To See or be Blind - Your Choice

Swami Vishwananda:
The choice to be blind or to see is up to you. How does one see? Do you do your sadhana every day? Do you, or not? How many among you do your sadhana regularly and I mean every day? You see, the spiritual sadhana helps you to free the mind and it helps you not to get entangled into limitation. The grace of God is with you.

Let The Yogi Inside You Make Choices

Become Like a Child And Enter The Kingdom of Heaven Within
-Christ Jesus
Swami Vishwananda Teaching (Excerpted from Pre-Darshan Speech December 26, 2009): We are scared to look at our limitation. We ask ourselves, “What if this limitation is everything?” What you have to do is to face your own limitation. You know very well that this limitation is not you. It is not limitation that is the purpose for which you are here (on Earth). Face it; look deep into the eyes of this limitation and let go of it. As long as you do not look deep into the eyes and face of your limitation, by yourself, you always will be into its game. Unless you like it! Do you? You have free will choice about that.

A great Sufi once said: “You have the choice in life to take it this way or that way; it is your choice.” You are free in that choice, but you will come to a point where the Yogi which is inside of you, the greatness which is inside of you, will have to take the choice also. Your True Self will have to take the choice. And this true choice that is inside of you will overtake the limitation of what you think it is. So, cross over this limitation, face it, don´t have fear. Start first with little things. You know yourself. You know that God will always provide for you. Animal knows that God will provide and we are given more qualities than an animal. So we can realize who we are and that we are all one family that we call humanity.

Everybody talks about humanity but very few really behave human. So, if we say of ourselves that we are part of this society and that we are part of humanity, we should not then behave like an animal. Even animals behave better in society than most humans because they know who they are and they know where they are heading. They trust in the higher consciousness that God will always provide. We have more qualities than an animal, but we pitiful human beings like to degrade ourselves. We like to make ourselves worse than we are actually It is time to cross over this limitation. It is time that you really let what you have inside of you awaken. How many among you, out of fear of what people think of you, are doing or not doing something? Many—and you are limiting yourselves. Be free! That is what your voice inside is calling to you. Your inner voice tells you be free, to learn, and to move on. Truly, life is the most beautiful thing that God has given you. Don´t waste it!

A Savior Which is Christ the Lord

Luke 2:8-14
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not, for, behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you. Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

Swami Vishwananda Speaks of Christ Jesus

True Meaning of Christmas: As one matures and grows older with the years, you understand the deeper meaning of Christmas. It’s not just a festival where you go to Churches. People of the Christian tradition like to go to Churches for Midnight Mass. And I have been to the Hindu Bhajan singing. Actually, Christmas is not about that! It’s true that Christ was born some 2000 years ago.

Christmas is about celebrating Christ’s birth and life. Because He brought something new to the world; Jesus gave the teaching of forgiveness with Love.Along with Christ, many Avatars have come to Earth. For sure, they all have brought Love, but the Love did not include forgiving. Many Saints have come, prophets have come, but the Love was just, “Yes, I love you”, but there was always a condition to the Love. And also if you did something wrong to them, you would get back what is wrong. But Jesus brought this forgiveness, unconditional love, which is a greater teaching, a greater way of being.

That’s why in prayer the Christians keep reminding all to forgive what you have done wrong, forgiveness of yourself actually. You yourself forgive. It’s not about God forgiving you, but you forgiving yourself.Focus on the Love that you carry inside of you. And Christ is born. It’s nice outside to celebrate Him, but Christ is born inside each one of us. And this rebirth is not only because of Christmas time. He is born continuously in each cell of your body.

Sending all readers wishes for a Wonderful and Blessed Christmas and Harmonious, Peaceful and Loving Spiritual Advancement in 2010. -Utpalavati

Swami Vishwananda - Talking With God

To become this love (Divine Love) there are many obstacles you have to overcome. People think to love God is to love something separate from themselves. Whenever we pray, we pray to the outside; we should stop separating the Divine and us. Try your best always to pray. It doesn’t matter which kind. When you talk with God, talk with the True Self inside you. Do it from your heart.

Meeting Truth

I am happy to learn that so many people
have made it their goal to achieve God realization
by the year 2012.
Your determination will make it come true.
But it will not happen just by your sitting and waiting until 2012.
No, you must do something for it.
You must be determined to get it.
-Swami Vishwananda

Sitting For Meditation

Swami Vishwananda
Even when people sit for meditation most expect to see some light, to see God in front of them. But I tell you, even this is an expectation and with this expectation in the mind, you will never see the light; you will never see the Divine.

Only when you let yourself say, “God, I have tried everything and now I completely abandon myself to You along with all my expectations.” Then, you will see the light. The light will reveal itself to you because the light is yourself.

