There are three important factors in life, on the matter and spirit planes. These are dedication, devotion and love. You need all three to enter the spirit realm and that's where we fall short. Coming and sitting here, singing, is devotion. Yoga is called bhakti; Some Christians are happy-clappers. Dedication is ‘to be a part of’. Many of us lack that. Devotees just come here, do their bit and go.
Divide your day into three. Eight hours for sleep. Eight hours for work. Eight hours for God. Coming here on Fridays is your appointment with God. If you don't make that appointment, He won't charge you if you don't arrive, but you'll lose out on a lot. When it comes to love, our love is limited. It’s always … ‘I love because …’ As soon as you have a ‘because’, you have a limitation. Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita says, “Surrender to me totally”.
Then we presume the guru doesn't think we have a business to run and he calls us at odd hours. I don't call devotees to the temple for me, but because you have a duty to perform. What is the difference between duty and desire? Duty happens from within. It was Arjuna’s duty to fight, according to Krsna. Desire is whatever you want that gives you temporary joy. We need to cultivate those three but we worry too much. Worry is like a banyan seed and, once you nurture it, it can outgrow you. One of the simplest ways to get close to God is to chant, for example chant Om Nama Shivaya. I have the children writing a-hundred-and-eight likit japa every day. If they don't, they lose out on something. So I'm asking you to cultivate and nurture these three things: dedication, devotion and love. And you'll find yourself to be another person. Someone asked me why there are so many religions. I asked them why there are so many cars. Each person has a different requirement.
Devotee asks a question: What is the difference between religion and spirituality?
Divide your day into three. Eight hours for sleep. Eight hours for work. Eight hours for God. Coming here on Fridays is your appointment with God. If you don't make that appointment, He won't charge you if you don't arrive, but you'll lose out on a lot. When it comes to love, our love is limited. It’s always … ‘I love because …’ As soon as you have a ‘because’, you have a limitation. Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita says, “Surrender to me totally”.
Then we presume the guru doesn't think we have a business to run and he calls us at odd hours. I don't call devotees to the temple for me, but because you have a duty to perform. What is the difference between duty and desire? Duty happens from within. It was Arjuna’s duty to fight, according to Krsna. Desire is whatever you want that gives you temporary joy. We need to cultivate those three but we worry too much. Worry is like a banyan seed and, once you nurture it, it can outgrow you. One of the simplest ways to get close to God is to chant, for example chant Om Nama Shivaya. I have the children writing a-hundred-and-eight likit japa every day. If they don't, they lose out on something. So I'm asking you to cultivate and nurture these three things: dedication, devotion and love. And you'll find yourself to be another person. Someone asked me why there are so many religions. I asked them why there are so many cars. Each person has a different requirement.
Devotee asks a question: What is the difference between religion and spirituality?
Swami answers: Religion is blind following. Spirituality is logical. Why wait to attain liberation at death when you can attain it now? It’s so easy. Don't think that because you are Hindu that you’ve attained anything. You have to make an effort. Scriptures were not created by man. They were inspired by God for man. Can you tell me 'I surrender'? No, you can't. That means you must give everything away. Hinduism gives you all opportunities. The Bhagavad Gita gives us one-hundred-and-eight ways to reach God. At the end Krishna says, “Just remember my name, that's all”. But all we can think of is money. A student hopes the teacher doesn't arrive. Where does our misery come from? We create it, not God. We get joy out of it. Can we say we've had enough? No, because we don't know what enough is. We need to know what enough is. Paramahansa Yogananda said that we need to have money in the bank for a rainy day. On the spiritual journey, when you give, you get. Make it God’s responsibility to sort out your problems.
We are like monkeys, jumping from tree to tree; from priest to priest. When you don't get any joy from one, you move to another. Why? Because you don't know what you want. The spiritual journey is not about shopping. It’s about you and your oneness with God. It’s about what you can become. Your thoughts should be divine. You are your thoughts. If you want a son and your wife has a girl, you get upset because it’s not what you want. Our misery is based on our limitations of devotion, dedication and love. Many have convenience-based anger to get out of doing things. They will be far from attainment. What do you think about when you're alone? Money? Material things? Do you think of God? Each day have a material and spiritual accountability session? Ask yourself: what spiritual thing did I do today? A man who is wealthy, but who has not served humanity is a poor man.
Each of you is atmic, so you are godly. But, like rust, you have contaminated your godliness with your parents’ beliefs. Even rust can be cleaned. By the chanting of mantras we can awaken the spiritual body, so get your devotion, dedication and love going, and start chanting; even if it’s just the word ‘amma’, and you will attain.
To still the mind you have to shake it, like a tree with ripe fruit. The mind is still when you have the ability to receive and contain. For example, because we play music when we meditate, the mind stills. The mind isn't empty, it’s just still. Continuous meditation will help to destroy negative karma. At the age of fourteen I didn't know what meditation was, but I would sit still. To meditate at any time you must have no mental reflections, no anger, no joy. You must have evenness of mind. Evenness of mind is a state of no emotion.
Hari om. God bless you.
We are like monkeys, jumping from tree to tree; from priest to priest. When you don't get any joy from one, you move to another. Why? Because you don't know what you want. The spiritual journey is not about shopping. It’s about you and your oneness with God. It’s about what you can become. Your thoughts should be divine. You are your thoughts. If you want a son and your wife has a girl, you get upset because it’s not what you want. Our misery is based on our limitations of devotion, dedication and love. Many have convenience-based anger to get out of doing things. They will be far from attainment. What do you think about when you're alone? Money? Material things? Do you think of God? Each day have a material and spiritual accountability session? Ask yourself: what spiritual thing did I do today? A man who is wealthy, but who has not served humanity is a poor man.
Each of you is atmic, so you are godly. But, like rust, you have contaminated your godliness with your parents’ beliefs. Even rust can be cleaned. By the chanting of mantras we can awaken the spiritual body, so get your devotion, dedication and love going, and start chanting; even if it’s just the word ‘amma’, and you will attain.
To still the mind you have to shake it, like a tree with ripe fruit. The mind is still when you have the ability to receive and contain. For example, because we play music when we meditate, the mind stills. The mind isn't empty, it’s just still. Continuous meditation will help to destroy negative karma. At the age of fourteen I didn't know what meditation was, but I would sit still. To meditate at any time you must have no mental reflections, no anger, no joy. You must have evenness of mind. Evenness of mind is a state of no emotion.
Hari om. God bless you.
