These messages have been sent in by
former centre members.
We have been notified that the following
letter has been sent to at least 7 former members after
they had already written to the centres notifying that they no longer
wanted
to be a part of the centres and that they no longer recognised Mata
Yogananda as their guru. This letter has been sent out to people
as part of the 'Centre' damage control 'system'. Do try to
read it with discrimination, to really see what it says. It
is short on unconditional love and full of fear tactics.
Please note this letter is an exact copy from Mata Yogananda and the
spelling and grammatical errors are her own.
Please
read this
message of Divine Wisdom carefully.
If you do not heed these words there is no more that I can do for you.
Anyone who stirs up strife by fostering falsehoods and gossip.
Anyone who does such things to any other person causing a disturbance
in that persons soul, body and minds becomes themselves a desecrator of
God's temple of peace and harmony.
The ego and pride, undisciplined as it is, can make a person
mean-spirited towards those whom are spiritually or morally differrent
from themselves. Thus the critical mind will try to find a reason
to malign others.
Such people can reap 'untold karma' so beware it is not coming from you.
A mind that inflicts with criticism and judgement upon others will
receive in kind with disharmony to the spirit and disease to the body.
Also it is known and said in the scriptures, that God's blessings will
descend upon all souls who endure the tortures of unjust criticisms,
gossip and slander from their so-called friends and enemies.
Those who stand strong, cheerfully and loving always. They and
only they are fit for the ever unending true bliss of God.
Deo Gratis,
Mata
Yogananda Mahasaya Dharma
We
encourage an open dialogue regarding this letter on the message
board. Please do let us know if you have received a letter
such as this.
The following is a letter to the
editor of Shambhala Sun Magazine November 2004 issue. It is a
very clear and concise description of healthy spiritual practice and it
was very helpful to me, so I would like to share it. Please note
that the author of the letter has no connection with the SRMHC.
A
Glimpse is
not Transformation:
Reading your last issue on the body-mind connection (September 2004),
I was struck by the recurring theme of equating certain states of
mind, such as "flow" or "oneness," with spiritual
practice. People can experience runner's high or get in the
"zone," but that doesn't mean that they're practicing. Nor
does it mean that they're awake.
Granted, it can be informative and even delightful to experience
tastes of
reality, but we have to remember that these glimpses
don't necessarily
lead to real transformation. Besides, spiritual practice is
not
about feeling a particular way. Even losing one's sense
of self, so
often romanticized in spiritual writing, does not, in itself, mean
that
we're on the spiritual path. You can lose yourself in
a movie, but
is this anything other than sleep? You can lose
yourself playing
sports, but why confuse a nice blast of endorphins with waking up?
You can even lose yourself meditating, but this may be little more
than the result of a very focused concentration. There is
nothing
wrong with concentration, except when it's mistaken for something
it's
not. Spiritual practice is not about being
concentrated, or
about being high; it's about becoming awake to who we really are,
to our
own true nature. Equally, it's about
living awake,
which doesn't come from temporary states of mind.
Put another way, it's about living from a life centered view instead
of a
self-centered view. Spiritual practice is not about being a
person
in the zone or being one with our golf club. It's about a
growing
ability to live from love, which is the essential nature of our being.
EzraBayda ZenCenter of San Diego San DiegoCA
This is an interesting article from the book God Talks
With
Arjuna "The Bhagavad Gita" translation by Paramahansa Yogananda, Page
991
Quote: "On several occasions
Paramahansa Yogananda told his disciples: "after my passing, many
"mediums" will say they are in touch with me
and are receiving my "messages" for the world. All such
statements will be false. My message for the world has
already been expounded in my speeches,
classes, and writings. Do not be misled by persons who, after my
physical departure from the earth, will assert that they are receiving
new teachings from me. To sincere seekers who in prayer request
my help, I will always give it gladly and silently."
"As Paramahansa Yogananda
predicted, since 1952 a number of misguided
mediums have been publicly claiming that they are receiving messages
from the great Guru (and from the Self-Realization Fellowship
Paramgurus, as well). By borrowing the name of an illustrious
teacher, such individuals attract the attention of unsuspecting people
who do not understand that the practice of putting the mind in a
passive trance state is directly contradictory to the teachings of all
true masters. The latter emphasize that concentration, will
power, and mastery of one's own consciousness are fundamental
necessities for spiritual progress. The claims of some highly
publicized mediums notwithstanding, no great teacher would accept the
"invitation" of a passive mind in the trace state. To do so would
encourage a practice that is dangerous - psychologically as well as
spiritually." (Publisher's Note)
I
found these two quotes from the book 'Only Love is Real' by Dr Brian Weiss (p.66) spoke to me on my journey forward
since leaving the centre.
"Therapy can be done to the self.Understanding is therapy.Love is
the ultimate therapy.Therapists, teachers
and gurus can help, but
only for a limited time.The direction
is inward, and sooner or later the inward path must be trod alone.Although in reality you are never
alone."
"The past must be remembered and then forgotten.Let it go....This is also true for attitudes, misconceptions, belief systems
drummed
into you, for all old thoughts.Indeed
for all thoughts.How can you see
freshly and clearly with all those thoughts. What
if you need to learn something new? With
a fresh perspective?"