Quiet the Mind - Hear the Heart

Swami Vishwananda
Swami Vishwananda: When your mind is quiet you can hear the heart talking to you. So keep practicing. I always say it, and I will keep saying it. Maybe every time you come for Darshan you will hear the same thing. As long as you do not practice listening to the heart properly, I will keep saying it; I will bore you with it. When you attain the greatness of love that you have in your heart, you will know it is even much more beautiful than this nature that you see on the outside.I would love all of you to reach Divinity. I want all of you to realise the love of God that is inside you. And not only that, I want all of you to become an instrument of this love and share it around. Bring this love to everybody. You don’t need to go and hug the person or whatever to share the love of God. Just by the reflection of your face, this light will be passed on wherever you go.And this light will be continuously with you.

Long for God Like the Air you Breathe To Live

Swami Vishwananda:
Once a Master was asked by his disciple, “How is it to find God?” The teacher took the disciple by the hand and dragged him into the water of the Ganges River. When the disciple was in the river, the teacher took the head of the disciple and forced it under the water.

What is happening? After some time the teacher pulled the head of the disciple out of the river and asked him: “How was it?” The disciple said: “I was trying to breathe for I was suffocating. I was trying to grasp some air; I was battling for air.” The teacher smiled and said: “You want to find God? It is this way. You have to try your best. When this longing for the Divine or for realization, God-realization, whatever name you put on it, is like intensely suffocating yourself, when you can’t even breathe, then you can say, ”Yes, I’m on the way towards Divinity.”

As long as this longing is not like that, you are still here in this world. And that’s how it is to find God.

Reaching Your Cosmic Mind For Opportunity

Swami Vishwananda: Like I always say, have faith in your own Self. Have faith that what you are hearing within your heart is true. So many times you hear your heart, but you doubt it. You ask yourself, “Oh, is this really true or not?” You often have doubt like that. As long as you do not believe in what the Divine wants to show you, you will not advance.

The moment you sincerely have faith in what you feel inside your heart, it will manifest in the outside world. Like I say, God gave man the power to create, to have power over everything. You have within you the willpower of construction that comes from the constructive willpower inside the mind.

Deep inside the inner Cosmic Mind,
Therein lies also the Divine.
That is the point where
We have to use the mind
To achieve the higher state.

Very often we say the mind is something apart, something which is very negative. It is true that very often the mind is negative, but we have within us the power to transform it.

As long as man tries to hold onto even one material thing, he will stay on the material level. If you turn inward and focus on the Divine Within [your cosmic mind], the Self, you will feel great happiness and great joy.

But for that you must lock in your faith.

Swami Vishwananda's Christmas Wish

Swami Vishwananda Wishes His International Family
A Merry Christmas and A Happy and Blessed New Year
Swami Vishwananda’s Wish List for
2009 Christmas Gifts and Onward
Swami has an explicit Wish List for Christmas this year, and it contains only one item. Swami requests all devotees to please take His wish seriously and not to give personal gifts to Him from now forward.

"No presents, please!". . . Swami Offers You an Alternative. . .

In that regard, beginning now, and ongoing into the future, Swami wishes all gifts that people desire to give Him to be in the form of contributions, monetary or otherwise, to be given to His International Spiritual Center, Center Springen, in Germany. Center Springen is a source of spiritual inspiration for people from around the world.

Contact person for contributing support to Swami Vishwananda’s mission (monetary or otherwise): Mr. Kubera, naamdev@bhaktimarga.org.

Swami Vishwananda and Bhakti Marga Center Springen send you a sincere Thank You and Wish You Happy Holidays and a wonderful New Year.

Why Pray - Swami Vishwananda and Christ

Swami Vishwananda Praying:

Swami Vishwananda explains why it is so important to pray regularly: People ask the question, “Swamiji, why do we have to go to temples? Why do we have to go to prayers to pray?” I tell them: Praying is also a part of Sadhana. This is also why we go to pilgrimage places. These are places where all the energies are gathered in one place.When you go to prayer or when you go to spiritual places, to holy places, you are always going to gain something. You are profiting from all the prayers and all the vibrations which have been collected in those placees.

When you go to holy places, your sadhana gets amplified; it becomes more intense and more powerful. The same thing occurs when you sit down (for meditation) in the same place every day and at the same time, you build up certain energy. When you chant the same Mantra again and again, the energy gets built up. Do not think that when you get up from that place the energy is dissipated. The energy is always there. It’s solely defined at that place when you sit regularly for prayer or meditation.

How Did Jesus Pray
Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane before the crucifixion: “Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will’” (Matthew 26:39)
Jesus prayed for guidance in places of quiet solitude - “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35)

“But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (Luke 5:16).

