An introduction:
What is the way to establish peace? Each September, the United Nations International Day of Peace honors the ideal of peace through mutual understanding, respect, and open dialogue between communities and nations.
Paramahansa Yogananda and all great souls have taught that to reach that goal we have to start with ourselves — by experiencing within the Divine Source of peace and harmony.
“I believe that if every citizen in the world is taught to commune with God (not merely to know Him intellectually), then peace can reign; not before,” Paramahansaji explained. “When by persistence in meditation you realize God through communion with Him, your heart is prepared to embrace all humanity.”
And as Brother Chidananda, president and spiritual head of SRF/YSS, assured us in his recent talk at the 2024 Convocation: When we collectively learn to apply the sacred science of daily meditation and use the discoveries and developments of our awakening global civilization constructively, “a new age of prosperity, harmony, spiritual understanding, and peace will come on Earth.”
We hope that the wisdom from Paramahansa Yogananda shared below inspires you to put meditation into practice — to discover the peace of the soul that is waiting for you there, and to feel deeply your inseverable connection with all humankind.
From the talks and writings of Paramahansa Yogananda:
When you are calm and at peace within, you love everyone and feel friendly toward all. This is the harmony God intended for His creation.
The peace of meditation is the language and embracing comfort of God. He is present on the throne of peace within you. Find Him there first, and you will find Him in all that is good and meaningful in life: in true friends, in the beauty of nature, in good books, deep thoughts, and noble aspirations.
Every night in sleep you have a taste of peace and joy. While you are in deep slumber, God makes you live in the tranquil superconsciousness, in which all the fears and worries of this existence are forgotten. By meditation you can experience that holy state of mind when you are awake, and be constantly immersed in healing peace.
The yogi tries at all times to keep meditation-born peace enthroned in the mind, in every activity and in all dealings with others.
They are the real peacemakers who generate peace from their devotional practice of daily meditation....Having felt the nature of God as inner peace, devotees want the Peace-God to be always manifest in their home, in the neighborhood, in the nation, among all nationalities and races.
When each one of us shapes his life according to the wisdom and example of a Christ, a Krishna, a Buddha, we can have peace here; not before. We must start now, with ourselves. We should try to be like the divine ones who have come on earth again and again to show us the way. By our loving each other and keeping our understanding clear, as they taught and exemplified, peace can come.
To put this wisdom immediately into practice, we invite you to participate in a “Guided Meditation on Inner Peace From Paramahansa Yogananda,” led by SRF monk Brother Sevananda. This video also gives an excellent overview of the posture of meditation as well as a few preliminary breathing exercises before meditation taught by Paramahansaji.
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Grateful! Another beautiful guided meditation to assist on days I admittedly lean towards skipping meditation, especially when I question environment necessary to attain peace on my own. Keeps me on track. I love having the classes and guided meditations available. Thank you!