Transcript
[0:12] Good morning. Our first chant is thou
[0:14] art my life.
[0:28] >> [music]
[0:30] >> Thou [singing] art my life. Thou art my
[0:34] [music] love. Thou art [singing]
[0:36] the sweetness which I do see. Thou art
[0:41] [singing] my life. Thou art [music]
[0:43] my love. Thou art [singing] the
[0:46] sweetness which I [music] do see.
[0:50] In the [singing] thought by my love.
[0:54] In the thought [music and singing]
[0:56] by my love. I taste thy name.
[1:02] So sweet. So [music and singing] sweet.
[1:06] Devot knows how sweet you are. Devot
[1:11] [singing]
[1:12] knows [music]
[1:13] how sweet you are. He knows [music] whom
[1:18] [singing] you let go. He knows whom you
[1:23] let go. [singing] Thou art my life. Thou
[1:27] art my [music] love. Thou art the
[1:30] sweetness which [singing] I do see. Thou
[1:34] art my life. Thou art [music] my love.
[1:38] Thou art the sweetness which I do see.
[1:43] In [singing and music] the thought by my
[1:46] love of love.
[1:48] In [singing and music] the thought by my
[1:50] love of love. I taste [singing] thy
[1:53] name. [music]
[1:55] So sweet. So sweet.
[1:59] Devote [music and singing]
[2:00] knows how sweet you are. Devote knows
[2:05] how sweet you are. [music and singing]
[2:08] He knows who you let go.
[2:13] He knows whom [music] you let go. Thou
[2:17] art [singing] my life. Thou art my love.
[2:21] [music]
[2:21] Thou art the sweetness which I do see.
[2:26] Thou [singing] art my life. [music]
[2:28] Thou art my love. Thou art [singing]
[2:31] the sweetness [music]
[2:33] which I do see.
[2:35] In [singing] the thought my mind of God.
[2:40] In the thought my mind
[2:42] [singing and music]
[2:43] brought, I taste thy name.
[2:47] So sweet, so sweet. [music]
[2:51] [singing]
[2:52] Knows how sweet you are.
[2:56] [singing] Knows [music]
[2:57] how sweet you are. He knows [singing]
[3:02] whom you let go. He [music]
[3:05] knows whom you let know. Thou art my
[3:09] [music] life. [singing] Thou art my
[3:12] love. Thou art the sweetness which
[3:15] [music] I do see. Thou art my life.
[3:18] [singing] Thou art my love. Thou art
[3:22] [music] the sweetness [singing]
[3:24] which I do see. In [music] the thought
[3:28] by my love.
[3:30] In [singing] the thought by my love. I
[3:35] taste [music]
[3:35] thy [singing] name.
[3:38] So sweet. So sweet. [music]
[3:42] Devote [singing] knows how sweet you
[3:45] are. Devot [music and singing] knows how
[3:48] sweet you are. He [singing] knows whom
[3:53] you [music] let go. He knows whom you
[3:58] let go. [music] Thou [singing] art my
[4:00] life. Thou art my love. Thou art the
[4:05] sweetness [music]
[4:06] [singing] which I do see. Thou art my
[4:09] life. Thou [singing] art my love. Thou
[4:12] [music] art the sweetness which I do
[4:16] see. In the thought by my
[4:19] [singing and music] love of God. In the
[4:22] thought by my love of love. I taste
[4:26] [music and singing] thy name.
[4:29] So sweet. So sweet.
[4:32] Devote [music and singing] knows how
[4:34] sweet you are. Devote
[4:38] [music and singing] knows how sweet you
[4:40] are. He knows whom you let go. He knows
[4:47] [music]
[4:48] whom you let go. Thou art my [singing]
[4:51] life. Thou art my love. Thou art the
[4:55] sweetness which I see. Thou art my
[4:59] [singing and music] life. Thou art my
[5:02] love. Thou art the sweetness which I do
[5:06] [music] see. In [singing] the thought by
[5:10] my love brought. In the thought by
[5:14] [music] my love thought I taste thy
[5:17] name.
[5:19] So sweet. [music] So sweet.
[5:24] [singing] Knows how sweet you are.
[5:28] He [music] knows [singing] how sweet you
[5:30] are. He knows [music]
[5:34] who you let go. He knows who you let go.
[5:40] Thou [music] art my [singing] life. Thou
[5:42] art my love. Thou [music] art the
[5:46] sweetness which I do see. Thou art my
[5:50] [singing and music] life. Thou art my
[5:52] love. Thou art the sweetness [music]
[5:56] which I do see.
[5:58] In the thought [singing] by my love.
[6:02] [music] In the thought by my love. I
[6:06] taste [singing and music] thy name.
[6:09] So sweet. So sweet.
[6:14] Knows [music and singing] how sweet you
[6:16] are.
[6:18] Knows how sweet you are. He [music]
[6:23] knows whom you let go. He knows whom
[6:28] [music] you let go. Thou art [singing]
[6:31] my life. Thou art [music] my love. Thou
[6:35] art the sweetness which I do see.
[6:39] [music] Thou art [singing]
[6:40] my life. Thou art my love. [music] Thou
[6:44] art the sweetness
[6:47] which I do see.
[6:53] Listen,
[7:06] [music]
[7:11] listen [singing]
[7:12] to my heart song.
[7:16] [music]
[7:17] Listen to my [singing] heart song. I
[7:20] will never forget thee. [music]
[7:23] I will never [singing] forsake thee. I
[7:26] will never forget thee. I will [music]
[7:29] never forsake thee.
[7:33] Listen, listen [music and singing]
[7:35] to my heart song.
[7:39] Listen, listen [music] to my [singing]
[7:41] heart song. I will never forget thee. I
[7:46] will never [singing] forsake thee. I
[7:49] will never [music] forget thee. I will
[7:52] never forsake thee.
[7:55] Listen, listen, listen [music] to my
[7:58] [singing] heart song.
[8:01] Listen, listen, listen [music]
[8:03] to my [singing]
[8:04] heart song. I will never [music] forget
[8:07] thee. I will [singing] never forsake
[8:10] thee. I will never [music] forget thee.
[8:14] I will never forsake thee. Listen,
[8:18] listen [music and singing]
[8:20] to my heart song.
[8:23] Listen, listen, listen to [singing] my
[8:26] heart song. I will [music] never forget
[8:30] thee. I will never forsake thee. I will
[8:34] [music and singing] never forget thee. I
[8:37] will never forsake thee.
[8:40] Listen, listen
[8:42] to [music and singing] my heart song.
[8:46] Listen, listen, listen [music]
[8:48] to my [singing]
[8:49] heart song. I will never forget thee. I
[8:54] will never [music and singing] forsake
[8:56] thee. I will never forget thee. I will
[9:00] never [music and singing] forsake thee.
[9:03] Listen, listen, listen to my heart song.
[9:09] Listen, listen to my [singing] heart
[9:12] song. [music] I will never forget thee.
[9:16] I will never forsake thee. I will
[9:19] [singing and music] never forget thee. I
[9:22] will never forsake thee.
[9:25] Listen, listen, listen
[9:27] [singing and music] to my heart song.
[9:31] Listen, listen, listen [music]
[9:33] [singing] to my heart song. I will never
[9:37] [music] forget thee. I will never
[9:40] forsake thee. [singing] I will never
[9:43] forget thee. I will never forsake thee.
[9:48] Listen, listen, [music] listen to my
[9:51] [singing] heart song.
[9:53] Listen, listen, listen to [music] my
[9:57] [singing] heart song. I will never
[10:00] forget thee. I will never forsake thee.
[10:04] I will never forget thee. I will never
[10:08] forsake thee. Listen, listen [music]
[10:13] to my heart song.
[10:16] [music] Listen, listen to my [singing]
[10:19] heart song. I will never forget thee. I
[10:24] will [singing and music] never forsake
[10:26] thee. I will never forget thee. I
[10:29] [singing and music] will never forsake
[10:31] thee.
[10:33] Listen, listen
[10:35] to [music] my [singing] heart song.
[10:38] Listen, listen, listen to my [music]
[10:42] heart song. I will never [singing]
[10:45] forget thee. I will never forsake thee.
[10:49] I will [music and singing] never forget
[10:51] thee. I will never forsake thee. I will
[10:56] [singing] never forget thee. I will
[10:59] never [music] forsake thee. I will
[11:02] [singing] never forget thee. I will
[11:05] never forsake thee.
[11:12] Let's meditate until service begins.
[14:51] >> [clears throat]
[15:10] >> The voice of God calls us to awaken him.
[15:12] How will he find us when he comes?
[15:14] >> Awake and ready.
[15:16] >> And when he asks us to dedicate
[15:17] ourselves ever more perfectly, how will
[15:19] he find us?
[15:20] >> Awake and ready.
