Touch of Divine Wisdom
Nayaswami Devi
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131 pages. Temps de lecture estimé 1h38min.
In Divine Wisdom There Is Bliss Absolute, Bliss Infinite, Bliss Eternal!
This fifth installment in the Touch of Light series follows the authors as they share the wisdom they have gained through over fifty years on the spiritual path. They offerthe keys for how to live a happy, fulfilledlife—no matter the challenges swirling around us—through the ancient yogic teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda. Nayaswami Jyotish and Nayaswami Devi share engaging insights on topics such as:
Dealing with Change and Loss
Hope for a Better World
Keeping Your Balance
Faith, Attunement, and Courage
The authors keep the spiritual journey lightheart-ed, simple, and down-to-earth. With fifty-two en-tries, this book will guide you on your search for truth for an entire year.
Nayaswami Jyotish and Nayaswami Devi are recipients ofthe Global Ambassador Peace Award, conferred at theUnited Nations, for their contributions to world peace. They are lifelong disciples of Paramhansa Yogananda (author of the best-selling spiritual classic, Autobiography of a Yogi), and studentsof Swami Kriyananda, Ananda’s founder. As Spiritual Directors of Ananda Worldwide, they share the life-changing wisdom of thosetwo great teachers through their blogs, books, and lectures.Excerpt from Touch of Divine Wisdom
Preface
Touch of Divine Wisdom is a compilation of our weekly blogs written during the year 2021. It’s amazing to us that we’re already up to the fifth book in this series, preceded by Touch of Light, Touch of Joy, Touch of Love, and Touch of Peace. We’ve been sharing weekly for almost ten years now, with a total of nearly five hundred blogs. When we began writing rather lightheartedly in 2013, we had no idea that such a large, appreciative, and worldwide group of readers would be enjoying them.
In Touch of Divine Wisdom, we focused on themes we hoped would offer our readers understanding, inspiration, strength, and hope to deal with the challenges they might be facing. Wisdom is different from mere knowledge, for it penetrates beneath the surface of things to perceive their underlying reality. Wisdom offers practical solutions, where the rational mind may see nothing but problems. It declares: “There are no such things as obstacles: There are only opportunities!”
Swami Kriyananda, our lifelong teacher, occasionally had us present in the room when he counseled people. He often told us, “Listen to what they are asking behind the words they use. Once you understand what they are really asking, then feel intuitively what to say to them.” He defined wisdom as a combination of mind and heart, of discrimination and love.
As we travel around the world, we see that there are common questions for which many people are seeking answers. We respond to them in our blogs using the vast store of spiritual and practical teachings of our guru, Paramhansa Yogananda. We draw also from our personal experiences of more than forty years with Swami Kriyananda, a direct disciple of Yogananda, and as leaders and teachers for Ananda, the worldwide organization that he founded. Ananda has now spread around the world to many cultures in dozens of countries. It is a living laboratory demonstrating, as Yogananda once forcefully declared, that “Simple living plus high thinking lead to the greatest happiness.”
In closing, we want to thank our copy editor, Nayaswami Lakshman, and our layout artists, Kalamali and Nara Bedwell, for their invaluable help. The “Touch” series would not be possible without them.
Each blog is a blend of deep philosophy, practical tips, and humor: a combination, in fact, of our hearts, minds, and souls. We sincerely hope that you will enjoy the “Touches” of Divine Wisdom you will find in these pages.
Nayaswami Jyotish
Nayaswami Devi
Ananda World Brotherhood Village
February 11, 2023
First Entry: January 8, 2021
In Love and Appreciation
Paramhansa Yogananda’s birthday is January 5. Usually we give people presents on their birthday, but what do you give to someone who has everything? who is everything? No choice is left us but to offer our love and appreciation. This is all we can truly give, and the hidden gift behind all outward symbols.
