Bhaktananda: Practicing the Presence

[Jitendra Hydonus]

Getting back to practicing the presence. Sometimes I can practice the presence for perhaps an hour straight while for instance on a long swim in a nearby lake. I suddenly gain helpful insights on my own motivations as well as the karmic bind of friends that I have prayed for. I certainly find that practicing the presence actually puts us an elevated state of consciousness, because we are uniting our consciousness in their presence. As Amma said to me many times; “The Guru and the disciple are on” when we actually experience this assertion we can have an exalted experience in what the Master experiences.

Practicing the presence also puts us at a distance from the continuous temptations that assault our spiritual consciousness. We should not feel that others have more than us when we are being spared the misery that ‘more’ implies. I believe this is part of the ‘long game’ mccoy has explained 👇 below.

⬇️

Steve, yes, I was thinking about it just yesterday. The long game. One incarnation is just one tiny amount of the evolutionary process we go through in our human lives.

It is probably so that only highly evolved ones achieve a stable state of God-awareness, sometimes even ultra-evolved souls may skip an incarnation or two and go without uplifting spiritual experiences.

It may also be that the living presence of the guru may be necessary to overcome karmic states of restlessness which prevent us to experience superconscious states in a specific incarnation.

Anyway, again, it is a long game, what we sow remains in the ground and we are going to reap eventually the result of our efforts.

Much patience is required in our relationship with others and even our own progress. Time is like a split piece of hair in the mind of the cosmic beloved. We must gain a larger perspective in the “ long game “ to actually expand and unite with a more inclusive consciousness. mccoy, I see some of these experiences gained by you in for instance; your shared experiences with your son.

[guest587]

Yes, my name is Eric.

I often change my alias here at the portal, sorry for the confusion. For the longest it's just been Steve and I, and one reason I joined early on is the freedom to express creatively- things like usernames and profiles.

[Jitendra Hydonus]

Steve, Practicing the presence is easy to say, harder to do. I find I tend to forget about this practice while overwhelmed by daily worldly duties.
Do you have a specific strategy to take the mind back to practicing?

I find that we may have karma involved with people who get money from various charities or government sources, that have given us a sustainable income as well at times. Therefore we find ourselves in the ‘service’ of those given to our care and upliftment. Yet at times we recognize that they also provide service to us in perhaps unconventional ways. Yet still there are moments of enlightened understanding of why we have certain acquaintances, friends and yes at times biological family members. These people may have mental challenges that we are meant to learn wisdom about.

In our various activities if we practice the presence as much as possible, our lives often unfold in moments of recognition of purpose and a little light goes on in our head, at those times in gratitude.

Someone may ask what are those activities? For instance I may go jogging or swimming and practice a mantra to every inhalation and exhalation of my breath during such active exercises. And find myself at times flooded with inspiration. I must admit this is after years of practice. For many years I just snatched at the inspiration of others and read uplifting books. Although I did seek out such people and still do. I have seen many people at such events with mentally challenged and physically challenged friends and family.

[Jitendra Hydonus]

Back to the original topic:

https://yogananda.org/teachings-library/the-personal-approach-to-god

Brother Bhaktananda's talk from 1993's SRF convocation. - Very inspiring!

I was able to spend personal time with this Master Brother Uwi. I really did not understand the greatness of humility at the time, maybe in a mental way i did, but not a spiritual way. I mean you can look at someone but not recognize what’s inside them.

Yet I did keep one practice close to me by being specifically around him and reading the little book; Practicing the Presence by Brother Lawrence. So I would spend long hours just chanting or doin a mantra. Especially when being around people like him. He was always reminding us of God and Guru. He was walking and being in spirit. You really had to say very little just one question and he would know your state of consciousness and what you needed for advice.

Years later after saying a mantra to myself, I suddenly began to realize that I was on a roller coaster, of up and down emotions, without this practice coming back to me during the day. I really would feel bored 🥱 or depressed at times. And I realized that practicing the presence could actually take me out of such doldrums. Or I could be so restless that it would be hard to focus. It really helps to focus your mind on these uplifting thoughts and ideas that are in a simple mantra.

[Jitendra Hydonus]

I think the best thing to realize is that changing is not always as easy as one makes it out to be so the best thing is to think of God as much as possible even when things are chaotic. God is with us he made us with all these foibles.

[Jitendra Hydonus]

Steve, yes, I was thinking about it just yesterday. The long game. One incarnation is just one tiny amount of the evolutionary process we go through in our human lives.

It is probably so that only highly evolved ones achieve a stable state of God-awareness, sometimes even ultra-evolved souls may skip an incarnation or two and go without uplifting spiritual experiences.

