The Self-Realization Fellowship Lessons

[Jitendra Hydonus]

When i seem to have difficulties communicating with humans i usually revert to reading the SRF Lessons. Brother Bhaktananda told us that if we want to stay in touch with the Guru we should read the SRF lessons. i can't say that i read them every day, but i do read them quite often. i often ask for guidance and put my finger in one of the SRF notebooks and see what comes my way today. Quite often it is in answer to something i am going thru or answers questions i have with someone else.

If we are true seekers on the spiritual path and have spirit guides or masters and/or a guru they may take people away from us at different times in our lives so we learn how to better communicate with the silence within us and hear the spirit whispers that have been trying to break thru the dense thickness of our material desires and physical consciousness.

[Jitendra Hydonus]

Paramahansa Yogananda had claimed that he was William Shakespeare in a previous existence. It is not surprising, in the sense that no Master in history can we recall that has written more prolifically and left so much behind for future generations.

You might ask how do I know that? I will tell you that Brother Bhaktananda was in the body with Paramahansa Yogananda in the last years of the Masters life. So I asked Brother Bhaktananda about this. I asked; “Paramahansa Yogananda is rumored to have been William Shakespeare is there truth to that?” Brother Bhaktananda answered; “ That is what the Master said.”

There are numerous books he. wrote and over 160 lessons in spiritual living and meditation called the SRF lessons.

Jitendra

[guest587]

I find it interesting that Swami V and Yogananda were instructed to come to the West as part of the mission to spread sanskrit philosophy. Not to spread Yogananda-religion or Swami Vidyadhishananda-religion. To spread Kriya Yoga and religious ideals rooted in thousands of years of wisdom... And... Both are quite the writer- in their native tongue and in English.

[Jitendra Hydonus]

I find it interesting that Swami V and Yogananda were instructed to come to the West as part of the mission to spread sanskrit philosophy. Not to spread Yogananda-religion or Swami Vidyadhishananda-religion. To spread Kriya Yoga and religious ideals rooted in thousands of years of wisdom... And... Both are quite the writer- in their native tongue and in English.

It's also fascinating that even realized souls have a distinct persona they display to the world, that attracts us to master's, that are more suited in garb to the mortal coils we bring with us.

[SI]

Paramahansa Yogananda had claimed that he was William Shakespeare in a previous existence.

PY said some things which IMO are just a bit over the top.

[Jitendra Hydonus]

When i seem to have difficulties communicating with humans i usually revert to reading the SRF Lessons. Brother Bhaktananda told us that if we want to stay in touch with the Guru we should read the SRF lessons. i can't say that i read them every day, but i do read them quite often. i often ask for guidance and put my finger in one of the SRF notebooks and see what comes my way today. Quite often it is in answer to something i am going thru or answers questions i have with someone else.

If we are true seekers on the spiritual path and have spirit guides or masters and/or a guru they may take people away from us at different times in our lives so we learn how to better communicate with the silence within us and hear the spirit whispers that have been trying to break thru the dense thickness of our material desires and physical consciousness.

I hope to immerse myself in the vibrations of the Master(s) as I find at times others are not satisfied with my ability to satisfy them as they desire. Or they find my views intolerable. I know it is not possible to please everyone so I must work on my own journey in solitude when this recognition becomes apparent to me.

I must be eternally grateful that I was put in the presence of a god realized soul like Brother Bhaktananda who showed fathomless wisdom and humility in the face of the immensity of this physical creation and all the high souls he spent time with, including Paramahansa Yogananda.

[Jitendra Hydonus]

After practicing these techniques from the lessons and reading them for over 40 years I feel like I’m just starting to put together the vast golden knowledge that lies in hundreds of pages here. I remember being checked on the practice of Kriya by monks and nuns at Self-Realization Fellowship. That definitely was a blessing! One of the Sisters there had the psychic development to see the strong color of one of my chakras. Which I knew she was correct because I sing so much and she saw the strength of the color in my throat chakra.

Then Brother Anandamoy checked me out and told me if I really wanted to practice more than 60 Kriyas at a time I could but he looked at me with some amount of astonishment. Later I found out why. I went way back to 24!

Even later still Brother Brahmananda checked my Kriya practice and I noticed how much he attempted to slow me down in the speed of doing one Kriya. He encouraged me though to raise the amount of Kriya’s to 36 a session.

After absorbing lesson 88 I recognized how these lessons are all fit together to complement one another and our meditation practice. Some of the various methods and techniques help in making our practice of others more productive. Lesson 88 certainly helps extend the length of the spaces in between breaths!

Lastly, i used to hear Brother Bhaktananda used to say many times; If you want to stay in tune with the Master; read the SRF lessons one half hour or more a day. Believe me there is so much there to assimilate it is a titanic task in itself!