From an informal talk at
Self-Realization Fellowship World Convocation,
Los Angeles, July 30, 1999

It is a great joy to greet all of you who have come for this week of divine fellowship — those who have come before and those who are attending for the first time. You don't know how I look forward to meeting with you during the Convocation every year. As long as God blesses me with the strength and opportunity, I will come to be with you.

First, I want to thank you for your support of this great Self-Realization Fellowship organization founded by our guru Paramahansa Yogananda, for all the work you have done, and for the contributions you have made to the Mother Center and our SRF temples and centers around the world. All of you are part of Guruji's large family, and we could not carry on without you.

Be assured of our earnest prayers every morning and evening for all of those who have written or called and asked for help. I have implicit faith in the power of prayer; I know it works. But as Guruji said, the effectiveness of a healing prayer depends not only on the one who is praying but also on the receptivity of the one asking for help. So remember to attune yourself with that healing power, knowing that we are praying for you and with you each day.

Our thanks also to the many volunteers who have been serving here at the Convocation. We are grateful to them for giving their time and their loving efforts to help make this a wonderful week of spiritual retreat for all of you.

It seems appropriate to say a few words about the new millennium. People have written to us that they are frightened because of many dire predictions. I don't have time to be frightened! I realize what the concerns are, including the potential for computer problems. But fear is not the way to face challenges.

When I was meditating the other evening, I thought, "Why is such importance given to this nominal change in the calendar?" We have passed through countless millenniums, long before man began to section time into millenniums, centuries, years, months, days, hours. These were all conceived by man, using the wonderful intelligence God gave to him. There is nothing to fear in these transitions. Major world changes occur according to cosmic cycles and the mass karma generated by man, irrespective of calendars. Indeed, the mass vibrations of fear or expectation generated by the idea of a catastrophic millennium could well be a more powerful influence than the arrival of the millennium itself, which after all is occurring in only one out of many calendar systems in use around the world.

The new millennium will bring changes, of course, along with inevitable ups and downs; but there were bright and dark times during this present millennium and the previous one, as there will be during the next one and the one after that. Do not be uneasy about what will be. Whatever it is, we will find a way to face it. Face life with courage! That was Master's way. Face the future knowing that you have been endowed by God with indomitable strength, courage, and wisdom. That is your salvation. That is your savior.

Have faith. Be strong and fearless as you look to the future; know that everything is going to be all right. It will be all right. Believe that. If there is any fear in you, throw it out. It has no place in your life as a child of God.

"Well," you may say, "should I take some practical measures? In case man's technology fails should I stock some short-term emergency supplies?" Yes, we've been advised to do so. "Shall I plant a garden where I can grow some of my own vegetables?" Yes, I would do so. Guruji recommended that over fifty years ago! I can remember sitting in the back of the audience recording his words when he would say to the devotees, "It is good to plant a little vegetable garden, to have some fruit trees and such, if feasible for you." This is being practical — and it also gets you out of the house! It takes you away from the television and other time-wasters that enslave the mind. What Guruji would say is, let us get back to simple living.

When I was meditating recently, such a powerful inspiration came into my consciousness. You see, I don't like to make things complicated; I like to keep them simple, because I think God is that way. So as I was meditating, pouring my heart out to Divine Mother, suddenly — I don't know how to describe it to you — such a sweet, soothing Intelligence descended on my consciousness. The message that was conveyed to me was so simple, two words: "Love, serve. Love, serve. And the rest, do not be troubled about." I cannot tell you what comfort, what strength, filled my soul.

"Love and serve." That is the message for all of us. That is what life is all about. Love means first of all: "Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind." Then we are to expand our love — "to love our neighbors as ourselves." The logical place to begin is with our family.

Sometimes a person is said to be a "street angel and a house devil." We have to forgo that kind of behavior. We should be sweet and loving with our families, as courteously respectful as when we are mixing with others in public. You all know the unfortunate condition in which we find so many families today: children going astray, having lost sight of any sense of morality; wives and husbands unhappy in their marriages because they are not feeling fulfilled by their spouse. You are never going to find perfect love in any human being. If you are looking for fulfillment from another person, you will be looking until the end of your life! Perfect love is found only in God. Marriages and families should be centered in God. In taking the marriage vow, the intent should be, "I choose this person as my dearest friend, to whom I can talk and open up my heart — and eventually to share that friendship and love with our children as a united family." Commitment is what is needed today.

When love that is open and unselfish is present in the family, children will be more apt to feel they can come to the parents to discuss anything and not be met with anger, but with honest explanations and understanding. Yes, it is all right to give discipline when needed, but never punish a child when you yourself are angry. This is equally true between husbands and wives; they must be able to sit down quietly and talk patiently, each expressing what is felt in the heart, each being a helpful companion to the other. Practice the art of harmonious communication. It nurtures a relationship in which God loves to enter and reign.

So when I say "Love God," it means also to include in that love the love for our families — husband, wife, children. Then we need to go on expanding, spreading love to our neighbors, to our nation, to our world. All-embracing love is implicit in "Love the Lord thy God," because all of us are in Him and He is in us. We cannot possibly love Him fully without including all in His creation.

The second powerful inspiration that came was "Serve." We should serve one another joyously — not thinking, "I'll serve this person if he does something for me" or "She doesn't do anything for me, so why should I help her?" We should give of ourselves selflessly, finding ways to be of help to others. So many of you have that spirit of service and are helping others, as are you who support the work of the Voluntary League started by Guruji. Service in whatever form is the way to live our lives in the new millennium. Whether we are householders or monastics, our ideal should be to love God and to serve mankind. In serving humanity, you are serving God; and in renouncing the world as monastics to serve God, we are serving humanity.

