On Tuesday December 23rd, we had our annual all-day Christmas group meditation, where we inwardly celebrate the birth of Christ and the true meaning of Christmas. Paramhansa Yogananda started this annual tradition at Mt. Washington, where he held an eight-hour group meditation on December 24th (Spiritual Christmas), and followed the next day by a banquet (Social Christmas).

The inspiration and upliftment I felt that day is indescribable. As I sat in the back of the room and gazing at the crowd during the meditation, I thought how desperately the world needs more of this: people uniting together in brotherhood and harmony, honoring the lives of great saints and self-realized Masters in devotional gatherings. It is easy to get discouraged when reading the ever-flowing news of hatred, economic turmoils and environmental problems in the world. Yet, God created this duality (or dwaita) and it is up to us to recognize that and transcend it. As Yogananda said in the East-West magazine of July 1932:

The Spirit alone is perfect. Everything else in Creation is imperfect. Creation started with the law of duality, with the law of division. The Spirit was perfect.

Swami Kriyananda in Chapter 5 of The Art and Science of Raja Yoga states:

In all of life there is an urge, consciously or unconsciously felt, for the Oneness which is our true and natural state. This Oneness can be found, not by going to some far-out extreme in which at last the opposite to that extreme (pain, for example, as opposed to pleasure) is left forever behind, but rather by returning to the central point within our selves; to the horizon line that rests forever between all opposites; to the state of rest at the bottom of the pendulum’s swing.

Meditation is the tool to return to that central point within our selves. In the Festival of Light (an inspirational ceremony which presents the core of Yogananda’s teachings through poetry and music), Swami Kriyananda writes:

God, through the Bhagavad Gita, promises: “Even the worst of sinners, by steadfast meditation on Me, speedily comes to Me.” The same Scripture declares also: “Even a little practice of this inward religion will free one from dire fears and colossal sufferings.”

And whereas suffering, in the past, was the coin of man’s redemption, for us now the payment has been exchanged for joy. Thus may we understand that pain is the fruit of self-love, whereas joy is the fruit of love for God.

And the ancient Hindu sage Patanjali defined the state of divine enlightenment as:

Yogas chitta vritti nirodh — yoga (divine union) is the neutralization of the waves (whirlpools) of feeling” (Yoga Sutra 1:2).

It is up to us whether to allow ourselves to be affected by the ever increasing swing of the pendulum, or to take charge of our lives by meditating regularly and thereby neutralizing the whirlpools of feeling.

When I left the temple early evening after the all-day meditation and walked home, I felt as if my feet were lifted off the ground. My joy level was full to overflowing. Such is the magic of our Christmas Meditation.

I leave you with these words of Christmas Meditation by Paramhansa Yogananda. May the Light of Christ shine upon you.

All my thoughts are decorating the Christmas tree of meditation with the rare gifts of devotion, sealed with golden heart prayers that Christ may come and receive my humble gifts.

I will mentally join in the worship in all mosques, churches, and temples, and perceive the birth of the universal Christ Consciousness as peace on the altar of all devotional hearts.

O Christ, may the birth of Thy love be felt in all hearts this Christmas, and every day.

Christ was always born in me. He came and preached through my consciousness to my rowdy and hypocritical thoughts. By the magic wand of meditative intuition, He stopped the storms in the seas of my life, and of many other lives. I was mentally blind, my will was lame, but I was healed by the awakened Christ in me.

Christ walked on the restless waters of my mind, yet the Judas of restlessness and ignorance, deluded by the Satan of sense lures, betrayed the Christ calmness, the Christ joy, in me, and crucified Him on the cross of forgetfulness.

He commanded my dead wisdom to come forth from its sackcloth of delusion, and raised it to life.

At last my will, faith, hope, intuition, purity, meditation, desires, good habits, self-control sense‑ aboveness, devotion, wisdom — all these disciples obeyed the commandments of the Christ who appeared on the high mountain of my meditation.

One of the most fantastic and beautiful stories in Paramhansa Yogananda’s Autobiography of a Yogi tells of Lahiri Mahasaya’s initiation into Kriya Yoga by his Guru, Mahavatar Babaji.

