Yoga

Yoga means to become united or to come together.With Yoga you can be united with whatever you want-money,name,fame,people,property,whatever you desire.It's all possible with yoga .

But being united with everything you like outside you won't be possible until the yoga or the uniting happens with them within you first.Whatever you

How to sleep well

Exercise. It’s actually known to help you sleep better. Your body uses the sleep period to recover its muscles and joints that have been exercised. Twenty to thirty minutes of exercise every day can help you sleep, but be sure to exercise in the morning or afternoon. Exercise stimulates the body and aerobic activity before bedtime may make falling asleep more difficult.

Taking a hot shower or bath before bed helps bring on sleep because they can relax tense muscles.

Avoid eating just before bed. Avoid eat large meals or spicy foods before bedtime. Give yourself at least 2 hours from when you eat to when you sleep. This allows for digestion to happen (or at least start) well before you go to sleep so your body can rest well during the night, rather than churning away your food.

Avoid caffeine. It keeps you awake and that’s now what you want for a good nights sleep. We all know that.

Read a fiction book. It takes you to a whole new world if you really get into it. And then take some time to ponder over the book as you fall asleep. I find as I read more and more, regardless of the book, I get more tired at night and so find it easier to fall asleep. Different for others?

Have the room slightly cooler. I prefer this to a hot room. I prefer to turn off the heat and allow the coolness to circulate in and out of the windows. If I get cold, I wear warmer clothes. It also saves on the bills as you’re not going to require the heat all night long.

Sleep in silence. I find sleeping with no music or TV on more easy and restful. I guess others are different, but sleep with no distractions is best for a clearer mind.

Avoid alcohol before bedtime. It’s a depressant; although it may make it easier to fall asleep, it causes you to wake up during the night. As alcohol is digested your body goes into withdrawal from the alcohol, causing nighttime awakenings and often nightmares for some people. Courtesy-funonthenet.

Mother Teresa

Once she was asked ,"what kind of a difference will one person like you could make in a selfish world?".

She said,"am throwing stones inside a big lake,the ripples it make will reach the other end of the lake and it will let that person standing on that side know what am intended to do?,it will make a change in him and I believe in that".

People make a difference really don't they?

Gandhiji

"be the change itself you want to see in this world".

Swami Satchidananda,"build beautiful things inside and focus it outside,world is your own projection".

Evil

What is evil?.Where does it come from?.It's an important question to be answered.If God created everything,who created evil?.Are there 2 Gods ,One to create all the good things and the other to create all the bad?.We've never heard such a story.

When He wished to,one God created everything:"Let there be sky.Let there be clouds.Let there be rain.Let there be earth.Let there be plants and animals.Let there be the garden of Eden .And then there be a man too.

Certainly He must have said,"Let there be a Satan also".If not,there's no room for existence of Satan.Then the question must arise,why would He create a Satan?.

For a very good reason.A student who wastes his life going about here and there and not studying his lessons will be unhappy when he comes to the examination hall and must take the exam.To his eyes the examiner will be a Satan.

"You devil!You have given me all these questions.How am I to answer them?".

But a bright student will welcome the exam as an opportunity to show how much he studied.So,Satan,or temptation ,is a kind of test.

God has been teaching you,giving you some advice,"Do this.Do not do that".How is He to know whether you have understood His advice or not?.In the classroom He teaches you what to do and what not to do.Then he sends an examiner to test you.Satan is the examiner.

"Hey",God says,"Go and test him.I gave him a lesson.I just want know he will prove himself".

Then Satan,or temptation,comes and tests you.Unfortunately,people sometimes succumb.Then God says,"Oh,I see.You didn't learn your lesson properly.All right,go down.Learn by your experience.

God always punishes you with mercy,never anger.When the doctor cuts away an abscess,it looks like an evil act,but he does it out of kindness."I can't easily remove this.It needs a very severe operation.Let me cut it out".

A kind heart but a hard action.At first the master is all compassion.He encourages his students in a gentle way and with many nice blessings."Here are more gifts for you.You are good child.I"ll present you with good things.If you pass the exam very well,I'll take you up to the highest grade".

