The Cross and The Lotus Journal · 2018. 9. 3. · Yukteswar, Paramhansa Yogananda and Yogacharya...

The Cross and The

Lotus Journal

September 2018, Vol. 19 No. 3

Dedicated to the Realization of God and Service to Him in All Forms

Swami Satchidananda of Anandashram 2004

The cross and lotus symbolizes the unity between East and West. The lotus is the sign of illumined consciousness, the thousand petal lotus of the crown chakra. The cross is the symbol of the body surrendered to the will of God. Following the way of the cross results in the resurrection of illumined consciousness.

The Cross and the Lotus, symbol of man. East and West blended, join hand in hand.

Marching toward the infinite light and life divine. Lift up your eyes and see the star,

descending from heaven where e’er you are. Be filled with the peace and ecstasy of God’s almighty love.

Aum-Amen. The Reverend Yogacharya Mother Hamilton

The Cross and The Lotus Journal is published by

The Cross and The Lotus Publishing U.S.A.

Website: www.crossandlotus.com

E-mail: [email protected]

© 2018 The Cross and The Lotus Publishing is dedicated to the publication of materials that promote God-realization. Our spiritual lineage begins with Jesus Christ and Babaji and flows down to us through Lahiri Mahasaya, Swami Sri Yukteswar, Paramhansa Yogananda and Yogacharya Mother Hamilton.

The Reverend Yogacharya David Hickenbottom continues this lineage with the help and support of many sincere devotees. We are dedicated to realizing God and serving devotees of every race, color, creed and religion.

Mother Hamilton often said she was the product of two fully illumined Masters, her own Guru, Paramhansa Yogananda, and Swami Ramdas. We therefore feature articles about Swami Ramdas and Anandashram. We bow to the feet of Saints and realized Masters of all religions.

The Cross and The Lotus Journal

Dear Friends,

When I was a year in silence and seclusion I was not privy to much of the worldly news. What I noticed in coming out of that year, the world had continued on its course very much as it had before. Of course it is not to say terrible things don’t happen in this world, nor am I proposing that our participation doesn’t matter—I hap-pen to think it matters a great deal. But, I know there are those who are in a continual state of upset, mostly driv-en by news that feeds the perception of what a terrible world this is.

I remember some years ago there was a poll sampling the general populous. When asked about the general condition in the world, 90% said they thought life was bad for others. When asked about the polled person’s own life, 90% said they were doing ok. In other words, the perception that “people out there” were in bad shape, but in reality 90% of the people said they were alright. I believe news outlets, which are really “bad news” outlets, are responsible for a great deal of this misperception.

Of course you want to do something when others are in dis-tress. Whether it is helping a family member, a friend or a stranger, it is right action to help when you are in a position to do so. However, to add to the stress and distress of this world through continual anxiousness for the world “out there” actually adds to its misery and changes nothing for the better.

It is helpful to bring light into darkened places, and being of service to others brings joy to the giver when done with right attitude. The right attitude does not prompt you to act because someone deserves help by your calculation, or that you owe them something in the invisible ledger book of personal ac-counts, but because your heart and soul naturally respond to an-other’s need; you give out of the abundance of what God has given to you. To serve without calculation for what will come back to you either in goods or even in gratitude by the receiver leaves you free of encumbrances and makes you a secret agent of


Providence. When you give without the left hand knowing what the right hand does, and you feel that it is God who gives through you, then you may rightfully feel God’s love, joy and abundance flowing through you.

In my position as a minister and teacher I am privy to many souls who give to others, often anonymously. Sometimes those gifts are channeled through me to others, and the receiver will not know who the giver is. I am also in constant receivership of loving gifts of many kinds; not only are such gifts of a material benefit, but they are also haloed in love and good wishes. Really, there is nothing more satisfying to me than to see such giving of one to another—it helps make this a heaven on earth.

You may feel that you have little to give in the material sense, and that may be true. However, there are many ways to serve and at any moment you may join God’s army of loving servants in giving from your heart. You can be, as Master advocated, “a smile millionaire.” It costs you nothing but a little effort, and a smile can help lift a burden from another, it can give hope and break the isolation of aloneness. Or it may be a gift of a friendly word or a helpful hand when needed, or perhaps you lend a com-passionate ear—when you look for ways to serve you tune into opportunities that otherwise may have passed you by unseen.

You sometimes hear someone say, “All I could do is pray for them.” Yet, you should never feel that prayer is the least of what you can do. When you precede any action with prayer then you do what is for the highest good of all; your actions are aligned with Divine Will. Prayer at all times ensures that blessings from higher realms are flowing through you to others. Of course, when praying, many are thinking of an outcome for the bless-ings. However, you must admit that unless you are omniscient you do not really know what is best in a situation. Therefore, a high form of prayer is to see God blessing people and situations so that everything should be fulfilled according to His will and for the highest good of all—this will ensure that you are bringing pure light into the darkness.

There are times when you may give according to the great abundance that God has given you, but this too can create a chal-lenge. When you have much to give it is tempting to feel that you are the doer—the ego can so easily insert itself into the giv-ing. There is a charming method for giving prasad (blessed food)


by dropping the prasad a few inches above the receiver’s hand. The idea is that it is not your hand that gives, but in the space between the givers hand and the receiver’s it is God who is doing the giving. This is a beautiful attitude in which to give.

For those who think they have given much for which there should be recognition, there is the instructive story from the life of Jesus:

Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.” (Mark 12:41-44)

Many years ago I remember thinking of all the work I was do-ing as a minister. The idea snuck into my mind that I did not re-ceive much back, in fact it seemed those I did the most for seemed to have the least appreciation. Then, quickly following this thought God followed up with an important lesson. He said, “I have given you life and everything in it. How many lifetimes have I given to you, and you have not bothered to even give Me even a single thought? Now that you have given a little, you think you should be getting credit.” What God was saying was absolutely true; how much God gives to me, to all of us, all of the time, and how little we give in return. And here I was think-ing I should be getting big acknowledgement for the little I had done!

The truth is when you give, you are also receiving—if you would but know it. A conscious giver feels that it is God giving through him or her, and thus all the qualities of God come to the giver—His peace, love and bliss. When you see the ills of this world and you give what God chooses to give through you, whether it is a smile, some service, or a gift of money, and it is all saturated with deepened prayer, then it is God who is giving to God. It is then that the purity and spirit of God pervades the action, making the giver a harbinger of blessings to this world and bringing about the absolute greatest good for the receiver.


Letter to a Devotee Dear ___________,

I am so glad you receive benefit from the postings. I do enjoy it when God expresses Himself through me, and when I experi-ence that Presence moving through me I always think that every-one who reads the posting should feel His Presence just as pow-erfully as I do.

