Sunday Service Reading #3

Truth is one and eternal. Realize oneness with it in your deathless Self, within. The following commentary is based on the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda.

Last week we asked the question, Why do devotees fall? and we considered the downfall of Judas in this context. Jesus, in answer to Judas's criticism for allowing Mary to rub his feet with spikenard, a very costly ointment, said, “The poor always ye have with you: but me ye have not always.”

Jesus is saying here that there is one supreme “injustice” that needs eradication: poverty, yes, but not of a material kind: poverty in a spiritual sense.

Divine blessings are not common in this world. They are extraordinary. When they come, we should give them priority above every other consideration.

Never allow a moment of inner joy, for instance, to be set aside for lesser “duties.” Divine attunement is our highest priority. As Lahiri Mahasaya, the guru of Yogananda's guru, said, “To listen to the heart's inner sound (AUM, which issues from the very center of our being) is man's highest duty.”

Mary, on this occasion, was not communing in inner silence with Christ’s spirit, as she had been when Martha urged that she be reproached by Jesus for not helping out in the kitchen. Mary this time was serving outwardly, but in a different spirit from the restless fussing for which Jesus had reprimanded her sister, Martha. Those who see a radical difference between the paths of action and meditation should understand this distinction. To serve in the right spirit is necessary, for only thereby can we overcome our karmic tendencies toward restless activity. The important thing is that that spirit be always inwardly focused: that in everything we do we act in loving service to the Lord.

The state of freedom from action [that is, of eternal rest in the Spirit] cannot be achieved without action. No one, by mere renunciation and outward non-involvement, can attain perfection.

Whenever the spirit of God descends upon you, however, remember the words of Jesus, “Me ye have not always with you.”

VIDEO of Nitai's Service on this Subject from 6-14-09

MP3 for Download (or online listening) of Nitai's Service on this Subject from 6-14-09

MP3 for Download (or online listening) of Devi's Service on this Subject from 6-15-08 (To see the video of Devi doing this same talk go to: http://www.ananda.org/inspiration/video-audio/sunday/2008.html and scroll down to the June 12, 2008 Talk "How Devoteess Rise" by Jyotish and Devi and click on the "Video" link.)

MP3 for Download (or online listening) of Swami's Service on this Subject from 6-17-07 (To see the video of Swami doing this same talk go to: http://www.ananda.org/inspiration/video-audio/sunday/2007.html and scroll down to the June 17, 2007 Talk "How Devoteess Rise" by Swamii and click on the "Video" link.)

MP3 for Download (or online listening) of Asha's Service on this Subject from 6-15-08

MP3 for Download (or online listening) of Asha's Service on this Subject from 6-17-07

Long Readings from the 3 Volume Set:
Rays of the Same Light

#24 How Devotees Rise
(Titled: Secrets of Right Action in Rays of the Same Light and Numbered 21)

Bible

"Social Service vs. Divine Communion"

This passage is a repetition of last week's reading, with further commentary, from the Gospel of St. John, Chapter 12, Verses 1-8:

"Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead.

"There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him.

"Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.

"Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him,

"Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?

"This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and kept the purse, and bare what was put therein.

"Then said Jesus, Let her alone: ˇagainst the day of my burying hath she kept this.

Last week we discussed Judas's condescending attitude toward Jesus. How, we asked, was it possible for such a high soul to fall spiritually? For Judas was no ordinary disciple. Though Jesus later described him as a devil, he was always one of the Master's close companions.

Judas's words were meant to seem virtuous. Apart from his avarice, however, which the Gospel notes, his statement revealed another delusion. Jesus, in fact, ignored his desire for money, and concentrated on his more insidious plea for the merits of social upliftment over soul-attunement with God.

The soul's relationship with God, Jesus was saying, is more important than any other consideration.

Jesus was certainly not indifferent to the sufferings of the poor. His whole life was a beacon of compassion. Some people actually think of him as a social activist — even as a firebrand revolutionary! (Thus, always, do people see themselves in others!)

