God created the universe but life contains suffering as well as pleasure; satisfactions and accomplishments, as well as sorrow and failure. If evil exists, perhaps as a conscious force, did God create it? Questions such as these run to the core of our human experience posing an existential paradox. If one posits that the creation does not require a conscious Creator in order to exist, then the questions are merely academic and … Read More
I received a letter from Africa from a young mother whose mother-in-law seems to upset her infant child. What do we do about relatives who are not a good influence on our young children?
How important are past life memories? What can I do to distill the importance of their appearance in my thoughts and mind? We have lived countless lives. Memories are therefore beyond measure. If an image, memory of flashback has a meaning meditation can help us distill their message. But most probably do not.
It is most ironic that Jesus’ crucifixion was ostensibly justified on the charge of his being a threat to Roman hegemony. Not only was that far from the truth but some of the Jews of his day would have preferred that Jesus HAD BEEN a threat to the Roman occupation. Both sides got it wrong, you might say. It is also ironic that … Read More
This Sunday, March 24, is Palm Sunday. In the story of Palm Sunday long ago, Jesus enters Jerusalem riding a donkey as crowds received him chanting “Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of God!” Ah how fickle is public acclaim. Only days later, the crowd shouted “Crucify him!” But we do this daily or weekly too, don’t we? Maybe you come … Read More
In the Bhagavad Gita Chapter 8, verse 5, Krishna tells Arjuna that “He who, at the hour of death, thinks only of Me enters unquestionably into My Being.” This advice is all but universal throughout the ages. But woe to anyone who thinks by this shortcut to erase a lifetime of misdeeds. One might be unconscious at the time of death; or, death … Read More
March 7 and March 9, respectively, are the annual anniversary dates for the deaths of Paramhansa Yogananda (1952) and his guru, Swami Sri Yukteswar (1936). How does “mahasamadhi” differ from an ordinary human death? “Maha” means “Great” and “samadhi” refers to the highest state of God-consciousness, or cosmic consciousness. When a liberated saint or master leaves their human body and their passing … Read More
We read often that more people each year describe themselves as “spiritual but not religious.” Who can blame them? Are they throwing the “baby out with the bathwater?” We are not islands, despite the poet’s claim. As we help others we are helped. The question becomes one of choosing those with whom one is in harmony with you, knowing that … Read More
Yogananda’s life as he shared in his famous autobiography was a search for both universal truth AND the “concomitant” disciple-guru relationship. Here in the West we often hear Christians insist that if “You do not accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior you will go to HELL!” That’s enough to make one run for the hills. But what if it … Read More