Touch of Peace

Nayaswami Devi, Nayaswami Jyotish

Description

With all of the changes taking place in the world around us, the need for inner peace is greater than ever before. Learning to live in peace under all circumstances is the secret of a happy life. This powerful collection of spiritual writings will change your life by guiding you through inspiration and new perspectives for facing life’s challenges and finding peace within. Drawing from the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda (author of the classic Autobiography of a Yogi), Touch of Peace shares practical tools, instructive stories, and right attitudes to help you tap the wellsprings of peace inside you.

“Who among us has not had to deal with his share of trials? It is worry, even more than the trial itself, that usually does damage to our peace and happiness,” said author, Nayaswami Jyotish. “Raising our consciousness is the true solution” he continues, for facing the battlefield of life—to keep us from sinking into our worries, so we may learn to overcome our trials. 

In their newest release, Touch of Peace, co-authors Nayaswami Jyotish and Nayaswami Devi, show us the way forward to a brighter future. Since the onset of the global tsunami of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the resulting dramatic changes in people’s lives around the world, the passages within this book offer fresh perspective, practices, and ancient yoga teachings to help individuals deal with the special challenges we face.

After the success of their first three books, Touch of Light, Touch of Joy, and Touch of Love, Nayaswami Jyotish and Devi offer a lifeline in a sea of uncertainty within each letter found in Touch of Peace. Based on their famous blog, A Touch of Light, this book is the compilation of profound and practical spiritual teachings faithfully shared in the spirit of their beloved guru, Paramhansa Yogananda and his direct disciple, Swami Kriyananda.

January 10, 2019

Beating Karma at Its Own Game

_“Good karma is that which moves you closer to God, and bad karma is that which moves you farther away from Him.” Swami Kriyananda once gave this reply to a young man’s question. His answer not only clears up much of the confusion around the subject of karma, but also gives us a guideline for living: Always strive to do that which moves you closer to God. At another time Swamiji said, “The whole spiritual path is meant to dissolve the ego.” So, good karma is that which dissolves the ego, and bad karma is that which reinforces it.

Paramhansa Yogananda explained that thought is a force similar to magnetism. Each thought, word, or action sends out a pulse of energy that attracts to us a similar energy, just as a stone dropped into a pond creates a wave that bounces back to the original spot. Actions that are in tune with universal law attract a positive karmic response, and those that are against universal truth attract a negative one. Thus, we gradually learn right from wrong.

We make a serious mistake when we think that karma is meant to punish us. It is meant to teach us. Think of it as a super-advanced and benevolent AI (Almighty Intelligence) that gives each individual an exquisitely customized lesson plan based on past performance. Since the goal is for us to develop right attitudes, what happens to us is far less important than what we become by dealing with our karma correctly.

Some people react to the term “God” because they define Him erroneously. It might help if, instead of “God,” we think in terms of one of His qualities. So, does a particular action expand your love? If so, it produces good karma because God is love. It works the same way if we substitute wisdom, or peace, or joy.

So how do we beat karma? Not by trying to make everything pleasant. Some of our most powerful spiritual growth comes as a result of the most unpleasant experiences. Cancer, for instance: I’ve had many people tell me (generally after a bit of time has passed) that a bout with cancer was the best thing that ever happened to them. The same can be said of financial loss, or the passing of a loved one. None of these experiences are pleasant, but each can be a mighty spiritual teacher.

To beat karma at its own game, we need to develop the right attitudes before the karmic test arrives. If we are already moving in the right direction, then our karma will simply tap us on the back and nudge us the more quickly along toward freedom. The right attitude allows us to defeat even death; wrong ones make us cower before even the common cold.

If we can, we should be grateful for everything that happens. If this bar is too high, then remember a phrase that Swami Kriyananda wrote into his Festival of Light: “Whereas suffering and sorrow, in the past, were the coin of man’s redemption, for us now the payment has been exchanged for calm acceptance and joy.”

Endeavor, during all of life’s many complexities, to offer up your ego with calm acceptance and joy and you will be able to sail over the sea of karma, whether sunny and pleasant or dark and stormy.

