Spiritual Portal

"Anyone who does not at least spend one hour daily in meditation, is as good as dead."

http://mindfularticles.com/18-talks-of-turiyananda/

18 Talks of Brother Turiyananda Live

i'm sorry mccoy but this made me laugh. But like you he had a very different sense of humor. This may strike u as unusual but there were actually women that dressed in their bathing suits and layed near the lake out in the sun. There were also people who would come there and teach classes on the lawn. Now if people swam there and people were laying in small bathing suits in the sun and others were teaching classes... well the place would be quite different.

My first meeting with him was somewhat like yours. Perhaps i have already shared it. i had just gone thru a challenging relationship at the time and sought some relief from it. i was walking around the Lake Shrine and met Brother Turiyananda. He told me at first meeting that i should be careful because he had seen looks like that on convicts. i broke up laughing and the spell was broken. He would use unusual shock therapy on people.

He asked me if i wanted to visit his room. i replied "Yes" He took me to the top of the windmill chapel and opened a door that exposed a room with nothing in it save a mat on the floor and a picture on the wall. i was immediately drawn to the picture because of the Gestapo medallion under the mans' neck. The man was a Nazi i thought and asked him about the picture. "That is Rommel. He might have fought for the wrong cause but he FOUGHT" Brother Turiyananda explained with a special emphasis on fought as though it was a spiritual strength.

It is very difficult to awaken to anything without meditation to open doors. People who rely only on their senses for information cannot experience the truth. That is why scientists will never discover spiritual experiences. Not until they conduct their experiments with more then physical instruments. We must experiment within.

i am so used to the information provided by my senses and the outer world that i have to remind self to set in silence at least twice a day to experience some truth.

Yes, exactly.

I remember some of the insights that meditation gave to Brother Turiyananada. Once he told me we needed to terrace the hill beside the Lake Shrine where the new church stands. i asked him why. He said because he saw dark astral clouds. i asked him what they meant. He told me that it could rain and the hill could have mud run down on the adjacent property full of condominiums and we do not want to be responsible for that.. i volunteered some help. Six months later the Los Angeles mud slides occurred and many homes were damaged.

(https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=POW0FKCqgM8)

i suppose we are all are inspired by different things. Must admit... no doubt Brother Turiyananda also had his days when he wasn't quite as good a host as he could have been...but he was (inspirational) to me even in his 'curmudgeon-like' behavior!

i remember once telling him that if he told me to go over a hill and there were enemy soldiers on the other side i would have done it. Perhaps that is because i did share a time and life with him under his command. He told me it was because his words had "Soul Force" Some people do have that effect on you---- just being in their presence... you feel a strong spiritual discipline and vibration. It may b up to us to b in tune with it. i believe people r in tune to what may suit them at the time especially if what you are experiencing is genuinely coming from the person involved.

Steve, I'm sure that, i given more occasions, I would have enjoyed the company of the redoubtable Bro. Turyiananda. I've read about him and read your recounts and he sure was a formidable figure. Also, I understand he took up very seriously the role of guardian of Lake Shrine, which probably avoided the possible degradation of a spiritual place into a public leisure place like many others.

It's interesting the episode about Erwin Rommel. It must have the German 'Iron Cross', since he was not Gestapo, rather Panzer division (tanks). Rommel was an incredible warrior. during the 1st world war he was a lietenant and led a small company very far into the Italian enemy lines, taking prisoners 9000 Italians. As a  general under Hitler, he nearly conquered all northern Africa, and was eventually defeated only because Hitler privileged the sending of fuel and supplies to the Russian front. his moniker was 'the desert fox'.
He was probably the most legendary of the military commanders in the 2nd WW. Apparently he did not denounce to Hitler the conspiracy which resulted in the failed assassination of the Germand Fuhrer, and so, since he was so popular, hitler proposed to him that, if he would have committed suicide, he would have saved his family.

(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0d/Bundesarchiv_Bild_146-1985-013-07%2C_Erwin_Rommel.jpg/200px-Bundesarchiv_Bild_146-1985-013-07%2C_Erwin_Rommel.jpg)

(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e9/BmRKEL.jpg/800px-BmRKEL.jpg)

Yes... the Iron Cross is what i meant. Turiyananda had quite a connection with Patton and his past life accounts as well. i believe that Turiyanada felt that he himself was a warrior in the military in past incarnations. That is why you may have been exposed to his 'gruff' style.

i became aware of his spiritual magnetism very early on and felt quite drawn to it. That has been the case in many of my encounters when i have 'connected' with something deeper in others i have met. The down side of this is that i can also be uncritical and somewhat naive in these 'connections'. Not everyone continuously displays their admirable qualities when circumstances bring less desirable qualities to the light of day. Turiyanada had the affect of awakening the sleeping heroic man in some of us. When we meet people we would die for there is something about them that commands respect.