You ask about having “a new body in Christ?” This is actually a very big topic. Following The Way of the Christ certainly is a transformation of your consciousness—all the way from the hu-man to the Divine. Following The Way also changes the physical body—as we know from Mother, the body goes through bio-chemical changes with the coming of Christ Consciousness, uti-lizing the pineal and pituitary glands, the spine, brain and gangli-onic nervous system. Change also occurs at the cellular level as the higher frequency energy of Christ-consciousness strengthens and tunes every cell of the body like one massive spiritual tuning fork. This Supreme Consciousness purifies the mind so that pure Divine Thought continuously informs the intellect—when Moth-er spoke, her words were surcharged with Christ Consciousness. In order for that to be possible the entire body, mind and soul need to be perfectly attuned and have the capacity to be expres-sive of Divine Consciousness. In short, what is required is a total makeover of all three bodies, the physical, electrical and idea/causal, so that the powerful Christ-consciousness does not burn-out one or all three of these bodies.

The way for perfecting these bodies has hallmarks that are the same to each aspirant, as described in the story of Jesus and the Mystical Crucifixion, and the story of Krishna and the Bhagavad Gita. However, each devotee’s experiences are unique to them—that is why you cannot directly compare your spiritual experienc-es with others. Mother had a great work to accomplish on a uni-versal scale; this made her experiences extremely powerful—more than what any of us could survive. What you have to go through is precisely tuned to your needs; for some this may be more dramatic, for others in a much quieter way. Whatever path you take in getting there, the vista from the mountain top of real-ization is the same: you know God, feel His peace, joy and you exist in His eternal Light and Presence.


The means for attaining Divine Consciousness also has a com-mon denominator for all—a singular focus for attaining realiza-tion, or God; for this there is no substitute. All of Mother’s teachings may be summed up in one phrase, “Keep your mind on God.” Love is the most perfect focusing-lens for having a sin-gle focus of mind on your adored one. To love God more than the world makes you have laser-like attention on your Infinite Beloved. Where your attention is focused, your thoughts will naturally go, and thoughts guide your life-energy and where it flows—as a result your life as a whole will inexorably move in the direction your thoughts lead. Making God first, loving Him more, means that all circumstances in your life are organized in such a way that you are led directly to the Goal of goals, Christ Consciousness.

A new body in Christ does not happen overnight, but with right attention and focus, calling upon and putting internal Di-vine Forces to work, all becomes possible; so that one day hav-ing divine awareness of Christ Consciousness will seem as natu-ral as the sun shining above.

May God and Gurus ever bless you in this ultimate journey for having a new body in Christ, capable of expressing the ever-pure Christ Consciousness through you, and through being one with Christ you are a blessing to this world and beyond.

Quite suddenly I saw with my mind, but as vividly as a won-derful picture, Christ in them all. But I saw more than that; not only was Christ in every one of them, living in them, dy-ing in them, rejoicing in them, sorrowing in them—but be-cause He was in them, and because they were here, the whole world was here too, here in this underground train; not only the world as it was at that moment, not only all the people in all the countries of the world, but all those people who had lived in the past, and all those yet to come.

– Caryll Houselander

[The author (1901-1954) was an English Catholic mystic and prolific writer. This vision was part of her third mystical experi-ence and described in her book, Passion of the Infant Christ.]


Thanksgiving Service An Excerpt from a Talk Given by

The Reverend Mother, Yogacharya M. Hamilton

in Seattle on Nov. 18, 1966

The Bible Reading is Philippians, Chapter 4, Verses 1-13

Be Thankful for God’s Gifts

It’s an amazing thing how we take for granted all of the tremendous things that God gives us every moment of our lives, the things which cost nothing, like the sun and the moon and the stars, and the blue sky and the wonderful air, and the rivers and the lakes and the oceans, and the green trees and the green grass, and all of the beautiful flowers, and all of the food which comes from Mother Earth, and the friendship and companionship of all of God’s creatures everywhere. And if we reached out for that good and for that glory, with thanksgiving, then our lives could not help but change.

It is because we are constantly concentrated upon the things that we want to get rid of, instead of the things that we want to accomplish in Him, that we think of ourselves as failures, that we think of ourselves as lacking.

As man climbs the spiral stairway toward God‑realization, you could say that he plays many octaves, many scales. But each time he rises to a new octave of freedom, he has gained something. He has not lost that except the things which were not good and which he wanted to do away with.


Man thinks that he can go from here to there and get his God‑realization, many times without paying the price, but this is not at all possible because God‑realization is the “pearl of great price.” It is the total crucifixion and subjugation of the ego to God.

As long as man’s consciousness is on creed, on caste, on color, on name, on family, on nationality, then he cannot be released into the Oneness of God. These things must be given up, but not all at once; we cannot possibly do it because we are so constituted humanly that—being the only creature to whom God has given emotions—we are the only creatures who can use these emotions to go to Him. And it is through these emotions of the feelings of the heart that gradually we go to God. It is not alone through joy, but through sorrow; because it is through sorrow, many times, that we get our growth.

Christ’s Life is an Example

There are some people who refuse to face reality. They think if they look only on the good things; if they try to save themselves from all unpleasantness; if they try to protect themselves in every possible way and think only of the Christ, that then they will go to God. But I ask you to take a look at the life of Christ. Was his life like that? Was his life all peaceful, all happy, with no trials, no tribulations? No. Rather, it was the most vital life that was ever lived. He was right in the midst of everything. He was persecuted and reviled and spit upon. The most difficult things were demanded of him. He was tempted of Satan in every possible way. He was finally crucified.

There are many Christians who think not of Jesus as a man, but it said that he was the “son of man.” And he went through every single thing, I promise you, that you and I and everyone else has to go through on our way to God. He was the “way-shower,” and a record was made of that perfect life.

Who is to say that any human life is not perfect, even in the human sense? If, through the experiences which come to the soul, that one learns and gains wisdom and gradually chips away the barnacles of the sin of separation from the soul, every single experience which comes to us is good. And the greatest blessing that we can thank God for is the toughest assignment that He has given us because that gives us the greatest opportunity for


proving ourselves, for overcoming and becoming masters of ourselves.

About Your Father’s Business

It is easy always to cry, to feel sorry for one’s self, but it takes courage to face up to things—to “accept the things that you cannot change, to change the things that you can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” This wisdom comes through the trial-and-error method. You just don’t get the answer right away in the beginning. Your intuitive faculty is not sufficiently developed so that it can give you the proper answer. Or rather, it can give you the proper answer, but you are not sufficiently developed so that you can understand what this small voice is trying to tell you. Or, if you do understand it, you choose willfully to ignore it and to go on your own way. You are not yet ready to be “about your Father’s business.”

