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Title: SRF Lessons 11-15 Post by: Jitendra Hy-do-u-no-us? on Dec 22, 2009 06:10 am I thought this to be a poignant quote: (Lesson15) "People cling to evil because they falsely magnify the dread and torture supposed to be involved in self-control. People are evil because they seem compelled to become so by powerful influence of evil instincts, or wrong determination"
--- Paramahansa Yogananda Title: Re: SRF Lessons 11-15 Post by: Jitendra Hy-do-u-no-us? on Dec 22, 2009 07:54 pm There is one more that gives a view of life from a Master's perspective. This is from lesson 15 (Good and Bad Habits): "Very seldom do we realize that the health, success, and wisdom outlook of life entirely depends upon the issue of the battle between our good and bad habits."
Paramahansa Yogananda Title: Re: SRF Lessons 11-15 Post by: Katze on Dec 22, 2009 08:06 pm I do believe Yogananda is right about the connection between " health, success & wisdom outlook of life " and our habits.
I like the following suggestion Yogananda makes, " People should be taught from childhood to develop discrimination by meditative contact with the superior pleasures of peace, harmony and joy and should form spiritual habits early ". I wish I had known about Yogananda and had the opportunity to practice meditation and spiritual habits before now. Of course, I am very grateful that I now have this opportunity, thanks to the guidance of a dear friend. Steve, you are lucky to have enriched your life with your spiritual and meditational habits of many years. May Guru continue to bless you on your Spiritual Journey and in all areas of your life. Into Blue Title: Re: SRF Lessons 11-15 Post by: Jitendra Hy-do-u-no-us? on Dec 22, 2009 10:11 pm I do believe Yogananda is right about the connection between " health, success & wisdom outlook of life " and our habits. I like the following suggestion Yogananda makes, " People should be taught from childhood to develop discrimination by meditative contact with the superior pleasures of peace, harmony and joy and should form spiritual habits early ". I wish I had known about Yogananda and had the opportunity to practice meditation and spiritual habits before now. Of course, I am very grateful that I now have this opportunity, thanks to the guidance of a dear friend. Steve, you are lucky to have enriched your life with your spiritual and meditational habits of many years. May Guru continue to bless you on your Spiritual Journey and in all areas of your life. Into Blue Someone is being honored in a couple of days who said that the first shall be last and the last shall be first. We do not know how many incarnations we have been working on this spirituality. i have met monks who have had children and were married that are in a spiritual position i can not understand. Some of them have not started their (conscious) spiritual journey till later in life. Yours is eternity waiting before you and mine is sharing it with you. Each one of you that want to make the journey with me. Jitendra Title: Re: SRF Lessons 11-15 Post by: Jitendra Hy-do-u-no-us? on Dec 31, 2009 03:15 am Yogananda gives a definition of Pranayama as the 'control of the life force in the sensory motor nerves.'
'By proper control of breathing exercises and by attaining control of the breath, one can achieve a state of deep concentration.' Master stresses the importance of concentration as the ability to focus on one thing at a time and Meditation is concentration used to know God. So these techniques (given in the Lessons) for the breath are very important in the practice of meditation. Jitendra Title: Re: SRF Lessons 11-15 Post by: Katze on Dec 31, 2009 06:43 am There is so much more than I ever imagined in these lessons, and so much more to achieving deep meditation than I realized.The deep concentration and the breathing are an important part. All these techniques seem a bit overwhelming at first glance/ reading, but I am sure that with daily practice they get easier to do and become habit. I also find it helpful to read each lesson more than once, interesting to note that with each additional reading, the techniques become easier to understand.
thank you Jitendra, for sharing your spiritual journey with me and encouraging me to study the lessons Jai Guru, Into Blue Title: Re: SRF Lessons 11-15 Post by: Katze on Jan 08, 2010 10:48 am Lahiri Mahasaya would often tell a devotee, "Making, Making, One day Made". So relax, enjoy the ride... we practice to be in a balanced flow... Each must allow the path to unfold as it should,... Even the simplest effort, if ever consistant, and aligned with one's "spiritual preceptor" may become a great dynamo! Great advice namaste. I especially like your last comment, about the simplest effort .... It is great to have you join us here in the lessons, I hope you will share more of your thoughts on the lessons. Into Blue Title: Humbleness verses Egotism-Lesson 14 Post by: Jitendra Hy-do-u-no-us? on May 23, 2016 10:30 pm "Egotism reveals its smallness by ineffectually trying to make others feel small."~Paramahansa Yogananda In most cases we have quite a lot of choices to make to change our environment if we are around egotists. However we must blame ourselves for environmental troubles which we have been creating. Consciously or unconsciously we have created them sometime in the past. So when we see egotism in others we must recognize it in ourselves as well. This is humility. Without humility we ourselves manifest egotism. |