Talking with Your Divine Friend

Yogacharya David
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God as Your Friend–Krishna and Balrama being mischievous together

One of the most intimate ways to be with your Maker is to be in conversation with Him throughout your days and nights. Union with God presents a variety of ways to be in relationship with your deepest Soul connection. Since it is quite human to talk as a means to share information, grow closer and share your deepest thoughts and feelings, why would you not be conversing your Heavenly Father/Divine Mother in just that way?

What a resource you have in God—a confidant, friend and wise counselor are just some of contacts you might have with the Infinite. The key in all of your spiritual practice is, “What makes you feel close to God?” When struggling with something in life, it is so wonderful to place it before your Divine Friend. “Lord, you have given me quite a problem, what shall we do?” Then open yourself to listening as well as talking. I once heard a wise saying, “Prayer without meditation is like asking a question without waiting for an answer?” So, you must learn to be quiet for one-God-blessed-moment to listen to what God might be thinking about the subject. The mind is so busy talking, usually repeating the same worries over and again, all the while going in circles without stopping long enough to receive inner direction. A conversation must be two ways for it to be truly complete.

So often, when you are up against difficulties you immediately feel alone; that you are without anyone to help you. To reach out to the Supreme Beloved breaks the circle of isolation into which you have placed yourself. One thing you observe, the more stuck you are the more alone you feel. When you connect with God you practice humility, for much of isolation comes from pride and shame—which are two sides of the same coin. You think, “I can do this, I will not ask for help from others—I don’t want to be seen as inadequate. Then you suffer from the tremendous weight of pride, and it is sinking you. Humility opens the door to Divine help, especially when you need it most (and in truth we need it at all times).  

To feel that you have a friend in God makes your heart glow. God laughs with you, cries with you, enjoys a sunny day with you and commiserates on rainy days. Your Divine Friend is the only one who can be with you always: from birth of the body to its last breath, before you come into this incarnation and far beyond when you continue your adventure. God creates you, so He knows you more intimately than perhaps you know yourself—so there is nothing to hide. Oh what a friend you have in God! So loyal, patient, with solace in heart and mind when you come to Him in earnestness. To cultivate this friendship makes the Infinite available to you day and night: a witness to your trials, a collaborator in your tests, and a dispenser of joy when you accomplish something worthy.

Start this collaboration with your Beloved exactly where you are—sincerity is all that is required. It is you who have kept the door closed, so you must open it with your honest approach to Him. Simply open your heart to your Heavenly Father, receive the warm comfort of your Divine Mother, play with your beloved Friend, talk over your troubles with your wise Counselor. Walk hand in hand in times of peace, so that when trials shriek you need only reach out and there you will find your most sacred Beloved. Even when going beyond dualities realm and He is your very Self, the “conversation” continues as He is with you as divine thoughts moving through your mind and sacred emotions flowing through your heart. So, whether in duality or beyond, God is the one constant that takes you through all stages of life and is ever your well-wisher. Deepen your conversation with Him now and you will discover your Friend of friends is waiting for you this very moment.  

Travel Note: We are currently in Salt Lake City area and plan to leave for southern Utah to commune with Divine Mother’s natural wonders—taking our pilgrimage to Her Natural Cathedrals.

Prayer Note: Let us pray for the families, friends and those who were at the Philadelphia Synagogue who were attacked by a man in an act of senseless violence. Let civility be the watchword for encountering those who are different from ourselves. As Master used to say, “Fools argue, wise men discuss.” Let there be civility, kindness, a desire to understand another’s point of view—find the common ground of universal brotherhood upon which to build lasting relationships with all men and women. Hate and intolerance is not a solution—only mutual respect and love heals.  

Life is Suffering–And More

Yogacharya David
JESUS2
Sacred Suffering Heart of our Beloved Lord

In his first of four noble truths, the Buddha taught that life is suffering—the Sanskrit word is Dukkha (dukə). Dukkha is a word that is thought to have originated from how an axle fits into the hole of a wheel. If the fit is good, it is called sukha and provides a smooth ride. If the axle is off center it is called dukkha and makes for a bumpy ride. The Buddha taught that the nature of life in general provides a bumpy ride. There is no one English word that translates the word dukkha, but there are sutras from Buddhism (Hinduism has these same concepts predating the Buddha) that describe dukkha as birth, aging, illness, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, despair, association with an unbeloved, separation from loved ones, not getting what is wanted.

It seems that God has had it in mind that I should be surrounded in the swirling waters of dukkha at this time. Perhaps it is an ugly turn of the stars, but there seems to be a lot of axles in life giving a bumpy ride to many sincere souls seeking realization. What is difficult for the sadhaka is to know that he or she should not be attached to the ups and downs of life, yet suffering is so compelling to the mind—it glues itself to the object of suffering as if it were all in all.