But as you go on, this voice develops, and so constantly you are working between the two forces. You are listening, and you must determine which is the voice of God—because this delusive voice comes in and it takes on the guise of the voice of God Himself. I have told you this before, and it does happen, and you must fail to pay any attention to it. You must test that voice until you see the truth as it really stands, because anything that does not direct you to the highest of which you are capable of in God, is not good. It is not of God.

Any voice which directs you to less than your perfection, is not the voice of God. Any voice that tells you that you have to be satisfied with the things that you do or say, if they are less than perfect in God, is not the voice of God, so disregard it. And test it, and say, “God, I want only Your perfection, Your beauty, Your power, Your wisdom. I of myself can do nothing. It is You, my Father, who doeth these things, and all things are possible unto Thee.”

Seek for Spiritual Wealth

My Father can do all things through me. If I seek, I shall find. How shall I seek? I know that if I fix my full attention upon the creative word which is Om, never letting go of that for a moment because God and His word are not different, it shall take me back to my Source.


Now, we must be discriminative in the things that we seek. We must not want the things of the world, but rather, the things of the kingdom of heaven, the things of the spirit, because it is these things alone which give us wealth. Remember that it said in the Bible that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter heaven. Now, this doesn’t mean that because you have earthly wealth, that you cannot find God. We have only to look at Master’s chief disciple, Rajasi Janakananda, an American businessman, who was many times a multimillionaire and yet whose whole heart and mind and soul was devoted to God and his guru. And he laid all of his wealth and all of his resources at the feet of his guru in order that God’s work might be done. He finally left all of the worldly positions and went to live with Master. It is a very difficult thing many times to think of giving up these things that we spoke of—your race, color, creed, denomination, caste, family, name, and your nationality—but if you are truly of God, you must do these things.

Mother does not need Name and Fame

Many people say to me, “Why don’t you go out and advertise?” I got a letter yesterday from a very devoted student who said, “Why don’t you advertise over television, over the radio?” I have never felt directed to do that. I am content to work with the great ones in God.

If you see anything which is above and beyond the ordinary in any one individual, you say of that one—“there is a great soul; there is a great man, a great woman”—do you not? It is this extra something that is great in them. And somehow, God has made it possible for me to have the privilege of meeting some tremendous souls, and I am content to let Him work through this form, which is His, to take all of these to Himself. And if I contact a key individual, as I contacted quite a few last summer, and the life of that one can be changed, that one in turn can change the lives of hundreds, perhaps thousands.

I do not need the name. It’s not necessary for me to have my name, my face, before the public, so that I can get the glory—because whatever truth I have, God has given it to me. He is the One who has lifted me up. He is the One who has put me through every experience. He is the One who has brought me


through these experiences. He has taken care of me. He is my Father, my Mother, my Friend, my All in All. And when I say that, I do not exclude any one of you because we are all one in Him. I am a part of yourself, and you are a part of me. We are never separated in God, no matter where we are. You will remember that Jesus said, Who is my father, and who is my mother? Who are my brothers and sisters? And to the ones who love God, these were his father and his mother, and his brother and his sisters.

Nothing left but God and Guru

This love of God contains all love, all things, if we would but know it. And so this personal glory, this intense desire to identify with something other than God, is not necessary. But you cannot accomplish this overnight. Gradually, one by one, these shackles fall away from you and there is nothing left but God and Guru. And yet contained within those—one who is unmanifest, and the other, manifest—you find your togetherness, your love, your security, your peace, your satisfaction. Everything that you want is contained in that, and you find no sense of separation.

The sin of separation from God gradually leaves you as you go up this path, the way of the cross, until finally the total ego is crucified—not only the gross ego, the ego of the physical senses, but the ego of the mind, that subtle ego in which all of the five senses have their roots. And more and more, as you repeat the name of God, as you give thanks to Him—and what greater way is there to go to God than to constantly give thanks to Him for all of your blessings? “Father, I thank Thee that my good already exists for me.”

Mother’s Prayer for Gari

There is a way of prayer, to go into your secret closet and to seal it very tight. I once wrote a poem for my son, which I have given to you. But I’ll say it again because I think it was a wonderful thing that God gave me for him, and it can apply to every single one:

In my heart is a constant prayer for you That murmurs like a haunting refrain. It is filled with love and a knowledge true That God’s wisdom you will gain.


I see in the mirror of my mind The reflection of your soul. I see its exquisite beauty, And its color of purest gold. I see God standing close to you, Holding out His hand. Just waiting for you to tell Him You are His but to command.

Enter into His temple, Seal it very tight. Forget the things of time and space, Be one with His infinite light.

If each one of us were to do this and give thanks for the privilege of daily praying to God, He will give us our “daily bread” which is the “manna from heaven.” He will give us the physical bread that we need, the clothes that we need to wear, and all of the good things of the earth and of heaven.

…You see, God directs us, even the birds and the animals, to whatever we need, whenever we need it, if we but have faith in Him. It’s a tremendous thing.

Your Whole Life Becomes a Thanksgiving

But one thing I would say to you, and that is that no matter what plate, what meat God sets before you, eat it with joy and thanksgiving. Whether your plate be filled with the choicest morsels or whether you have but a crust of bread and a drink of water, thank God for it. And bless Him—He who needs no blessings. But it is wonderful to give thanks, because as you give thanks your blessings multiply. Know that this is what your Father has provided for you and that this is what you have earned for today. And know that wherever you go, that your body is the church—your church—and Christ is the head of it. So, wherever you go, you take your church with you and you may worship Him wherever you are. And God provides the meat for that day. Accept it, no matter what it is, because that is the food which He wishes you to have.


This food takes many forms. Jesus said, I eat meat which ye know not of. Now, was he speaking of the meat of animals? No. He was speaking of the meat of the Spirit. He was speaking of that secretion which comes down from the colostrum underneath your own brain, an actual physical substance, which is a tremendous experience to partake of and which fills you with the bliss of God.

So above all, give thanks. But let’s make it a daily practice—not just one day a year, but every moment of every hour, of every day, of every week, of every month, of every year, until our whole lives become a thanksgiving to God for all of His infinite blessings.

Mother’s Amazing Life

What a wonderful privilege this life is. I wouldn’t want to miss a moment of it, not one! And believe me, this life of mine has been something. It is so fantastic that if I were to write it in every tiny detail, no one would believe it. Someone said to me today, “You know, from all I can gather, you have had a very fascinating, a very interesting life. Why don’t you write a book about it and make a lot of money, to get in a lot of royalties?”

I said, “Well, if I were to write the story of my life, really in truth as it is, I would hurt a lot of people.” And I said, “No money on earth is worth that to me.”