[15:22] >> Let's pray together. Heavenly Father,
[15:25] >> Heavenly Father,
[15:25] >> divine mother,
[15:26] >> divine mother,
[15:27] >> friend, beloved God,
[15:29] >> friend, beloved God,
[15:31] >> Jesus Christ,
[15:32] >> Jesus Christ,
[15:33] >> Babai Krishna,
[15:35] >> Krishna,
[15:40] >> Swami,
[15:43] >> Beloved Guru,
[15:50] >> saints of all religions,
[15:51] >> saints of all religions, We bow to all
[15:54] of you.
[15:54] >> We bow to all of you.
[15:57] >> Divine mother,
[15:58] >> divine mother,
[16:00] >> bless our service this morning.
[16:02] >> Bless our service this morning.
[16:04] >> And bless our lives.
[16:06] >> Bless our lives.
[16:07] >> That we may live ever more completely.
[16:10] >> We may live ever more completely.
[16:12] >> In your love and light.
[16:13] >> In your love and light.
[16:15] >> We are your children.
[16:16] >> We are your children.
[16:18] >> Show us the way home.
[16:19] >> Show us the way home. Oh
[16:22] peace. Amen.
[16:27] >> Please be seated.
[16:51] >> [music]
[17:02] >> There's joy [music and singing] in the
[17:03] heavens
[17:05] on the mountains and [music] melody
[17:07] sings [singing]
[17:08] everywhere.
[17:10] The flowers are all laughing to welcome
[17:13] the morning. [singing] Your soul is as
[17:15] free as [music] the air.
[17:18] The flowers are all laughing to welcome
[17:20] the morning. [music]
[17:22] Your soul is as free as the [singing]
[17:24] air.
[17:27] Be [music] home in the sunshine.
[17:29] [singing] Dance through a meadow or sit
[17:32] by [music] a stream and just be
[17:35] the lift [singing] of the water will
[17:38] gather your worries and carry them down
[17:41] to the sea.
[17:43] The lift [music and singing] of the
[17:44] water will gather your worries and carry
[17:48] them down to the sea. [singing]
[17:53] Men [music] hunger for freedom [singing]
[17:55] but don't see their dungeon. It's only
[17:57] [music] the thought that they're bound.
[18:01] [singing] Desires are their shackles.
[18:03] The hope that tomorrow [music]
[18:05] the doorway to joy will be found.
[18:09] Desires are [music and singing] their
[18:10] shackles. The hope that tomorrow the
[18:13] doorway to joy will be found. [music]
[18:18] >> There's joy all around us. Wait till
[18:21] tomorrow. [music and singing]
[18:22] We only this moment to live.
[18:26] A heaven [music and singing] within us
[18:28] is ours for the finding. A freedom no
[18:31] riches can give.
[18:34] A heaven within [music]
[18:35] us is ours for the finding. A freedom no
[18:39] riches can give.
[18:43] >> [music]
[18:43] >> There's joy in the heavens, a smile on
[18:47] [singing] the mountains, and melody
[18:49] sings everywhere. [music]
[18:52] The flowers are all [singing] laughing
[18:54] to welcome the [music] morning. Your
[18:56] soul is as free as [singing] the air.
[18:59] The flowers are all laughing [music]
[19:01] to welcome the morning. Your soul is
[19:04] [singing] as free as the air.
[19:07] [music] The flowers are all laughing to
[19:09] welcome the morning. Your soul is
[19:12] [singing] as free as the air. [music]
[19:42] Let's chant together.
[19:46] [music]
[20:00] This way.
[20:02] Here [laughter]
[20:03] he comes.
[20:15] Listen to my soul song.
[20:20] My heart song. Listen to my soul song.
[20:26] Listen to my heart song.
[20:30] In secret in my soul I will gather
[20:35] blossoms for thee. Dipping them
[20:38] [singing]
[20:39] [music] in devotion. I will lay them at
[20:42] thy feet. Dipping them in [singing]
[20:46] devotion. I will lay them at thy feet.
[20:51] Listen to my soul song. [singing]
[20:55] Listen to my heart song. Listen [music]
[20:59] to my soul song. Listen to my heart
[21:04] song. In secreting my soul, I will
[21:10] gather blossoms for thee. Dipping them
[21:14] [music and singing]
[21:15] in devotion, I will lay them at thy
[21:19] feet. [music]
[21:20] Dipping them in the ocean, I will lay
[21:25] them at thy feet. [music] Listen to my
[21:29] soul song. Listen to my heart song.
[21:35] Listen to my [singing] soul song.
[21:38] [music] Listen to my heart song in
[21:43] secret in my soul. I will gather
[21:47] blossoms for thee, dipping them in
[21:51] [singing] devotion. I will lay them at
[21:55] thy feet. Dipping [music]
[21:57] [singing] down the ocean, I will lay
[22:01] them at [music] thy feet. Listen to
[22:04] [singing]
[22:05] my soul song. Listen to my heart song.
[22:11] Listen [music] to my soul [singing]
[22:14] song. Listen to my heart song. In secret
[22:20] in my soul [singing]
[22:22] I will gather blossoms for thee. Dipping
[22:26] [music] them in devotion I will
[22:30] >> [singing]
[22:30] >> lay them at thy feet. Dipping them in
[22:35] devotion. [singing and music]
[22:36] I will lay them at thy feet. Listen to
[22:41] my [singing] soul song. Listen [music]
[22:45] to my heart song. Listen [singing] to my
[22:49] [music] soul song. Listen to my heart
[22:54] song in secret in [singing] my soul. I
[22:59] will gather blossoms for thee. [singing]
[23:02] Dipping them in devotion, I will lay
[23:07] them [singing] at [music] thy feet.
[23:10] Dipping them in [singing] devotion, I
[23:14] will lay them [music] at thy feet.
[23:16] Listen to [singing] my soul song. Listen
[23:21] [music] to my heart [singing] song.
[23:24] Listen to my soul song. [music]
[23:28] Listen to my heart song. In secret
[23:34] [singing] in my soul. I will gather
[23:37] blossoms for thee, dipping them in
[23:42] devotion. I will lay [singing] them at
[23:45] thy feet.
[23:46] Dipping them in devotion, I will lay
[23:51] them at thy [music] feet. Listen to my
[23:56] soul song. [singing] Listen to my heart
[24:00] song. Listen to my [singing] soul song.
[24:05] Listen to my heart song.
[24:10] secret in [singing] my soul. I will
[24:13] gather blossoms for thee, dipping them
[24:17] [music]
[24:18] in devotion, I will lay them [singing]
[24:22] at thy feet. Dipping them in devotion, I
[24:28] will lay [music] them at thy feet.
[24:31] Listen to my soul song. [singing]
[24:35] Listen to my heart song. Listen to my
[24:40] [music] soul song. Listen to my heart
[24:45] [singing] song
[24:46] in secret in my soul. I [music] will
[24:51] gather blossoms for thee. Dipping them
[24:55] in devotion, I [singing] will
[24:58] >> [music]
[24:58] >> lay them at thy feet. Dipping them in
[25:03] devotion, [singing]
[25:04] I will lay them at [music] thy feet.
[25:08] Listen to my soul song. Listen to my
[25:14] heart song. Listen to my
[25:18] [music and singing] soul song. Listen to
[25:21] my heart song.
[25:24] In secret in my [singing and music]
[25:26] soul. I will gather blossoms for thee.
[25:31] Dipping them [music] in [singing]
[25:34] devotion. I will lay them at thy feet,
[25:39] dipping them in devotion. I will
[25:43] >> [singing and music]
[25:43] >> lay them at thy feet. Listen to my
[25:48] [music] soul song. Listen to my heart
[25:53] song. Listen to my soul [music]
[25:58] song. Listen to my heart [music]
[26:03] song.
[26:15] We'll take this next chant into
[26:17] meditation. This will be a time for the
[26:20] children to go to Sunday school.
[26:24] This chant very simple. Reveal thyself.
[26:28] said master recommended it as a sort of
[26:32] English language mantra
[26:35] which Swami G put to music.
[26:58] Reveal [singing]
[26:58] thyself. [music]
[27:01] Reveal thyself.
[27:04] Reveal thyself. [singing]
[27:07] Reveal thyself.
[27:10] Reveal thyself. [singing]
[27:13] Reveal thyself.
[27:16] Reveal thyself.
[27:19] Reveal thyself.
[27:22] Reveal thyself.
[27:25] [music] Reveal [singing] thyself.
[27:28] Real thyself.
[27:31] Real thyself. [music and singing]
[27:34] Reveal thyself.
[27:37] Reveal thyself. [music]
[27:40] Reveal thyself. [singing]
[27:43] Reveal thyself.
[27:47] Reveal thyself. [singing]
[27:50] Reveal [music] thyself.
[27:53] Reveal thyself. [singing]
[27:56] Reveal [music]
[27:57] thyself.