Jesus prayed for His disciples and for all believers (all people) -“Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name-the name you gave me-so that they may be one as we are one” (John 17:11

My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message (Jesus' disciples), that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you” (John 17:20-21).

Jesus prayed in praise to God, the Father - “At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, ‘I praise you, Father, lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure’” (Luke 10:21).

Jesus prayed prayers of thanksgiving - “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘Take it; this is my body’” (Mark 14:22),

Jesus prayed in a posture and with an attitude of reverent submission - “Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will’” (Matthew 26:39).

Jesus prayed in times of anguish – “And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground” (Luke 22:44).

“About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’--which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” (Matthew 27:46

Another example of how Jesus prayed may be found in “The Lord’s Prayer” located in Matthew 6:5-15. This is the time when Jesus taught the disciples how to pray.

Jesus prayed without expectation for He knew the Father heard His prayers and would respond.

Reference Link:
http://www.allaboutjesuschrist.org/how-did-jesus-pray-faq.htm

Love Like You Have Never Been Hurt Before

Swami Vishwananda:
Whenever we have a problem, we identify ourselves with the problem, and say, “Oh, God has turned His back on me.” But we don’t realise that we have turned our back on ourselves. If we look deeper within, and if we turn our gaze inwardly, we will find the solution for every problem. Everything that you want to know, it’s just here within us.

Forget about the mind and just enter the heart, and don’t be scared to let the heart open. You may say, “Oh, if I open my heart, I will get hurt!” No! Just let the heart open and don’t think about it. You are here to love; just love and nothing else!

-John Philip Sousa-

Dance as though no one is watching you.

Love as though you have never been hurt before.

Sing as though no one can hear you.

Live as though heaven is on Earth.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Sincere composers believe in God. -Sousa

Leave Everything to Narayana-Vishnu

Swami Vishwananda: We often ask ourselves how it is to unite with God. We ask, how is this unification and what does one feel in this merging with God?
Narayana-Vishnu & Maha Lakshmi
Actually, when one comes to a point of self-realization, or one has come to the point of complete union with God, one doesn’t ask any questions such as how is this and how is that? Because all the questions and all these things are in the mind. It’s the mind that asks questions.

You have to transcend the mind to understand devotion. Unless you transcend the mind, you will always ask the question, "How is it to unite with God? The mind always wants to be fed with negativity and this is where the mind gets it’s power. The more You feed the mind, the more the mind will have control. The mind's game is to control you, play the game with you, and to make you dance in his game? The more you dance in the game of the mind, the more you will be suffering in it. The more you suffer, the more you will complain. As long as you do not surrender the mind, it’s difficult. And how to surrender the mind is only by chanting the name of God continuously. Loudly chant the name of God. Surrender to the lotus feet of Narayana and leave everything to Him.

Lord Give Me Happiness

We are always on a search. We search for who we are, and we search to understand why we are here on Earth. Many times this searching clicks in the mind, and we ask, “Am I just an incarnation of man born here on Earth?”
You see, this search can last for years and years. You can go around the world looking for some deep experience and to find something that truly will satisfy you. But, because humans always desire new things, you enjoy whatever you have for some time and then the desire disappears. Then you desire something else. Humans always create desires, and you will keep on desiring as long as you want material things. One desire will lead you to another. Do you think this is the true incarnation of mankind? No!

Human beings are said to be Satchitananda. This is a Sanskrit word. Sat means Existence; Chit, the Consciousness; and Ananda is Bliss. Everybody wants bliss, everybody wants to be happy. But if you really, really want to be happy, then you have to be sincere and truthful towards yourself. Then you can ask God, “Lord, give me happiness.” And do you think he will refuse you? He will give what you ask to you. Then it is upon you to maintain the happiness. It is upon you to keep it and help it grow.

In The Beginning

Gurudev Cooking
In the beginning, when God created the world, everything was peaceful. There was no aggression. When the mind came into play, the aggression started. We have to reach the point again where all started in the beginning. This is where the Bible and the Bhagavad Gita teach the same. They teach the truth that man can reach that state again.

This state of love that you have inside of you is the source of all things. Let it flow. Do not try to stop it and don’t put any barrier around it. Now you are putting up barriers and how long can these barriers hold this love? It will overflow one day; so let it flow and overflow right now."

Awaken Sweetness in Sadhana

Swami Vishwananda:
When the mind gets purified, the mind becomes positive. You will see how easy it is also in sadhana. It doesn’t matter if you do not succeed in one goal. I know people like a quick result, perhaps in one month, when they start practicing; they want results very fast.

Know one thing; the faster you go in, the faster you will go out also. It's like when you are cooking. When a Mataji is making syrup and she just takes the fruit and throws it in the syrup and then quickly removes the fruit, will the sweetness go into the food? It will not.You have to let it cook inside. Your sadhana works in the same way. If you just go inside and go out of it, being impatient with yourself, it will be the same as the quickly removed fruit; it will not be sweet.