Certainly, it’s fascinating reading. Certainly, people would dwell upon it. But too many people would be hurt and not enough good would be done. I would rather write about the Truth of God, as He has given it to me. I would rather tell you about that Truth.

Sure, I tell you about incidences in my life because many of them teach you lessons, but there isn’t anyone in this room that knows all about my life, nor anywhere as near all about it, just as no one else knows all of your lives. Each of us have our own sanctuary in God, our own privacy in God, and it should be that way. And no man should destroy that. No man should go and gossip about his fellow being, with the idea of destruction. If you tell something that has happened about someone, recount it as an interesting thing to teach a lesson, but never to persecute nor revile, nor to destroy that one. That is a terrible thing to do. And we wonder why we have wars, both racial and otherwise, when


there is this constant pedaling of things that are not good, trying to hurt somebody instead of loving somebody. It’s awful. So I don’t wish to do that.

I wish to tell you the cute things, the good things, once in a while the hard and the tough things if they help you in what you’re doing to know that because I did them or somebody else did them, therefore it’s also possible for you to do them. That’s the only reason—not to brag about them, but to tell you that putting my faith in God when I didn’t have a dime in my pocket, when I was cold, when I was hungry, when I had nothing but the shirt on my back, that somehow, that God saw me through, and that never once in my life has He failed me. And for every blow He’s ever given me, for every hardship I have ever endured, I thank Him with all of my heart and my mind and my soul and my strength, because without that, I could not have found Him. And without Him, I would have nothing.

God Gives us Himself

But with Him, I have all things, and I feel this wonder and this beauty and this glory and this bliss inside of myself so that I can teach you about it, and tell you that this way of the cross that we must go through—if we are to follow Christ and be his disciple, no matter how hard it is—is nothing, absolutely nothing, no price at all, when you consider the greatness of God and His goodness in giving us Himself, in giving us this privilege of life so that we may find Him and worship Him and love Him and serve Him.

“A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you…” A new commandment. Forget the “eye for an eye” and “a tooth for a tooth” and give that love and that understanding. And just as surely as you do, putting everything you have into being successful, not for yourself but for God—following His direction, not your own—then you will be the most successful person in the world, and all of the peace and the wonder and the beauty and the joy and the success will be yours because that is the law: As ye give, so shall ye receive.

“Seek, and ye shall find” but seek the good things of life. And as ye seek, give thanks to the Father who made it all possible. He is our very Life, our very Breath. He is Everything—the Infinite Beloved.


Celebrating Swami Satchidananda’s

Birth Centenary [Beginning November 12, for one year, Anandashram will cel-

ebrate the centenary of Pujya Swami Satchidananda’s birth. We will feature various articles in his honor during that time.]

His Grace Holds Untold Boons By Yogacharya David Hickenbottom

There are personalities who come into our lives that change us in pro-found, unexpected and transformative ways. One such super-soul came in the form of my Sat-Guru, a blessing to surpass all blessings. The role of a realized master cannot be overstated for a spiritual aspirant, and although Mother had given me everything to realize God, I had more to attain after her Mahasamadhi and I was in need of a realized master in the body to accomplish all that God had in mind for me. It was after her passing that Mother directed me to the feet of Swami Satchidananda—he who was destined to become my second “spiritual mother.”

Memories oftentimes come in “video clips,” short vignettes of experiences. One such memory is of Swamiji sitting in satsang, asking me to come up front to sit with him. Now, Swamiji does not often smile, but when he does his smile lights up the hearts of everyone who sees him. We sit together, he smiles, then reaches out his hand to me and I take his hand in turn. My heart fills with love and overflows out to him and to all. I cannot speak, but only feel the flood of love through my heart.

The grace of a spiritual master such as Swami Satchidananda holds untold boons. Swamiji’s presentation is understated, but spiritual power flows from him in waves. In one of my first visits to Swamiji he comments that he does not feel the kind of love


others say they feel toward him. I remark, “Swamiji, when oth-ers are with you, they are filled with love that they say comes from you, and yet you do not feel it yourself—how is that possi-ble?” He smiles, “I don’t know.” Down through the years in subsequent darshans love is a dominant theme in his talks, and all the evidence is that he now feels the love that in that earlier period was absent.

Jesus said this, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) The two great spiritual lights in my life are sterling examples of this kind of selfless love. Both Mother and Swamiji lived lives of loving service to humanity in their own distinct ways. In fact, their per-sonalities were so very different, but what they shared was abso-lute dedication to realizing God and serving Him in all they did. Such realized masters as Mother and Swamiji are rare gifts to this world, and I count it as the supreme blessing of my life to be the recipient of two perfect masters’ love and grace.

Pujya Swami Satchidananda’s Birthday Message, Nov. 2000 Please ask yourself : 1. Do I chant Ram Nam constantly with faith and devotion? 2. Do I accept every situation, good or bad, as brought about by

God Himself? 3. Am I satisfied with whatever God gives me with regard to

physical comforts, position etc.? 4. Have I been able to expand my heart and love everybody as

my own? If the answer is ‘Yes’, you are nearing the Reality and if it is

‘No’, it means all these days you have not been very sincere in your quest, though at the superficial level you have been doing Ram Nam and other devotional practices.

If you keep on asking for blessings for all your mundane needs, you are imperceptibly moving away from your goal—Sakshatkar. [Realization]

So, be serious in your spiritual quest so that you may attain Sakshatkar soon.

With deepest love and best wishes.

Ever your Self, Swami Satchidananda


Meeting Swami Satchidananda By Rev. Larry Koler

[Excerpted from an article published in “Om Sri Ram” maga-zine – Summer 1998, No. 8]

January 30, 1996: After traveling by air from Bombay to Man-galore, I took a taxi and arrived at Anandashram in Kanhangad at about 2:30 p.m. Upon alighting from the taxi, I immediately met Swami Vishwananda who was all love and service to me. I asked him if Swami Satchidananda was at the ashram and whether I could meet him. Swami Vishwananda informed me that Swamiji was resting and that I could meet him at 3:15 p.m. He asked me if I had eaten and offered me some tea or coffee.

After being given room 52 in the “L” building and having a rest, I went to Swamiji’s meeting room for darshan. Gopi [now Swami Muktananda] was reading from Papa’s book The Divine Life. What a beautiful voice Gopi has; his inflection in reading was very good and Papa’s words really came alive. I found my-self fully focused on the whole reading, at the end of which Swa-miji came in from the back room and sat down.

Swami Vishwananda motioned me forward to meet Swamiji. I then sat in front of him, to his right. We exchanged a few sen-tences while he was greeting others and dealing with the many things for which he is responsible. As I sat at his feet, a divine mood settled on me and I felt the Presence of God very strongly. My only prior experience with this was from being in my guru’s presence (Mother Hamilton was my guru) and at first I just as-sumed it was her energy and spirit.