It can be tempting to see the suffering of another and wonder why it is so upsetting to him, or to thank one’s lucky stars that it is not your situation. But compassion, the universal vision makes all lives deeply connected with one’s own, therefore the suffering of another is not simply something to be seen from a distance, but it is a part of you. To be useful to another experiencing such suffering does not require that you too become identified with the object of suffering, for that would be the blind leading the blind, but to be in your oneness with God while also being conscious of the suffering of another.

Conscious oneness with God aligns the axle, it smooths the bumpy ride and keeps life moving in the right direction. It is inevitable that when the road is filled with potholes there will be bumps galore! However, the true axle will see you through every difficulty. I was in close connection with Mother Hamilton as she traversed some of the bumpiest roads I have ever witnessed. Strokes, heart attacks, a severe case of shingles in her face and head that made her convulse in pain without notice or respite—my goodness what a tremendous load she carried! I thought of myself being in her situation and I could not see how I could go on. Yet, I watched in astonished amazement how Mother negotiated these treacherous roads, always telling the truth about her condition when asked, but determined that she should ever serve God and that she should recover full health.

Mother gave me an up close and personal tutorial in how to keep the axle perfectly centered, even on her road of tremendous suffering. And those lessons did not go to waste as God proceeded to put me through all the experiences He had been orchestrating for me; from loss of family and home, vocation and health, going through the “nothingness of God,” the emptying out of the cup of the mind and scouring it of everything I could call my own—until the chaff was separated from the kernel, the seed was ground into nothingness and made fit to enter the fires of the God’s oven. I truly needed to have that time with Mother to show me the stuff of which I would need to be made in order to go through all that God had in mind for me.

Now I can be with the suffering of this world, it swirls around me, but I know that I am not that. I feel the sorrows, losses, pain and misery of others deep within me, yet there is a deeper knowing of Reality that shines beyond every dark cloud—and this makes all the difference. That we may all know this superior Reality, that each one’s axle stays true even through life’s many bumps is my greatest thought and prayer for each one of you. If asked, Mother would say exactly what pain and difficulties she was going through—and through it all she was a fighter. For every difficulty there was a solution, for every pain there was healing in the here and now or in the offing—she sought out God’s healing directly, and God working through physicians and healers. And she was not waiting to feel better to serve God, she served God all the way through; always focused upon doing His will at all times and in all places. Master too went through great suffering, Sister Gyanamata, Papa, Mataji and Swamiji, all so tremendous in God, all suffered in the body even after, perhaps especially after, achieving oneness with the Divine.

If we suffer, we are in good company. Surely, we should do all in our power to remove the thorn causing the pain. And even while in the midst of suffering to look for that which is beyond the clouds of doubt, the agony of the moment. There is a part of the mind that focuses itself on the pain; like drivers slowing down when going by a traffic accident looking for those who are injured. Yet, there is a superior Reality that is not to be missed. When I was at Anandashram I was greatly suffering from an illness; I asked Papa to show me how pain and bliss were the same. He inwardly responded, and I saw him in vision as he took my hands and with a toothless grin began to dance with me around and around in blissful joy. There was a part of the mind that knew the body was still in pain, yet I felt such bliss. Bliss and pain, pain and bliss, they merged and truly became the same. Be this true for you as well when life’s bumps test the trueness of your axle.

Pilgrimage update: We have spent a beautiful couple of days in Ashland with Peter and all dear friends there. Ram’s wind then blew us east, across three 5,000 feet plus mountain passes and on to Lakeview, at an altitude of 4800 feet it is known as “the tallest town in Oregon.” We are on our way to Salt Lake City and from there we plan to have the darshan of Nature’s cathedrals in Zion and Bryce Canyons. Jai Gurus!

Your Mother was Right!

Yogacharya David
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A Teacher of Timeless Truth

That is our spiritual mother, Mother Hamilton was right. I have chosen from a list of things that make you live longer according to some of the most recent scientific studies. I was struck by how many things have proven Mother to be right–some of these findings even go against current popular thinking. Such as, moderate alcohol use can be healthy—the conclusion by this large world-wide meta-study on alcohol use reported in Lancet concludes that no amount of alcohol use is considered healthy. And marriage—turns out its good for you and will make you live longer. Take a look at the list and you may be surprised how science has confirmed what Mother taught; and many the time she’s going against the tide of the times.

Say ‘Om’: Meditating even for just a few minutes each day can dramatically improve your outlook, emotions, and health.

