Letters from my Guru
Every month Swami Jyotirmayananda composes a hand-written letter to Aspirants from all over the world. The contents always seem to be apropos to the very moment and even seem to be directed to each individual who happens to read it. Here is the March 2017 letter from his monthly publication The International Yoga Guide.
I will even interpret it for those who are not accustomed to Indian culture and vocabulary.
Blessed Self, Adorations!
The word Self really refers to Atman, the soul or SuperSoul, the Divine Self, and you are that! — in brief the world, the universe and all that’s in it is your very Self, it is a reflection of your self trying to know your Self. In this holographic universe all are parts of the Whole and when the intuitional floodgates open you realize that All is Perfect Always, and all the pain and limitation is just a “momentary” deviation which actually takes the form of an unending series of births and deaths until you return to Self Realization. And that is the purpose of taking birth.
Aspire for attaining GodRealization.
So yes, aspire to attaining the purpose of your existence. All other goals are acquired when you reach The Goal.
Why should you stay confined to things that are perishable?
All the desirable things a person can get only last for a relatively short while, so why should you gain the world only to lose your inner peace?
Your mind is the cause of bondage and release.
The way you use the mind, certainly the strangest tool in existence, gives you freedom or slavery due to a kind of mental Judo.
Enlighten your mind by Satsanga, Service, meditation, devotion and self-effacing surrender to God.
Here is the prescription for enlightening your mind. Satsanga refers to keeping “good company,” the contact and association with those who uplift others. Saints and Sages are at the top of the list: By reading, listening, watching and attending uplifting programs you elevate your consciousness. The opposite is Kusanga which is to follow those practices that degrade one’s humanity. Service is essential, you serve your Self when you serve others. Even a single spontaneous good action lifts all personal burdens and allows meditation to occur without effort. Devotion is the cultivation of Divine Love. Like any relationship it can be cultivated. Love is so ennobling it is transforming. Convert the love you feel to Divine Love which is infinite. Surrender to “What Is” is surrender to God and it is self-effacing because you can drop the little story, the ego’s striving for importance, and fly on a higher plane.
You are bound to succeed!
Since Self-Realization is the true purpose of human birth, everything that happens is pushing & pulling you in that direction.
Adapt and adjust to people around you.
People around you will likely offer the greatest challenges. Bend, don’t break. Try to minimize conflict, don’t get used to provoking conflict just to win and lord it over others.
When you persist in self-effort you receive Divine Grace.
For every step you take in the right direction, Divine Grace takes a hundred towards you.
You are the Architect of your destiny!
This is proverbial. Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a trait; sow a trait, reap a character; sow a character and you reap your destiny. It starts with thought and controlling your thoughts.
Be decked with Divine Virtues.
Divine Virtues are the true prosperity. They give anyone special beauty. They are like adornments to the human personality and they shine through into the spiritual realm.
May God bless you!
We have underestimated our Divine origins and tried to live with a materialistic faith only to our extreme disadvantage.
With Prem & Om
Prem refers to that Divine Love beyond attachment and Om the sacred syllable referencing the Totality or Absolute.
Swami Jyotirmayananda
Swamiji is a direct, living disciple of Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati of Rishikesh, Himalayas, the founder of the Divine Life Society, who sent such a generation of Yoga-Vedanta Master Gurus all around the world to help upright the overturned cup of Dharma in the world.
Swami Jyotirmayananda founded the Yoga Research Foundation in Puerto Rico and Miami, FL since the 1960’s and can be found today at www.yrf.org, e-mail info@yrf.org.