One of the most frequently asked questions on this topic is “How do I know what my dharma is?” Let’s talk about two different aspects of this: the longer rhythms or patterns that govern our lifetime as a whole, and the situations that arise from moment to moment as our life unfolds.
Angelica, for that was the young girl’s name, had been wandering alone and hungry for nearly a week. The old lady who had let her sleep in the storeroom in exchange for her services had died recently, and her ramshackle house had been closed and shuttered.
The power of prayer is one of the greatest instruments for positive change. And so I want to share what Yoganandaji taught about making our prayers more effective.
Most people, even beginners, are able to see some kind of light in the forehead during meditation. This is because light is an innate aspect of our spiritual essence and is reawakened by any spiritual effort.
Often we live locked up in self-focused goals and desires. Yet, as we depart from this incarnation, goals must be relinquished and desires discarded. Those desires we fail to abandon will inevitably pull us back into another incarnation, and another, and another. The solution is disarmingly simple: Expand our heart’s energy by directing it toward God and the benefit of others.
The winter’s night was very cold and windy, and I huddled by the little stove in my camper reading the Bible by the light of a kerosene lamp. In the early years of Ananda our dwellings were simple—without electricity, running water, phones, or any way to communicate with others.
A friend of ours told us that she has always believed in and used the power of prayer. Since childhood, however, her prayers have gradually become simpler and more focused. Now she repeats only a single prayer every day and for every situation: “Lord, let Thy will be done.” This was also the final prayer of Jesus just before his crucifixion. One might call it the ultimate prayer of all great souls.
“Are you there, God? Are you listening to my prayers? Do you even know what I’m going through?” I think we all have thoughts like these from time to time—especially when we’re facing challenges in life. To keep our faith strong, it’s important to remember those times—and we’ve all had them—when our prayers have in fact been answered.