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Practice the Presence of God
This article is taken from a talk given on January 1, 1999, at the Temple of Light, Ananda Italy, by Swami Kriyananda. It is translated from the Italian.
Forget the Past
Happy New Year everyone!
I’m very happy that you’re all here, and I hope this year will be a wonderful year, bringing you many beautiful things.
I can’t wish you only beautiful things, because this would be hoping for too much. We want to be realistic — life is long. But I think it’s very important to understand an American saying: “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” This is how we need to be, how we have to think always. The past isn’t important: From today onward we can change.
Yogananda often said, “Forget the past.” We don’t want to live in the thought of past mistakes that take us downward. People also live too much in their victories. In self-pride they say, “Oh, I did this and I did that,” but that’s history.
The Bhagavad Gita tells us to give the results of our actions to God. So then, if your actions don’t go well, you can give Him the blame. I was surprised to hear Yogananda say, “God is pleased when you give him your mistakes.” You’re more in attunement with him when you give him your mistakes, and then you can gradually improve. But if you dwell on the thought, “I made a mistake,” you close that door.
We live in an age where one could say that today’s religion is science. This is good in the sense that science says, “If it’s true, we have to prove it.” If religion is real, then it is provable: It can be tested.
Think of God and Talk to Him
This year I suggest that you test religion or spirituality scientifically within your own self. Try for one year to think of God and talk to Him. Do it simply as a test, as an experiment.
Try to think of God as yourself, inside of yourself, and think that in everything you do, “I do this with You.” Every tiny thought that comes to you, share it with Him. If it’s an ugly thought, share it with Him. Say, “God, help me. Change this idea, because I don’t like it.” Sharing everything with Him isn’t easy, but do decide to do it.
There seems to be an ancient tradition that the resolutions one makes on January 1st are abandoned on January 2nd! So, rather than making a resolution about something that might soon be forgotten, resolve to think of God for five minutes every day. When you can do that, then do it for ten minutes, then longer and longer.
This is a lovely thing to do. I have found it to be very inspiring when slowly walking, trying to share every moment, every movement, thought, and sound with God.
If you hear a car horn, then you can think, “God is making that sound.” If you hear a bird singing in a tree, then think that it’s God who is singing. And little by little you will see that that all is divine.
Think, “The Divine is moving my legs, moving through me.” While you speak to others, let there be this song within you, singing to God, “Oh God, I love You so much. Guru, I love you so much.” Gradually you’ll develop the thought that God is talking to you through the little bird or through the wind in the trees.
You will see that all life is a symphony and that everyone, in one way or another, is God in that form talking to you.
When you give this opportunity to God, He will speak to you; He will give you messages, like that lovely story of the Black man in America, George Washington Carver. He was a simple man, but he wanted to do something with his life for God. So he prayed intensely, and God answered him, revealing to him over 300 practical uses of the simple peanut.
When you give God the opportunity to speak to you, He can guide you through everything that you see and experience.
Experience God's Presence
There is that lovely story which I’ve told many times about the saint Datatreya, who lived many centuries ago, saying that he had 24 gurus. One was a bee. Why a bee? Because he saw that bees flew only to the flowers, not to filth, like the flies. He learned from the bee to search in life – which is such a mixture of good and bad – for only the good and beautiful things.
He also spoke of a rock as being his guru. The rock was still, firm, and motionless, even when there was movement around it. And so, this saint thought, “That’s how I want to be: centered in myself.” Why not be still in meditation and not be agitated by the small things that pass through life? Why not always remain calm?
I remember a disciple of Yogananda’s in India. He was a very simple, quiet man, and very devoted. He responded to everything said to him with only the words, “Guru, Guru.” It was very inspiring. I heard that he was levitating in his last years.
How true it is when your mind realizes that God is always with you. This cannot be accomplished by concentrating on gossip or on unimportant matters. Don’t take interest in gossip and little things that don’t touch you. Try to become more charitable and calmer. We need to put the small things behind us. The only responsibility the universe has placed on our shoulders is to change ourselves and to find the Truth in our lives. Understanding this, we can understand all of life, the infinite universe. Everything can be understood this way. As the poet William Blake said, “Infinity can be found in a grain of sand, and eternity in an hourglass.” We can find eternity in an instant.
I think we’re at the precipice of a very difficult time. But if you’re with God, then you’ll see that nothing will touch you: You will remain always in peace. The world is what we create — why not create a beautiful world? Do you know that if only a few people do this, the world will be changed? It’s the best thing we can do for the world.
Wherever you live, try to give more of your mind and your soul to God. Don’t say, “I’m not a saint: I don’t have the right or the power to bless others.” No, you must bless others. You must also meditate for others.
Those of you who feel you are small, you are not small: You are the greatest mystery of the universe! Each person has the ability to serve, even as the angels do, if you are conscious of God’s presence, and if you want to do it.
When you’re traveling on the highway or visiting the shops, consciously try to bless others. You’ll see many sad faces, but try to send a blessing to those you see who are suffering, unhappy, or in need of encouragement. Send them your peace. You’ll see these blessings can create a new reality.
You’ll see that the more you feel yourself in God, the more it doesn’t matter if you do or don’t know the people around you or that you talk with them. The fact is, the more you live in the consciousness of God’s presence, the more people around you will feel changed. I’ve seen this many times in my life and in other people’s lives, and most of all in Yogananda’s life. Wherever he went, people treated him as an old friend.
Let God Enter into Your Life
It begins by letting God enter into your life. The more you open your mind to God, the more you’ll see that whatever happens, you’ll be filled with ever-more joy — so much joy that sometimes you won’t know how to contain it!
But it starts with this little experiment. So I suggest that in this year, be a spiritual scientist. You take one or two minutes to brush your teeth and five or ten minutes to bathe, so why not take five minutes of your day to think of God? Share with God every feeling, every thought. And, yes, it may become difficult after five minutes, but little-by-little you’ll see that it becomes a habit: You’ll see that gradually you will become in continuous conversation with God.
If next year you return to Ananda, I want to see what I already see, your spirituality. You are already spiritual, or you wouldn’t be here, but next year I want to see angels. Why not? Each of you can do it, because everyone is a ray of divine light. You are all part of God, and if, when you look in the mirror you see something else, then maybe it’s better not to look there, because you know that you are not what you see in the mirror.
Live more from inside, not outside. Don’t think too much of others’ reactions: That’s not important. Usually the opinions of others are wrong, anyway. Try first to satisfy your inner consciousness, the voice of God within you. And don’t compare, because God may say one thing through you, and another thing through someone else.
God is infinite: He has many voices and He has many instruments. Each one of us is a musical instrument: Each one of us needs to play his own song. In this way, God can do beautiful things through us. What God wants, finally, is to enjoy Himself in you. This is God’s purpose: Give Him that chance. So then, in this sense, I can wish you a beautiful year.
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Ananda is located in the tranquil hills of Umbria, Italy on “Strada Statale 444” between Assisi and Gualdo Tadino. It is the largest retreat center in Europe for Yogananda’s teachings.
Ananda Associazione • Via Montecchio, 61 • I-06025 Nocera Umbra (PG) • ITALY