To this day, the Kriya ceremony at Ananda is performed just the way Yogananda did it, and is patterned after the way  Lahiri Mahasaya received, and gave, initiation into Kriya.

In The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita, Swami Kriyananda writes of the importance of receiving Kriya through initiation:

Kriya Yoga, in order to be wholly effective, must be received not only intellectually (in written or spoken form), but vibrationally, in the form of initiation.

People who are interested in Kriya Yoga often miss the importance of the Guru-Disciple relationship, which forms an essential part of the path of Kriya. In fact, a close reading of Autobiography of a Yogi reveals the thread of the Guru-Disciple relationship running through the entire book, from the very first sentence to the very last (read those two sentences and see!).

The spiritual “highlight” of the book—the fulfilment of Yogananda’s lifelong search for divine union, or Samadhi —is finally reached only with the help of his Guru, Sri Yukteswar (as told in the chapter An Experience in Cosmic Consciousness, linked below).

After many years of Kriya practice, and observing hundreds of other Kriya yogis, I have seen that attunement to the Guru makes the difference between receiving extraordinary benefits from your practice,  vs. merely ordinary results, or no results at all. I’ve seen firsthand the truth of this statement by Swami Kriyananda:

It isn’t enough merely to receive good teachings and good techniques, or take Kriya Yoga initiation and then, as many people have done, figure that they can safely leave the line of gurus.

Those who merely practice a meditation technique receive some benefit, but not nearly as much as what is possible through attunement to a guru.

I’ve even seen people who were highly advanced become bogged down through rejecting the higher of these realities. That is, they chose techniques over attunement with the guru.

Marble statue of the Yogi Christ, Hansa Mandir, Ananda Village, Christmas 2008

That attunement comes in many ways, but an important and obvious one is keeping a strong connection with other long-time disciples of Yogananda and our line of Kriya Gurus.

In that regard, I have seen that people who keep that connection alive gain the most—specifically those who visit Ananda centers, or stay in touch via phone or email, or the many talks and offerings on the Ananda website. I’m quite sure that the same holds true for all other Kriya lineages and paths.

Swami Kriyananda has written, in regard to Kriya: “Guidance from the guru is not only helpful: It is essential.”

Recently I heard him say that attunement to the Guru is most important, and Kriya (as a technique) only secondary. Of course, Kriya yogis also gain that attunement through deep Kriya practice. Lahiri Mahasaya once said that practicing the techniques of Kriya, as taught by the Guru, draws the grace and help of the Guru.

So, if you are interested in receiving Kriya Yoga, or getting the most from your Kriya practice, understand that the greatest progress is made when it is combined with discipleship and attunement to the Guru. Here is one way that it can be done, as offered by Yogananda in The Essence of Self-Realization:

“To tune in to the guru’s consciousness, visualize him in the spiritual eye.Mentally call to him there. Imagine his eyes, especially, gazing at you. Invite his consciousness to inspire your own. Then, after calling to him for some time, try to feel his response in your heart.

The heart is the center of intuition in the body. It is your ‘radio-receiver.’ Your ‘broadcasting station’ is situated in the Christ center between the eyebrows. It is from this center that your will broadcasts into the universe your thoughts and ideas. Once you feel an answer in the heart, call to the guru deeply, ‘Introduce me to God.’

Further reading:
Autobiography of a Yogi:
· Chapter 34: Materializing a Palace in the Himalaya
· Chapter 14: An Experience in Cosmic Consciousness
· The Essence of Self-Realization
· The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita

Tuesday night was for me the last night of a several-day seclusion—one that is ending more or less as I write this blog post. (The time-honored practice of seclusion is one of silence and of being alone with God.)

During this seclusion, I spent some time outdoors, some time meditating (of course!), some time sleeping (too much?), and some other time writing, thinking, and listening to spiritual talks.

Whether a seclusion seems “good” or “bad,” one thing I usually feel during them is closer to Paramhansa Yogananda, my Guru, whom we at Ananda affectionately think of as “Master.”