The sweetness that you have inside of you is waiting to be awakened. It does not matter which path you follow or which sadhana you are doing; how you are doing your sadhana is most important.

To Which Kingdom Does God Belong

Swami Vishwananda: We often hear people asking the question, “Who is God?” I will ask you now, “Who is God?” As long as you have not known Him, you can’t answer this question. Love is God. But how many people realize this love? In which religion does God really belong? Is God Christian? Is God Hindu? Is God Muslim? Is God Buddhist? To which religion does He belong?

Love, and the word love, and everywhere you go, you will see there is only one God, and that is love. It’s in each one’s heart. But how do we realize this love? We are so busy with this material world that we forget about the Divine love. We try to look for this love in the outside world. We try to look for this love in other people. We try to look for this love by traveling around the world. We forget that we have to travel, not outside, but inside, to find this love in ourselves. We have to realize our closeness to this Divine love, which is inside, in our heart. Some people will say it’s very difficult to reach this point, but I will say it’s very easy. You just need to want it. People try to find the easy way. If people could buy love, they would. But love can’t be bought. If somebody comes and tells you, “Listen, I will make you be able realize this Divine love.” It’s not true as only the Guru can do that. Only by the grace of the Master can you realize this Divine Love.

Swami's Hints

“From then on, I searched more attentively for Swami’s hints and meanings that hid behind His loving words.”
During the time when I first started living at his Ashram, one day Swami Vishwananda was speaking to several people around me. I was sitting a slight distance away and was not paying attention to the conversation. Lost in my thoughts, I suddenly heard Swami’s voice call out, “Maja, can you see how many arms God has?” He was pointing to the Tibetan picture of the Buddha hanging on the wall. Before I even had time to comprehend His question, Swami had already resumed His conversation with the others.

The question Swami had posed hounded me for hours and made me very restless. Hence the next day when there was no one in the room, I tried to count the arms of Buddha. However I found that there were so many arms, heads and eyes, that it made the task impossible. The following day I woke up and again the same question popped into my head. Just at that moment, a sparrow appeared on the bush just outside my window. I could very easily and clearly see its eyes and how they stared intently at me. At that instant, a ray of realization connected to my inner being from that tiny bird. I felt that God was watching over me and that He had always kept His Loving gaze on me. I realized from that moment that every arm is His arm and every eye is His eye. From then on, I searched more attentively for Swami’s hints and meanings that hid behind His loving words.

Jesus and Krishna Taught Us

Swami Vishwananda: What have all the great masters like Jesus and Krishna taught us?
They have taught us to realise our Self! They have taught us the way. There are different ways to realise the Divine:

There is the path of bhakti.
There is the path of service.

There is the path of meditation.

But each path has its own way to realise the Divine.

An Example:

"When the mother is holding her child, there is no condition (Unconditional Love). Such is also the love of God. Whatever you have done good or bad, when you turn to Him, who has the love of a million mothers inside of Him, He will happily forgive."
-Swami Vishwananda

Antahkarana - Bridge of Light

Swami Vishwananda::
Somebody asked me, “I’m always talking to God, but why can’t I see God?” Many of you have this question.

We sit down for meditation and prayer, but still we don’t see Him! You see. whenever you sit down for meditation and prayer, do not expect anything. As long as you expect something, you are limiting everything from happening. Because your mind is not really focusing on the Divine, your mind is not really focusing on God. It is focusing on the want. So you have to let go of this wanting to know God.

This is the main desire of humans: to want God! But you have to let go of this want and the moment you let go of this want, you will see the light! We call it antahkarana, “the light within.”

All Forms of the Divine are One

India: Vishnu-Narayana Temple Badrinath
Swami Vishwananda: The Divine will take any form in which you call him. He is not bound by any limitation of the mind. He can manifest Himself the way you call Him. Call Him as Jesus, He will come as Jesus. When you call Him Krishna, He will come as Krishna. It’s not that you call Him as Jesus and He will appear as Narshinga Dev (Narasimha) in front of you! Some would never believe in Narshinga Dev. When somebody believes in Krishna and the Divine appears as Jesus, it would be strange; wouldn’t it?

Once, in India, there were three friends who were arguing. They were looking at a chameleon moving along a tree branch. One of the three friends said that the chameleon was green. The second one said, "No, no, it’s not green, it’s red." Then the third one said, "No, it’s brown." So, they were busy fighting with each other about what color the chameleon really was.