Social upliftment was important to Jesus, certainly, especially when it concerned individuals. His real mission on earth, however, was to spread divine truth. If ever he incited people to revolution, moreover, it was only to revolutionize their inner, spiritual outlook. He came to earth to inspire true souls, who were ready, to seek union with God. "My kingdom," he said, "is not of this world." (John 18:36) Constantly he urged those "who had ears to hear" to immerse themselves in God-consciousness.

Thus, when he told Judas, "The poor you have always with you," what he meant was that injustice can never be eradicated from this world, though its painful effects may be alleviated. Most people are apathetic where truth is concerned, and pay only lip service to justice. Inequities will continue, for the simple reason that mankind is dedicated to their perpetuation! "Social injustice," Jesus was implying, "is inevitable as long as mankind prefers to live in delusion. The problems of this world can be solved only by divine consciousness."

His statement, "Me ye have not always," was more than a reference to his impending death. As a sensitive spiritual caution, it is relevant even today. For he was saying, "Never take for granted the blessings that you receive from me."

"Me ye have not always." Yet God is with us eternally! It is our consciousness of the Lord's presence that is inconstant — until at last we succeed in establishing our inner relationship with Him. Once, in other words, we feel His touch in our souls, we should hold onto it as to the greatest of all possible treasures.

If a devotee seeks God sincerely, he will certainly find himself uplifted in the Spirit occasionally. How easy it is, then, to imagine that this blessed state will remain with him forever! For divine joy is remembered by the soul in eternity. Spiritual experiences, when they come, seem eternally right and natural to us, for the soul came from God. Inner blessings are soon lost, however, with the devotee's return from meditation to ego-consciousness. We must therefore strive always to deepen our attunement with them, by daily meditation, and by constantly practicing the presence of God.

Service to the poor is not the devotee's highest goal. It is, certainly, one good means of channeling God's love to others. It is also a means of purifying the heart. God's call to us in our souls, however, is to reverse our footsteps from matter-attachment to infinite spiritual freedom.

What practical service, indeed, can the unskilled devotee render the decrepit, the ill, or the needy, compared to that which is competently offered by doctors and nurses, and by charitable institutions? Outward efficiency is not the deeper issue, where spiritual service is concerned. The truly poor in any case are not those without money, but those who haven't God. The devotee's unique gift is the grace he receives from the Lord to channel divine love and grace to the world.

To serve in this way, he must do as Mary did: offer the fragrance of his devotion at the feet of God. In silent inner communion he will find his divine attunement deepening. Gradually, as he becomes an ever-clearer channel for God's love, he will play his part in freeing the earth of true, spiritual poverty. Through meditation he will find even his outer service being perfected. Most important, his soul will be united to the Lord, and he will live in infinite joy throughout eternity.

Bhagavad Gita

"What is Right Action?"

"The state of freedom from action [that is, of eternal rest in the Spirit] cannot be achieved without action. No one, by mere renunciation and outward non-involvement, can attain perfection."

Paramhansa Yogananda once explained to a disciple, "To attain the actionless state of divine union, you must first be intensely active for God." The key to right action lies in those words: "Be active for God." Action for God, properly understood, means action in God — service, in other words, performed in the consciousness of God's constant presence and guidance.

There is always a temptation on the spiritual path to go to extremes. The devotee learns that God can be found only in inner silence, so he decides, "I must renounce all action!" Or, again, he is told that service is purifying, so he cries, "Let me devote all my time to serving God!"

The secret of the spiritual life is to balance meditation with selfless service. To serve God enthusiastically, while failing to nourish one's enthusiasm with inner peace is like working night and day, while failing to restore one's energy with sleep. Once calmness is lost in a welter of outward activity, soul-attunement becomes lost also.

Spiritual service lies particularly in the consciousness one brings to one's actions, rather than in the actions themselves. People whose consciousness is centered in their bodies tend to confuse productivity with physical exertion — as though digging ditches were more productive than devoting one's life, as Socrates did, to the serene pursuit of wisdom.