In a spirit of appreciation, then, I’d like to share how Yogananda’s qualities have helped shape my life. Master said that he particularly manifested three of the eight aspects of God: wisdom, love, and joy. As I try to attune my will with his, I let these three qualities be my primary guides. Here are some ways that I do this.
First, let’s consider wisdom: Swami Kriyananda said that wisdom is different from intellect or discrimination. Wisdom springs from a combination of heart and mind. You need both qualities truly to understand anything or anyone. As the great botanist George Washington Carver once said, “Anything in nature will speak to you if you love it enough.”
There are many ways to tune in to Yogananda’s wisdom, especially through reading his numerous books, lessons, and talks, but lately I’ve hit upon a new one. I’ve read that he considered three books to be scripture: the Christian Bible, the Bhagavad Gita, and his own book of prayer demands, Whispers from Eternity. Whispers is a treasure chest of wisdom. It combines deep devotion—the highest form of love—with sensitive guidance showing the appropriate attitudes to hold in most any circumstance. I have started reading and meditating on a different one of these prayers toward the end of each meditation. It is proving to be an absolutely marvelous practice.
Next, there is love: This is one of the most powerful forces in creation. It is the vibration that brings about union, and it expresses itself in various forms in all human relationships. But it is a much more universal force than just this. It is the power that holds atoms together and keeps planets in their orbits.
I’ve found that one of the best ways to feel and express love is through kindness expressed as friendship. Swami Kriyananda was a model in this. I’ve seen instances where virtual strangers immediately felt his love and friendship and wept when he was about to leave. Why? Because he was constantly radiating love and friendship like a surrounding aura as he went about his daily business. People felt it and it changed their lives.
Finally, let’s talk about joy: Joy is constantly flowing within us as part of our very being. We don’t have to try to feel joy, we just need to become aware of its constant presence. It is like feeling your heartbeat: You can sense it as soon as you become calm and pay attention. Feel joy toward the end of each meditation and try to expand it. Then keep an awareness of that feeling throughout the day.
It is said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. The best way to imitate Yogananda is to feel ourselves swimming in a sea of wisdom, love, and joy. Do this and don’t worry about anything else. The mere act of attunement will take care of all the details.
In love and appreciation,
Nayaswami JyotishContents
Art and Photo Credits | vii
Preface | ix
In Love and Appreciation | 3
Dealing with Change and Loss | 6
Hope for a Better World | 9
Keeping Your Balance | 12
Peace | 15
The Light Shining in Darkness | 18
Catching God | 21
Exit Strategies | 24
Celebrations | 27
More Than a Mother | 30
How to Live Autobiography of a Yogi | 33
An Evening in the Eternal City | 36
Thy Will Be Done | 39
Without a Doubt | 42
Relax and Feel | 45
A Letter to Swami Kriyananda | 48
Young Bodies, Old Souls | 51
Facing Grief and Loss | 54
Thank You, Swamiji | 58
What God Gives . . . | 61
Energy Flow Is the Key | 64
Watch for the “Aha” Moments | 67
When Time Is Short | 70
Attitudes for a Better World | 73
God’s Hidden Language | 77
Planning for Your Next Incarnation | 80
Faith, Attunement, and Courage | 83
Is Freedom from Karma Possible? | 86
I Can Choose | 89
Our Own Possibilities | 92
Three Questions | 95
You Can Get There from Here | 98
The Parable of the Frightened Boy | 101
Three Unexpected Gifts | 104
Have a Little Faith | 107
Relax Upward | 110
Give God the Responsibility | 113
What Am I Supposed to Learn? | 116
Identity Theft | 120
Collaboration | 124
Start with the Heart | 127
Hiding in Plain Sight | 130
Sharing Shiva | 133
The Principle of T.W.O. | 135
Karmic Seeds | 138
The Nightingale | 141
Diversity and Unity | 144
A World Without Autobiography of a Yogi | 147
Unconditional Love | 150
Where Two or More Are Gathered Together | 153
Three Visitors | 156
My Soul Is Marching On | 159
About the Authors | 163
Further Resources | 165