[27:59] Reveal [singing] thyself.
[28:02] Reveal [music] thyself.
[28:06] Reveal thyself.
[28:09] Reveal thyself.
[28:12] Reveal thyself. [singing]
[28:15] Reveal thyself.
[28:18] Reveal thyself. [singing and music]
[28:22] Reveal thyself.
[28:25] Reveal thyself.
[28:28] Reveal [singing and music]
[28:29] thyself.
[28:31] Reveal thyself.
[28:35] Reveal [singing] thyself. [music]
[28:38] Reveal thyself.
[28:41] Reveal thyself. [singing and music]
[28:44] Reveal thyself.
[28:48] Reveal [music]
[28:49] [singing] thyself.
[28:51] Reveal thyself.
[28:54] Reveal thyself. [singing]
[28:58] Reveal thyself. [music]
[29:01] Reveal [singing] thyself.
[29:04] Reveal thyself.
[29:08] Reveal [music]
[29:08] thyself.
[29:11] Reveal [singing]
[29:12] thyself.
[29:14] Reveal [music]
[29:15] thyself.
[29:17] Real thyself. [singing]
[29:20] Reveal thyself.
[29:24] Reveal thyself. [singing]
[29:27] Reveal [music]
[29:28] thyself.
[29:31] Reveal thyself.
[29:34] Reveal [music and singing] thyself.
[29:37] Reveal thyself.
[29:40] Reveal thyself.
[29:44] Reveal [singing] thyself.
[29:47] Reveal thyself. [music]
[29:50] Reveal thyself. [singing]
[29:54] Reveal thyself. [music]
[29:57] Reveal thyself. [singing]
[30:00] Reveal thyself. [music]
[30:03] Reveal [singing]
[30:04] thyself.
[30:07] [music] Reveal thyself. [singing]
[30:10] Reveal thyself.
[30:13] Reveal thyself.
[30:17] Reveal thyself.
[30:20] Reveal thyself.
[30:24] Reveal thyself.
[30:27] Reveal thyself.
[30:30] Reveal [music]
[30:31] thyself.
[30:34] Reveal thyself.
[30:37] Reveal thyself. [singing and music]
[30:40] Reveal thyself.
[30:44] Reveal thyself.
[30:48] Reveal thy soul.
[31:03] Let's meditate together and keep that
[31:06] chant
[31:08] going in your heart, going in your mind,
[31:13] not as a wish,
[31:16] as a loving demand.
[31:20] Reveal thyself. Lord,
[31:23] come to me.
[37:21] The affirmation the quality for the week
[37:24] this is from affirmations for
[37:26] self-healing by Swami Krianandanda.
[37:29] This week's quality is evenmindedness.
[37:35] Many people confuse progress with
[37:37] movement and with outward change.
[37:41] Thus, the more dust of excitement they
[37:43] stir up, the more productive they feel
[37:46] they are, the more they get swept up
[37:49] into a happy mood when things go well,
[37:52] the better they imagine things have
[37:55] gone.
[37:57] In their answer to every slump is to
[37:59] cast about for some other thing, to
[38:02] sweep them high once more.
[38:05] Such lives are like cars driven over
[38:08] deeply ruted roads. Their movement is
[38:11] almost as much up and down as it is
[38:14] forward. With evenmindedness, progress
[38:18] is a straight, not a jagged line.
[38:21] Progress, however, should mean above all
[38:25] progressive understanding.
[38:28] Evenmindedness bestows clarity of
[38:31] perception, which is the ability to see
[38:34] things as they really are, undistorted
[38:38] by emotional bias.
[38:40] Let us practice this affirmation
[38:43] together first with lots of energy with
[38:46] a loud voice repeating after me. I
[38:50] remain untouched by gain or loss.
[38:53] >> I remain untouched by gain or loss.
[38:56] >> In the calm mirror of my understanding,
[38:59] >> in the calm mirror of my understanding,
[39:02] >> I behold thy light reflected.
[39:05] >> I behold thy light reflected. Now in a
[39:08] normal speaking tone, I remain untouched
[39:12] by gain or loss.
[39:13] >> I remain untouched by gain loss.
[39:16] >> In the calm mirror of my understanding,
[39:19] >> in the calm mirror of my understanding,
[39:22] >> I behold thy light un reflected.
[39:25] >> I behold thy light reflected.
[39:29] >> Now whispering but continue with lots of
[39:33] energy. I remain untouched by gain or
[39:36] loss.
[39:40] In the calm mirror of my understanding,
[39:46] I behold thy light reflected.
[39:51] And now silently drawing this
[39:53] affirmation into the subconscious,
[39:57] I remain untouched by gain or loss.
[40:03] In the calm mirror of my understanding,
[40:08] I behold thy light reflected.
[40:12] Now again silently
[40:15] drawing this affirmation up into the
[40:17] superconscious
[40:19] concentrating this affirmation deeply at
[40:21] the point between the eyebrows with lots
[40:23] of energy inwardly repeating I remain
[40:28] untouched by gain or loss
[40:32] in the calm mirror of my understanding.
[40:37] I behold thy light reflected
[40:43] and inwardly pray with me.
[40:46] When I rejoice, Lord, let it be with
[40:49] thee. And when I grieve, help me always
[40:52] to see thy sunlight through the mists.
[41:16] Good morning great souls. Welcome to
[41:18] Sunday service here at the temple of
[41:20] light at Ananda Village. We welcome all
[41:24] those who are visiting perhaps for the
[41:26] first time and also those who are tuning
[41:29] in and visiting us online. My name is
[41:32] Jatendra and I'm joined by Na Swami
[41:35] Ganddev and we will be focusing today's
[41:40] service
[41:42] on a reading from rays of the one light
[41:46] and this is commentary based on the
[41:50] Bhagavad Gita in the Bible parallel
[41:53] passages that Pararmahansi Yog based on
[41:55] the teachings of Parahansi Yogaandanda
[41:57] that Swami Kranandanda
[42:00] wrote.
[42:01] So let us tune into this week's topic.
[42:05] What is the best way to pray?
[42:10] Truth is one in eternal. Realize oneness
[42:13] with it in your deathless self within
[42:16] the following commentaries based on the
[42:18] teachings of Paramahansa Yogaandanda.
[42:22] Jesus Christ in Sri Krishna both advise
[42:25] praying to God as personal. Yet both
[42:28] emphasized also that God is above form
[42:32] and that he must be sought ultimately in
[42:35] infinity.
[42:36] As Jesus put it, God is a spirit and
[42:41] they that worship him must worship him
[42:43] in spirit and in truth. Yet he spoke of
[42:47] God constantly as our heavenly father.
[42:51] In what is known as the Lord's prayer,
[42:54] he proposed a very human prayer to the
[42:57] heavenly father asking fulfillment for
[43:00] all our spiritual needs. The Bhagavad
[43:03] Gita explains that man living as he does
[43:06] in a human body finds it difficult to
[43:09] worship infinity as through the ego and
[43:13] body didn't even exist.
[43:15] Far better for human beings, Krishna
[43:18] says, to work with reality as we know it
[43:21] than to affirm a reality of which the
[43:24] human mind is incapable of forming any
[43:27] clear notion. Encouraging the devotey in
[43:30] this direction, he says, "Oh Arjuna, be
[43:34] thou a yogi." That is to say, be one who
[43:37] works with not in rejection of the
[43:41] energies of the body and the natural
[43:44] tendencies of the mind. In the 12th
[43:48] chapter of the Gita, Arjuna asks,
[43:52] "Those who ever steadfast worship thee
[43:55] as devotees,
[43:57] that is to say, in an I and thou
[44:00] relationship,
[44:02] and those who contemplate thee as the
[44:04] immortal unmanifested spirit, which
[44:08] group is the better versed in yoga?" The
[44:11] blessed Lord replied, "Those who fixing
[44:15] their minds on me, adore me, ever united
[44:19] to me through supreme devotion, are in
[44:23] my eyes the perfect knowowers of yoga.
[44:27] Those whose strict aim is union with the
[44:30] unmanifested
[44:32] choose a more difficult way. Arduous for
[44:35] embodied beings is the path of
[44:37] dedication to the absolute.
[44:40] The path that is to say of Ghana yoga.
[44:44] Thus through holy scripture God has
[44:47] spoken to mankind.
[44:56] [singing]
[44:59] Oh
[45:02] [music]
[45:15] like to wish welcome you all as well and
[45:17] to wish Jendra happy day after his
[45:19] birthday. [laughter]
[45:24] So I would like to share a reading from
[45:26] whispers from eternity parhansi yoga
[45:28] nandanda's book of prayer man's poems.
[45:38] This one
[45:41] is called I will not offer unto thee
[45:43] mindmade hotouse songs.