In freedom,

Nayaswami Jyotish

Contents

Art and Photo Credits

Preface

1. Happy Birthday, Master! | 3

2. Beating Karma at Its Own Game | 6

3. Ten Portals to Joy | 9

4. Solutions | 12

5. Leave It Better Than When You Came | 15

6. The Spiritual Path, an Overview | 18

7. Why We Need the Saints | 21

8. The Balanced Life | 24

9. Lift Up Your Eyes! | 27

10. The Rest of the Story | 30

11. What Forgiveness Gives Us | 33

12. Warm Handoff | 36

13. How a Star Is Born | 39

14. Blissonite | 41

15. Through Your Eyes Only | 44

16. Till Only Love Remains | 47

17. Life Is the Teacher | 49

18. A Spiritual Color Wheel | 52

19. Staying Young | 55

20. When Worries Howl | 58

21. Unexpected Saints | 61

22. Sharing | 64

23. What Work Do You Do? | 67

24. Birthdays | 70

25. So Many More Could Be Free | 73

26. Fifty Years!!! | 76

27. Fifty Years — How We Did It! | 79

28. The One Light in All Religions | 83

29. This Broken Temple | 86

30. Many Hands Made a Temple | 89

31. What Part Will You Play? | 92

32. When We Cooperate with Grace | 95

33. What Doesn’t Look Like an Elephant | 98

34. Blockades | 100

35. Practice When It’s Easy | 103

36. No Longer Earthbound | 106

37. Achieving Our Goals | 108

38. Do What You Can | 111

39. We Need Reminders | 113

40. Finding Calmness in the Midst of Activity | 116

41. Don’t Be Formal with God | 119

42. A Fast Track to Happiness | 122

43. Penniless in Brindaban | 125

44. Overcoming Conflict | 128

45. Glimpsing the Red-Billed Blue Magpie | 131

46. Working for God | 134

47. The Currents of the Ganges | 136

48. How We Pray | 139

49. How to Love | 142

50. How to Enjoy Long Meditations | 145

51. Toward Christ Consciousness | 148

52. Christmas Eve | 151

53. Investment Tips | 154

54. The AUM Vibration | 157

55. I Wish I Had Met You | 160

56. Guru Seva | 163

57. Enjoy Your Self | 166

58. Dissolving the Ego | 169

59. Weathering the Storm | 172

60. Relax and Accept | 175

61. Who Is the Prisoner? | 178

62. My First Day | 181

63. Embrace Your Fears | 184

64. Be a Warrior for the Light | 187

65. Seeing Kanchenjunga | 190

66. Good Advice | 193

67. A Season of Change | 196

68. Opportunity in Adversity | 198

69. From Lockdown to Lift-Off | 200

70. Controlling the Uncontrollable | 203

71. Three Mirrors | 206

72. Tribute to Kriyananda | 209

73. A Light in Dark Times | 212

74. Taking Charge of Your Life | 215

75. Amazing Grace | 218

76. The Balance Scales of Karma | 221

77. What Can We Do? | 224

78. Buddha’s Enlightenment | 227

79. Five Formulae to Achieve Your Life Goals | 230

80. Obstacle or Opportunity? | 233

81. Just for Fun | 236

82. How I Paint | 239

83. What a Coincidence! | 242

84. Dealing with Low Energy | 245

85. Babaji | 248

86. Master’s Reassurance | 251

87. Our Greatest Adventure | 253

88. Saying Yes | 256

89. Rippling Waves of Awakening | 259

90. Paramhansa Yogananda — 100 Years | 262

91. Understanding People | 265

92. Seeing Spirit Everywhere | 268

93. The Beast in the Jungle | 271

94. One Life on Earth | 274

95. How Does the Story End? | 277

96. Eight Tips from Your Friends | 280

97. Saints and Wild Strawberries | 283

98. Running a Marathon | 286

99.  Unrequited Love | 289

100. Thank You | 291

101. Now More Than Ever | 294

102. World Brotherhood | 297

103. Creating a New Language | 300

104. Coming Full Circle | 303

105. Four Lamps to Illumine 2021 | 305

Sujets

• Santé et bien-être
• Bien-être émotionnel
• Bien-être émotionnel
• Développement personnel
• Personal Growth
• Religión
• Self-help
• Spirituality
• Eastern
• Happiness
• Paramahansa Yogananda

Informations

• Publié par: Crystal Clarity Publishers
• Date de parution: 21 juin 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781565895966
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

T UCH OF
PEACE
Paramhansa Yogananda
T UCH OF
PEACE
LIVING THE TEACHINGS OF
Paramhansa Yogananda
NAYASWAMI JYOTISH and NAYASWAMI DEVI
2021 by Hansa Trust
All rights reserved. Published 2021
Printed in the United States of America
1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

Crystal Clarity Publishers
1123 Goodrich Blvd. | Commerce, California
crystalclarity.com | 800-424-1055
[e-mail]
ISBN 978-1-56589-096-1 (print), CIP: 2021013344
ISBN 978-1-56589-596-6 (e-book), CIP: 2021013345
Cover and interior layout design by Tejindra Scott Tully
Cover image by Markos Mant on Unsplash