TURIYANANDA SAYINGS ~~ (from an SRF Devotee newsletter)

In loving memory, here are a few snippets of Br. Turiyananda’s sayings as [an SRF devotee] has written them down. Of course, for a total multimedia experience you have to add, in your mind, Brother’s heavy accent!

 “Our behavior during the day makes our meditation at night.”

“Drop it, and you have to drop it fast!”

“Lord, I would like this very much, but please don’t give it to me!”

“TV re-energizes the bad samskaras of sex and violence. If you take regular baths in low vibrations, you cannot ascend higher.”

“Thoughts have the power of materialization.  Therefore you have to change your process of thought.  There is no other way!”

“Stop worrying about the future of the world.  Surrender your life to God.”

“All my life I have taken care of this body and of this mind, and when I die I discover I am not this body and this mind, and all my life I have taken care of somebody else.”

“You have to be honest and say, Lord, I may have this question but I know I don’t understand the answer.”

Brother liked to quote St. Bernadette Soubirou: “For those who believe, nothing needs to be explained; for those who don’t believe, nothing can be explained.”

“Lord, if You forgive me the little jokes that I played on You, I will forgive you the big one You played on me!”

“If you want non-violence, the first thing you have to do is turn off television.”

“Don’t give too much time to the world.  Let the dead bury the dead, as Christ said. Anyone who does not at least spend one hour daily in meditation, is as good as dead.”

“The Lord is stingy with those who are stingy with Him.”

“You will know who is your guru when God is satisfied with your sincerity.”

“When doing the Recharging Exercises, invoke a reverential feeling.  God Himself has given these exercises to Guruji.  You are to be embraced by God as Christ Energy.”

“Maya will give you all sorts of things to rob you of better things.”

“Anything which strengthens your mind is your friend; anything that weakens your mind is your enemy.”

“You have to learn to immediately counteract any negative thought.  It’s an unseen warfare!”

“Avoid at all times to find yourself in situations where there is violence or riots so you don’t involve yourself in mass karma.  Especially TV revives those bad trends in us.”

“God will help you much more if you willingly discipline yourself.  Otherwise He will use the 2-by-4!”

“Stay away from all horror movies because you may attune yourself to that level.”

“Remember the Bushido code: Complaints are for the weak!”

My grandfather was an officer in the french army an fighted agaisnt Rommel in North Africa. He met him too in that context.
He had the highest possible esteem for this general : smartest and more aristocratic man he ever met.

These are helpful quotes, thank you  :)

I especially try to keep this one in mind;

“The Lord is stingy with those who are stingy with Him.”



Komyo sometimes people are placed in our lives to remind us there are often things we do not want to do but we must. There are days I do not feel like meditating or energizing but without some discipline on the spiritual path there can be no progress. Sometimes we have to think of ourselves as soul soldiers. If we cannot endure the discipline of the Gurus we may find ourselves again faced by the discipline of the world and its leaders.

Quotes from Brother Turyananda;

Bro. Turiyananda
TURIYANANDA SAYINGS ~~ (from an SRF Devotee newsletter)

In loving memory, here are a few snippets of Br. Turiyananda’s sayings as [an SRF devotee] has written them down. Of course, for a total multimedia experience you have to add, in your mind, Brother’s heavy accent!

 “Our behavior during the day makes our meditation at night.”

“Drop it, and you have to drop it fast!”

“Lord, I would like this very much, but please don’t give it to me!”

“TV re-energizes the bad samskaras of sex and violence. If you take regular baths in low vibrations, you cannot ascend higher.”

“Thoughts have the power of materialization.  Therefore you have to change your process of thought.  There is no other way!”

“Stop worrying about the future of the world.  Surrender your life to God.”

“All my life I have taken care of this body and of this mind, and when I die I discover I am not this body and this mind, and all my life I have taken care of somebody else.”

“You have to be honest and say, Lord, I may have this question but I know I don’t understand the answer.”

Brother liked to quote St. Bernadette Soubirou: “For those who believe, nothing needs to be explained; for those who don’t believe, nothing can be explained.”

“Lord, if You forgive me the little jokes that I played on You, I will forgive you the big one You played on me!”

“If you want non-violence, the first thing you have to do is turn off television.”

“Don’t give too much time to the world.  Let the dead bury the dead, as Christ said. Anyone who does not at least spend one hour daily in meditation, is as good as dead.”

“The Lord is stingy with those who are stingy with Him.”

“You will know who is your guru when God is satisfied with your sincerity.”

“When doing the Recharging Exercises, invoke a reverential feeling.  God Himself has given these exercises to Guruji.  You are to be embraced by God as Christ Energy.”