[45:48] So for those who aren't familiar with
[45:50] the term hot house, uh it has several
[45:53] meanings. I think the one that master
[45:55] intended was a heated greenhouse where
[45:59] plants uh thrive that wouldn't thrive
[46:03] outside that heated environment.
[46:10] I will sing a song uninfluenced by the
[46:12] voice of any other. I will offer thee
[46:15] mine own pristine heart melodies.
[46:19] I will sing thee a song unheard by any.
[46:22] I have nurtured this song, child myself.
[46:26] Now I bring it to thee for higher
[46:28] training.
[46:29] I will offer thee no intellectual
[46:32] premeditated art discipline song. What I
[46:36] will offer thee are the wild songs of my
[46:38] heart.
[46:40] I will offer thee not civilized,
[46:42] emotion-packed music, or artfully
[46:45] cultivated song flowers, but wild
[46:48] blossoms that grow on the high hills of
[46:51] my soul.
[47:01] And I think we can substitute the word
[47:06] prayers for songs in in that reading. No
[47:10] hot house prayers.
[47:12] And [laughter] since our topic is what
[47:15] is the best way to pray.
[47:18] If you've heard recordings of
[47:20] Pararmahansianda
[47:21] praying, you'll know those were no hot
[47:24] house prayers.
[47:26] Uh they're kind of shocking many of
[47:29] them. is just so strong
[47:32] uh with a with a a devotional quality in
[47:36] them definitely but but there's no hot
[47:40] house prayers and you know where I grew
[47:44] up which was in rural Minnesota
[47:47] um there were only hot house prayers as
[47:50] far as I'm concerned in fact they might
[47:53] not even have been hot house prayers
[47:55] because hotouses have living growing
[47:57] things in them And uh I don't think that
[48:00] the prayers at the church I went to had
[48:04] were neither were not alive at all. They
[48:08] were just wrote just going through it
[48:11] together. And I think if you'd taken an
[48:15] inner survey of most of the people,
[48:18] perhaps all the people in that in that
[48:21] sanctuary, I I might have been the only
[48:23] one with a wild song of my heart. And
[48:26] that was get me out of here. [laughter]
[48:34] And I had to put up with it for a while
[48:36] before I was uh finally allowed to
[48:42] not no longer go to church by my mother.
[48:45] It was through the grace of a new
[48:47] minister who was so boring that even my
[48:51] mother didn't want to go to church
[48:53] anymore. So she didn't feel there was
[48:55] any way that she demand that she could
[48:57] demand that I go to church as well. So I
[49:01] left. I did never never returned and
[49:07] uh this was just when I was a teenager
[49:10] but it uh made a great impression on me.
[49:13] I just continued my march away from
[49:16] organized religion.
[49:18] But at one point,
[49:22] um, I started to have a wild song of my
[49:25] heart. And that was, there's got to be
[49:29] more than life, more to life than this,
[49:31] isn't there? Just I looked around and it
[49:36] was I had nothing to complain about. I
[49:38] had everything that everyone thought I
[49:41] should have for happiness and I wasn't
[49:44] happy at all. And you know how when you
[49:48] go into a
[49:50] supermarket, say, and there's the the
[49:53] music going on and oh darn, you you hear
[49:57] a song that you really loved as a
[49:58] teenager and it's [laughter]
[50:00] it's an earworm. It sticks in your brain
[50:03] and you can't get rid of it all day, all
[50:05] week, who knows for how long.
[50:09] That's a good reason to shop at Master's
[50:11] Market. [laughter]
[50:15] You have good earworms.
[50:18] Well, I had sort of an earworm. There's
[50:20] got to be something better than this.
[50:23] What is it? What doesn't life have more
[50:26] than that? And like so many of us here,
[50:29] you know, you bang around from here to
[50:31] there looking for what that might be and
[50:34] you finally run into autobiography of a
[50:38] yogi. And like so many of you I know uh
[50:43] it just totally overwhelmed me how
[50:48] utterly
[50:50] wrong my thinking had been. How I hadn't
[50:54] even examined my my assumptions about
[50:57] the spiritual life that there even was a
[51:00] spiritual life. I had just uh thrown
[51:03] everything out for on the basis of
[51:07] unexamined thinking. And when I read
[51:10] that book, it's like, "Oh,
[51:13] there's hope here." Uh, and this this
[51:16] man, I just knew in a way that I'd never
[51:18] known anything else in my life. I knew
[51:22] this man gives the truth, he not only
[51:27] knew that there was a God, that he knew
[51:31] God. And he's saying, "I can know God.
[51:35] I'm in.
[51:37] I'm in."
[51:38] And so I I got onto this path and
[51:43] it wasn't long before I encountered so
[51:45] something that yogaandanda master um
[51:49] said that jolted me a little bit cuz he
[51:54] said in order to know God you have to
[51:56] love God.
[51:59] I thought but um wait a minute in order
[52:02] to love someone you have to know them.
[52:06] Uh, we've got a problem here. [laughter]
[52:09] We we've got a circle that you can't
[52:12] break into.
[52:14] How am I going to manage this?
[52:19] Uh, in fact, what brought that to my
[52:21] mind was just recently I ran across
[52:24] him having said that again in a little
[52:28] different way.
[52:30] He said, "To discover the hidden
[52:33] presence of God, you must love him. But
[52:36] how can you love God without knowing
[52:38] him?" Catch 22 here. You cannot love
[52:42] anything that's unknown to you? Can you
[52:45] love a flower you've never seen? Can you
[52:48] love the ocean if it's just a word to
[52:50] you? Could you love anything that you
[52:53] knew nothing about?
[52:56] How then is it possible to love God
[52:58] having never seen him?
[53:04] He asked those questions and I was very
[53:06] happy to see that again that that uh
[53:10] this is this bothered me for quite some
[53:12] time until I came across
[53:15] uh his solution to the dilemma which was
[53:20] I'll read you that one too and that's
[53:25] We need to we can build a relationship
[53:28] with God before we even know God. Just
[53:31] like you can build a relationship with
[53:33] another human being before you really
[53:35] know them.
[53:37] It's a gradual process of getting more
[53:40] and okay, we're not seeing God like you
[53:42] might see another human being, but it's
[53:45] a gradual process. It's not this abrupt
[53:48] go from zero to 100 miles an hour
[53:51] instantly. And so he here's how he put
[53:54] it.
[53:55] He says you must have a right concept of
[53:58] God,
[53:59] a definite idea through which you can
[54:02] form a relationship with him. And
[54:05] today's today's reading Swami G was
[54:08] writing about how both in the Bible and
[54:10] the Bavad Gita are encouraging us to to
[54:17] view God in personal terms. to personal
[54:20] terms that we can understand whether
[54:22] it's some great saint even
[54:27] not just some image of God as you know
[54:30] for for example the Hindus have so many
[54:32] images of God which I've always admired
[54:35] because what they're putting out is so
[54:37] many different ways to relate to God you
[54:41] can certainly among those thousands of
[54:44] different uh conceptions of God you can
[54:46] certainly find one that you resonate
[54:49] with. I thought that's so practical to
[54:53] have have those out there. But there's
[54:56] another real practical one also and
[54:59] that's the guru which a human being who
[55:03] had a human body and it's a it's a way
[55:07] to begin to establish that relationship
[55:11] with God. So I'll read the rest of of
[55:13] what Yogaandanda said. He said a
[55:15] definite idea through which you can form
[55:17] a relationship with him and then you
[55:21] must meditate and pray until that mental
[55:24] conception
[55:26] becomes changed into actual perception.
[55:31] Then you will know him. I thought that's
[55:35] so
[55:37] comfortable
[55:39] that you can can see a way forward. you
[55:42] can see uh a gradual process of coming
[55:46] to know the divine who you still won't
[55:50] be able to see for a long time. I doubt
[55:52] that very many people in this room or
[55:55] online have actually had that fullness
[55:59] of experience of God. Even Swami
[56:02] Krananda until the very end of his life
[56:06] until until the very end of his life uh
[56:09] has said you know I don't know there's a
[56:11] god
[56:13] I don't know there's I think by the end
[56:14] of his life he really knew there was a
[56:17] god but until then
[56:20] he didn't know but he was just
[56:22] developing that relationship through his
[56:25] guru especially
[56:28] just like so many of us are doing but
[56:31] how How do we how do we cultivate that?
[56:33] Master said through prayer, through
[56:35] meditation. In other places, they said
[56:37] through
[56:40] becoming a partner with God in
[56:42] everything you do. Just trying to feel
[56:44] him with you
[56:47] in all of your activities, cooking,
[56:50] cleaning, driving, exercising, whatever
[56:53] it is to foster that relationship.
[56:59] Now meditation
[57:02] most of us know something about that and
[57:06] we can feel gradually the the you might
[57:10] say the the shells around us the shells
[57:14] of of apparent separation from God
[57:18] beginning to dissolve through through
[57:21] going deeper into the state of
[57:24] meditation deeper into a connection with
[57:27] your inner self. But what about prayer?