People, again, whose consciousness is centered in mere things confuse true value with profit. To the wealthy burghers of the town of Antwerp, Vincent Van Gogh was a failure. His total earnings, even after a lifetime of painting, amounted to hardly sixteen dollars. Whose, however, was the greater contribution to mankind? Van Gogh's, surely.

If we want to please God, our consciousness must be centered in Him. What we actually accomplish for Him, outwardly, is of lesser importance. For God is always pleased in Himself! He is Bliss itself. It is we who must feel His smile in our hearts. We must strive to feel His presence with us not only in the inner silence of meditation, but during activity.

Right spiritual attitude is difficult to maintain, if it doesn't spring from an inner upliftment of consciousness. The longer, and the more deeply, one meditates in addition to working for God, the closer he will approach the divine ideal.

Indeed, there comes a time on the spiritual path when the balance shifts from outward to inward activity. The practice of meditative techniques, important for calming and concentrating the mind, become then one's spiritual work. This, too, is activity, and should be performed as outward service is, in a spirit of loving offering to God. Meditative service, again like outward work, must be balanced on ever deeper levels of consciousness by the stillness of inner communion. The more deeply one meditates, the less necessary it becomes for him to engage in outward activities at all.

At the same time, one must be faithful to one's duties in life. Meditation should not be made an excuse for avoiding dutiful action.

A good rule regarding the length of meditation is to meditate as long as circumstances and inspiration allow, and then to carry that inspiration out into activity, consciously impregnating everything one does with peace and joy. As Paramhansa Yogananda put it, "Be ever actively calm, and calmly active."

The important thing is to keep the mind alert, willing, and creatively aware. "Be always even-minded and cheerful," Yogananda said.

If fatigue comes, whether while meditating or acting, never accept the thought that you, in your true inner self, are tired. Never allow yourself to sink into mental dullness or apathy. Tell yourself, simply, "My body needs rest."

One who goes to sleep with the thought of exhaustion will wake up the next morning tired still, no matter how many hours he sleeps in the meantime. But if, despite his exhaustion, he falls asleep with the strong thought, "My body needs rest, but tomorrow I will rise again to serve God with enthusiasm!" he will awake the next morning completely refreshed.

Dynamic vitality — or listlessness: Both of these depend on the thoughts one sends, or carries with him, into the subconscious.

"The greater the will," Paramhansa Yogananda used to say, "the greater the flow of energy." Action for God, when the zeal for it is derived from the joy of meditation, is one of the best ways of stimulating the will, and of lifting our consciousness into that dynamic state of Bliss from which the entire universe sprang!

To act with the consciousness of God's joy within is the best way of pleasing Him, Whose only sorrow — if we may call it that — is that so many of His human children have closed themselves off from His joy.

Longest Reading from the Book
The Promise of Immortality

#24 How Devotees Can Rise Again

In the last chapter we considered how devotees fall. In this one let us consider the opposite question: how devotees can rise again, after a fall. For no fall is permanent, though a spiritual one is more to be dreaded than any plunge down a precipice, from which one recovers after dying only once. Whether a fall is dramatic or only a slip depends on one’s attitude, primarily: especially one’s courage and devotion. God wants nothing but our good. We ourselves, however, falling into delusion, may reject His love.

“God will never abandon you,” Paramhansa Yogananda said. “but if you tell yourself all is lost, it will be so at least for this lifetime.” The question to be addressed here then is: How can a fallen devotee stop falling further and turn his steps back toward God? The answer is simple, though not always easy to follow: Gaze not at darkness, but at the light.

There is an inspiring passage in the Book of Isaiah: “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.” (9:2) The Gospel of St. Matthew quotes this passage with a slight change of wording:[1] “The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light; and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.” (Matthew 4:16)

What is needed by one who has gone astray is not to give in to despair, but to ask himself honestly, “What can I do now?” There is no point in cowering before God’s wrath, which in any case is entirely imaginary. Still less point is there in railing angrily at oneself. Mistakes do occur in life, after all. Instead of raging against oneself, one’s remorse should redirect energy toward a solution. And the solution is implied here by Isaiah: Focus on the light.