After some time, one of the three friends said, “Let’s go and ask the saint who is sitting under the tree over there.” So, they went and one friend asked the saint saying, “My dear holy man, is this chameleon green?” The saint said, “Yes.” The second friend said, “No, no, no, no, no, it’s red. Again the saint said, “Yes.” Then the third friend said, “No, no, no, no, no, that chameleon is brown.” Again the saint said, “Yes.” Of course they were all shocked that the saint always said, “Yes.” Then the saint explained to them: “It’s true that the chameleon displayed all the colors that you all said. Why? A chameleon changes colors according to where it is sitting.” Such is the Divine also. He will always come in the form and in the way you call Him.

Only Love of Devotee Binds God

Swami Vishwananda:
We are living in a dream state. When we awaken, we see the reality. But this reality is not to be understood with the mind.

Attaining the true reality of who you really are is the purpose of human birth. We will attain this reality only through unconditional love, the same love as God loves. Do you think His love is bound by any limitation, or what we understand of Him, or how we dress Him? The love of God is not bound by anything. It is only the love of His devotee that binds God.

Scream--God Give Me Realization

Swami Vishwananda: If a child wants something, the child will do anything to get it. In the same way, when Jesus talked about how to enter the kingdom of God one has to be like a child who wants it very badly. Such a one will scream to the Father, “God give me realization. God reveal Yourself to me. Reveal my purpose for being here on Earth.” Many people start, but in the middle, they lose hope and give up. But, of course, it is they, themselves, that stop the realization, not God,

Love is a word that for centuries has been used and misused. In the name of Love, and in the name of God, many bad things have happened. But it’s up to each one of you to rectify and to reflect what Love really is. You must reflect that you truly are part of God. Love is not just a word. It is not just a sound. Love is also something we can see with our eyes. You’re the child of God? Then prove that you are the child of God. Show that you’re the child of God. Have this deep determination of realizing God. Have this deep desire to realize who you really are. And you will have it.

Let Love be the most important thing in your life. Let God be the most important thing in your life. In Him there is everything. Whatever you desire is in Him, in your true Self. Otherwise, you will always have things that are limited; and these things will always make you unhappy. Try for real happiness, and really become the Satchitananda that God has created in each one of you. If you really want that, you will have it. It doesn’t matter how long it takes. It can also happen right now. If you are 100 percent sure of yourself everything will be given to you.

Love is the Absence of Fear

Swami Vishwananda at Satsang in Springen
Knowingly and unknowingly, all of you actually are here to open the heart. You are here to know who you really are, not here in this room, but here in this world. Often people come and ask me about how to open their heart. For me it is very easy to answer this question as I know how the heart is opened. When I tell them how to open the heart, it depends on whether the person will accept it or not. First I will answer with this question, “Do you love?” Then the person will tell me, “Yes, I love!” I then ask them, “But do you love yourself?"

The main and the important thing is that we love towards the outside. Yet in the same way that we love the outside, we judge the outside. As easy as it is to love, it is as easy to judge. You see, mankind is made in such a way that attention is always turned towards the outside and rarely one’s attention is turned towards the inside.

And searching means to go inside! The moment you stop judging, the moment you stop looking for faults in others, you will start loving everybody truly. And therefore you have to start looking within yourself and looking at what you have to change in your life. I’m not telling you to judge yourself, but to look at the negative part of you and face it. By looking at the negativity you will see that you have created it. To understand love is simple; it is just the absence of fear. Out of fear you can’t understand unconditional love. When people really want to understand love and who they are, they will!

There is no Difference

Swami Vishwananda:

Forget about your body.
Concentrate on yourself and
The Divine within you.
If the mind is playing games with you,
Close your eyes and repeat inside,
“I am the light. I am love. I am joy,
I am peace!
”Recite it many times,
Until you become this light,
This love, this joy, and this peace.
See it.
See it in the eyes of God that
There is no difference;
See it in the eyes of Jesus.
You will see there is no difference.
See it in the eyes of Krishna;
You will see there is no difference.
See in the eyes of any master,
That there is no difference.
But if you try to see it with the mind,
You will just see difference, nothing else.

Divine Eyes Looking

Swami Vishwananda in Darshan
Swami Vishwananda: Looking at the world with Divine eyes, you will see that the world is simply the radiated light of God shining through everything. Keep trying until you have come to that realization and never lose hope. The moment you lose hope, you lose everything. The moment you say, “I can’t do this,” you will not be able to do it. Challenge your fear! Keep reminding yourself that you are part of God. You are in His Divine hands and He will never let go of you. Never! He always will be nearer to you than the breath or the air you are breathing in.

You try to imagine how close God is with the mind. It’s difficult, isn’t it? The mind will never let you imagine God. When you start thinking with the mind of the heart, then you may realize Divinity completely. How does one think with the heart? Meditation is an important element in thinking with the heart as you sit with yourself in silence. Jesus said, “When you pray, go to the darkest corner of your house, close yourself in and talk with your Father.” Christ meant for you to go into the inner chamber of your heart and speak with God. Talk with your true Self, and you will receive an answer. So, what exactly is in this inner chamber of the heart? Therein is just love, nothing else!