I had written a letter to Swamiji a month before asking if I might visit the ashram and also interview him regarding Mother Hamilton’s visit to Anandashram in 1957. He had replied in a fax that I was most welcome. Today, he said that he did not re-member much of Mother’s time in the ashram in 1957-58 but he would be glad to have a talk soon.

…Swami Satchidananda’s darshan has changed me perma-nently. The spiritual vibrations that issue forth from him are strong and pure and filled with God. He allowed me to interview him on video camera regarding Mother Hamilton’s 1957 trip to the ashram. It went off very well and he remembered a great deal from that time. Mother was there for 9 or 10 months. Some of


her stay at the ashram is described in The Gospel of Swami Ramdas, but he filled in many parts that I had never heard.

Over the next few days we had several conversations about Papa and Mataji, Mother Hamilton and the spiritual life. He taught me several important lessons. I still feel God’s Grace coming from him. It is as though the many miles that separate us are not real, and it gives me a profound peace when I vividly re-member sitting at his feet.

Stories of a God-Man [Personal stories & observations of our Gurus and other saints]

By Mangala Gangoli

Just as surely as the needle of a compass points northwards, no matter what the position of the compass may be, the spiritual masters use every available opportunity to relentlessly and tire-lessly draw our attention to the Godward path. Narrated below are a few anecdotes from the day-to-day life of Swami Satchidanandaji to illustrate this.

(1) “Sadgurunath Maharaj Ki Jai” said the sweet little girl, Geetalakshmi in her childish sing-song voice when Swamiji emerged from his room and all joined gaily in the chorus, “Jai.” This was a regular affair whenever the child was present at dar-shan time and Swamiji would also fold his hands in pranaam and joyfully exclaim, “Jai! Jai!”

One day however, he took everybody by surprise when he asked the little girl who had just finished her usual chant: “Where is Sadgurunath Maharaj?” When she stared at him tongue-tied, he repeated the question slowly and clearly, “Where is Sadgurunath Maharaj?”

There was pin-drop silence as the devotees’ brains were furi-ously at work trying to arrive at an acceptable answer. A few nervous suggestions were whispered into the child’s ears but she stood absolutely still, gazing at Swamiji in bewilderment.

Receiving no reply to his question, Swamiji leaned forward in his wheelchair, gently tapped the little girl on her heart and said, “He is HERE!”

There was a subdued silence as the profundity of his statement sunk into the minds of the devotees…


(2) Swamiji was returning to the panchavati after having gone around the ashram with the devotees when one of Swamiji’s at-tendants came running up to him and exclaimed in comical dis-may:

“Oh! Here you are,” he said. “I have been searching for you everywhere. I looked for you in Centenary Hall but you were not there. I checked in Ramana Building and then Bhajan Hall, but you were not there either. You were nowhere to be seen…”

“You should have searched within,” said Swamiji spontane-ously.

(3) Once, during the course of his evening walk, Swamiji no-ticed that the plants in the garden outside Centenary Hall had been disturbed. The flowers had been plucked and the petals were scattered all over the path.

One of the ladies said complainingly, “Swamiji, this is the work of outsiders. Some people had come to the ashram from outside…”

Swamiji responded in a firm and authoritative voice, “The ash-ram has no boundaries!”

(4) The devotees had gathered one day in Centenary Hall and were chanting Ramnam for Swamiji who was unwell and not able to be present. One lady, who had brought milk payasam to offer to Swamiji, had just finished distributing it among the dev-otees when, to everyone’s surprise, Swamiji emerged for dar-shan. When the lady, in great dismay, explained the situation to him, Swamiji smilingly said, “If all have eaten it, I have eaten it.

(5) The hospital nurse was shocked out of her wits when she found a group of joyful devotees with Swamiji in the I.C.U. She was furious and ordered everyone to vacate the room immediate-ly.

“Only one person is allowed to be with the patient. Only one,” she said angrily as they began to leave the room.

“But there is only one here,” said Swamiji with a smile, “ONLY ONE! You don’t understand because you are counting the number of heads!”

What a sublime lesson was imparted in such an unusual set-ting. Om Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram!


Celebrating Lahiri Mahasaya [We bow at the feet of this great master of our lineage whose

Mahasamadhi and Birthday are celebrated Sept. 26th and 30th. The following passage is from the book Yogiraj Sri Sham

Churn Lahiree by Yogacharya Dr. Chatterjee ]

The Guru Provides

Krishnaram [Lahiri Mahasaya’s faithful devo-tee] had two sons and one daughter. On lying down after dinner his wife reproachingly told him—“The time for the holy thread ceremony of the youngest son is almost lapsing, have you made any arrangements for this? Make due ar-rangements as early as possible.”

Krishnaram was a poor Brahmin, his family expenditure was managed somehow. Where

was the money for celebrating his son’s holy thread ceremony? He was an ardent devotee of Guru Maharaj. He never gave a thought to all those facts. Comforting his wife he said—“When the Guru Maharaj will shower His grace, then surely arrange-ments for the ceremony will be made. I have no money. What is the use of baseless anxieties? Let Him worry Whose anxiety it is.”

The next day like every other day, Krishnaram went to the house of Yogiraj in the morning to accompany Him to the Gan-ges; the Latter would go for a holy dip.

Yogiraj was seated on His Own asana. The moment Krishna-ram paid his obeisance, Yogiraj brought out thirty rupees from under his seat and giving it to Krishnaram said—“With this money, perform your son’s holy thread ceremony according to the scriptural codes. There is no need for ostentation.”

Krishnaram hesitatingly replied—“O Guru Maharaj, You are always gracious to me. I am unable to properly serve You even. Why should You give me money?”

Yogiraj remarked—“Look Krishnaram, there is only One Who can give and He gives through the medium of someone. Now He is giving through My medium, why won’t you accept it?”

Krishnaram accepted this providence wholeheartedly.


When the sun’s light falls on the lotus bud, it blossoms and gives out its fragrance and beauty. So when our heart is ready to receive grace and we come in contact with saints, our life-bud blossoms and gives out its fragrance in the form of over-flowing love and joy. Our life becomes utterly transformed and illumined. That is how saints come into being.

Swami Ramdas

Minister’s Message [This column features the thoughts and inspirations

of one of our three ordained ministers.]

Awake and Ready

By Rev. Jill Hough

How many mornings have I woken up on the “wrong side of the bed” thinking oh, this is going to be a rotten day? I’m just not “in the mood” to deal with life. Many days that sent me into the world with a very unlovely attitude. But I have begun a new practice upon wak-ing. Before I get out of bed, I check in with myself. If I’ve woken on the pro-verbial wrong side of the bed, I stop. I take charge of my emotions before get-ting out of bed. To do this, I first chant,

“Om Sri Ram Jai Ram” or “God, Christ Gurus.”