But if the student constantly fails,the teacher will punish him.This, too,is out of mercy.the purpose of punishment is the student's growth.Punishment comes not from anger,but to take away our uncleanness.Evil is not other than God.It is just God approached from the wrong angle.Good and bad are counterparts of each other.Write the word"God".Read it from the right angle,it's God.Read it from the wrong angle,it's dog.It depends from which angle you approach.

Other than the ultimate power there is no evil,there is no good.Things are only approached in different ways.Evil worshippers are punished for their evil tendencies;for their wrong approach.They are punished to correct them and help them know they have been approaching things in the wrong way so they can come around to the right way.

Know that nothing in nature,nothing in God's kingdom,punishes you.He has no hatred toward his children.Sometimes a father is a bit hard on his child.

But,If he isn't ,the child is spoiled.God will never make that mistake.He will certainly punish if there is need,but only for our benefit.That's why we say all trouble and turmoil are blessings in disguise.If we only know the purpose behind these experiences and accept them,we will never blame anybody else -nor blame God.

What,then,is evil?.A thing in the wrong place is evil-like dirt.A right thing in the wrong place is a kind of dirt,and it gets swept away.God's power is the same -neither good nor bad.It is like electricity .

Is electricity divine or evil.Electricity is neutral.It just is.But,depending on your approach,you get either its benefit or its punishment.plug in a lamp,you get light ,Plug in radio,you get music.Plug in your finger ?.

Those who plug in their fingers call electricity evil.those who plug in the lamp say it's beautiful.

God's power are also like that.If you approach God with an ugly mind,He punishes you for your devilish approach.But that's all right.Hell makes heaven tasty.

~Yogi Mahraj Swami Satchidananda.

The Search For Happiness

The universe is full of life.You can see the life force constantly.Everything is living;there is no dead matter.What is called in-animate or dead matter is not really dead.

This is even well proven by present day science.Although you can't see it's movement with your eyes,if you look through the proper instrument,you see an upsurge of force-atoms moving very fast.

But what is their purpose?.why do they run around ?.What do they want ?.

If you observe carefully,throughout nature you will find one common goal in everybody and everything -even in the atom.All are searching for happiness.In the case of human beings,you see hundreds of individual ,social,communal,national and international efforts.

It could be anything : a carnival,a festival,travel,war-yes even war.The common purpose behind all these efforts is the search for happiness.

When you go before an altar and pray to God,What's the reason?.Not for the sake of God,But for happiness.You want to be happy by making this or that effort.This is the common goal.

Ask anybody,even a burglar who robs a bank,why he does it.

"I want to take money ",

"What for?",

"To buy more things",

"Why",

"I want to be happy",

Ask the policeman,"Why are you chasing the burglar?",

"To catch the culprit.That's my duty.I want everybody to be happy,not to lose things and be sad".

ASK A MAN WHO DRINKS WHY,"OH,I WANT TO BE HAPPY."

SMOKES?."I WANT TO BE HAPPY",WHETHER HE IS GETTING HAPPINESS OR NOT,HE WANTS IT FOR THAT PURPOSE.HE THINKS THIS WILL MAKE HIM HAPPY.

The common goal is to put an end to sorrow and keep one's self always happy.

This goal is approached by many in different ways.Some people want to be happy quickly,so they take short cuts and get temporary happiness.But borrowed joy comes and goes.The happiness we seem to be getting by our daily efforts is fleeting and mixed with lot of troubles,worries and unhappiness.

Happiness cannot come without happiness before and after.We keep trying to find that happiness and we keep missing it.

When we finally tire of searching for happiness outside,we sit quietly and wonder,"What is this?

why am I unhappy?Why do I lose the happiness that I have?"If we are sincere and analyze well,we find,ultimately,that the happiness never comes from outside.

You never get happiness by doing something or achieving something-including so called spiritual practices,prayer or the search for God.

Even God cannot give you happiness.If he gives,He might take away.Anything that comes,will go.Even in the name of searching God we see people becoming unhappy.