And so it was that, as I lay down on Tuesday night, I asked Yogananda, “Master, will you help me fall asleep?”

WHAM!

Ouch… I had missed the pillow by about a foot and hit my head on the wall instead. I’ve lived where I am now for years, and this is the first time I can remember this happening.

I lay in bed, trying to sort things out. Was Master trying to… um… tell me something?

After thinking it over, I decided to accept the new pain in my head as a gift from God, and got up. Once I took the experience this way, its message was clear enough:

The job of the Guru is not to help us fall asleep. It is to help us wake up.

The Christmas holiday Season can get pretty crazy. Everyone knows how it feels to be frantic, over-tired, un-centered, or lonely at this time of year. This is too bad, because these Holidays can become true Holy-days and can be a time of greatest joy, if you are willing to make it so. Try a few of these suggestions—they may help!

1)While you are shopping for or wrapping or mailing or distributing gifts, pray for the person(s) to whom you are giving it and say the “Gratitude” affirmation (see #2)

2)While you are address and mailing Christmas cards, pray for the one to receive it and use this affirmation: “I give thanks to the Giver behind each gift and to the one Giver behind all that I give [and receive.]” From Affirmations for Self-Healing by Swami Kriyananda.

3)Also use the above affirmation when opening each gift or Christmas cards.

4)Save your gift tags and the Christmas cards you receive. Keep them in a basket in your meditation room and take one a day to pray for in the coming year.

5)Take a “Christmas Vow” for all or part the month of December. For example: eating no sugar, meditating a longer amount of time each day, cutting out “fillers” like TV, videos and low energy reading materials, or doing more Kriyas than usual if you are a kriyaban (Kriya yogi).

6)Study! Suggestions: re-read the Christmas story from the Bible–chapters #2 from Luke and Matthew are the best. Read slowly at the close of your meditation and feel the inner meanings of the words. Read Master’s teachings on Jesus and Christmas. Email me for suggested “Christmas Bibliography.”

7)Put out a picture of Jesus that you like. Make a small Christmas altar and look at his eyes, praying for the inner Christ Conscious to come to you in this season.

8)Set up a small “Nativity Scene” on your altar and/or re-do your altar for the Christmas season with decorations, twinkling lights, poinsettias, etc.

9)Consider participating in an 8-hour meditation, on or near December 23. If possible, do it at an Ananda center or meditation group. If not, do it on your own. Unimaginable blessings can come from Yogananda and Christ during the Christmas season, if you put forth extra effort. Be sure to have both a “spiritual Christmas” and a “social Christmas” to keep things balanced, as Yogananda taught by his example.

10)Play tapes or CD’s of Yogananda’s voice, especially those made during the Christmas Season or around his birthday (January 5th).

11)Have and light daily a special Christmas candle.

12)Get more light into your light at this darkest time of the year in the Northern Hemisphere (the winter solstice is on the 21st of December). String colored or white lights all around your home.

13)Read “Secrets of Peace on Earth,” by Swami Kriyananda, reading one page a day (and meditating on it) for the whole month of December.

14)Practice conscious forgiveness of those with whom you may have issues; take part in a Purification Ceremony or other rituals which have meaning for you.

15)Take a time of silence and seclusion. The week (or a few days) leading up to Christmas or the week between Christmas and New Years Day are often good times to do it.

16)Look around you to see who might need extra help or energy. Serve in any way you can find to offer service to others. Call and/or get together with those you know who might be ill, sad, or lonely especially at this season.

17)Music! Music! Music! Have uplifting Christmas music in your life. Chanting or listening to music is great! Ananda has much wonderful Christmas music to offer you. Attend a Christmas concert.

18)Love, give, serve, and remember who you are.

19)Consider coming to Ananda for all or a part of the Holidays. Christmas at Ananda is such a wonderful experience. I spend my first Christmas here in 1977 and promised myself never to be anywhere else. I’ve kept that promise!

20)On Christmas morning, very early, before anything else happens, meditate deeply and let the Christ Consciousness be born in the cradle of your heart.