Then I imagine something David showed us. He had in his hands two magnets—as he moved them together they repelled one another. He could not compel them to touch. But by turning one around 180 degrees, they met without any effort on his part. I imagine my mood as one of those magnets and I flip it 180 de-grees. Immediately the positive aspect of my day comes in to view. At this point I give gratitude to God and Gurus and allow myself to rise from bed.

I will leave you with a lovely quote I saw from C.S. Lewis:

Don’t shine so others can see you. Shine so that through you, others can see Him.


Let the Vibration of Peace Flow through You By Paramhansa Yogananda

Soul vibration results when a person is always conscious of being with God, and when you are with such a person, you feel the presence of God. That is the vibration to carry with you wherever you go, so that whoever comes in contact with you may forget all but the power and love of God. Try to be the clear crystal through which the Sunlight may reflect to all mankind. This kind of vibration gives joy to you and at the same time it burns away all evil. The vibration of God is the most intelligent of all and produces perfect harmony. When you let that vibration pass through you, all other vibrations become harmoni-ous within you. That is why Jesus said, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all else shall be added unto you.”

The God that I perceive is as real as and more real than all this hu-man life. By constantly desiring that my eyes should be opened, I re-ceived Him. I had closed my eyes to Him, but through unswerving determination and constantly trying to surround myself with harmoni-ous vibrations within and without, through regular meditation, my eyes were opened, and I saw Him templed everywhere.

So remember this: Develop a fine sensitivity. After you meditate deeply, use that perception and all the feeling that you have after med-itation, and concentrate that feeling in the heart. Then it will give you power to radiate good vibrations and to absorb good vibrations, and it will also give you wisdom.

Let that vibration flow through your hands, eyes, and speech, and whoever comes in contact with you will feel its blessing. Just say, “God flows through me. What am I afraid of?” And wherever you are, that vibration will correct wrong surroundings. Only good vibrations can become absorbed in that spirit.

Suppose you come with kindness in your heart to a divine person who radiates that vibration; then your kindness increases and the giver receives more kindness too. This is the vibration you want to emanate. In the beginning it is better to have only good people and good books around you.

Dispel all inharmonious vibrations from your life by meditating reg-ularly. In deep contact, God comes as ever-new bliss. The God of the clouds, the God of the moon and the sun, the God that is templed in all creation will come within you and manifest as peace. And you must learn to love Him as the peace and bliss of meditation.

May this Aum or Amen vibration, conjoined with the music of the spheres, dispel all your darkness and bring joy and understanding in your heart. [From “Inner Culture” magazine, 1936]


As Told by Mother The Elephant, the King and the Procession

There was a story told by Ramana Maharshi and he loved it. It was taken from one of the Vedas; I’ve forgotten which one it is. There was a great master whose name was Ribhu who had a dis-ciple by the name of Agastya. His love for this disciple was very great and the disciple’s love for the Guru was also very great. But somehow the disciple just couldn’t put his feet on the path securely enough to really make any progress in the real sense of the word. He went more for things that were ritualistic. So the Master let him go. He just gave him love and the disciple would wander around, get himself involved in this. But every now and then, Ribhu would take on the guise of someone else and he would wander into town to see what his disciple was into to see if there was any indication that he would be letting go of the ritu-alistic part of life and going in for more the spiritual type of thing.

So one day Ribhu did this. He took on the garb of a peasant and he went and stood near Agastya whom he found watching a procession. And he said to Agastya, “What is it you are watch-ing?” He said, “I am watching a procession. This is a procession of the king.” “Oh, the king? Where is he?” “Well, you fool! He is sitting on top of that elephant! Do you not see him?” “Well, I see two there but which is the king and which is the elephant?” Agastya said, “You have to be mad! You’re stupid!” Ribhu said, “Which is the king? Which is the elephant?”

Agastya said, “Well, I will demonstrate for you. Get down on your hands and knees.” So Ribhu got down on his hands and knees and the disciple got on top of him and he said, “Now, you see? I am the king and you are the elephant. Do you understand now what this is?” Ribhu said, “Well, not totally. I see that you’re supposed to be the king and I am supposed to be the ele-phant. You are on top and I am on the bottom. But, who is this ‘I’ and this ‘you’ that you speak of?”

All of a sudden the disciple, Agastya, thought to himself, No-body but my own Guru would put a question like that to me and take me right back to the source! So he got up and he put his head on the feet of his master and asked his forgiveness. And then he went on the spiritual path.… It’s a beautiful story.


Memories of Mother Forgiveness, Guru’s Gift

By Charmell McLoughlin (Beth)

After having been a close disciple for 10 years and then leav-ing Mother, I allowed guilt to create a barrier that kept me away from her for years.

One night, after a long time, I dreamed that I was looking for her, but she hid from me. I continued to seek her in my dream and followed her hither and yon. When I finally caught up with her, she asked me what I wanted. My answer was forgiveness.

When Judy Ellis found me on Facebook and came to Seattle, I felt that Mother through Judy was calling me home. I took out all the journals that I had written about Mother and began to read them. On the first page was an entry from Septem-ber 1975:

When we returned to attending services after my first stage of the mystical crucifixion, Mother welcomed me publicly at the beginning of the service. I was laden with guilt and kept expecting her to ask me to leave and never return. In-stead at the end of the service when we went to greet her, she took me in her arms and said, “I forgive you.”

Then she looked into my eyes and saw I hadn’t taken her words into myself, so she said,” I forgive you; I am your Guru and I can do that. Master did it for me and I am do-ing it for you.”

When I came back to our spiritual family, I knew it was not Mother who held me in unforgiveness, but myself. She, who is One with God, knows all the temptations of maya and the subtle tricks of the tempter. She, who is the Love and Light of God, is not fooled by guilt; but dissolves it by the Power of God’s Name.

Mother & Charmell, 1975


In Memory of Treva Jane Koler (March 4, 1928 – August 14, 2018)

By Reverend Larry Koler

My mother was an intrepid soul. She married a man (my dad, Richard Koler) who was devout and serious and who was bent on obtaining an engineering degree. He took her away from her comfortable and warm home in Casper, Wyoming to Rapid City, South Dakota, installed her in a small, cold trailer and gave her two small children to raise while he was in school.

This was what very many couples were doing in those post-war years and they had lots of company and so it must not have seemed all that unusual or all that hard—at least in relative terms. So much of our lives are shaped by quietly enduring that which we see others doing.

