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Questions and answers about meditation, yoga, the spiritual life, and more

Nayaswami Gyandev

Ananda Village

Answer

Thought and energy are aspects of two different levels of divine manifestation: Thought is part of the causal world of ideas, and energy is part of the astral world of energy. The achievements of every human being — whether famous or not — are the result of both divine energy and the power of thought. We have an intention (thought), and we work toward manifesting that intention by putting out energy (which is divine energy because everything comes from God). Both are vital to any success, whether large or small.

Nayaswami Gyandev

Ananda Village

Answer

Dear Mamta,

Dreams can having meaning or not. Sometimes they are superconscious, and sometimes they are just a subconscious stew. Even when it seems that they carry true meaning, that meaning can be on any of a number of different levels, and it can be hard to know which level is the valid one. For that reason, we should be careful not to read too much into a dream unless we have a deep, calm, clear conviction that it carries an important message for us.

Tyagi Jayadev

Ananda Assisi, Italy

Answer

Dear Nandini,

It depends on the type of your "intuition", of that feeling: if it is a calm feeling in which you are emotionally uninvolved, then it might well be a true intuition, a premonition; and if it is an undesired event, you might call it a "warning".

Nayaswami Devarshi

Ananda Village

Answer

“And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” (Matthew 21:22)

Paramhansa Yogananda taught that we should go to God not as beggars, but as children of God demanding our divine birthright. He called the prayers in his book, Whispers from Eternity, "prayer-demands," to reflect that attitude.

Nayaswami Gyandev

Ananda Village

Answer

Dear Manisha,

It seems that you have not yet established healthy personal boundaries. The absence of clear, appropriate boundaries inevitably makes it hard to know when to accommodate others, and when to stand firm. And when other people perceive this—whether consciously or unconsciously—they all-too-frequently take advantage of the situation. They are not necessarily being nasty when they do that; self-interest is simply human nature.

Nayaswami Pranaba

Ananda Village

Answer

Dear Ramanathan,

I’m not entirely sure what you are asking but perhaps this will be helpful:

Anyone who is living a spiritual life and tuning into being instruments for God will achieve their highest potential.

The word that is used to describe this highest potential in the yoga teachings is “Satchidananda”; Paramhansa Yogananda gave this word the meaning of “ever existing, ever conscious, ever new bliss”. This is beyond mere belief in God or a higher power; this is merging into God as bliss, which permeates all of creation, and brings fulfillment to the devotee.

Nayaswami Diksha

Ananda Village

Answer

Dear Sweety,

Not all people who are lazy are new to the human body. People can develop wrong habits and evil qualities through many incarnations, as they continue to follow the wrong path, away from God.

People can change in one incarnation, and make great progress, if they turn towards God whole heartedly. Of couse the degree of change depend on how much energy and will they put into transforming themselves and purifying their actions. It says in the Bhagavad Gita: "Even the worst of sinners, by steadfast meditation on Me, speedily comes to Me!"

Nayaswami Gyandev

Ananda Village

Answer

Dear Joseph,

Sooner or later, everyone encounters this question. Unfortunately, it is impossible to answer it in general because there are many possbilities, depending on the individual: Perhaps you need simply to keep trying, because you need to overcome a certain karma. Perhaps you need to try even harder or you need more skills in order to succeed. Perhaps it’s yet not the right time in your life for this particular success. Or as you say, perhaps this success is not part of the divine plan for you.