget that in Spirit we are free of attachment to either pleasure or pain, because we have bliss which has no opposite.

Obviously if we live in a body we will be subject to pleasure and pain, but the key is to have superior bliss and in this way we detach from pure body identification. Desire for pleasure and the fear of pain cements our identification with the body, so both must be given up. It is interesting how attachment to pain through fear is so powerful. You would think that giving up attachment to pain would be easy, as that is not something wanted, yet the fear of pain is a powerful magnet that draws the mind and makes it very attached to the body.

An important turning point in this regard came for me when I was at Anandashram. I was quite sick for several weeks running a very high fever and I had tremendous pain in the body. I was inwardly talking to Papa saying, “Papa, you say that pain and bliss are the same, right now I only feel pain; you must show me how pain and bliss are the same.” Suddenly I was lifted up in a vision in which I saw Papa opposite of me. He had a toothless smile and took my hands, we started to dance around and around in a circle, he was laughing and I was filled with bliss. I was still aware that my body was in pain, but I was even more aware of being filled with bliss. Then I “saw” that the same life-force that flowed to the brain as pain signals was also flowing into the brain as bliss. On that level pain and bliss were the same!

This started a thought process that continued over time in which anytime the body had pain I would go to the substratum of seeing that is was God’s life-force that was carrying the pain signals to my brain. Immediately upon seeing this the vast majority of pain would transmute itself into pure life-energy and bliss; leaving some pain signal but much reduced. I also learned how when we focus on pain as an absolute and fear becomes a driver, it intensifies pain tremendously.

Losing fear of pain, seeing the underlying life-force as coming from God behind the pain signals, and then feeling God’s Presence in the form of bliss has a tremendously palliative effect in suffering. Not only can it ease suffering in itself, it also opens intuition so that the Divine Force may be free to affect a cure.

Recently I have written much about the condition of this body wanting to give you updates on what the medical care providers have been saying. However, it is important to note that more important than what doctors and nurses say, what does God say? More importantly than what symptoms this body displays, what is all-powerful life-force doing in and around the body? And more important than what pain or discomfort this body may be in at any particular time, what bliss is flowing through my being. What I can tell you is that God is fully present and accounted for. His bliss is even now flowing through my spine and brain and through all the cells of my body. Truly there is nothing but He, even when there is weakness, pain or discomfort, it is all He! Let not this talk of the body and medical procedures (which I find interesting) make you forget there is something far greater going on daily.

“Why then,” you may ask, “is there a physical problem when God is present?” There are many times when God’s Presence can and does manifest as complete physical healing. However, there are a variety of causes that manifest as a physical problems, and there are times when God will use His physical instruments to fulfill His higher will. Thus, there is no contradiction in His perfection and His use of a physical body to fulfill a necessary karma or bring about desirable outcomes on this earth (As Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death but is for the glory of God;” John 11:4) .

Meditate deeply upon this important concept of jnana: discriminating between what is of God and what is not of God. Learn to go beyond the things of the body and this world; know that God is the supreme Presence that assuages all pain and ignorance and makes us know we are one with the Omniscient Lord. It is in this knowledge that you will find freedom and bliss in the Divine Presence.

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