No Amount of Alcohol Consumption is Healthy: For decades, we were told that moderate alcohol consumption can be heart healthy, but now a new study in The Lancet warns that there is no such thing as safe or healthy alcohol consumption.

Quit smoking: The single most important thing anyone can do for their health is to avoid tobacco or quit smoking.

Get hitched: Married people live longer than non-married folk, according to a study from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.

Look to a higher power: People who attend religious services at least once a week tend to outlive those who go less often, a study suggests.

Start a gratitude journal: Grateful people feel healthier and report fewer aches and pains, according to a study in Personality and Individual Differences.

Find your calling: Find a calling that gives you purpose, you’ll live longer according to a study in the Journal of Health Psychology.

Give back for the right reasons: Volunteers who lend a hand for selfless reasons live longer than those who don’t volunteer, a new study shows.

Go Dark: Chocoholics rejoice! Dark chocolate—with a minimum of 70 percent cacao—can lower stress and inflammation and improve mood, memory, and immunity, according to two new studies presented at the Experimental Biology 2018.

Stand your ground: Don’t back down, research shows that a stubborn disposition [read strong will] may give you an important edge—a longer life.

Order chicken instead of steak: Eating red meat increases the likelihood of dying from cancer, heart disease, respiratory disease, stroke, diabetes, infections, kidney disease, and liver disease. On the other hand, eating white meat like fish and chicken reduces the risk.

Don’t vape: The latest research shows that adolescent users get just as much nicotine with e-cigs as they do with traditional ones. And another new study found that vaping may modify the DNA in the mouths of users, which could increase their cancer risk. [Vaping is new since Mother taught, but her admonition, “no smoking” holds here.]

Enjoy a cup of joe… or 8! Drinking coffee (even as much as eight cups a day!)—decreases your risk of dying from all causes, according to a study in JAMA Internal Medicine. However, if you get headaches, an irregular heartbeat, or gastric upset from drinking coffee, just skip it [Mother drank coffee, nowhere near 8 cups a day though].

C’mon get happy: A recent study from Harvard found that people who scored highest on measures of optimism had a 16 percent lower risk of death from cancer, a 38 percent lower risk of death from heart disease and respiratory disease, and a 39 percent lower risk of dying from stroke.

While Mother did not teach us to eat chocolate or drink coffee, she did enjoy both; I know she would agree it is not beneficial for everyone if they have negative side effects. She asked us to promise not to drink alcohol, smoke, use recreational drugs and that we have no sex without benefit of marriage—as it turns out, Mother was right!

Foil Your Foibles

Yogacharya David
PDI_0005 (2)
Staying True to the Path

Generally, as devotees we know what our foibles are: anger, greed, fear and lust are some of the big ones. Any one of these can trip us up in our sadhana and therefore we must keep a steady vigilance against these obstacles to realizing our true Divine Nature.

Fear had not been a typical problem for me, but there came a time in my meditation when it fissured from some unknown depth—this unpredictable emergence of a contrary thought or emotion can happen to any devotee due to latent tendencies buried deep in the subconscious mind. When this fear came up it made me want to be anywhere other than sitting on my meditation asana. I thought, “It would be so easy never to meditate again as this seems to be the only time this fear comes.” But some better part of me knew that I must overcome this emotion in order to make spiritual progress; running away was no solution. So, I returned again and again to the battleground until I eventually worked through fear’s many layers.

Sometimes the lurking opposition is not so obvious—a subtle force behind the scenes makes us shy away from going deeper. It is not until we really challenge it that the obstacle reveals its vicious tenacity and its true name. Thus, we can remain only surface deep in our devotions while pretending everything is alright, but all the time not making real spiritual progress. We must work at keeping ourselves on that edge of growth–not overstraining and not slacking but ever looking to improve.

Sadhakas do not have anyone following them around to make sure they are doing all they can to make spiritual progress; they must be self-correcting and challenge themselves from their own desire for Self-realization. Each person’s progress is determined by his or her own self-direction. It is not a matter of just putting in your time, you must make your time count. Ask yourself, “Do I feel ever-new joy? Is there peace and an inner stillness at the core of who I am and what I do? Is the Divine Presence with me day and night? Are my thoughts, words and actions worthy of being a child of the Infinite? These hallmarks are indications of true spiritual growth and let us know when we are making progress.

