2/19/83

Part Two

Devotion is about nurturing the love of God within you. Make devotion the most important part of your life. You’ll find that understanding is given to you when you need it. You will see clearly what the realities are and what the right direction is.

The heart can express your intuitive faculties. When the heart is calm and uplifted, you’ll find that it is always guided in the right direction. If it makes a mistake, then it is corrected. When you’ve reached a certain point in your devotion, God saves you from your mistakes. You’ve won enough of His attention so that he won’t let you go too far in the wrong direction, he’ll pull you back.

2/19/83

How to Develop Devotion Part One explains what Sri Yukteswar speaks of in his book The Holy Science as the ‘heart’s natural love.’ This natural love of the heart is the principal thing that moves us forward on the spiritual path.

There are two basic ways to perceive things: by reason and by feeling. If we go too much toward reason, we find that this overcomes us and suffocates the feeling of the heart. If we learn to direct our heart toward the reason, if we don’t divorce the two, then it is possible for us to have the balance where each one helps the other. Devotion needs to be kept in a state of reason because it could become fanaticism. We need to have the hearts natural love but not with outpouring of emotions.

What is the difference between feeling and emotion? Feeling, in the context of developing devotion, means being calm as opposed to excited. Excited feeling is emotion. Without the excitement, feeling will automatically aspire upward toward the spiritual eye.

Kriya Yoga – Essence of Yoga gives a comprehensive explanation of Kriya as a way of life and unites all religions. It is not just a technique.

Kriya is the ancient wisdom of the masters.

Kriyananda explains how to offer your self and your love to God.

We can go far on the spiritual path when we neutralize our likes and dislikes.

When you meditate put plans aside, either important or unimportant plans!

1/23/79
How to find fulfillment – be an instrument of the Divine.

Sometimes we can’t control how things turn out, but we can control the kind of energy we put out.

When you have an attitude of giving a cycle is formed. Good comes back and goes out again.

Ask yourself some questions:

How do I find fulfillment?

How do I avoid disappointment or failure?

How do I find happiness?

How do I avoid suffering and pain?

How do I find love and avoid hatred?

How do I find peace and avoid agony or anguish

Some people become upset with God because there is suffering and pain. As people grow in wisdom, there are certain truths that are universal. This is what the spiritual path is about. People can call it spiritual or label it God and believe in God – or not.

Key Points

Truth is something you have to see from the perspective from your own conscience. You need to be willing to walk alone if necessary sometimes. If everyone joins in, fine, if not, continue to follow your own truth.

The spiritual path really does not have a name. The ‘path’ is about your own inner unfoldment. It’s something that all of us are seeking and all of us need to do.

There are certain truths that are inherent to each one of us physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. When we flow accordingly to those realities things go more smoothly.

The world is a mixed bag of injustice, bitterness, unkindness and so on. If we expect people or situations to be negative, most likely, that negativity will be expressed. If we are positive and expect goodness, things most likely will take a turn in that direction.

An issue we need to face strongly in our own minds, is the realization that we can’t determine what the world is going to give us. But we can determine what we are going to give to the world. If we can understand that our realities are what we create and not what the world is putting upon us, we have begun to set foot on the spiritual path toward wisdom, enlightenment and spiritual unfoldment.

Giving is more blessed than to receive. When we can learn to give to others. We can learn to give to life and then we don’t worry about what life is going to give back to us.

Sometimes there is more joy in our hearts when the world treats us badly because if our attitude is right, it helps us affirm right attitude all the more.

When we are practicing our inherent quality of love, there is a flow of love. If we hate, there will be a blocking, nervous and disturbing kind of energy. When we hate, we do not find happiness.

Sometimes we need to learn from our mistakes and admit we were wrong.

Meditate and ask God what you should do, then according to the feeling that you get, try to express it. Your expression may be imperfect, but it takes a little effort to strengthen a muscle.

Don’t compare yourself with others, compare yourself with yourself.

Let us resolve to be kind no matter how others treat us. We are happier and more joyful when we serve as a channel of blessings to the world. When we are an instrument of God, we are a fulfilled human being.

Early 1980’s

How to Express Your Creativity – an essential element for spiritual growth.

When you are trying to express creativity, go deeper and deeper into yourself until you find the core of the creative energy in the vibration of Aum and that you’re really listening to Aum and that it’s coming out of the the deepest recesses of your own nature.

Try to be less focused on what you’re doing and be more be focused on the source of what is coming through you.

Become aware of the inner joy and express joy in creative works. What people are really inspired by, is the energy that came through you to create it.

Kriyananda explains how to become more creative in all aspects of our life.

7/3/83

How to Achieve True Freedom – practice devotion and non attachment

Most people think freedom is merely doing what they want to do.

True freedom comes from devotion to God and non-attachment.

Try to act according to the dictates of our soul, not our ego.

6/16/79

How to Achieve Immortality is a very important and intriguing topic. One of the main points from this talk is that when we can truly express our soul qualities even though outer life is dynamic and ever-changing we remain changeless at our center.

As we develop spiritually and learn to feel and act from the core of our being with an awareness that we are one with God, we are expressing immortality.

As long as we have a consciousness of death and consciousness of the fear of change – that’s the real death. The fear of death can be terrifying, but the actual experience of death is beautiful. There is a feeling of release.

12/1/81

How Do we Really Heal – total health relates to body, mind and soul.

Healing can be related to the physical body but mental and spiritual healing are also important.

We draw from the source of cosmic energy by the practice of willpower.

The attitude of willingness improves general health.

Matter is energy. Your body is a manifestation of divine energy.

Sri Yukteswar said that meditation will develop the hearts’ natural love. This love fills your body with harmonious energy and your health can be positively affected.

Note: The original recording quality is not the best, but you can hear Kriyananda’s voice clearly. It is included in our Talk Catalog because of it’s unusual and helpful content.