Krishna described the downward path into delusion. Let us reconsider his words from an opposite point of view. What he said was:

“If one ponders on sense objects, there springs up attraction to them. From attraction grows desire. Desire [impatient for fulfillment] flames to anger. From anger there arises infatuation [the delusion that one object, or set of objects, alone is worth clinging to, to the exclusion of all others]. From infatuation ensues forgetfulness of the higher Self. From forgetfulness of the Self follows degeneration of the discriminative faculty. And when discrimination is lost, there follows the annihilation of one’s spiritual life.” (Chapter 2:62–63)

“Annihilation” is the end result of concentrating on sense objects. Viewing this stern warning from that end, we find a hint as to how lost ground can be regained. For by concentrating on the light, on higher truth, and on images that bring truth to mind, attraction to the light will grow again.

Yogananda used to say that darkness cannot be driven out of a room with a stick. “Turn on the light, and the darkness will vanish as though it had never been!” If affirming darkness develops attraction to it, then the same may be said of focusing on the light. For awareness grows by what it feeds on. Bad moods are self-perpetuating. Lust only increases with indulgence—rationalizations to the contrary notwithstanding! A number of “self-help” systems counsel the “purging” of anger by hurling mud at a wall. Hurling anything in anger, however, only affirms anger. Any focus on negative attitudes only strengthens them.

To judge others for their sins, also, affirms sin itself—not only in others’ minds, but in one’s own. Karmic law rules that whatever one judges in another he must experience himself, someday.

It is a mistake even to affirm good attitudes with a negative emphasis. To tell oneself, for instance, “I am not weak!” or, “I am not a sinner!” only emphasizes what one is trying to overcome. The consciousness of error cannot be willed out of existence. Thus, if a young man sees a voluptuous maiden, or if a maiden sees a beautiful young man; or if the mind is seized by any other object of attraction, it is difficult to stop thinking about it, but one can gradually redirect one’s energy. Try, under such circumstances, to focus the mind—to do so even fiercely!—on the light.

Yogananda, after saying that darkness cannot be driven out of a room with a stick but can be banished by turning on the light, advised, “Don’t try to drive the darkness out of your mind, either. Instead, turn toward the light.”

What ought one to do if he finds himself sinking into the quicksand of delusion? First, he must refuse to accept that downward direction as his reality. For nothing, anywhere, is ever static.

One looks at a baby and thinks, “What a little dear!” Few can easily visualize that baby as a future adult. A mother may still behold her baby even in the grown man or woman. The author once bought a greeting card for his mother, to her huge delight, depicting a muscular man with a barrel chest, a large chin which sported a three-day stubble, and smoking a large cigar. He was wearing little shorts, like a boy’s, and holding a toy balloon straining upward on a string. Smiling shyly, he was saying, “Happy birthday, Mother, from your little boy!”

In Romania it was once common for males to be given the name “Baby” at baptism. To be called that must have been intensely embarrassing for the grown man, who possibly stood six feet tall, and spoke in a deep voice!

Fallen devotees often define themselves similarly, by their present condition. They see themselves in static terms. Human reality, however, changes constantly. Absoluteness is reached only in the state of freedom in God. No fall into delusion is a full stop, no thudding crash to the ground. Rather, it is only a directional movement of thought and energy. Whatever stage one reaches in his downward descent—even that last stage, which Krishna named “annihilation of one’s spiritual life”—is still only a movement, and can eventually be reversed.

Conceivably, the fall might continue indefinitely; it might even reach the low level of a germ. Krishna was not referring to soul-destruction in his allusion to annihilating one’s spiritual life. Elsewhere in the Bhagavad Gita he said that annihilation of that sort is impossible. Nor can spiritual aspiration be totally annihilated, once it awakens in the heart. For aspiration, too, is a desire, and as such follows the law of karma. Once its energy has been set in motion, it must, sooner or later, attain its natural end. The desire for God, then, once awakened, continues forever until it attains fulfillment. Krishna was speaking of a relative, not an absolute darkness.

