May 2016 Newsletter

Dear friend,

"He started it!" We hear this most often from children. But how often do we think it, or something similar, when what we really want is to push responsibility for own behavior off on someone else? In every case, the real question is how am I handling myself. Yes, people really do sometimes treat us badly. What matters however, is how we ourselves behave. Recognizing God in others can make it easier.

Swami Kriyananda said to "... learn to be a channel for that divine consciousness. Don't keep things for yourself, but give support to others. Realize, in the last analysis, that you and others are the same being temporarily defined as separate - the ocean temporarily defined as the separate little waves. The veriest stranger is a part of you. But behind all those waves is the consciousness of God ever waiting for us to merge back into Him.

Paramhansa Yogananda and Swami Kriyananda made it clear that we grow spiritually not by having our karma come to us - that's going to happen - but by accepting and rising above it. If we have accepted a Guru and are trying to grow, everything comes to us for a reason. Yup, everything! Even that person snarling at you for no good reason.

See beyond the negativity and remember that God is helping us. Love and accept. Often the tensions will quickly fade. But whether it does or not -this is your chance to grow.


Go with God,
Nityananda