“Maya will give you all sorts of things to rob you of better things.”

“Anything which strengthens your mind is your friend; anything that weakens your mind is your enemy.”

“You have to learn to immediately counteract any negative thought.  It’s an unseen warfare!”

“Avoid at all times to find yourself in situations where there is violence or riots so you don’t involve yourself in mass karma.  Especially TV revives those bad trends in us.”

“God will help you much more if you willingly discipline yourself.  Otherwise He will use the 2-by-4!”

“Stay away from all horror movies because you may attune yourself to that level.”

“Remember the Bushido code: Complaints are for the weak!”

https://yoganandasite.wordpress.com/2016/05/09/beloved-bro-turiyananda-in-memoriam-and-personal-sayings/

https://yoganandasite.wordpress.com/2017/11/25/the-mind-techniques-criticism-quotes-of-bro-turiyananda/

Eric what I see above are many things you and I have been chatting together about. I also want to tell you that I feel comfortable about discussing those things here. I spend quite a lot of fortunate time with Brother Turiyanda and therefore remember many things he told me when he was alive and recognized that he had the power of precognition. I see that again today. Because many of the things he discussed with me when alive came true and he knew about before they happened. In simpler words his consciousness was not only in the present but was cognizant of both the past and the future. It is quite a lesson that humbles you when you have had people of high states of consciousness come into your life and let you know they know about your past, future and present. So I see again that even now there are manifesting concerns materializing from his personal talks and talks in lectures. I also will tell you which quotes I think apply to us unless you are not looking forward to this conversation.

Thanks Steve, I like these quotes.
I feel he is speaking the truth so plainly and with such authority that, I even find some humor in his words. That humor is not from disagreement with these truths but appreciation for this person- much like my fondness for Gurunath.

I tried to meditate after work and the thoughts that are on autopilot(possibly deep samskaras) really, really started to invade my mind. So much so that I thought I was hungry and broke my own rules for success, halting my practices early. It's okay, there is still progress being made. I share this with you not to showcase my weaknesses but to relate to the struggle and hope to grow. I know growth is taking place... So I thank you for these words...

The drop it fast quote really stands out to me, as do the quotes about training our thoughts or practicing meditation for at least an hour.

I found a prayer that I'd like to share with you soon, maybe through text.

Good night Bro.

Yea I really can relate to this one;

“Lord, if You forgive me the little jokes that I played on You, I will forgive you the big one You played on me!”

And these are reminders that you have been trying to give me lately;

“Stop worrying about the future of the world.  Surrender your life to God.”

“Avoid at all times to find yourself in situations where there is violence or riots so you don’t involve yourself in mass karma.  Especially TV revives those bad trends in us.”

Hmmm I’m sure today he would add the mass karma you hear on the news now presented on the internet. I certainly do not want to add the mass karma of today’s world to my personal karma.

‘To showcase your own weaknesses ‘  ....That’s funny I’ve got one for you too; When Turiyananda was talking about ... getting caught up in mass karma.. that one hit me big time. I don’t wanna have to come back to a time zone like this just because of being caught up in the karma of this time zone.


“Avoid at all times to find yourself in situations where there is violence or riots so you don’t involve yourself in mass karma.  Especially TV revives those bad trends in us.” ~ Turiyananda

The guru disciple relationship

Masters except Maya so their bodies can have visibility.  Jesus suffered more from the rejection from his friends then the nails in his body. John 15:15  don’t feel discouraged because of the dryness of your heart. Do not  feel you are not making progress. Meditates despite these adverse circumstances.  These are the tests. Moses crossed the desert into No Man’s Land .

laws and spiritual life

1. Faith
2. Loyalty and one pointedness

Lift ourselves from sense enthralled to spiritual consciousness. Seed vibrations into your brain from Masters. Read their books and grow. The Guru does not force his will on us.

That which obstructs the light….troubles are caused by doing what we think we ought to do instead of what the Masters want. Complaints are for the weak. Satan instigates such things. At the end of meditation disciples should concentrate on the image of the guru and ask for that which needs claiming.

Sorry about the entry above. I think you can read it now. Brother Turiyananda had a strong Swiss accent. I often had to make out what he was saying.

More… We’ve become jaded by many outward activities. We need to listen to the whisper from the trees and see the light of the sun it is from God. The love we look for in others is in God and nature each one must find it on his own don’t force others.

Remember I was taking notes as he spoke quite swiftly!

I remember Brother used to often talk off the cuff with me, somewhat as a friend. Even though all his personal words had so much impact on me I’ve remembered them my whole life.