It may also be that the living presence of the guru may be necessary to overcome karmic states of restlessness which prevent us to experience superconscious states in a specific incarnation.

Anyway, again, it is a long game, what we sow remains in the ground and we are going to reap eventually the result of our efforts.

Often highly evolved souls play other roles to satisfy certain worldly missions and dramas. Most of the elevated spiritual experiences I’ve had were around other devotees or in the presence of a saint or Master. …. Jitendra

This is how you develop the consciousness of His Presence every day, because you’re thinking about Him in everything that you do—until your whole day becomes one long prayer, one long meditation for Him. It is living. It is not that you have to sit alone in meditation, although that must be—early in the morning and late at night you must meditate—but you must also practice meditation all through the day. You can do it when you’re walking, when you’re eating, when you’re working, and you even get so you do it when you’re sleeping, because is that not the withdrawal of the mind into the deeper consciousness?

Paramahansa Yogananda

[mccoy]

That's the ideal, sounds easy but it is not, unfortunately

[Jitendra Hydonus]

That's the ideal, sounds easy but it is not, unfortunately

That’s why the Master has put us together; to remind one another! He is supporting our efforts.

[mccoy]

That's the ideal, sounds easy but it is not, unfortunately

That’s why the Master has put us together; to remind one another! He is supporting our efforts.

Good point!

[Jitendra Hydonus]

Mccoy everytime I read such posts I’m reminded of practicing the presence and meditation. You have been an enduring example to me on how to behave. I’m in admiration of your dedication to worthy causes, and fortunate to have such friends as you and others who have frequented this site.

May we regularly be grateful for the spiritual presence and people who have somewhat mysteriously contributed to our journey this life.

In humility and gratitude 🙏

Jitendra

[Jitendra Hydonus]

BRO. BHAKTANANDA on THERESE NEUMANN
1935, July 17 -Master Visited Catholic Stigmatist Therese Neumann in Germany.

BRO. BHAKTANANDA: There’s a wonderful illustration, a wonderful example in the life of THERESE NEUMANN that Master writes about in the Autobiography of a Yogi. At the age of twenty she was in an accident, her body was paralyzed from the neck down. She lost her sight and she was lying in bed all the time. Did she bemoan her fate that she was not like other girls, wearing beautiful dresses, going to parties and dances, having boyfriends? Certainly not. She placed her mind on God, and her heart on God.

She prayed to God, she prayed to Christ, she prayed to SAINT THERESE [OF LISIEUX], day after day. She was in ecstasy in a short time For five years she was in this state. Then God healed her body, and her sight returned. And so she prayed constantly. This we have to realize. And this is a great example, practicing the presence of God, utilizing our time properly, in the highest way, the best way possible. Suppose she cried about her misfotune, supposed she pitied herself, and felt hopeless and frustrated. What would she have? She’d still have a paralyzed body and blindness to the end of her life. But she was wise. She spent her time praying to God, Christ and St. Therese. And that is what we have to learn from people like that. That is how they become saints. And Therese Neumann was a saint, lived for about forty years more and inspired many people to seek God.

Bro. Bhaktananda, from The Personal Approach to God, DVD/rental, excerpt
<3  READ MORE; SEE PHOTOS
https://yoganandasite.wordpress.com/2019/04/07/i-will-receive-the-man-of-god-from-india-therese-neumann-yogananda-ay-bros-bhaktananda-anandamoy/?fbclid=IwAR3tvAmouDa_2KNQ0IbSWwrMUs4QrN6esd6g7OPPkh9hBR5LCs2SHczCCBM

[Jitendra Hydonus]

“When you mediate immerse your whole mind in God. When you are performing a duty put your whole heart into it. As  soon as you are thorough with your work put your mind back on the Lord. When you learn to practice the presence in every moment that you are free to think of him, then even in the midst of work you will be aware of divine communion.”

Paramahansa Yogananda

Always be cognizant of the mind’s environment and conscious awareness. It is the moments of our life that accumulate to create the awareness and being we have become. Even when the mind is entangled in distractions and obsessive thoughts, it can be somewhat overridden and redirected with conscious intention. All this training leads to watching the mind’s activities during meditation as well.

Let me know if your success and discouragements. I am attempting to bring spiritual awareness and awakening in my life as well. It is not easy and that is why I appreciate your participation and support. We can do this together. The Bible has this quote.

Where two or more are gathered in my name, there I shall be also!

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[Jitendra Hydonus]

When the mind wanders….see photo by selecting thread ( pressing latest posts at the bottom of the site and then selecting ‘practicing the presence’.

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