The Joy Symbol is registered by Ananda Church of Self-Realization of Nevada County, California.
CONTENTS
Art and Photo Credits
Preface
1. Happy Birthday, Master!
2. Beating Karma at Its Own Game
3. Ten Portals to Joy
4. Solutions
5. Leave It Better Than When You Came
6. The Spiritual Path, an Overview
7. Why We Need the Saints
8. The Balanced Life
9. Lift Up Your Eyes!
10. The Rest of the Story
11. What Forgiveness Gives Us
12. Warm Handoff
13. How a Star Is Born
14. Blissonite
15. Through Your Eyes Only
16. Till Only Love Remains
17. Life Is the Teacher
18. A Spiritual Color Wheel
19. Staying Young
20. When Worries Howl
21. Unexpected Saints
22. Sharing
23. What Work Do You Do?
24. Birthdays
25. So Many More Could Be Free
26. Fifty Years!!!
27. Fifty Years-How We Did It!
28. The One Light in All Religions
29. This Broken Temple
30. Many Hands Made a Temple
31. What Part Will You Play?
32. When We Cooperate with Grace
33. What Doesn t Look Like an Elephant
34. Blockades
35. Practice When It s Easy
36. No Longer Earthbound
37. Achieving Our Goals
38. Do What You Can
39. We Need Reminders
40. Finding Calmness in the Midst of Activity
41. Don t Be Formal with God
42. A Fast Track to Happiness
43. Penniless in Brindaban
44. Overcoming Conflict
45. Glimpsing the Red-Billed Blue Magpie
46. Working for God
47. The Currents of the Ganges
48. How We Pray
49. How to Love
50. How to Enjoy Long Meditations
51. Toward Christ Consciousness
52. Christmas Eve
53. Investment Tips
54. The AUM Vibration
55. I Wish I Had Met You
56. Guru Seva
57. Enjoy Your Self
58. Dissolving the Ego
59. Weathering the Storm
60. Relax and Accept
61. Who Is the Prisoner?
62. My First Day
63. Embrace Your Fears
64. Be a Warrior for the Light
65. Seeing Kanchenjunga
66. Good Advice
67. A Season of Change
68. Opportunity in Adversity
69. From Lockdown to Lift-Off
70. Controlling the Uncontrollable
71. Three Mirrors
72. Tribute to Kriyananda
73. A Light in Dark Times
74. Taking Charge of Your Life
75. Amazing Grace
76. The Balance Scales of Karma
77. What Can We Do?
78. Buddha s Enlightenment
79. Five Formulae to Achieve Your Life Goals
80. Obstacle or Opportunity?
81. Just for Fun
82. How I Paint
83. What a Coincidence!
84. Dealing with Low Energy
85. Babaji
86. Master s Reassurance
87. Our Greatest Adventure
88. Saying Yes
89. Rippling Waves of Awakening
90. Paramhansa Yogananda-100 Years
91. Understanding People
92. Seeing Spirit Everywhere
93. The Beast in the Jungle
94. One Life on Earth
95. How Does the Story End?
96. Eight Tips from Your Friends
97. Saints and Wild Strawberries
98. Running a Marathon
99. Unrequited Love
100. Thank You
101. Now More Than Ever
102. World Brotherhood
103. Creating a New Language
104. Coming Full Circle
105. Four Lamps to Illumine 2021
Other Resources
ART AND PHOTO CREDITS
The paintings you re about to enjoy in a number of these blogs were all done by Nayaswami Jyotish. We list each of them here along with its page number and a link you can use to view it as a larger image and, if you d like, to purchase it as a print. These are just a few of Jyotish s many paintings; you can see them all at crystalclarity.com/111 .
I Am Always with You | crystalclarity.com/112
Sacred Source | crystalclarity.com/113
God s Boatman | crystalclarity.com/114
Master with the Children | crystalclarity.com/115
Amazing Grace | crystalclarity.com/116
Master and the Spiritual Eye | crystalclarity.com/117
If You Call Me | crystalclarity.com/118
Kirtani | crystalclarity.com/119
Are You Coming? | crystalclarity.com/120
Vastness | crystalclarity.com/121
Flow of Grace | crystalclarity.com/122
Master and the Twin Peaks | crystalclarity.com/123
PHOTO CREDITS
We offer grateful appreciation to the many Ananda residents who over the years have contributed photographs to the Ananda Image Library. Almost all the photos in the book that aren t listed below were taken from that library. A handful of others are in the public domain.
Mario Zauner, NASA
Barbara Bingham
Woodcut artist unknown; W.J. Moses, printer; stereotyped by Dennis Bros. Co. - Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman by Sarah H. Bradford
Barbara Bingham
Barbara Bingham
Barbara Bingham
Barbara Bingham
Frati minori Umbria
NASA
Ruby Stoppe
Sharing Nature Worldwide
Paramhansa Yogananda Charitable Trust
Nayaswami Devi
Sunil Sharma
Nayaswami Devi
Nayaswami Devi
Nayaswami Devi
Bhakti Ruggiero
DC Assam (license: crystalclarity.com/124 )
Barbara Bingham
David Mark
Andrea St ckel-Kowall
Couleur
Avalok Sastri
Canva
Canva
Shree Shree Anandamayee Sangha