[57:30] I think for most people
[57:34] in this world,
[57:36] prayer
[57:38] is asking for things.
[57:41] Isn't that the common conception? We're
[57:43] asking for for things for situations.
[57:46] If we're like yoga would say, asking for
[57:50] God's presence, you know, I'm groping.
[57:52] I'm seeking
[57:54] looking for you. Wilt thou leave me
[57:57] alone?
[57:59] come show yourself. You know, he would
[58:01] pray so strongly that way.
[58:06] But then he would offer himself. If you
[58:09] read that whispers from eternity book
[58:12] constant offering to of the self to God
[58:15] as that's the prayers sort of prayer
[58:17] that God really wants to hear because
[58:21] that's the kind of prayer that that
[58:24] draws God's grace that enables us to
[58:27] receive God's grace which is always
[58:29] there always available
[58:31] but until we're putting ourselves into
[58:35] that place
[58:38] we don't receive it.
[58:41] So
[58:43] I want to focus just a little bit on the
[58:46] Bhagavad Gita. As some of you know, some
[58:49] of you are actually in the course right
[58:51] now. Uh uh Dia and I are teaching a
[58:54] course on the Bhagavad Gita right now
[58:57] online and it's my favorite thing in all
[59:00] the world to do. Uh I just love that
[59:03] course. I love that that scripture. And
[59:06] one thing that really really
[59:09] struck me
[59:11] when I first started to study it and
[59:13] continues to strike me even more
[59:16] strongly every time I study it is the
[59:20] the genius
[59:22] uh Krishna's genius in the way he led
[59:25] his disciple led his ar led Arjuna into
[59:30] deeper understanding
[59:32] and he just started out by okay let's
[59:37] clear things out clear your resistance
[59:39] to making the effort here okay
[59:41] [laughter]
[59:42] let's just get that out of the way and
[59:44] then he gave Arjuna a collection of
[59:47] tools collection of practices for
[59:51] walking the spiritual path
[59:55] and then
[59:58] starting in you know starting fair quite
[1:00:00] far into the Bavad Gita he starts to
[1:00:03] tell Arjuna what God is
[1:00:06] he's giving Arjuna the materials to
[1:00:10] build his own meaningful concept
[1:00:14] of what God is so that Arjuna can
[1:00:17] eventually have an actual perception
[1:00:22] from conception to perception of God.
[1:00:26] And in when he's telling Arjuno
[1:00:30] what God is, it's very interesting
[1:00:32] because he gets into some very esoteric
[1:00:34] stuff.
[1:00:36] It's the sort of stuff that I think a
[1:00:39] lot of people would be very prone to
[1:00:41] skip through and in a certain sense it
[1:00:45] would be okay to skip through it. Uh
[1:00:48] because it's not the point. The esoteric
[1:00:50] stuff is not really Krishna's point
[1:00:53] because at regular intervals through
[1:00:56] this telling Arjuno what God is he
[1:01:01] essentially says but the truly wise
[1:01:04] person lives a life of constant
[1:01:06] devotional self offering to God
[1:01:10] right in the midst of all the esoterica
[1:01:12] he just lands on this point over and
[1:01:14] over and over and you think I think he's
[1:01:18] trying to tell me something here that
[1:01:22] yes it's good to have our conceptions to
[1:01:26] we work with our conceptions of divine
[1:01:30] but the real key is to offer yourself
[1:01:36] into that conception to give yourself
[1:01:39] into whatever it is you have understood
[1:01:42] so far about God even if it's only a
[1:01:44] teeny tiny bit even if it's only a a
[1:01:47] wishing and hoping
[1:01:50] that God exists
[1:01:53] to offer yourself into that with
[1:01:57] devotion with all whatever love we can
[1:02:00] muster in the beginning we can't muster
[1:02:02] very much most of us some of us are born
[1:02:05] with that the love of God others have to
[1:02:09] scratch and claw our way to it later
[1:02:14] but whatever we can we can find of
[1:02:17] ourselves in that desire
[1:02:21] that's love too just the desire for God
[1:02:24] and to offer that that feeling into the
[1:02:29] infant that's what God is wanting for
[1:02:33] it's it's like God says ah now I can
[1:02:36] help you
[1:02:38] and and in the Gita
[1:02:41] after Krishna has finished acquainting
[1:02:44] Arjuna with what God is and reaffirming
[1:02:48] this point over and over and over. Look
[1:02:50] what you really want to be doing. Arjuna
[1:02:52] is constantly offering yourself
[1:02:55] devotionally to God. After he does that,
[1:02:58] he gives Arjuna the experience
[1:03:03] of God. He takes Arjuna from that
[1:03:06] conception to that actual perception.
[1:03:12] And then after that mindboggling
[1:03:15] experience
[1:03:17] he comes back once again reinforces his
[1:03:21] point. He says Arjuna the only way
[1:03:24] anybody can have the experience you just
[1:03:26] had is through unswerving devotion
[1:03:32] and then after that in the very next
[1:03:35] chapter is totally about devotion. I
[1:03:38] think Krishna is really making a point
[1:03:40] here of how we can move forward in our
[1:03:45] spiritual life that it is just that
[1:03:49] really comes down to something so so
[1:03:52] simple
[1:03:54] and yet so profound.
[1:03:58] And as I was thinking back about my
[1:04:02] year, my early years in uh the Christian
[1:04:05] church back in rural Minnesota and
[1:04:08] remembering sort of what it was like,
[1:04:10] there was a word that came to my mind.
[1:04:13] So, a word I'd never understood what it
[1:04:15] was. I'd never been inspired to look it
[1:04:19] up in a dictionary.
[1:04:21] Um, it's the word duxology,
[1:04:24] which maybe maybe all you know what a
[1:04:27] duxology is. Oh, I see some heads
[1:04:29] shaking. They don't know. Good. I I'm
[1:04:31] glad [laughter]
[1:04:34] because it's a what it is is it's a a
[1:04:37] standard part of the liturgy of the the
[1:04:40] standard process of what you go through
[1:04:43] in a worship service. And different
[1:04:45] churches have their own doxologies. The
[1:04:48] Catholics have their actually they have
[1:04:50] more than one. Uh but I think every
[1:04:52] Protestant denomination has their own
[1:04:55] concept. But what it was for me was
[1:04:59] literally the low point of the entire
[1:05:02] service because it was so boring.
[1:05:04] Everybody knew the doxology was sort of
[1:05:07] a little prayer sort of thingy and
[1:05:10] everybody was just going in a flat
[1:05:12] monotone.
[1:05:14] You know, you don't you don't do wild
[1:05:17] songs of the heart in Minnesota. It just
[1:05:19] isn't done. Okay.
[1:05:24] People were think you're a bit peculiar.
[1:05:27] You know, they say maybe you've gone
[1:05:28] dafted, don't you know?
[1:05:35] So, it was very very very flat. But this
[1:05:37] last week, I thought this this idea uh
[1:05:40] the word came to my mind and I thought,
[1:05:42] well, what is that word anyway?
[1:05:46] I looked it up.
[1:05:48] I found a number of different ways of
[1:05:50] putting it. Here's my favorite way of
[1:05:53] putting it.
[1:05:55] Doxology is a praise song expressing
[1:05:59] full, unadulterated, complete, and
[1:06:02] perfect worship and adoration for the
[1:06:04] Lord God Almighty.
[1:06:10] I'll say that again. A praise song
[1:06:12] expressing full, unadulterated, complete
[1:06:15] and perfect worship and adoration of the
[1:06:17] Lord God Almighty.
[1:06:19] Where was that?
[1:06:23] It was a wild song of the heart.
[1:06:26] That's what it was supposed to be.
[1:06:29] But that's not what was happening. It's
[1:06:32] not as far as I could tell. you know,
[1:06:34] motans are very understated, you know,
[1:06:38] but I think even then uh it was it was
[1:06:43] just not on on people's mind, not where
[1:06:46] people were with it. But I thought, "Oh,
[1:06:49] it really is a wild song of the heart.
[1:06:51] If I ever run across that doxology that
[1:06:54] I had to do repeatedly
[1:06:57] uh when I was young, I want to I want to
[1:06:59] see it again and see if I can read it
[1:07:02] and repeat it in a different way as a
[1:07:07] wild song of the heart. Isn't that just
[1:07:09] the most appealing concept? A wild it's
[1:07:12] yours. It's yours and yours alone
[1:07:17] and it's what God wants to hear.
[1:07:21] Because again, that's what enables us to
[1:07:25] get on the wavelength of God's grace and
[1:07:30] get to the place where we're not so much
[1:07:34] singing or repeating a wild song of the
[1:07:37] heart, but but our life is becoming a
[1:07:41] wild song of the heart of of the heart
[1:07:45] of the desire for who and what we really
[1:07:49] are. That's what we're looking for.