Creation or Destruction – Your Choice

Christ Jesus
From Destruction of Physical Body
To Creation of Light Being
Swami Vishwananda: You can create or you can destroy. It’s upon each one of you how to control what you create. So the first and best thing that you can do in spirituality is to control the thought. The more the thought is negative it reflects outside. Very often this negative thought is about one’s own self. You think that you are bad and negative. First, we have to change the thoughts about our self. Then we can change the thought toward other people. Thought is very easy to control. You don’t need to sit down to control it [sit to meditate]. When the thought is passing through your mind you know about the thought. You know whether it is positive or negative.

When thought is positive, it will be constructive. Feed positive thought and then let it grow! But when thought is negative, then do not feed it. Then say to yourself, “This is not me!” And let go of the negative thought. When you let go of the thought, you will see how beautiful your life can be. And you will see how great this life really is that God has given. Then in your meditation also, you will be more relaxed. Thinking positive is powerful in human beings. Through this positive thought, whatever you wish, you will create.

Darshan Experiences

Swami Vishwananda at Darshan

Darshan Exerience: During darshan, Swami Vishwananda transmits divine energy to the crowd as well as personally when he gives the individual blessing. The individual blessing is a very intimate moment where whatever one is carrying around, be it sorrow or sickness, can be transformed by the divine energy. This is what I felt during my first darshan in Cape Town, South Africa. At other darshans I have experienced an incredible amount of energy, sometimes very powerful and sometimes very soft and tender. -Sumitra

Darshan Experience: Once, I was in darshan with Swami Vishwananda and all that was in my mind during the long wait in line before it was my turn to kneel in front of Swami for His blessing was: “Gurudev is an incarnation of a certain Enlightened Master I know in etheric form.” A scene with that particular Master appeared over and over in my mind and heart. And over and over this thought or knowing filled my mind and my heart with the truth of it.

Finally, it was my turn to receive the blessing of Swami Vishwananda. As I knelt before Him, He looked into my eyes with a radiant smile that filled my already full heart to overflowing! Incredibly, Swami leaned toward me with His eyes displaying the depth of eternity, and luminosity like a million stars shining brightly. His face came very close to mine; He looked into my eyes and said, emphatically: “Tell Me!” I leaned close to His right ear, cupped my hand over my lips, and said, “Swami, I was thinking you are an incarnation of this Enlightened Master I know in etheric form, and I named Him. Gurudev sat back in his chair and then dipped his head way down as if bowing and raised his head back in a graceful, grand gesture of assent, Yes! Utpalavati

No life is Ever in Vain

Swami Vishwananda Giving Darshan
Swami Vishwananda was asked during a Satsang: “Does the Satguru come life after life and guide the disciple until the disciple finally reaches God and merges with Him? Is the Satguru’s love always the same?

Swami answered: Well, it is true that the Satguru always comes to help the disciples to attain the Divine or to attain part of himself, because all is Divine. If one doesn’t make it in this life, it will happen in another life. No life is ever in vain. One also may take hundreds or a million lives to attain The Divine. But it doesn’t mean that the Satguru has to be there in every life. In all one’s lives, the love of the Satguru is always the same.

Gurudev Defines His Mission

Swami Vishwananda
Swami Vishwananda: There will never be peace as long as we look outside the heart. Focusing outside ourselves we will always see the differences between us. My mission is to help mankind realize their own Divine Self and to be able to express it in their day-to-day life. I wish for everyone to open their hearts so that they may experience this unconditional Divine love deep within. My mission is to spread love, Divine love.

The word ‘love’ has so many meanings nowadays that people have forgotten the true aspect of love. This unconditional love aspect is what will change the world. All forms of love have expectations. But when one feels this true love inside one’s heart, it’s beyond all expectation. And only with this true unconditional love can peace be restored.

Remember Purpose of Your Incarnation

Swami Vishwananda
and Aditya at Springen Center
Swami Vishwananda: There is no power of the mind to stop anyone because we all are equal. We all are the same light, the same energy. We are like a lovely chandelier that has many lights, but it’s the same electricity that is lighting all the lights. Keep reminding yourself of your purpose of this incarnation and make sure that you reach it in this life. Don’t think of other lives; now will be the best time.

It is possible to fulfill the purpose of your incarnation only if you surrender body, mind, and soul completely to God. Let go of your identity, let go of this ‘I’, this egoism that causes you to focus only on the outside. When you let go of your identity, then the Divine will reveal Itself to you. Then you will see the Unlimited and you will feel the blissful happiness.