Once a sincere longing for God appears in the heart, even if one falls spiritually thereafter, his salvation is assured—soon, moreover, relatively speaking. To tell oneself, “I am weak! I am no good! I am evil!” is perhaps the greatest wrong one can inflict on oneself, for it may delay salvation for incarnations.

No negativity, however, can cancel out that final destiny. No eternal damnation awaits the fallen soul. “Annihilation of one’s spiritual life” is not a crash. It causes suffering, surely, but it cannot destroy the soul.

When meditating, concentrate on the chakra specifically related to the delusion you want to combat, and from that chakra try to draw the energy upward. The lower three chakras govern material desires. Sexuality, for example, governs, and is governed by, energy in the second chakra: the sacral or swadisthan. A technique yogis use is to take whatever stimulation one feels in the sex organs, and withdraw it to that chakra. Then direct it up the spine toward the brain and the spiritual eye in the forehead.

Energy in any of the three lowest chakras focuses the mind on worldly desires, and is also directed toward those chakras by desire. Stimulation of the uppermost of these chakras, the lumbar or manipur opposite the navel, can magnetize and uplift energy from the chakras below it. To raise the energy above the manipur, thus ceasing to identify it with material consciousness altogether, one must concentrate simultaneously at the spiritual eye. It is helpful while practicing this technique to chant AUM mentally at the point between the eyebrows. Thus, the lower energies will be raised and spiritualized.

Focus on the third chakra, moreover, has a special virtue. It stimulates the consciousness of self-control. This is the practice, often ridiculed in the West, of “contemplating one’s navel.” In fact, one’s concentration should be on the chakra in the spine behind the navel, not on the navel itself. The gaze should be directed toward the ajna chakra between the eyebrows, the location of the spiritual eye, to uplift the energy toward spiritual awareness.

The pivotal chakra for the ascending and descending energy in the spine lies opposite the heart. This is the dorsal or anahat center. The meditating yogi may feel intense devotion if his feelings are focused here. Stimulation of this chakra, however, though it can take the mind soaring up in divine awareness, can also take it downward in the case of one who is still susceptible to worldly emotions and desires. For the heart’s feelings are central to both devotion and delusion. The energy here, as a focus for meditation, should be directed upward to the spiritual eye.

One of the most widely accepted methods, especially among Christians, for cleansing the heart of sin has been the practice of confession. “Ego ti absolvo,” the priestly formula of absolution, is believed to release the penitent from sin. Psychologically, some people may find confession, even in public, helpful. If they have a tendency to conceal their weaknesses, especially from themselves, such self-honesty may provide them with a measure of release. The danger of confessing to someone one knows is that, once one’s weaknesses are known to him or her, that person may hold them over one’s head in moments of anger, and thereby discourage him, perhaps making him weaker still. It is better to confess to someone wiser than oneself, whom one can trust. It may be helpful also, if one feels so inclined, to confess one’s weaknesses to a stranger or to strangers, especially if (one thinks here of the group, Alcoholics Anonymous) he or they are trying sincerely to conquer the same weakness. Best of all, however, offer your problems and weaknesses up to God. He alone will never misunderstand you. It is His grace alone, moreover, that purifies the soul in the end.

Energetic effort is always necessary. The pull of delusion is very strong: stronger than most people realize. Victory is achieved by living consciously in the thought of God, by practicing His presence, by meditating daily and deeply, and by offering oneself up unceasingly as a channel for His love and joy.

