Simple Ways to Feel God's Presence
In this video, Nayaswami Jyotish, spiritual co-director of Ananda Sangha Worldwide, discusses how to make a mystic concept, such as God, a living reality. He explains that by keeping a constant communication with God, by becoming a channel of God-like qualities such as peace or joy to others, one can tangibly feel God's presence within.
Transcript
Nayaswami Jyotish:
Hello, I'm Nayaswami Jyotish, and this is A Touch of Light. Today, I want to talk about how to feel a constant connection with God. This is something that we have been asked many, many times over the years of teaching and sharing and counseling with people: How can I stay connected with God throughout my daily life? Well, there are three ways that I would like to recommend. The first is to carry on a constant conversation with God. The second is to act as a channel for one of his qualities. And the third is to mentally do chanting or japa.
Conversing with God or Guru: A Constant Companion
Let me start with the first one: carrying on a conversation with God. Feel that God is with you all the time. Now, this can be, if you have a guru, in the form of your guru. I, for instance, am a disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda, and if I'm walking or I sometimes jog for health, if I'm jogging, I like to feel that he is there along with me, by my side, and I'm talking with him constantly. "Isn't it a beautiful day? The forest is so lovely. Look at that tree." Or if I'm having a difficulty, I ask for his advice. But it's as if he's with me as a constant companion, and I'm talking to him and conversing with him, and in that way, I make a connection with my form of God as manifested to me.
Embodying Divine Qualities: Becoming a Channel
The second is to be a channel for one of God's qualities. Now, God's qualities are things like joy, peace, harmony, friendship, and love. And, if you express these and consciously feel that God is flowing through you to others, then you will feel with that flow of energy that you are connecting not only to the other person but to the God in the other person. Swami Kriyananda suggested that we reach out with our heart and with our spiritual eye to the people that we're connecting with.
Mental Chanting for Spiritual Upliftment
And the final thing is to carry on in your mind a constant chant. Pick a chant or bhajan that appeals to you and repeat that over and over again. And as you do that, it will keep your mind uplifted and connected to God. So, these are three simple ways that you can stay connected to God throughout your day.