[1:07:51] That's what that's what the spiritual
[1:07:53] path is all about is bringing our own
[1:07:58] unique individual
[1:08:01] wild song out into
[1:08:04] practice.
[1:08:06] And the spiritual path is there's so
[1:08:10] many ways for us to express that.
[1:08:15] And my prayer for myself and for all of
[1:08:20] us is that we'll each come to that place
[1:08:22] where that's what it is for us. Our life
[1:08:26] becomes just a a wild joyful
[1:08:30] song of the heart. May we all get there
[1:08:33] soon. God bless.
[1:08:39] So let us take a moment to absorb these
[1:08:45] words in our heart.
[1:08:51] And we invite you now to be a part of
[1:08:54] this offering. For those online, you can
[1:08:57] go to ananda.org
[1:08:59] backg.
[1:09:01] And this is an opportunity for us to
[1:09:03] offer our blessings, our devotion in
[1:09:07] this offering. And I invite you to take
[1:09:10] your offering and pray with me.
[1:09:14] Divine mother,
[1:09:16] >> we offer to thee the fruit of our
[1:09:18] labors.
[1:09:18] >> We offer to thee the fruit of our
[1:09:20] labors.
[1:09:21] >> Bless this offering. Bless this offering
[1:09:23] >> that it may serve as a channel
[1:09:25] >> that it may serve as a channel
[1:09:27] >> of thy light
[1:09:29] >> of thy light
[1:09:30] >> to truth seeking souls everywhere.
[1:09:32] >> to truth seeking souls everywhere.
[1:09:35] >> Oh peace. Amen.
[1:09:59] >> [clears throat]
[1:10:02] >> I've called [singing]
[1:10:03] you my Lord. [chanting]
[1:10:07] All I've called you.
[1:10:12] >> Many years [singing] I have longed
[1:10:16] for your
[1:10:21] ba the darkness with tears [singing]
[1:10:26] of devotion. [chanting]
[1:10:31] offered candles [singing]
[1:10:33] in prayer
[1:10:36] to your light. [singing]
[1:10:40] How much longer
[1:10:43] friend
[1:10:45] must I [singing] cry [chanting] your
[1:10:48] name?
[1:10:51] I am [singing] yours.
[1:10:55] Ever yours.
[1:10:59] Will [singing] you
[1:11:01] come?
[1:11:05] Long I've [singing] called [music] you
[1:11:08] my Lord.
[1:11:11] Long I've called you. [music]
[1:11:16] Many [singing]
[1:11:17] years I have longed
[1:11:22] for your sight. [music and singing]
[1:11:27] F the darkness [singing and music]
[1:11:29] with tears
[1:11:32] of devotion. [music]
[1:11:38] Offered candles [singing and music]
[1:11:40] in prayer
[1:11:43] to your [chanting]
[1:11:44] light.
[1:11:46] [singing]
[1:11:48] How much [music] longer
[1:11:51] friend
[1:11:53] must [singing] I cry your [music] name?
[1:12:00] I am yours. [music]
[1:12:04] Ever [singing]
[1:12:05] yours.
[1:12:08] Will you
[1:12:11] come?
[1:12:14] [music]
[1:12:24] >> [clears throat]
[1:12:38] >> We [clears throat] will now have the
[1:12:39] festival of light.
[1:12:43] Let us lift up our hearts in a festival
[1:12:45] of light. The essence of this ceremony
[1:12:48] has been passed down from ancient times.
[1:12:52] Oh waves that we are in the bosom of the
[1:12:54] infinite sea. Joyfully together let us
[1:12:57] celebrate our own greater reality. For
[1:13:01] now by God's grace our redemption is at
[1:13:04] hand. The promise has been given. The
[1:13:08] divine light returning a new to earth
[1:13:10] has given us power as the holy bible
[1:13:14] proclaims to become the sons of god.
[1:13:18] Into our hands have been delivered the
[1:13:20] sacred keys of awakening.
[1:13:22] Abundant now is our hope.
[1:13:26] The Lord through the Bavagita promised
[1:13:29] even the worst of sinners by steadfast
[1:13:33] meditation on me speedily comes to me.
[1:13:37] Again in that holy scripture he declared
[1:13:40] even a little practice of this inward
[1:13:42] religion will free one from dire fears
[1:13:45] and colossal sufferings.
[1:13:48] And whereas suffering and sorrow in the
[1:13:50] past were the coin of man's redemption,
[1:13:54] for us now the payment has been
[1:13:56] exchanged for calm acceptance in joy.
[1:14:00] Thus may we understand that pain is the
[1:14:04] fruit of self-love, whereas joy is the
[1:14:07] fruit of love for God. From sun and moon
[1:14:11] and all the stars,
[1:14:13] from glistening seas, high mountains,
[1:14:16] desert solitudes, and vast fruitful
[1:14:19] plains, and from the hearts of mankind,
[1:14:22] and of creatures everywhere, goes up in
[1:14:26] wordless yearning a prayer for
[1:14:28] redemption. Please stand and repeat
[1:14:30] after me. Oh mighty source of all that
[1:14:34] is,
[1:14:35] >> oh mighty source of all that is. From
[1:14:38] sorrow, lead us to everlasting joy.
[1:14:41] >> From sorrow, lead us to everlasting joy.
[1:14:44] >> From darkness, lead us to infinite
[1:14:46] light.
[1:14:46] >> From darkness, lead us to infinite
[1:14:49] light.
[1:14:49] >> From death, lead us to immortality.
[1:14:52] >> From death, lead us to immortality.
[1:14:55] >> Oh, peace. Amen.
[1:14:58] >> And please be seated.
[1:15:04] A fledgling bird once flew out into the
[1:15:06] world. Gain strength and wisdom, its
[1:15:09] parents told it. And what you acquire,
[1:15:11] share with others, even as we have
[1:15:13] shared with you, for you are a part of
[1:15:16] all that is.
[1:15:18] Thus, Lord, we left you countless eons
[1:15:21] ago. Ours was a holy mission. You
[1:15:24] charged us to learn great lessons from
[1:15:26] life, to be fruitful in the gifts you
[1:15:28] had given us, to expand and multiply
[1:15:31] them.
[1:15:33] Alas, we abandoned our mission, and
[1:15:36] instead hoarded selfishly.
[1:15:39] Nor did wisdom come to us when
[1:15:41] repeatedly we lost everything we had.
[1:15:44] for the young bird in flight for the
[1:15:46] first time gloried in its newfound
[1:15:48] strength. It began to think, "How
[1:15:51] foolish I would be to share my strength
[1:15:53] with anyone. What else is wisdom if not
[1:15:56] to keep what is mine for myself?"
[1:15:59] And so we, like that bird, entered upon
[1:16:02] the second stage of the soul's long
[1:16:04] journey away from its home in God, the
[1:16:07] stage which is called the revolt.
[1:16:11] That bird's brief day was like eons of
[1:16:13] our time. When afternoon came, it
[1:16:16] entered a storm cloud and soon found
[1:16:18] itself struggling for its life. Wind and
[1:16:21] rain lashed at its wings. The more it
[1:16:24] fought back, the weaker it became.
[1:16:28] Give yourself into my hands, cried the
[1:16:30] wind. To your strength, I can then add
[1:16:32] my own.
[1:16:34] At last the little bird heeded this
[1:16:36] council and suddenly it found itself
[1:16:39] soaring joyously high above the clouds.
[1:16:43] Hours passed and night fell. The little
[1:16:47] bird grew afraid. How it cried, "Can I
[1:16:50] fly in this darkness?"
[1:16:52] And the night whispered, "Fear not, for
[1:16:55] low, peace awaits you in the unknown.
[1:16:58] Surrender to me and your strength will
[1:17:00] be renewed."
[1:17:02] And after a time the tiny rebels
[1:17:04] surrendered and found the night's
[1:17:06] council true.
[1:17:08] And rain and sky and grassy fields all
[1:17:11] sang, "Behold, your very strength of fly
[1:17:14] has never been your own. Look to the
[1:17:17] source of all power if you would conquer
[1:17:19] fear and weakness."
[1:17:22] And the bird asked, "Where can I find
[1:17:24] that source?"
[1:17:26] and they answered, "Seek it in the
[1:17:28] farthest depths of being in your own
[1:17:31] self."
[1:17:33] Thus, gradually the bird entered that
[1:17:35] third stage of the journey which is
[1:17:37] called the quest.
[1:17:40] We now, like that little bird, have come
[1:17:42] to realize that buffering winds are
[1:17:44] life's way of giving us strength and
[1:17:46] courage. That even fear, like shadows on
[1:17:49] a statue, gives light and substance to
[1:17:52] hope.