My mom left South Dakota after I was born and only a couple weeks old. Interestingly, we flew from South Dakota to Spo-kane. That must have seemed an adventure even though she had her hands full with a toddler and a babe-in-arms. When my brother Don walked around the plane before takeoff the pilot picked him up and brought him back to his seat. My mom was grateful and uplifted by the man’s polite grace.

My mom, Mother Hamilton, and David in mid-1980s


Living in the Tri-Cities and Yakima in eastern Washington for the next 15 years God gave her 5 more children, all girls.

In 1966 the family moved to Seattle to be nearer to my father, who was in a veterans’ hospital for treatment for what was called a nervous break-down. Later, we learned that his ailment was called manic-depression. One cannot imagine the difficulties my mother went through with all this. My dad was never able to work as an engi-neer after that time and, though there was some help from the VA she always struggled from that point on. She got a job work-ing in a doctor’s office to make ends meet.

Mom was brought up Catholic. Her Irish father and her hus-band were both deeply committed to the church, so she raised us kids to the faith. For many years we said the rosary on our knees. It was difficult to follow the teachings of the church because of the prohibitions against birth control. Mom later talked about this as a foolish decision. I’m not so sure. God brought forth the children that He wanted and His methods are often mysterious.

In later years Mom had a dispute with a nun about tuition fees at the nearby Catholic school in West Seattle. She pulled the younger four girls out of that school and sent them to public schools from then on.

Mother Hamilton treated my mom very well from the first mo-ment they met. She was very supportive and very sweet to her. My mom recognized in Mother someone who had endured even more difficulties than she had and yet had come through them stronger and better for the experience.

I remember being surprised when Mom decided to take Kriya Initiation in 1978. I didn’t talk too much to her about it at the time because I knew that the relationship between the guru and the disciple was personal and that it had to have its own space and its own ties. I had done my part by bringing them together. The rest was up to God. I am sure that they are together now in some manner. My only wish is that she is happy in her new life.

Family with five children, Larry on right


God at Work By Corliss Harmer

Oh Lord, how manifold are Thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all. All the earth is full of thy riches. – Psalm 104:24

As days grow longer and trees bud forth, each year I eagerly anticipate my position as summer Campground Host. First thing after I retired from college teaching and advising eight years ago, I sought out the chance to live in nature all summer, to serve the pub-lic, and receive a nice boost to my retirement income. I work in the beautiful Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest.

This summer I stay in my trailer at Money Creek Campground overlooking the broad, clear Skykomish River, with its constant murmur. I am surrounded by majestic cedar and Douglas firs hundreds of years old. As I walk about, picking up every tiny piece of human leavings, I am moved with awe at these massive trees with their thick bark, stretching hundreds of feet above me.

My position at Money Creek is a luxury because for the first time in eight summers, I have electricity, running water, and cell and Internet connection. The tradeoff: Money Creek is a very busy campground. It often fills up, nearly always, even on rainy weekends. I have many knocks on my trailer door with pleas to help find sites and to sell firewood. I enjoy helping people, espe-cially telling them of wonderful places to hike and visit in the area. In God’s service, I give my full attention and presence to campers, who sometimes yen to share their life stories with me.

In Business with God “When you are in business with God, you are in business

with the whole world.” – Mother Hamilton


Much of my work for campers is manual labor. I keep the sev-en “vault” (i.e., non-flushing) restrooms as spotless as possible (which can take some serious scrubbing). I clean out fire pits, rake sites, and pick up bottle caps, cigarette butts, wrappers, toi-let tissue, etc. This body God gave me is well able to bend over, lift, walk about, and apply elbow grease. Happily, most people are good about leaving their site as they found it, without a trace.

God in Guru helps me in all of this. Recently it threatened rain and the campground badly needed me to use a powerful blower to clear off needles and leaves from the roads and driveways be-fore they got damp. But, I moaned to myself, I just don’t feel like it! So I went within, quieted my mind and looked up at my ajna for help. There I saw the light of unconditional love from Mother Hamilton’s eyes radiating down. And I felt a little push in my back. I jumped up, got the blower, and cleared the campground in just a few hours. And then I swept and mopped my trailer! Without Mother I would have languished!

Rarely, people do not reach the toilet seat, creating dramatic accidents for me to clean. It brings to mind once in an evening sermon Mother Hamilton mentioned how on a trip in India, she came down with diarrhea. Have you ever heard any other minis-ter mentioning diarrhea from a pulpit? Mother spoke with com-plete frankness about this bodily function, no shame, no need to hide, just factual. It is part of God, and she is One with Him. Oh Mother, how great Thou art!

Part of my work is educating campers about bears. In mid-July when I had the great pleasure of hosting Davidji and Carlaji at a riverside site, we had our first bear visitor. At 7:30 a.m. a camper looked out his trailer door and saw a large (estimated 300 pound) bear raiding his ice chest, eating all his eggs, cheese, sausages and coffee creamer. I told David about this later and he laughed, “That bear is a little heavier now! And he will be coming back for more!” Indeed, at a second campground I manage, for large groups, the folks over-filled a dumpster and a bear spread gar-bage all over the ground, which yours truly cleaned up. Then a few days later the bear returned and bent the heavy metal lid to the dumpster in half to get at more garbage! The upside here is the views of these grand creatures. The downside for the bear is that, although bears are shy and have never attacked people in this area, eventually if the bear seems a hazard it may have to be


put down. Sadly, “A fed bear is a dead bear.”

On Fridays and Saturdays I often feel tired by the end of the day. Surrounded by a full campground of people about their fires, I rest with my little dogs, and I feel a sense of fullness and satisfaction of having served well many people (and bear!).

Over thirty years ago I saw a prayer counselor. I had just be-gun a job doing telephone interview work, a tedious job. I was about to complain about this, when she said, brightly, “Aren’t you grateful to God that you have a job?” And the attitude of gratitude completely changed my experience of that work.

Today as I step outside a sparkling restroom to the sun and trees, warm breezes and sound of the river, I breathe deeply and I am grateful. Thank you, God, for my beautiful work!

Make Something Perfect for God

I had a very interesting conversation with somebody the other day. And this individual said, “But it seems such a waste of time that you should have to do things—paint and scrub and clean and do all of these things. Your time could be spent to much bet-ter advantage. I don’t think it’s moral to waste your time this way.”

I said, “What do you mean it isn’t moral? What is immoral about it? In everything that I’m doing, I’m trying to create beau-ty in this house which is God’s, (as which house is not?). In eve-rything that I do, I have my attention on Him.”

…What is the question of morals? Is it wrong to give of your-self, to do things with your own hands—not to be afraid to soil your fingers and your hands and to create or to do the most me-nial task if you’re doing it with the consciousness of serving God? Of course, it isn’t. It’s wonderful if somebody can pay to have these things done, but I think they miss a great deal, be-cause personally, I take a tremendous satisfaction in doing these things myself. I love to do them. And I want each thing that I do to be as perfect as possible and I do it over and over and over again until I get it that way. Is this wasted time? No, it isn’t wasted time because I am trying to be perfect even as my Father in heaven is perfect—it says so—in everything that I think, say, and do.