Create a New Body at Will

Sri Yantra
Diagram of Creation
Swami Vishwananda: When we refer to death, we usually are speaking of the body, but the consciousness has the power of God to create a new body at will. You can see it in the lives of Saints. Even being dead, when they appeared to somebody who was praying to them, they appeared in flesh and blood. Death is something that nobody can escape. We all know about death, but we don’t want to see it and we don’t want to believe in it. When we believe in it, we see the most terrible and terrifying part of it, but we don’t see the beautiful part.

When we think or speak of death we don’t see this bridge, when the Beloved calls you and says “Come, cross over this bridge and attain me.” Actually, death is not terrifying at all. Like St. Francis said at the time of his death ,“Welcome, sister death.” That put death to a shock! When greeting death like St. Francis, you take away all the power of fear and create this great joy. This great joy happens when you are moving towards the higher plane towards your Beloved (God).

Note: Bhajan Book With Chords as we informed you yesterday on this blog will be available at the Springen Bhakti Shop estimated to arrive at around Christmas. Please check with the Bhakti Shop at that time. Thank You. Tel: +49 (0)178 - 32 04 809 Email: nivashini@bhaktimarga.org

New "Bhajan Book With Chords"

Announcement From Springen Center,
Swami Vishwananda's
International Spitirual Center, Germany

"With great joy we announce the completion of the new Bhajan Book With Chords. The book has over 480 bhajans, with chords for guitar and keyboard instruments."Swami Vishwananda has sung more than 230 of the book's bhajans recently. Of these 230, most are not included in our existing bhajan book. Also included are 125 pages on the A4 format with alphabetical order at the end. Wish you all much bliss and love through singing - Chaturananda"

Bhajan Book With Chords will be available at the Springen Bhakti Shop estimated to arrive at around Christmas. Please check with the Bhakti Shop at that time. Thank You. Tel: +49 (0)178 - 32 04 809 Email: nivashini@bhaktimarga.org

Mirror of the Heart

Cleansing Heart Fire

Swami Vishwananda: The heart is like a mirror covered with dirt. As long as there is dirt over it, do you think you will see clearly? You will never see your reflection clearly with the heart covered. You will know there is a reflection, yes, but it will be very foggy. So, as long as you do not clean whatever is covering the heart, it’s difficult to see the light! Since the thing closest to us is the body, first your body has to be clean. When your body is clean, the mind is clean and when the mind is clean, the heart is clean. And when the heart is clean, the Divine light will shine through you and everybody will see it clearly.

Cleansed Heart of Light
Reflected in Lake
So start every day by saying, “I’m God’s child and I have to be like the child of God!” Do this for yourself, for your own growth. You know what is good for you, so try your best to change. Take this strongly inside you and store it in your mind. Throughout the day keep remembering that you are love; you are trust; you are peace; you are unity; and you are joy! There’s no greater mantra; just sing, “I am love!” By singing, “I am love” you will always remember that you are a part of God."

You Judging You

Our mind functions in a way that it is very easy to look at the bad things only. Then we start judging ourselves, “Oh, I’m bad, I’m this or that.” But you are Divine, above all. See yourself the way God looks at you. Do you think God sees the negativity? Let’s think a little bit. Put yourself in the place of God. How would you see the world?

The human mind likes to judge a lot of things. We say that God is punishing people. God is doing this and God is doing that. However, it is not like that. It’s our own self; it’s we who see and say these things. But the Divine doesn’t see it like we do. When you rise to such a level of consciousness that you do not see any good or bad, everything becomes neutral for you because the Divine resides everywhere.

So try to practice this every day; imagine yourself as God! Watch whether you really see the negativity or if you see everything as God, as your own self. If you practice this every day, I tell you the time will come where there will be no difference. You will feel the peace of God everywhere. And wherever you go and with whomever you are talking, there will be this peace and love. You all are looking for this love and peace.

Free Will – Fact or Fiction

Swami Vishwananda:
What is free will? Do you think free will is the things that we do every day? Is free will expressed when we say, “Yes, I have done this and I have done that?” It is true that we have a certain will. Actually, we can choose which way and how we want our life, whereas an animal does not have that choice, that will.

God has given us will; He has given us choice.Through choice we are free. That’s why we call it free will. We have free will of choice, but even that choice is predestined. It’s not that God is playing with us, but the way our life has been created is our own manifestation. In reality, we are part of the Divine. We say that this whole world is God’s creation, but in reality it’s the manifestation of our Self.

There is a Saint that said, “We made the world how we want it.” It’s true! If this world was how God wanted it, there would be peace.