You have been taught by Mother not to settle for “Mr. In-between.” And why would you rob yourself of your rightful heritage? To know the joy, bliss, light, wisdom and power of God’s all-embracing Presence makes all the things of the world appear as mere baubles. You think this world is wonderful, and there is no denying it is a marvelous creation, but in comparison with the greatness of God inside of you it is as nothing. Bless yourself by taking the spiritual adventure of a lifetime; be in the Know and get the Insider information that boosts your God-stock—it only ever goes up and it never loses its value! Touching the hem of God makes you drop to your knees in disbelief that this divinity has been secreted away in the recesses of your Being all this time; yet you never knew it. It is then you stand in wonder as to why you took so long to make the effort to go deeper and to soar higher.

Travel and pilgrimage Notes: Go West Young Man: Carla and I plan to shift to the Southwest desert soon. I feel the pull of the desert as a place to work on writings, both Mother’s and my own. Mother and Master went to the desert at important times in their work, Master going often to write and as a result we have his pre-eminent Gita and New Testament commentaries. We plan to keep in touch through YouTube and Skype Talks and will be back to Camano Island for the month of December for Maple Ridge and Camano Christmas Services and Camano’s New Year’s meditations. Go East Young Man! At Swami Chandranandaji’s and the Ashram’s invitation and God’s direction we plan to travel to Anandashram next year during the month of November, 2019. Our current thought is to be at the Ashram through the month for the 100 year celebration of our dear Swami Satchidananda. I know there are those who have expressed an interest in coming to Anandashram when we are there, and this will give you time to make your plans if God so prompts you (Please write the Ashram first if you plan to come). The Ashram with its triune realized masters, Papa, Mataji and Swamiji, as well as Swamis Mutktanandaji and Chandrananda and all inmates there make it a blessing and a great boon for all sincere sadhakas who pilgrimage to the Ashram. Om Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram!

The Lectin-Free Experiment Update

Yogacharya David
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The New Appeal of Greens

We have continued our lectin free diet (as outlined by Dr. Steven Gundry). Lectins are the plant’s way of protecting itself from predators (and yes, we are plant predators). The actual degree that lectins make people sick may be disputed, however it is the doctor’s contention that their cumulative effect over time, along with poor eating habits by many in combination with the frequent use of antibiotics combine to destroy gut health. The recovery of good gut health helps eliminate autoimmune disorders and disease.

With the health of the gut in mind we began the program: a three day cleanse followed by a six week less restrictive cleanse, then entering a third phase in which we could add one food a week; eat it a few times and observe if there are any autoimmune reactions. If not, then we can add that food to the yes list, and if there is a noticeable reaction then it stays on the no list. My baseline started with already following a gluten (gluten is a lectin) and diary free diet, something I had learned I needed to do over the past twenty years to avoid the kind of autoimmune reactions we are talking about: painful joints and excess mucus in the sinuses. Even though I was following a gluten/dairy free diet, I had developed joint pain once again, as well as sinus headaches when waking up in the morning (I was starting to think my body was feeling old, especially in the a.m.!)

I had reported to you in an earlier posting the results after the first six weeks; we first started the beginning of June. Fast forward four months, and now here are the results: Joint pain is gone. Sinus headaches are gone. Physical energy is smoother throughout the day. Food cravings are non-existent—this is an interesting area. According to the good doctor the bad bacteria in the gut (stomach, large and small intestines and colon) communicate directly with the brain through the vagus nerve system. Bad bacteria want foods they like: sugar, fats, cheap carbs etc. Eliminate the bad bacteria, eliminate their cravings! I have to say, that is born out in our experiments. Desired weight loss has also been a result. Carla lost some stubborn last few pounds she was working on for some time before, and I have lost 10 percent of total body weight, and I am in clear sight of where I would like to be weight-wise. Note: nuts and nut butter are part of the plan, and when I hit a weight loss plateau I eliminated nuts and nut butter and then my weight continued to drop. In addition, not only have food cravings disappeared, but my desire for greens has gone up; the good bacteria are asking for what they like. In fact, we have liked the foods so well, not missing any of the old items, literally not missing them at all, that we have not really looked into adding foods to the basic program post six weeks. So, I have to say that the experiment has gone very well; these are all positives and there are no negatives except for the fact that when traveling eating out is a challenge—Thai food is a pretty good source for staying on the plan (Mediterranean food would also present good possibilities). Also, Carla has had to put a fair amount of effort into finding and learning to prepare food items. There are some online sources that have helped, as well as exploring local sources. So, thumbs up for Gundry’s lectin-free food program to this point. My body is definitely feeling younger!