[1:17:54] From the depths of unknowing, Lord, we
[1:17:56] cry out to thee. Is there no lasting
[1:17:58] purpose to our lives? Behold, all that
[1:18:01] we thought was light was but darkness.
[1:18:04] Who are we in reality? For what end were
[1:18:07] we made?
[1:18:09] Ever and again through your awakened
[1:18:11] sons, the answer comes. The forming of
[1:18:14] stars and moons and planets, of galaxies
[1:18:18] revolving on the tides of space, of
[1:18:21] drifting continents, upheaving
[1:18:23] mountains, snowy wastes, and dark silent
[1:18:26] ocean deeps had but this for its design,
[1:18:29] the birth of life. And with life's
[1:18:32] birth, the dawn of selfawareness,
[1:18:36] passage through dim corridors of waking
[1:18:38] consciousness to emerge at last into
[1:18:40] infinite light, into perfect joy. Oh
[1:18:43] children of light, forsake the darkness.
[1:18:46] Please stand. Know that forever you and
[1:18:49] he are one. Raise your hands in
[1:18:51] chanting. Ask that the power of God
[1:18:54] replenish you in body, mind, and soul.
[1:18:57] Oh
[1:19:07] wo.
[1:19:15] Oh.
[1:19:27] Oh. [music]
[1:19:29] [singing]
[1:19:31] Oh.
[1:19:33] [music]
[1:19:34] Out of the silence came the song of
[1:19:37] creation. Out of the darkness
[1:19:40] [music and singing] came the light.
[1:19:42] Out of the silence came the song of
[1:19:45] creation. Out of the darkness [music]
[1:19:48] came the light.
[1:19:50] Out of the darkness, out of the [music]
[1:19:53] silence, underneath the cosmic sound.
[1:19:56] Amen.
[1:19:58] Out of the darkness, [music and singing]
[1:20:00] out of the silence, underneath the
[1:20:03] cosmic sound.
[1:20:06] Oh.
[1:20:10] Oh.
[1:20:14] God is our [music] bondage [singing]
[1:20:15] with the dawn of new freedom. Gone is
[1:20:18] delusion in the light. [music]
[1:20:21] Gone is our bondage with the dawn of
[1:20:24] your freedom. Gone is delusion in the
[1:20:27] light.
[1:20:29] God is delusion. [music]
[1:20:31] God is your [singing] bondage and
[1:20:34] there's a causing sound of [music]
[1:20:37] God is delusion. God is your bondage.
[1:20:41] And there's the cosmic
[1:20:42] [music and singing] sound.
[1:20:45] God is delusion. God is your bondage.
[1:20:49] And there's the cosmic
[1:20:50] [music and singing] sound. Amen.
[1:20:53] God is the illusion. God is your
[1:20:56] bondage. And there's [music] the cosmic
[1:20:58] [singing]
[1:20:59] sound.
[1:21:03] [music]
[1:21:06] Please be seated.
[1:21:22] Such, O Lord, was your promise.
[1:21:26] Gaze upon this light as a symbol of
[1:21:28] God's love. A prayer of love went up
[1:21:31] from earth and you responded. A ray of
[1:21:34] your light flashed out from the heart of
[1:21:36] infinity, burst downward through night
[1:21:39] skies of consciousness, and was born on
[1:21:42] earth for the redemption of mankind in
[1:21:45] human form. Many times has that light
[1:21:48] descended, drawn to earth by the call of
[1:21:51] aspiring love. Your chosen people have
[1:21:55] always been those of every race and
[1:21:57] nation who with deep love chose thee.
[1:22:02] Please pray with me.
[1:22:04] Oh Lord,
[1:22:05] >> Oh Lord,
[1:22:05] >> with all my heart,
[1:22:06] >> with all my heart,
[1:22:08] >> with all my mind,
[1:22:09] >> with all my mind,
[1:22:10] >> with all my soul,
[1:22:11] >> with all my soul,
[1:22:12] >> with all my strength,
[1:22:14] >> with all my strength,
[1:22:15] >> I choose thy love.
[1:22:16] >> I choose thy love.
[1:22:18] >> I choose only thee.
[1:22:19] >> I choose only thee.
[1:22:23] >> The infinite Christ consciousness, the
[1:22:25] only begotten, has come down a new to
[1:22:28] earth for the salvation of mankind.
[1:22:32] When we need you, Lord, our beloved, you
[1:22:34] descend. Our human griefs your love
[1:22:38] alone can mend. By proud indifference,
[1:22:41] unaffected, though eternally rejected,
[1:22:44] you remain our friend.
[1:22:50] >> We fear to [singing]
[1:22:52] face your loveless.
[1:23:01] Though at last [singing] our hearts we
[1:23:05] give you who remain [singing]
[1:23:09] our friend.
[1:23:13] Long [singing] we fear to [music] face
[1:23:16] your love.
[1:23:19] Bless [singing]
[1:23:20] our emptiness [music]
[1:23:22] in room.
[1:23:25] Now [singing]
[1:23:26] at last our hearts [music]
[1:23:28] we give you who remain [singing]
[1:23:33] our friend.
[1:23:37] Who remain [music and singing]
[1:23:40] our friend.
[1:23:46] High in the Himalaya, eyes filled with
[1:23:48] divine love, Jesus appeared to the great
[1:23:50] master Babai.
[1:23:53] The lights on the high altar of my
[1:23:54] church, he said, have been growing dim.
[1:23:57] Though still lit on lower altars of good
[1:23:59] works, the noble taper of inner
[1:24:02] communion with the Lord burns low and is
[1:24:05] ill attended. Let us together, united in
[1:24:08] Christ's love, sent lights ablaze on
[1:24:10] that high altar once again.
[1:24:14] Thus a new ray of light was sent to
[1:24:16] earth through the great masters of this
[1:24:17] path. Greater can no love be than this
[1:24:21] from a life of infinite joy and freedom
[1:24:23] in God willingly to embrace limitation,
[1:24:26] pain, and death for the salvation of
[1:24:29] mankind.
[1:24:31] Such ever has been the sacrifice of the
[1:24:33] great masters for the world. Here then
[1:24:36] is the fourth and last stage of the
[1:24:38] soul's long journey through time and
[1:24:40] space, the redemption.
[1:24:43] Lord, we offer up the little light that
[1:24:45] is in us into thy blazing light of
[1:24:48] infinity.
[1:24:49] Grant us the grace to know thee and make
[1:24:52] us ever increasingly pure channels of
[1:24:54] thy love to all. Please stand.
[1:25:01] Thy light within [singing and music] us
[1:25:04] shine
[1:25:06] has shown where freedom
[1:25:09] [music and singing]
[1:25:10] lies
[1:25:12] from earthly walls confining [music]
[1:25:17] to soar [singing]
[1:25:19] in spirit skies. [music]
[1:25:23] Thou off like sheep [singing] we
[1:25:27] strayart [music]
[1:25:29] now guided by thy ray
[1:25:35] in inner [singing]
[1:25:37] freom [music]
[1:25:39] of the heart. Our night
[1:25:42] [singing and music] has turned to day.
[1:25:47] [singing]
[1:25:48] We celebrate the grace of God that has
[1:25:50] come a new to earth through our line of
[1:25:53] gurus Jesus Christ, Babai Krishna, Lahir
[1:25:57] Mahashai, Shyuk Dashwar in Paramahansi
[1:26:00] Yogananda.
[1:26:02] This grace is eternally channeled to
[1:26:04] mankind by great masters in every
[1:26:06] religion. It has been given new clothing
[1:26:09] by our gurus to reflect man's dawning
[1:26:12] awareness that matter is only a
[1:26:14] manifestation of divine energy. In God
[1:26:18] all are equal. Not only Jesus Christ,
[1:26:22] Lord Krishna and great saints
[1:26:24] everywhere, but even in essence those on
[1:26:27] earth who have sinned most greatly.
[1:26:30] Joyfully lifting up our hearts in song,
[1:26:32] we pray that we who earnestly seek
[1:26:35] communion with thy light, receive it in
[1:26:37] our lives abundantly.
[1:26:46] >> [music]
[1:26:58] [music]
[1:26:59] >> Father, [singing]
[1:27:00] mother friend our God,
[1:27:04] we thy [singing and music]
[1:27:05] wonders all acclaim.
[1:27:09] Father, [singing]
[1:27:10] mother, [music] friend, our God, we thy
[1:27:15] [singing] wonders all acclaim. [music]
[1:27:18] May our thoughts be only of thee.
[1:27:22] [music]
[1:27:23] Train [singing] our hearts to sing thy
[1:27:27] name.
[1:27:28] May [music and singing] our thoughts be
[1:27:30] only of thee. Train our hearts to sing
[1:27:36] thy [music and singing] name.
[1:27:38] All desires born of delusion.