Don’t Look Back

Kalki Avatar - Don't Look Back
Very often in the lives of Saints, you see that they are on the spiritual path and they never lose hope. They never say, “No, I can’t attain something.” It's the same with football. When the running back is running with the football, he has a clear goal of where to take the ball. He will not turn back and run the ball to his own goal. The runner is always running towards the proper goal. And when the goal is made, everybody is happy [that is every one who is "with" the one who carried the football to its goal : ) ].

It is like that when you attain the Divine, everybody will be happy. You will be happy and everybody else also. So keep running, and like the football player running toward the goal, don’t look back.

My Heart Will Still Say It

Swami Vishwananda
Navaratri 2009
Honoring Nine Forms of Divine Mother Durga




















—Sri Swami Vishwananda

I will always remind you

That you are Divine . . .

Even if My Mouth

Gets tired . . .

My Heart

Will still say it

Until you reach

This level

That IS . . .

The Divine !

Life is Love and Love is Life

Swami Vishwananda with Devotees
and newborn baby
Swami Vishwananda: For most of humanity, The Divine seems far away. For the mind to understand the Divine, it’s very difficult. Until you have cleansed the mind from thinking and until you have purified the mind completely, the Divine is quite difficult to understand. Life is love and love is life. And love, of course, is Divine; love is God.

The feeling of love, and to realize this great love and not just partial love is what life is about. Not that today I say, “I love you,” and tomorrow, “Who is that person?” Not that love. Know love which is beyond expression, love which is unconditional and love that is in everything around you. That’s what love is; that’s what life is!

Sadhana 24--7 -- It's Easy The Gurudev Way

Sadhana is not to be practiced in the morning only, but during the whole day. Doing our daily Sadhana includes also to self-analyze ourselves and our day. At night before you go to bed, sit down and reflect on the day. Look at what you have done that is good and what you have not done well. Because what you have done that is good will bring joy to you, and what you have not done well leaves a trace of agitation inside of you. The disturbance comes because you try to rectify your actions.

When God sees that you are trying to rectify your daily actions, He will help you through His grace and love. He will remove all the pride and ego that you have, because He is merciful. We say God is merciful. And as He is merciful, He will give you what you ask. But God gives only as long as you know what you are asking, because sometimes you are asking for something that will put you in trouble. So, know what you are asking from God.

Heart to Heart Connection to Divinity

Swami Vishwananda
















You don’t know when the Divine will come to you and in what form the Divine will come. We think in our mind that the Divine has to come only in the form that we imagine. No, He may come in any form. In your inner self, your heart shall recognize whatever form The Divine takes.

Divine Mother
So many times I have seen the Divine coming in different forms. And when I was ready to act, The Divine stopped me and said “Keep quiet.” And this connection that we all have to God should be there. It’s not a connection with your mind that is trying to understand always. This connection is the heart to heart connection with God. Your heart, your consciousness will know about the Divine. Every day you have Darshan of God, for God dwells within each and all.

God Gives According to Time

And Short Report from Drishti
Kartik Purnima Celebration last night
Swami Vishwananda: Know one thing. Whatever God gives, He gives according to its time and according to whether you can handle things or not. He will not give you something that out of it you will make a big mess. He will not give you realization until you can handle realization. It's not just about saying, “I am self-realized in an egotistic way." It’s not like that. There is also a big responsibility and you have to go through certain purification to attain realization.

Self-realization takes determination and depends on each one individually, because spirituality is an individual path. And Of course the Master can make it happen. When the disciple is really, and sincerely ready, a touch of the Master can give realization just like that. But like I said: we have to have the determination.

From Drishti, Springen: http://swamivishwananda-info.blogspot.com/2009/11/kartik-purnima-celebration.html
Picture above is of Swami Vishwananda as he celebrated Kartik Purnima last night, Monday, November 2009, with an Abishekam, and a Yagna which was very strong. He told us the story about Tulsi Devi and Vishnu. There where a lot of Bhajans sang the whole night, along with dancing and much joy!

Darshan Sunday and OM Healing

Swami Vishwananda Darshan
Springen November 1, 2009
From Drishti:
Swami Vishwananda Darshan SundayNovember 1, 2009 in Springen.Here is just a picture from the Darshan tonight. Swami spoke about the pilgrimage through Israel and how touching it was not only to read about all this in the Bible, but to be there and feel...



Swami Vishwananda’s OM Healing web site
Reconstructed now on World Wide Web.
VISIT: http://www.om-healing.org/

The sound of OM

"Future flowers like the eternal rose will flourish in tune with the harmony to come worldwide. Likewise, man will bloom like the rose within his heart space wherein harmony resonates to the sound of OM, the creative force. Let it be so, that the OM Healing Circles of Swami Vishwananda radiate the sound of OM into the Earth's energetic grid system helping establish harmony in now time." -Babaji