– Mother, from a talk given in 1965


Wisdom of the Young “My Little Kingdom” by Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888)

[This poem was written when she was 11 yrs. old.]

My little kingdom I possess,

Where thoughts and feelings dwell,

And very hard I find the task

Of governing it well;

For passion tempts and troubles me,

A wayward will misleads,

And selfishness its shadow casts

On all my words and deeds.

How can I learn to rule myself,

To be the child I should,

Honest and brave, nor ever tire

Of trying to be good?

How can I keep a sunny soul

To shine along life’s way?

How can I tune my little heart

To sweetly sing all day?

Dear Father, help me with the love

That casteth out my fear;

Teach me to lean on thee, and feel

That thou are very near,

That no temptation is unseen,

No childish grief too small,

Since thou, with patience infinite,

Doth soothe and comfort all.

I do not ask for any crown

But that which all may win,

Nor seek to conquer any world

Except the one within

Be thou my guide until I find,

Led by a tender hand,

Thy happy kingdom in myself,

And dare to take command.


1st

Annual Family Day By Carla Hickenbottom

A fun family day was held on Camano island on Saturday, Au-gust 11th with over forty people of all ages attending.

Starting with a delicious potluck lunch, all were invited to head up to Jerry and Lois’s home to participate in creative craft-ing set up in their garage. Lorraine had rocks and paint and as-sisted kids and adults alike in painting various themes on rocks; Jill brought watercolors and paper; and Lois provided ceramic tiles and sharpie pens for all. Everyone quickly got to work and all produced magnificent creations expressing their own unique style!


Now that the indoor event was done, next was the great outdoors and a ten-minute walk to the beach for throwing rocks, swimming (for those with polar bear blood) and kayaking. Lillian Grace (age 7) wanted very much to go on a kay-ak ride and thanks to God’s perfect timing, she was able to go on a kayak with her dad, Scott, and her younger sister, Aurelia (4 ½). They made it back to the beach just before an exciting lightning and thunder storm showed up and a huge downpour! This slowed down the activi-ties for a while, however, Alex (aged 9) reported that the light-ning and thunder was his “favorite” part of the day! Once it was

over, many returned to the beach for continued fun, kayaking, swim-ming and fellowship!

It was a huge success and all agreed that this must be an annual event!


From the Master’s Kitchen Sweet Potatoes Scalloped with Apples

• 2 cups cold boiled sweet potatoes cut in 1/4 inch slices

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 1 1/2 cups sour apples, sliced

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 6 teaspoons butter

• 2 tablespoons red cinnamon drops

Put layer of potatoes in buttered bak-ing dish and cover with layer of ap-ples. Dot with butter and sprinkle with sugar and salt. Repeat layers and sprinkle top with cinnamon candies. Bake about l hour in a moderate ov-en.

Comments from our C&L chef, Angela Victory

As the season starts to change, so does our way of cooking. We bring our mind to the heart of the home, the warmth of our ovens and nothing smells better than spiced baked ap-ples wafting through the house.

It’s a rainy Sunday; I tied my flowery apron on and have pre-cooked potatoes from Saturday night’s dinner. The apples from a local farmer are super green—my mouth is puckering up just at the thought of how tart they really are, but not to worry there’s brown sugar and butter to save the day. I don’t have any cinna-mon drops on hand; these are an old-fashioned treat, as Master’s recipes have the charm of days past. For us now living in 2018, there is a desire to update to a modern option, maybe us-ing dairy-free butter or coconut oil. I’m using real butter and plain old cinnamon with a sugar option to brown the top.

This dish could be served for breakfast with dollops of plain yogurt on top or served with a seasonal feast dinner as a side dish with the bubbling butter sauce and beautifully displayed fanned apples…Blissful Ram cooking & chanting!


Journal Editors: Larry & Cate Koler

Calendar of Events

Sept. 9 Rosh Hashanah (ends evening Sept. 11)

22 Fall Equinox (6:54 PM PDT)

26 Lahiri Mahasaya’s Mahasamadhi Day

30 Lahiri Mahasaya’s Birthday

Oct. 8 Thanksgiving Day (Canada)

8 Mother Krishnabai’s Jayanti (Birthday) (1903)

12 Swami Satchidananda’s Mahasamadhi Day (2008)

Nov 12 Swami Satchidananda’s Birthday (1919)

22 Thanksgiving Day (U.S.A.)

Dec. 2 Hanukkah (sundown)—ends sundown Dec. 10

21 Winter Solstice (2:23 p.m. PST)

25 Christmas Day, Mother Hamilton’s Birthday (1904)

27 Swami Ramdas’ Sannyas Day (1922)

Center News [Regular services take place in Ashland OR, Bellingham WA, Burnaby BC, Hornby Is. BC, Port Townsend WA, Seattle WA,

Victoria BC. Special services are on Camano Is.]

Bellingham Center:

The group said goodbye to our former Center Leader, Charmie as she moved on to bring her Light to Tennes-see. We wish her well and hope to see her again soon.

Seattle Center:

Guru Purnima was cele-brated at service on July 22.

Happiness will never come if it’s a goal in itself; happi-ness is a by-product of a commitment to worthy causes.

– Rev. Norman Vincent Peale

Realize God as your Divine

Mother. Realize God as your

supreme Lord and Master. As

a child of God, receive His

unbounded love and ever-

ready protection. As a servant

of God, be ever willing to

obey His commands and serve

Him in all humility and faith.

Swami Ramdas

The Bee of Silence has made

its way to the garden of my

heart, where murmuring

thought-trees hold out in ten-

der branch-hands their fra-

grant bouquets—lilies of dis-

crimination, buttercups of

recipient prayers, chrysanthe-

mums of soul-rays and violet

-dreams of love’s offerings

unto Thee.

Paramhansa Yogananda

All lives are faced with challenges. Trials in relationships, stress about work and money, health problems, the list of things to be anxious about is endless. The antidote to worry is found in total trust in God. Such trust does not mean inactivity on our part; rather it is active attunement to Him and carrying out His supreme will in complete faith. Perfect faith means we are free of anxiety and take action with a light heart.

Yogacharya David

“Flowers” by Lillian Grace Jones, age 7

The Cross and The Lotus Journal · 2018. 9. 3. · Yukteswar, Paramhansa Yogananda and Yogacharya...

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Transcript of The Cross and The Lotus Journal · 2018. 9. 3. · Yukteswar, Paramhansa Yogananda and Yogacharya...