[1:27:43] Here we [singing and music]
[1:27:44] lay Lord at thy feet. All [singing]
[1:27:48] desires born of delusion.
[1:27:52] Here we [music and singing]
[1:27:53] lay Lord at thy king.
[1:27:57] By one life brought by our great
[1:28:01] masters. Make [music] us [singing] ever
[1:28:04] one with thee. By one [music] night
[1:28:08] brought by our great masters. Make us
[1:28:13] ever one [music] with thee. By [singing]
[1:28:17] one night brought by our great masters.
[1:28:20] [music]
[1:28:21] Make us ever one with thee.
[1:28:29] We invite all those who feel so inclined
[1:28:32] to come up to the altar to receive a
[1:28:34] touch of light by the masters. Pray to
[1:28:38] for the grace to share with all as
[1:28:39] you've received. For you are a part of
[1:28:42] all that is. May the light of Christ the
[1:28:44] infinite consciousness shine upon you.
[1:28:52] >> Christ [music and singing]
[1:28:53] amen. Oh Christ.
[1:28:57] Oh [music and singing] Christ. Amen. Oh
[1:29:01] Christ.
[1:29:03] Oh [music and singing] Christ. Amen. Oh
[1:29:07] Christ. Oh
[1:29:09] [music and singing] Christ. Amen. Oh
[1:29:13] Christ.
[1:29:15] Oh [music and singing] Christ. Amen. Oh
[1:29:19] Christ. Oh.
[1:29:21] Oh [music and singing] Christ. Amen. Oh
[1:29:24] Christ.
[1:29:27] Oh [music and singing] Christ amen. Oh
[1:29:30] Christ.
[1:29:32] Oh Christ amen. [music]
[1:29:35] Oh Christ.
[1:29:38] Oh Christ. Amen. Oh [music and singing]
[1:29:42] Christ.
[1:29:44] Oh Christ. Amen. Oh Christ. [music]
[1:29:50] Oh Christ. Amen. Oh [music and singing]
[1:29:53] Christ.
[1:29:56] Oh Christ.
[1:29:59] Oh Christ.
[1:30:01] [music] Oh Christ.
[1:30:04] Oh Christ.
[1:30:07] Oh [music and singing] Christ. Amen. Oh
[1:30:11] Christ.
[1:30:13] Oh [music] Christ. Amen.
[1:30:16] Oh Christ.
[1:30:19] Oh Christ. Amen. [music] Oh [singing]
[1:30:23] Christ.
[1:30:25] Oh Christ. [music] Amen. Oh Christ.
[1:30:29] [singing]
[1:30:31] Oh Christ. Amen. [music]
[1:30:34] Oh Christ. [singing]
[1:30:37] Oh Christ. [music] Amen.
[1:30:40] Oh Christ.
[1:30:42] Oh Christ. Amen. [music]
[1:30:45] Oh [singing] Christ.
[1:30:48] Oh Christ. Amen. [music]
[1:30:51] Oh [singing] Christ.
[1:30:54] Oh Christ. [music] Amen. Oh Christ.
[1:31:00] Oh Christ. [music and singing] Amen. Oh
[1:31:04] Christ.
[1:31:06] Oh Christ. Amen. [music]
[1:31:09] Oh Christ.
[1:31:12] Oh Christ. Amen. Oh [music] Christ. Oh.
[1:31:18] Oh Christ. Amen. Oh [music] Christ.
[1:31:24] Oh Christ. [singing] Amen. Oh Christ.
[1:31:27] [music]
[1:31:29] Oh Christ. Amen. Oh Christ. [music]
[1:31:35] Oh Christ amen. Oh [singing] Christ.
[1:31:39] [music]
[1:31:41] Oh Christ.
[1:31:44] Oh [music] Christ.
[1:31:47] Oh Christ amen. Oh Christ.
[1:31:53] Oh [music and singing] Christ amen. Oh
[1:31:56] Christ.
[1:31:59] Oh Christ amen.
[1:32:02] Oh Christ. [music]
[1:32:05] Oh Christ. [singing]
[1:32:08] Oh Christ.
[1:32:11] Oh [music and singing] Christ. Amen. Oh
[1:32:14] Christ.
[1:32:16] Oh Christ [music and singing]
[1:32:18] amen. Oh Christ.
[1:32:22] Oh [music and singing] Christ amen. Oh
[1:32:26] Christ.
[1:32:28] Oh Christ [music and singing]
[1:32:30] amen. Oh Christ.
[1:32:34] [music] Oh [singing] Christ.
[1:32:37] Oh Christ.
[1:32:40] Oh [music and singing] Christ.
[1:32:43] Oh Christ.
[1:32:46] Oh [music] Christ [singing]
[1:32:47] amen. Oh Christ.
[1:32:52] Oh Christ [singing] amen. [music]
[1:32:55] Oh Christ.
[1:32:58] Oh Christ. [singing]
[1:33:00] Oh [music] Christ.
[1:33:03] Oh Christ. [singing]
[1:33:06] Oh Christ.
[1:33:09] Oh [singing] Christ. [music]
[1:33:12] Oh Christ.
[1:33:15] Oh Christ [music and singing] amen. Oh
[1:33:18] Christ.
[1:33:21] Oh Christ.
[1:33:24] [music and singing] Oh Christ.
[1:33:27] Oh Christ.
[1:33:30] Oh [music] Christ.
[1:33:39] Let us take a moment to feel ourselves
[1:33:43] absorbed in that light.
[1:33:48] And let us now all stand and share with
[1:33:50] the world all the blessings that we have
[1:33:52] received.
[1:33:59] Oh.
[1:34:02] [singing]
[1:34:04] Oh.
[1:34:12] Oh.
[1:34:17] [singing]
[1:34:26] Sing out. [music and singing] Sing out
[1:34:27] with joy. God's life has descended.
[1:34:31] Sing out. Sing out with joy. All our
[1:34:34] nights have ended. Sing out. [singing]
[1:34:36] Sing out with joy. [music] God's life
[1:34:39] has descended.
[1:34:40] Sing out. Sing out with [music] joy. All
[1:34:43] our nights have ended. Light on every
[1:34:46] [singing]
[1:34:47] mountain. Oh, light in every valley.
[1:34:50] [music] Light from all the masters we
[1:34:53] live in the morning. Light on every
[1:34:56] [music and singing] mountain. the light
[1:34:58] in every valley. Light from all the
[1:35:01] masters we live in [music] the Lord.
[1:35:05] Sing [singing] out, sing up with joy.
[1:35:07] God's light has descended.
[1:35:10] Sing out sing [music] with joy. All
[1:35:12] [singing] our nights have ended. Sing
[1:35:15] out. Sing out with joy. God's light has
[1:35:18] descended.
[1:35:19] Sing out. [music and singing] Sing out
[1:35:21] with joy. All our nights have ended.
[1:35:24] Light on every mountain. Oh, light in
[1:35:28] every valley. Light among the masters we
[1:35:32] live [music and singing] in the Lord.
[1:35:34] Light on every mountain. Oh, light in
[1:35:37] every valley. Light among
[1:35:40] [music and singing] the masters we live
[1:35:42] in the Lord. Light on every [singing]
[1:35:45] mountain. Oh, light in every valley.
[1:35:49] Light among [music and singing] the
[1:35:50] masters we live in the Lord.
[1:35:56] Let's close with a prayer together.
[1:35:58] Heavenly Father,
[1:35:59] >> Heavenly Father,
[1:36:00] >> divine mother,
[1:36:01] >> divine mother,
[1:36:02] >> friend, beloved God,
[1:36:03] >> friend, beloved God,
[1:36:05] >> great masters,
[1:36:06] >> great
[1:36:07] >> Jesus Christ,
[1:36:08] >> Jesus Christ,
[1:36:08] >> Baba Gi Krishna,
[1:36:10] >> Babai Krishna,
[1:36:11] >> Mahashai,
[1:36:13] >> Mahash,
[1:36:13] >> Swami Shiukar,
[1:36:15] >> Swami,
[1:36:16] >> Beloved Guru,
[1:36:18] >> Beloved Guru,
[1:36:18] >> Paramahansi Yogananda, Paramahansi,
[1:36:21] >> Saints of all religions,
[1:36:23] >> Saints of all religions,
[1:36:25] >> bless our hearts. Bless our hearts
[1:36:27] >> that we may know God ever more fully.
[1:36:30] >> That we may know God ever more fully.
[1:36:32] >> ever more completely.
[1:36:34] >> ever more completely.
[1:36:35] >> That we may share those blessings
[1:36:37] [snorts]
[1:36:38] >> share those blessings
[1:36:39] >> with all those in need.
[1:36:41] >> With all those in
[1:36:43] peace.
[1:36:45] >> Amen.
[1:36:46] >> Amen.
[1:36:47] >> Go out with joy.
