Remember the Vastness of Spirit within You

“Those who are immersed in body-consciousness are like strangers in a foreign land. Our native country is Omnipresence. On earth we are but travelers—guests on a brief visit.

“Unfortunately, most people make undesirable guests of themselves! They insist on monopolizing a small portion of this earth as their very own. Their constant thought is, ‘my home, my wife, my husband, my children.’

“Material entanglements, sweet and mysterious, keep them dreaming through the sleep of delusion. They forget who and what they really are.

“Wake up! before your dream of life vanishes into the infinite. When this body drops in death, where will your family be? your home? your money?

“You are not this body. The body is only a plate, given to you that you might eat from it the feast of Spirit.

“Why not learn this essential lesson before death? Why wait? Don’t tie yourself to the limitations of human consciousness, but remember the vastness of the Spirit within.”

Every Fulfillment You Ever Dreamed of Is Waiting for You in God

“The purpose of human life is not marriage and eating and death. To eat and drink and die is the way of the animals. Why live below your true station in life?

“God gave you intelligence that you might use it properly, to solve the mystery of your existence. He made you intelligent that you might develop the discrimination to seek Him.

“Use this divine gift wisely. Not to do so is to do yourself the greatest possible injustice.

“You were not born merely to make money, have children, and then die! Yours is a glorious destiny. You are a child of the Infinite! Every fulfillment you ever dreamed of lies waiting for you in God.

“His infinite treasure-house is yours. Why delay? Why waste time on countless detours? Go straight to Him”

Life Should Be a Constant Inspiration

“Think for a moment what Jesus meant when he said, ‘Let the dead bury the dead.’ His meaning was that most people are dead but don’t know it! They have no ambition, no initiative, no spiritual enthusiasm, no joy in life.

“What is the use of living that way? Life should be a constant inspiration. To live mechanically is to be dead inside you though your body be still breathing!

“The reason people’s lives are so dull and uninteresting is that is that they depend on shallow channels for their happiness, instead of going to the limitless source of all joy within themselves.”

Excerpted from The Essence of Self-Realization: the Wisdom of Paramhansa Yogananda