"Meditation may seem to be one of the most difficult habits to form, for the beginner is subject to many delusive thoughts about getting speedy results.
The results of meditation come slow, but sure.
Many novices desire some form of spiritual "entertainment." Others expect their efforts to be rewarded right away with the manifestation of heavenly lights, saints, and deities; but this expectation is premature. Real visions come by prolonged and steady spiritual advancement. Premature experiences of phenomena are generally hallucinations. To avoid the intrusion of such false imagery from the subconscious mind, it is helpful during meditation to keep the eyes half-open and fixed firmly at the point between the eyebrows - the seat of concentration and superconscious perception. Above all, do not love or desire visions more than God.The true signs of progress in meditation are the following: "
"· An increasing peacefulness during meditation.
· A conscious inner experience of calmness in meditation metamorphosing into increasing bliss.
· A deepening of one's understanding, and finding answers to one's questions through the calm intuitive state of inner perception.
· An increasing mental and physical efficiency in one's daily life.
· Love for meditation and the desire to hold on to the peace and joy of the meditative state in preference to attraction to anything in the world.
· An expanding consciousness of loving all with the unconditional love that one feels toward his own dearest loved ones.
· Actual contact with God, and worshiping Him as ever new Bliss felt in meditation and in His omnipresent manifestations within and beyond all creation. "
Page 266-267 from “Journey to Self-Realization”, Self-Realization Fellowship Publishers LA USA
To learn more about Meditation and Kriya Yoga,
See SRF Lessons Course at:
http://www.yogananda-srf.org/lessons/index.html
This web site actually now contains good instructions
for you to begin your experience with meditation, all
that is required from you is a little time each day and
following the instructions correctly....results will come!
This address is the purest source about Yoganandas life and teachings.for you to begin your experience with meditation, all
that is required from you is a little time each day and
following the instructions correctly....results will come!
The Self-Realization Fellowshiop Lessons Course is an excellent mail order course perfected under Yoganandas direction, tested and proven to lead sincere devotees to a better life in Samadhi/ salvation, verified by true examples already shown in this path.
These lessons and Yoganandas books and Monastics will answer the many questions you wanted to know about for years! Your lifes quest will now take a positive turn. There is much work to do and here is where a sincere devotee will get all the personal help he/she needs by the experts in this field.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Changing Churches
Changing Teachers
Changing Paths
Changing self!
Essay by PYisLove
When one makes a good overview of all spiritual info & data available from the many sources or other perspectives, they will always mean different things to different persons. Many church/cult leaders failed in various areas -especially the moral and theological areas. Yogananda tells us that if a professed spiritual teacher/leader is not at the least living a noble and moral life, he is a false teacher and not sent by God.
Many innocent persons looking for something new do not look hard enough and seem to be just simply/blindly following the same old crowd, an automatic reaction to their own programming with new hope. It is sort of a "birds of a feather" Co-dependency. Modern popular preachers have it easy as they are really often preaching to the converted.
In the last century leaders were dealing with a lot of things they did not truly understand back then. The idea that no existing church should be accepted may have been partially valid then as now for one who wants to advance in a true spiritual search. But do you actually know when is such a change really progressive?
Sadly, for the common lay person [average Joe/Jane] going from the one popular church to another [Like LDS or Baptist, evangelical, or Witnesses etc] may be more a step sideways than upwards/forwards. Even a number of devotees make the same error of running after every new guru on the scene, mistaking charisma for wisdom and truth. New Kriya paths have many disappointments for those who do not yet understand that a "Living Master" is rarely one in a physical body. If you still need baby sitting you may not yet be ready for the serious commitment of higher teachings such as SRFs Kriya Yoga.
Now that type of move will be a great and enlightening step forward - towards self-empowerment and self-realization. From higher up you will see and understand much more, you will go deeper and lose the narrow way that most persons blindly follow.
The Path to salvation/Christ-Krishna consciousness depends mostly on changing yourself, moreso than changing churches/communities and especially not changing other persons all over the world. Especially to any church which professes to be the dispenser of some gods only truth. That sad chant is nearly worn out. The "one way" chant was from the old conservative schools of the religio-political right.
Now with endless resources at our fingertips, it should be coming clear to intelligent persons that no one goup has any claim or monopoly on Truth/Salvation/Self-Realization.
If true seekers are looking for clear answers or real change in their personal and spiritual life, I recommend reading "The Second coming of Christ; Resurrecting the Christ Within You," by Yogananda, or the introductory smaller version "The Yoga of Jesus."
There is a better way! A way to free yourself from the “blind leading the blind trap.”
Legge, legge, legge, said the childs voice to St. Francis.
More on Meditation >>>
"Meditation requires that instead of praying only for the products of God, you turn your attention to the factory, God Himself. Why not go to the source whence all creation emerges?Meditation is not a vague mental wandering; it is to be concentrated within that hours slip away without your knowing it.
By right meditation Ecstasy comes.
Ecstasy is contact with the source of all power.
In Ecstacy you touch that state in which anything can be done.
If you perservere, a time comes when you find that the assurance and protection of God's power never leaves you.".........................
Quoted from the Talk by Paramahansa Yogananda
"How to Succeed in Finding God",
From the Spring issue of
Self-Realization Magazine, page 13
© Self-Realization Publishers, LA USA
Paramahansa Yogananda on
False Prophets/False Teachers.
"One may argue that a beautiful lotus may be plucked
from a murky pond, or that one may savor
sweetmeats prepared by a person who himself
subsists poorly on bowls of rice; or that one may
even glean some profit by reading a good book
written by an evil man.
But it is an ineluctable truth that in spiritual
matters , for ultimatate realization and God-union,
the shepherding of a false prophet" will not do.
The devotee needs to follow the path of a
God-knowing person, chosen for him by God.
A false prophet can never be a God-ordained guru, no
matter how artfully he presumes such title. A false
prophet is one who knows at heart his hypocrisy and
moral weakness and yet professes gooodness to
attract and hold people who will follow him blindly
for his own ends- financial and gratification of
the ego. A true guru will not bring any such evil
misguidance to his followers."
from page 551, The Second Coming of Christ;;;;;;
(c) SRF Publishers LA USA 2004