Implicit in Krishna’s warning is a note of hope. For by concentrating on God-reminding objects and on spiritual ideals instead of on sense objects, one feels increasingly attracted to them. From attraction develops a desire to live better. This desire grows gradually over time to become an intense yearning for God. Divine yearning flames to the opposite of anger: impatience with anything that might hold one back spiritually. From impatience with delusion arises absorption in divine consciousness. From this superconscious absorption ensues forgetfulness of the senses. And from forgetfulness of them arises indifference to worldly attitudes and behavior. Estrangement from outward consciousness ends in the annihilation of all one’s delusions!

Such is the ascending path. The opposite one, to which the ignorant are drawn like water swirling down a drain, sweeps them into spiritual confusion. The upward path leads to eternal freedom. The fundamental difference between the two paths is that matter-attraction, unlike the upward pull of Spirit, is one-directional. Material objects, that is to say, are not themselves aware of the affection people lavish on them! Love alone that is given to God is fully requited.

The secret of fulfillment is, as Krishna hints in this passage, to reverse the direction of attraction from the sensory world to the inner, intuitively perceived realm of the Spirit.

The Gita’s warning describes varying stages on the descent into darkness. At whatever point one finds oneself on the long slide, he can redirect his movement upward. He must remind himself always that a continued slide into further delusion will never bring the fulfillment he craves.

The easiest stage at which to stop and turn back is the first. If any special sense object appeals to you, broaden your perception of it to include the whole world. Next, offer that perception up to God. Thus, initial sensory attraction can actually feed the fires of devotion, instead of robbing them of their fuel.

Restless frustration, ending in anger, can be redirected upward, at first, by deep breathing and by vigorous exercise. Next, to expand your sense of identity, be of service to others. Finally, direct your consciousness of self upward in meditation, to God.

Infatuation, which is the next stage after anger, is more difficult to rise from. The downward flow can be at least resisted here, however, as long as you retain some memory of your higher Self. Once you lose even this memory, however, the only hope left for you is to see in yourself, rather than in the world, the cause of the sufferings you endure as a consequence of your fall. For suffering, from then on, cannot be avoided.

What can you do if you feel already attracted to spiritual darkness and to its attendant evils? The advice to “concentrate on the light” may arrive too late to be of practical use: You may find you cannot even visualize the light, and if you can, you will probably consider it unattractive. As Jesus Christ put it:

“Every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

“But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” (John 3:20,21)

If the light of virtue, whether some specific virtue or simply goodness in general, fails to attract you, concentrate on the inevitable consequences of evil. Krishna, in the above passage, mentions only the final consequence of a fall: “annihilation of one’s spiritual life.” This, for the sincere devotee, would be the greatest loss imaginable, but for the worldly person, steeped as he is in materialism, the threat offers no new or special danger. Even so, if he is not already so blinded by delusion that he cannot contemplate any longer the direction his folly is taking him, he should give serious thought to the fact that the downward road leads to inescapable suffering.

Darkness may seem attractive and the light, hateful. One cannot actually desire suffering, however—except, conceivably, as an abstraction. By concentrating on the consequences of action, however, good as well as bad, one can summon up the courage to direct his efforts toward the good, and toward wisdom.

Thus, if you don’t contemplate the sordid “beauty” of darkness, but contemplate rather the suffering that comes from living in it, you will have the first tool you need for redemption. If by “pondering on sense objects” you feel attracted to them, then by pondering on the ultimate consequences of indulging in sense pleasures you will gradually find them repulsive.

It is relatively easy to rise above all attraction and repulsion, if you relax the feelings in your heart. With inner relaxation, it will be possible to redirect your concentration upward to the light.

Disillusionment with material pleasure is an important incentive to spiritual dedication. Another, and much stronger, incentive however is devotional love. Disillusionment by itself leaves one embittered by “the injustice of it all,” even though it was oneself who set the karmic law into motion in the first place. Love, then, is what lifts the soul out of ego-consciousness, into contemplation of, and ultimate absorption in, Infinity.

[1]These quotations have been taken from two translations of the Bible: the first, from the King James edition, and the second, from The New Oxford Annotated Bible. The choice was based on purely poetic considerations. No essential difference of meaning exists among the various translations the author consulted.