God endowed man with intelligence, and with that intelligence we have created marvelous technological instruments and made many useful discoveries. But even though we have freedom to make many innovations in the world, there are certain laws, certain principles, that are not subject to man's determinations. They are eternal; they are of God. Those are the rules of right and wrong, good and evil. We need to think goodness and cling to goodness, and ask ourselves, "What good can I contribute to this world?" This means, first and foremost, to become good people ourselves — to get away from the disloyalty, mean-spiritedness, lying, stealing, cheating, and above all the sexual immorality, that are destroying society. And we need to better educate the youth in these ideals.

Make a determination that you will teach your children the right way to live. The best instruction is to be an example yourself, isn't that so? I urge all of you to think deeply: "What can I do, what can I say, to instill the right standards in my child?" Scolding them will not work. I think back to my mother, who was such a wonderful inspiration. She never scolded, and I never knew what it was to have a spanking from her. She only needed to speak to us. We adored her; we wanted to do what she asked. Why? Because she talked to us with love, even when she found it necessary to be firm. You mustn't spoil your children by giving in to misbehavior; be firm in holding them to right behavior. A child is like a seedling; you have to cultivate it. Little ones do not grow up well if not properly tended; they need the tender, loving care and wise guidance of their parents. You who have children are blessed that God has given you those souls to love and nurture, to inspire and encourage. They are the makers of tomorrow, the first generation that will set the early course of the new millennium.

I want to share with you some words from the Spiritual Diary. This book has not been far from my side ever since it was printed. After my meditation each morning, I pick it up and say, "What is the message for me today?" Then I read the thought for that day. Here is the one for July 29:

I have lived by that, practicing the presence of God. If you choose to see God, you can see Him everywhere. Even with the many responsibilities that have been laid upon my shoulders these forty-odd years, that relationship with God is my life. I try to see Him in everything. Whether I'm meeting with people, writing, or thinking about the vast concerns of Guruji's worldwide work, this is what I live by. I find that my God is always with me, no matter what I am doing.

To devotees who say it is hard to find God, I say, "It is hard only because you make it so." Realize how simple the spiritual life can be. Go outside sometimes and just look up at the stars — there He is! Or look at a tiny flower growing out of the ground — there He is! I talk to Him all the time. That is what creates devotion. You don't speak of it to others; but it is there, secreted in your heart. That, along with meditation, is the way you begin to feel God in your life and in your consciousness.

Our dear nuns sometimes bring to my study little monarch caterpillars they have found in the garden. It gives me so much joy to watch as that tiny creature — that little spark of God's creation — changes into a chrysalis, inside the transparent skin of which you can watch its gradual metamorphosis, finally to emerge as a butterfly. It is thrilling to see! The butterfly climbs onto a leaf or twig on my desk and busies himself flickering his wings, drying them so he can start on his journey out my open window into the world for the brief lifetime God has given to him. I am so fascinated by these miracles of nature. Worldly things cannot compare. Get to know and love nature more. In this way you come to know God through the manifestation of His presence in creation.

The next thought from the Spiritual Diary — the thought for today's date — is also very beautiful:

These are two of my favorite thoughts from the Spiritual Diary. Remember them when you go back to your homes, and try to see God in whatever you are doing. In your daily activities, do not let yourself become bored. Do everything with the thought of God, in the joy of His presence. Wherever you look, you will find Him. Whenever you think of Him, you will find Him.

"He walks with me, He talks with me, He tells me I am His own." * He loves every one of you. He loves you. Believe it! Turn to Him! Each of us has a silent temple within where we can go, unknown to anyone around us, and talk to Him: "O my Lord, You are with me. O my Lord, I love You! I may not always understand You, but You are mine. You gave me life. I am Yours. Bless me that I can look after my family and fulfill my responsibilities. Give me the strength, wisdom, and joy with which to serve. I know, my Lord, that it is You who came with me into this world, and it is You alone who will be with me when I go; so above all, my greatest responsibility is to love You, but without forsaking the responsibilities and loved ones You have given to me." Include Him in whatever you do. That is what is important.

Well, my dears, I am so happy to have had this time with you. My special love to all of you, and I look forward to being with you next year. It is wonderful to come together with souls like you in divine fellowship. It brightens my life. You brighten my life. My love, my boundless divine friendship and blessings, reach out to every one of you. Do not think that we forget you when you return home. That could never be. You are a part of this vast family of God and Guruji, and our caring for you is without any boundary. We ask you to pray for us, and be assured that we pray for you.

Let us meditate a few moments. Just forget the world. Enter that sacred temple within where only God and you exist. Pray to Him to reveal Himself, as Guruji taught us: "O Lord, reveal Thyself, reveal Thyself. Thou art mine; I am Thine. Thou art my Love; I am Thy love. Thou art my joy; I am Thy joy. Bless me. I love You. I love You, God."

[After a brief meditation:]

Jai Guru. Jai Guru. Jai Guru. May the blessings of God and Guru, Their love, Their divine friendship enter your hearts, and may you be filled with that as you return to your homes. Never let your mind wander away from your love for God, and give that love to your loved ones — your family, your children, your husband, your wife. Help one another. We were put on earth to help one another, to serve.

Love, Serve. Meditate on these two; give thought to the ways in which you can genuinely love. I am not referring to selfish love, but to the love that comes when we feel God. Do your part, each one of you. In that spirit, we shall enter this new age with great strength, faith, and joy — and with a determination to know God in the years that lie ahead. His love must be your love.

I wish I could impart to you the great joy that one finds in meditation — I wish I could! But you have to earn it. You can get a taste of it. Hold on to it. "He walks with me. He talks with me. He tells me I am His own." This is what God is trying to tell you at every moment, through His silent voice within.

God bless you all. I love all of you. See you next year!

 

*From the well-known hymn, "In the Garden," by C. Austin Miles.