Swami Kriyananda wrote an affirmation for positive thinking: “My outer life is a reflection of my inner thoughts. Filled with the joy of God, I express His joy and harmony in everything I do.” This affirmation is so powerful that Devi and I repeat it daily, and have suggested that others from Ananda use it as a “theme” for the remainder of the year.
Photo by Nayaswami Jyotish
If our outer life really is determined by our thoughts, then it follows that changing our thoughts will change our life. Few people truly accept this reality, however. Most drift aimlessly or try to change the people and circumstances around them. They rarely stop to question whether that strategy actually works. If they spent a tenth as much time changing themselves, it would produce much greater gains.
The essential question, then, is how do we change our thoughts? The answer is simple in principle, but hard in practice. We must fight the battle for control between our negative and positive indwelling tendencies. Ultimately, the eternal soul must release itself from the compulsions of ego and the pull of the senses.
As Paramhansa Yogananda taught in his explanation of the Bhagavad Gita, the ego (represented by Bhishma) is supported by material desire (Duryodhana) and habit (Dronacharya). These major players are aided by countless other downward-pulling tendencies (the vast army of the materially minded Kauravas).
Arjuna, “devotee everyman” as Swami Kriyananda has called him, leads the fight for our positive aspirations. His allies are his brothers, who symbolize the spinal chakras, and Krishna (the guru). To win this war we must establish new patterns of thought and habit. Here are three things that I’ve found particularly helpful over the years.
Positive Thinking: We always have a choice between positive and negative thinking. The dice are loaded in favor of the negative due to the long tail of habit, so we need to train the mind to choose the light.
Affirmations: These form new habits of positive thinking. Say them out loud and then more and more softly, until you are repeating them mentally only but with deep conviction. Where the light dwells, no darkness can remain.
Chanting: Many chants are affirmations set to music, which makes their repetition more enjoyable and drives them deep into the subconsciousness. Choose a single chant that particularly appeals to you and repeat it over and over for several days or weeks. This will embed it so deeply that you will wake up with the chant ringing in your mind. One that I have been chanting lately is:
Thou art my life. Thou art my love. Thou art the sweetness which I do seek.
In the thought by my love brought I taste Thy Name, so sweet, so sweet.
Devotee knows how sweet You are. He knows, whom You let know.
Remember, finally, that if you do your best to win this battle, God and Guru will drive your chariot to certain victory. Try, above all, to feel God’s joy in meditation. Joy conquers all.
In joy,
Nayaswami Jyotish
25 Comments
Dear Ji’s
Thank you for the Inputs on Positive Thinking
With Gratitude
R Sundararajan
Your Face dear brother Jyotish is a Pure Reflection of Master’s Love for us all..
Dear Jotish and Devi!
Thank You for all your works to spread Masters
teachings around the worlds! With Gratitude,
Devotee from CROATIA!
Dear masters :) thanks for sharing this positive thoughts and reminding us of our inner source , regards poonam
Namaskar guruji
Excellent advise and guidance on positive thinking. I liked it very much. Thank you very much.
Warm regards
veerender
Thank you for postingg these thoughts. They bring tears to my eyes as I read them. I will renew my attempts to conquer my own negative thought habits. AUM AUM AUM
Accept my deepest gratitude. God chose you to relate that message to me. It reminds me not to give up.
The write up came as a surprise to me as most of the mails in my inbox have videos attached.
But today my day is made and such thoughts and philosophy which we already know and believe
are always very very much welcome as they again keep you posted,
Thank you for the affirmations.
Namashkar
debashree
Thank you very much to keep me in your mind and send these all positive comments, they fulled me up of hope in life and future
Beautiful reminder even though I meditate and read everyday the literature sometimes I get caught up in the problems of the world and life struggles not long but it happens. But then I remember how grateful I am to be on this path and how fortunate I am to live at Ananda.
So inspiring, so helpful! Thank you so much, Jyotish! Hopefully see you both at SRW! Love and joy, dikshini and Ram
Very good letter, Jyotish. Thank you!
Sri Jyotish,
Thank you so much! Always in need of a new use of a tool, or a renewed use. It’s like taking silver polish and light
steel wool and making it shinny again! Bless you Swamiji…………
Truly enlightened, especially for knowing about the role of chanting in affirmation. I have experienced immense difficulty encountering negative thoughts hindering positive thinking. Well I am trying my best. Meditation has helped stabilising thought process and help tolerance to unexpected.
Thank you, Jyotish! Jai. :-)
So beautiful dear divine friend Jyotish, inner light of God. Aum Aum Aum
Jai Guru Swami ji. thanks a lot for the post on Positive Thinking.i was in need of this input.regards.jai guru.
Thank you Jyotish, so many wonderful life tools in this blog. Chanting and affirmations have helped me so much in my spiritual growth. I look forward to using Kriyananda’s affirmation for the rest of 2015. AUM, Shanti.
Thank you for sharing. Will do this affirmation from today. Will chant and also try to tune into positive thinking. Really needed to hear this.
Wonderful affirmations can get us out of negative ruts if they are repeated with devotion and intensity. Very useful Jyotish.
Dear Jyotish, your reminder of Dharma has touched me deeply. I am grateful for your spiritual friendship, loving support and guidance. I believe we teach what we need to learn. You have learned well and teach/share so lovingly, joyfully and kindly. In Divine Friendship, steve (Navi)
Dear Nayaswami Jyotish Ji,
Thank you for this lovely article. With the blessings of God and Guru we shall consciously train our mind to Positive thinking
Aum
Prem
I have been thinking all day and night about the words: THOU ART MY LIFE; THOU ART MY LOVE, THOU ART THE SWEETNESS
WHICH I DO SEEK. These words are filled with deep feelings of love, loyalty and “sweetness”. I have had these kinds of feelings twice in my lifetime—-only twice!! How can I make these words a way of life? I am lost. Thank you so much for a
way of life I can find.
Jai Guru Swami ji. Swami ji l am highly thankful for your loving support. Swami ji you don’t know how your loving support has helped me. May God and Guru bless you until Eternity. Jai Guru.
Thank you very much for positive thinking letter… For me it was helpful to know that your are working on that… About your experience. I’m working on that many years but not yet achieved. I use all the tools you were saying in letter. And I know that I’m on progress: it takes less and less time and effort to switch from negative to positive thinking. It really workes… And inner life become better which leads for improving the outer life:)
For me the most difficul was “to make up my mind” that nobody and nothing is responsible for my inner feelings and my thoughts just myself. Since I could accept it in my heart, the progress stated to appear.
Thank you for sharing!