Dear Friends,
Happy New Year! A wonderful way to begin each year is to meditate on Yogananda’s poem:
The Noble New
Sing songs that none have sung,
Think thoughts that in brain have never rung,
Walk in paths that none have trod,
Weep tears as none have shed for God,
Love all with love that none have felt,
And brave the battle of life with strength unchained,
Give peace to all to whom none other gave,
Claim him your own who is everywhere disclaimed.
Each line challenges us to set our spiritual goals high – to create, think, heroically fight, and love with renewed strength and courage.
These images so well describe Swami Kriyananda’s life and many of the projects he’s recently launched:
- The Naya(new)Swami Order is a fresh approach to renunciation for Dwapara Yuga, and already has over 200 members worldwide.
- The New Path – My Life with Paramhansa Yogananda is his definitive work describing life and training with Master and is filled with hundreds of new stories.
- New Dimensions, the most respected New Age Radio program for over 25 years, is airing an interview with Swamiji about Master to millions of its listeners worldwide.
A few days ago before Swamiji flew from Italy to India, we received an email from him saying:
In a Florence hotel recently, I woke up at 3:00 am with an inspiration.
Finding no paper anywhere, I wrote it down on a paper doily that I found under a glass. Let me share with you what I wrote:
“The more bliss I feel in myself, the more I find everyone around me utterly lovable. How vastly varied are the ways of approaching that same bliss! Every being on earth has his own, unique way of seeking it!”
His words echo Master’s, “Love all with love that none have felt.” In a sense, these are not new thoughts, but what makes them come alive is the creative inspiration that we bring to them in our own lives.
One of our personal goals for the coming year is to find more selfless ways to express divine love to all. We invite you now to share your comments about what “noble new” activities have worked for you to bring greater awareness of God’s presence in your life.
May Divine Grace guide and bless your steps,
Nayaswami Jyotish and Nayaswami Devi
20 Comments
I work in downtown Seattle and there are quite a few characters that frequent the area that I walk through to get to my office. In times past I have kept my head down as I walked among the person talking to themselves or avoided the gaze of that person trying to get a few coins from passers by.
Recently, though, I smile at those around me, I say hello – even if they happen to be a bit crazy for aren’t we all a bit crazy? I no longer feel threatened by these folks and you know what? they actually smile back at me as I bless them with God’s love.
In response to what has worked for me to bring greater awareness of God’s presence in my life, is simply getting out of the way. By listening to Swamiji and his teachers and implementing their advice into my life, I realize how fast change can be. These wonderful souls really know what it takes to help others know God.
I have found the trenches of my own deeply engrained samskars filled with God’s Grace by implementing a few things that I have learned from these great souls that correlate with “The Noble New”. They are:
-“Claim him your own who is e’er disclaimed”. Staying attuned to the Master’s always. Giving God all the credit for everything.
-“Walk in paths that none have trod”. Making my path God’s path, it’s up to me to stay out of the way so He can do the work. Staying attuned to sharing what God wants to be shared and staying out of the way of what I think should be shared.
-“Love all with love that none have felt”. Always giving people a chance. We all have an opportunity for growth. Support, even in a subtle way, allows one to feel like they can do it, and that the door is open for them. This makes my light brighter as well.
-“Weep tears as none have shed for God”. Kriya is the airplane route. It is the most powerful practice I know. God makes His presence undeniable with the practice of Kriya.
-“Think thoughts that in brain have never rung”. Realizing who I really am.
My love to you all
In Master
Patrick Lynch
THE NOBLE NEW…. I read it once..twice… thrice. .. each time i read i felt something strange inside me. The purity of thought or the style .. whatever . two lines seems to have got imprinted somewhere inside me.. ..love all with love that none have felt..and claim him your own who is ever disclaimed…i shall pray to God to help me in my learning .Thankyou so very much .
Working in hospice has been such a blessing in so many ways. I have come to appreciate life so much more, being with those who are getting ready to exit this life. I have also come to appreciate the unending need for love and support those working with death and dying require. A simple smile and question “what can I do to help your?” goes a long way to opening the doors of Divine love to all
To be able to just send smiles to you both for this New Year letter I am thankful. Master’s words in The Noble New vibrate with such wondrous healing power. Guidance is received from each line.which comforts and strengthens and encourages us. Thank you.
Sending Divine Love and Greetings, Paula
when words fail to express the feeling of what you feel about who you are, is a wonderful feeling of divine grace.
Aloha and thank you for your loving words, with Gods Grace, may we all show Love, to strangers those that are in hospital and those in Haiti, at the moment. I am visiting family, in the South Pacific, and the tourism flyer says, Try a slice of Heaven, when you visit these special islands. I was touched by the smiles and kindness of these Pacifc Islanders, and their generosity, Aitutaki is situated in the chain of the Cook Islands and I am thankful to witness Gods grace here.
Maalonui Auntie
Working for God and sneaking Him into places where He has not been welcome has brought more awareness to myself and others I work with. I use songs. At my last job, one lovely morning, the HR Manager and myself praised God through prayer, song, and dance behind closed doors at work. She is Baptist. Our boss was toxic. Sometimes I will hear a song on the radio and dedicate it God. I say, “Beloved, this one’s for You.” Sometimes He responds and plays a song for me on the radio. Delightful!
As I get older I feel less comfortable here in a physical sense. When I get that dark feeling like I don’t want to be in my skin at this moment, instead of feeling tortured like usual, it occurred to me deeply that I am drifting from God just then. After all, the time to plant the seeds of success is during the season of failure (even the moment of failure) Therefore it is a great opportunity for a big step forward. To me it means I’m not in the moment with God and I need to be there. No past–no future..just God–Now. This is why Master said there is suffering; So we won’t be tempted to hang around here, and are motivated to strive for more.
I lift my gaze and love him right there and then. I do like Jyotish and Devi said; put myself in Samadhi the best I can (in my imagination is as close as I come) and don’t let the opponent of this dual moment touch the ground (lower chakras) where their power comes from. Hold this opposing citizen within you up ever so enthusiastically –to victory,
I know a little how Swamiji felt that early morning. When I was at Ananda, I was getting up very early to meditate. So when Ciertan singing lasted into the night, I thought to leave early. Then I stopped. I really needed to experience chanting to the point of joyful abandon. The repitition over and over of a musical idea hadn’t yet captured me. Repition in music to my dry reasoning, was boring. So I stayed..uncomfortably at first, squirming to get comfortable in my chair for that long. After a time I started clapping along. Then my head was swirling. And soon I was intuitively singing the words as they were coming. A gust of bliss floated over me steadily intensifying so that by the end I looked at the fellow sitting next to me and thought profoundly; “i LOVE him!” I looked at everyone around me and was astounded to find I intensly loved them all! I will never forget it.