Supplemental: There are dietary supplements that Gundry recommends, in a few cases he tells you about other companies who also provide these supplements. Supplements are not mandatory for being on the program, but we have added a few. I was already taking probiotics from my oncological naturopath, but we have been using Gundry’s prebiotics and his Vital Reds product. We like them both; the Vital Reds are especially satisfying. This said, Gundry has turned into a supplement machine—his ads can be a turn off. But, as I say, there is nothing in the program that demands these products. One additional note, we have purchased his cookbook—all the recipes have been from good to really good. We have purchased an Instantpot and have enjoyed foods made by this method. If you are interested, Gundry has online videos showing him cooking, and there is https://lectinfreemama.com/ website with recipes etc. I offer this review simply as our experiment. As Sri Yukteswarji advised, follow any simple diet which proves suited to one’s constitution.

Here is a link to Medical News Today that outlines what lectins are, there is good news as well as bad when it comes to lectins, a little bit about Gundry’s plan, and a wait and see approach and more studies are needed before they would recommend it.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319593.php

 

 

 

 

Fulfillment of Marriage

Yogacharya David
Lord-Rama-And-Goddess-Sita1
Rama & Sita–a true spiritual union

We are on our way up to Victoria to join Rose and Bob in making their marriage renewal vows–after 50 years of first making their commitment. Along with raising beautiful children, working hard for many years in Prince Rupert, then moving to Victoria, they have lived a full life together. They stand as testament to what marriage can be at a time when the idea of marriage is doubted by many. They show respect, kindness and support at every turn. Like all relationships it does not mean there have not been differences along the way, but they have negotiated these and matured into lives well-lived with one another.

Before marriage is thrown out by new generations looking for something less committal, we should understand the virtues of–why marriage? It fulfills so many functions on so many levels, it is not possible to note them all in a short space, or perhaps they can never be limited to a list, but let us look at a few.

Marriage was developed in ages past not merely as a means of collecting and passing down property, or proclaiming ownership of another person—these dynamics came as a result of darker ages. Although there is an economy of a committed relationship—statistics bear out that couples who complete high school, get married before children and stay married do far better financially than those who do not. So, there is practical financial sense in this arrangement.

Also, children reared in a long-term committed relationship do much better on every level, even if couples that stay together fuss and fight according to studies that span dozens of years. So, it is definitely better for children. And there are the other practical advantages. Sexually transmitted diseases, which are epidemic today, do not happen to those who remain true to their beloved one. Making sensible plans about having children when a couple is ready means abortion is not necessary, children can be financially prepared for, there is time for working out who does what (as there are great advantages to working together as a team). Even with so many clear advantages of marriage on these practical levels, there are even more compelling reasons for making this commitment for life.

The psychological growth that happens when a couple work on their relationship is unparalleled with marriage. As individuals, we evolve and so will husbands and wives need to evolve in a marriage. We are not the same person when we are 20 as when we are 30 or 40 (usually that is thankfully so!). Through the many changes we go through it demands good faith negotiations that require a baseline of mutual respect. And respect is a must for any healthy relationship. Master often spoke of overfamiliarity as a primary problem for couples, and, of course, he is exactly right. We learn that our words, tone of voice and attitude all matter, and this is not more apparent than with a marriage of a husband and wife. These demands of a changing nature combined with learning the value of respect, along with the ability to negotiate our way through differences and a basic stick-to-itness are powerful means to mature and become wiser and more tolerant with time.

An even deeper element than the psychological maturity that comes with a healthy marriage is spiritual bonding. As we change with time and grow psychologically, there are also spiritual heights of the union of two souls that become as one in God. Nature does a remarkable job of simulating spiritual union with new sex. Many times, in those initial encounters ego boundaries collapse and there is a total joining of body and mind. It can feel perfect—in the moment. Then the differences come in and we can spend a lifetime trying to get back to that first union, or go from relationship to relationship seeking that magic.

The real magic is in going to the next level that is attained with psychological harmony, and then on to spiritual union. There are no quick, 5 Minutes to Spiritual Union books, that is what sex tries to simulate, but so unsatisfyingly. A couple who works out many of the psychological rough edges may then, by going further come into spiritual union. This union transcends time and space as  it units two souls. While the two will still hold differences on a human level, they still may experience oneness in spirit–a dropping of boundaries and entering into a peaceful sea of Soul connection. It is a transcendent merging of two souls that are as one in God.

There are souls who stay together through the years, working out the rough edges with no success–only drinking from a bitter cup. Some work on their relationship with some degree of growth, and others who really find that level of mutual respect and mellow into a fine patina like a well made and cared for artwork. Then others achieve the ultimate merging of souls and are able to maintain that over time, a true spiritual union—this is the ultimate fulfillment of marriage in addition to the many other great advantages. God’s presence felt in such a spiritual relationship lifts the hearts and spirits of all and God greatly blesses such ones—they are the true power-couple. May we be blessed to find such a spiritual union with another if it be His will for us to find a soul with whom to be with on such a great adventure.       

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