Once we were walking together as we had quite a few times, and he suddenly brought up a story about his experiences with another unnamed devotee. He was quite spontaneous in his speech and questions with me. He told me the devotee told him that he was married to the only woman that would take him. At the time it appeared he told me the true-to-life story to point out the humility of the man. But later in life - sometimes reflecting back on his wisdom - I often wonder how many of his words were inspired to reflect some of my personal experiences in life. I often think of some wise people I’ve met in life as able to channel the Holy Spirit in ways that their wisdom was timeless and were able to affect others in different ways in the course of their lives. I’ve also found this true of some long lasting relationships I’ve had, I still remember certain phrases and gestures people have made to me that had long lasting consequences.

I recall Brother Truriyananada remarking more than once in services; “If you want to know God; turn off the Television “ I’m sure if he were in the body today he would include the internet. If we wake up in the morning and the first thing we do is turn on the radio or internet programs we are not giving much attention to God or meditation. We are giving attention to outer stimuli and distractions instead of internal peace and realization.

... Unless we tune into some group meditations !!!

Group meditations or group medications?

Either will do! Although I'm not aware of medication groups, I'll have to search that.

Yes didn’t you know everyone is mediacated in Cloneland !

Beyond words.....No need to say more....Bro. T. was truly a JEWEL in the ruff !   Our sweet Bhakti , ( Lhasa Apso/ Shih Tzu  )  adopted 8/30/15 @ age 8 used to say : RUFF, Ruff !   We can learn from all !

Send a photo of Sweet Bhakti please! Meo!

A DEVOTEE FINDS THE PATH With Bro. Turiyananda at Lake Shrine; SAYINGS OF BRO. TURIYANANDA 

🌹  Photo: Bro. T. after performing a christening at Lake Shrine

A DEVOTEE:  Dear Bro. Turiyananda was my first contact with SRF. A friend told me I should visit Lake Shrine as I was searching for my spiritual landing pad. I drove there one afternoon, parked and got out of the car. A beaming monastic in ochre said to me, “I believe we have an appointment.” I told him that I had not made an appointment, but he would not relent. He brought me down to the Sunken Gardens where we talked for an hour or so. I was hooked immediately.  Brother  gave me the best gift I could ever ask for. I was home.

*******

TURIYANANDA SAYINGS ~~ (from an SRF Devotee newsletter)

In loving memory, here are a few snippets of Br. Turiyananda’s sayings as [an SRF devotee] has written them down. Of course, for a total multimedia experience you have to add, in your mind, Brother’s heavy accent!

*******

 “Our behavior during the day makes our meditation at night.”

*******

“Drop it, and you have to drop it fast!”

*******

“Lord, I would like this very much, but please don’t give it to me!”

*******

“TV re-energizes the bad samskaras of sex and violence. If you take regular baths in low vibrations, you cannot ascend higher.”

*******

“Thoughts have the power of materialization.  Therefore you have to change your process of thought.  There is no other way!”

*******

“Stop worrying about the future of the world.  Surrender your life to God.”

*******

“All my life I have taken care of this body and of this mind, and when I die I discover I am not this body and this mind, and all my life I have taken care of somebody else.”

*******

“You have to be honest and say, Lord, I may have this question but I know I don’t understand the answer.”

*******

Brother liked to quote St. Bernadette Soubirou: “For those who believe, nothing needs to be explained; for those who don’t believe, nothing can be explained.”

*******

“Lord, if You forgive me the little jokes that I played on You, I will forgive you the big one You played on me!”

*******

“If you want non-violence, the first thing you have to do is turn off television.”

*******

“Don’t give too much time to the world.  Let the dead bury the dead, as Christ said. Anyone who does not at least spend one hour daily in meditation, is as good as dead.”

*******

“The Lord is stingy with those who are stingy with Him.”

*******

“You will know who is your guru when God is satisfied with your sincerity.”

*******

“When doing the Recharging Exercises, invoke a reverential feeling.  God Himself has given these exercises to Guruji.  You are to be embraced by God as Christ Energy.”

*******

“Maya will give you all sorts of things to rob you of better things.”

*******

“Anything which strengthens your mind is your friend; anything that weakens your mind is your enemy.”

*******

“You have to learn to immediately counteract any negative thought.  It’s an unseen warfare!”

*******

“Avoid at all times to find yourself in situations where there is violence or riots so you don’t involve yourself in mass karma.  Especially TV revives those bad trends in us.”

*******

“God will help you much more if you willingly discipline yourself.  Otherwise He will use the 2-by-4!”

*******

“Stay away from all horror movies because you may attune yourself to that level.”

*******

“Remember the Bushido code: Complaints are for the weak!”

*******

<3 READ Bro. T's memorial article here

https://yoganandasite.wordpress.com/2016/05/09/beloved-bro-turiyananda-in-memoriam-and-personal-sayings/