Jonny Belvedere
Laci D me
Canva
Mskathrynne and Jeff Jacobs
Jan Zatloukal
PREFACE
T his book marks the fourth in the series of our compiled weekly blogs: Touch of Light came out in 2015, followed by Touch of Joy in 2017, Touch of Love in 2019, and now Touch of Peace . When we began writing these blogs back in 2013, we had no idea how long we d keep going, or how well they d be received. We ve been at it now for eight years, and have passed the four-hundred-blog milepost; it grows more fulfilling for us with each passing year.
Honestly, it s because of faithful readers and their uplifting comments that we ve been able to keep at it for so long. This feels to us like a collaborative effort. Your sincere spiritual interest is the magnet; we meditate and try to feel what would be helpful and inspiring for you on your spiritual journey.
These blogs, then, are not mind-born, or an expression of what we want to say. Rather, they represent what we feel people need to hear. Often, when we sit down each week to write, we ll think, I don t really know what to write about, and then a wonderful idea will emerge resplendent like a butterfly from the dull chrysalis of our mind. As we say, it s a three-way collaboration between our role as middlemen, the needs of the readers, and Paramhansa Yogananda s life-changing teachings.
In March 2020 came the global tsunami of the Covid-19 pandemic. Since its onset, and the resulting dramatic changes in all of our lives, many of the blogs have offered perspectives, practices, and teachings to help us deal with the special challenges we re all facing. It s felt as though Yoganandaji, whose disciples we ve been for more than fifty years, was showing all of us how to find light, joy, love, and peace in the midst of trials. Hence, this new volume: Touch of Peace . Many who follow our weekly blogs contained in this book have written that in the past year these offerings have been their lifeline in a sea of fear and uncertainty.
It is our hope that these offerings will show you the way forward, in spite of all outward challenges, toward inner peace and strength, and into a brighter future.
NAYASWAMI JYOTISH AND NAYASWAMI DEVI
Ananda Village April 2021
TOUCH
of
PEACE
1 January 3, 2019
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MASTER!
T he closest of dear friends, she made one feel, yet an aura of remoteness was ever around her-the paradoxical isolation of Omnipresence. In this way Paramhansa Yogananda wrote of the great woman saint, Anandamayi Ma, in Autobiography of a Yogi .
This describes the dilemma we, too, face in trying to deepen our love for our Guru. It s often easier to visualize Yoganandaji s consciousness as impersonal and spanning infinity than to think of him as the closest of dear friends.
Why do we shrink back from receiving a love that has been waiting for us eternally? Why do we hesitate to sing the melody of divine love that constantly plays, often unheard, within our own hearts?
As we celebrate Yoganandaji s birthday on January 5, let s consider some ways that we create these barriers, and how we can break them down.
One common self-defeating thought is: I know my Guru loves other, more deserving disciples more than me. We may try to feel his love, but we place others (who we think meditate better or serve more) before us to receive the guru s affection. We accept our place as the neglected, overlooked stepchild in the family.
This concept may apply where human affection is concerned, but with the love of the guru for his disciples it s a harmful misunderstanding. Divine love is unconditional, not based on outer achievements, nor given to one at the expense of another.
If this thought plagues you, try this: Blend the personal and impersonal nature of the guru. Feel that he loves you (and every one of his disciples) completely and equally, because that is the nature of omnipresence.

Another thought-barrier to break down is: How can my Guru possibly love me if he knows all the mistakes I make? That doubt may lead us to hope that one who is omniscient doesn t know that we ate all those cookies when we were supposed to be fasting, or that we spent our morning meditation with random thoughts flitting through our mind. But of course the guru knows. As Yoganandaji told Swami Kriyananda, I know every thought you think.
So instead of hiding the cookie crumbs in a dark corner, try this: Share every mistake, every error in judgment, every lapse in self-discipline with your guru. Even let him know how good the cookies were that you ate (he