Meditate Deeply Until God Comes to You

You have wandered in the wilderness of distraction, far from your home of peace. You are a prodigal son who wants to go back to your home of happiness. The Father is waiting. Do not be a beggar imprisoned within the self-erected walls of limitations. Break the walls. Try to be a good son instead of a truant one.

Meditate, and then broadcast your prayer-demands through your calm mind-microphone. Loudly, softly, and mentally affirm, “Father, Thou and I are One,” until you feel Oneness, not only in conscious intelligence or subconscious imagination, but in your superconscious conviction.

When your message of yearning reaches God in this way, you will feel His response. Keep your mind-radio finely tuned with soft touches of deepest devotion and the grandest, most constant love.

Then, suddenly, He may burst upon you clearly as a song, a cosmic voice, or the fragrance of a trillion mystic flowers. The surest sign of His presence is the dawn of peace, which is the first messenger to herald His secret approach.

Then peace burst into more dazzling lights of endless joy, and you behold Him in the light of increasing, ever-charming, ever-new joy.

You can never attract this messenger until you open the secret door of deepest meditation. When the contact is made through increasing peace and joy, tell your Father that you are no longer a prodigal son. Tell Him again and again, deeply, with your superconscious conviction, that you and He are one. You are back to stay in His mansion.

When your Father accepts your supreme demand of oneness with Him, then demand the lesser things: prosperity, power, wisdom, or anything you like. You will then receive your divine birthright.

Through Calmness, Stability of Character Is Attained

If one is nervous and keeps his body in constant motion, his Life Force is restless, his mind is restless, his vitality is restless, and his breath is restless.

But if one controls the Life Force by spiritual exercises and the practice of calmness through meditation, then his mind and vital power are within his control.

Attaining calm breath by proper breathing exercises, one can achieve great concentration. By mental concentration and self-control, as in meditation, one finds the breath and the Life Force automatically calmed; thus, stability of character is attained.

The More You Are Silent, the More You Will Find Happiness

Practice the art of silence. The tigers of worries, sickness, and death are running after you, and the only place you can be safe is in silence.

The more you are silent, the more you will find happiness. Those who meditate deeply feel a wonderful silence, which should be maintained when in the company of people.

What you learn in meditation, practice in activity and conversation, and let no one dislodge your calmness. Hold on to your peace.

When you meet people, do not become affected by their state of consciousness. When they are singing of God, be one with them, but if they show undesirable qualities, stand aloof.

When you can, meet people with silence. Eat with silence. Work with silence. God loves silence.

Excerpted from How to Awaken Your True Potential by Paramhansa Yogananda

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