Here is my answer.Happiness is not to be sought outside.It can never come from outside -or from inside.It can't come;because it simply is.It is always.Where?.Everywhere.It is just happiness.

You are happiness personified.You are that Supreme Bliss.

You are that Joy.

You are the image of happiness.If you want to use the word God,Who is God?.What are his qualifications?.Always being happy.So,as the image of God,how can you be unhappy?.

"Well,at least it's some consolation to hear this.you say"I am happy,but i don't seem to be".You don't seem to be because you've forgotten it.That's the reason you are running after happiness.

You have forgotten you have eyes,and you are running to see your eyes.But what you search with is your eyes.You don't seem to know that because you have eyes you are seeing everything,so you say:"I don't see my eyes:I want to see them".You are the seer yourself and you can never see yourself.

The mere ignorance or forgetting makes you unhappy.The basic sin or mistake is to forget your true nature.It's a form of self-suicide.By forgetting your self,you kill your self.So you become unhappy.Naturally,when you are unhappy,things become worse.

With an unhappy mind you look for happiness.imagine a basin filled with still water,no waves.Naturally it shines well.the surface is clean and still.When you bend down you see your face very well.In still water you can see a reflection.As you are seeing it,imagine that something falls into the basin.Immediately the surface is disturbed and you see a distorted image of your self.Forgetting your real image ,you take that to be your true nature,you identify yourself with that image and sit and cry.Then you run about saying,"I have to get myself in shape".

You can make the mind straight and undisturbed by taking away the cause of its disturbance.what fell into your mind to disturb it?.Certainly nothing from outside can fall in-unless you allow something to happen to your mind.

You allow associations with things or words to fall in and disturb your mind.If somebody uses a word that isn't pleasing,you say,"He's scolding me",and become upset.You allow his word to come and disturb your mind.Then you say,"He is making me unhappy".But really you disturb your own mind.It's better to say"I am happy"than "I want to be happy".The minute you say "I want to be happy",that very want disturbs the mind.And suppose the want is fulfilled?.How many people go crazy over a small piece of paper, a stamp printed some one hundred years ago?.They pay thousands of dollars to get that piece of paper.

They give value to it and struggle to obtain it.If you are caught up in this,you'll say,"I can't be happy"without the stamp.So you pay the price.Then you say,"Ah,I got it".It's simple enough.First you said,"I want it".After all the efforts you say,"I got it".Where are you now?the same place you were before you wanted it.Happy.Understand this well.You were happy before you wanted the stamp.But the moment you wanted it,you become unhappy.

And the moment you got it,you were happy again.So,where did the happiness come from.Not from that thing.The thing by itself didn't give you any happiness.You regained the happiness when you took the want back,or when you fulfilled the cavity or depression which was created by the want.

Once the want-stone falls into your mind,you are depressed.A depression is a hollow space.the mind is depressed;you have to fulfill it.You create the depression ,fulfill it ,then come back to the normal level and say,"I'm happy now".So it goes with everything,whether it's an old stamp,a position, a country,money, a name,or fame.

I say,want not,waste not.You may wonder why I have changed the beautiful proverb,"Waste not,want not".Since I always want to be a Yogi,I seem to put things upside down.Want not waste not your happiness.Sometimes we hear people say,"He is happy because he is above wants".If that were so,he would never be happy.It means he has raised himself above wants;he no longer wants anything.

This is easy to say and nice to hear.But such understanding comes only after running around quite a lot,facing failure everywhere and in everything, and finally becoming disgusted."I'm tired.I don't want anything anymore".

That's why scriptures say,if you want God,give up everything else.Do not want anything,including God,and You'll have God.God is always there.The goal is to realize your true nature.To realize your peace,your happiness,your Godliness,your Godliness,your image of God.

Without that you can never be a hundred percent happy.You will be happy ,then unhappy.Nobody can always be completely happy without knowing that he is happiness.This is what is GOD.

~Yogi Maharaj Sri Swami Satchidananda.