THE LORD’S PRAYER
by Paramahansa Yogananda from "Whispers from' Eternity"
O
Heavenly Father, Mother, Friend, Beloved God! may our
ceaseless
silent utterance of Thy holy Name transform us to Thy
likeness.
Inspire
us/ that our matter worship be changed to adoration
of
Thee. Through our purified hearts may Thy perfect kingdom
come
on earth, and all nations be liberated from misery. Let the
soul
freedom within us be manifested outwardly.
May
our wills grow strong in overcoming worldly desires and
finally
be attuned to Thy faultless will.
Give
us our daily bread: food, health, and prosperity for
the
body; efficiency for the mind; and, above all, Thy love and
wisdom
for the soul.
It
is Thy law that "with the same measure ye mete, it shall
be
measured to you." May we forgive those who offend us/ ever
mindful
of our own need for Thine unmerited mercy. ,
Leave
us not in the pit of temptations into which we have
fallen
through our misuse of Thy gift of reason. Shouldst Thou
wish
to test us O Spirit, may we realize Thou art enchanting beyond
any
earthly temptation.
Help
us to deliver ourselves from the shadowy bonds of the
sole
evil: ignorance of Thee.
For
Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.
Amen.
IN THE NIGHTLY GARDEN OF DREAMS
In
the nightly garden of my dreams grow many blossoms:
the
rarest flowers of my fancy. There, warmed by
the
astral dream-light, unopened buds of earthly hopes
audaciously
spread petals of fulfillment.
In
the dream glow I spy specters of beloved forgotten
faces;
and sprites of dear, dead feelings, long
buried
in the soil of subconsciousness. All arise in
shining
robes.At the trumpet call of dream angels I
behold
the resurrection of all past experiences.
Lord,
Thou hast given us freedom to forget our daily
troubles
by nightly visits to dreamland. May we escape
from
mortal sorrows forever by awakening in Thee.
THE DIVINE GYPSY
I
will be a gypsy—
Roam,roam,
and roam.
I
will sing a song that none has sung!
I
will sing to the sky,
I
will sing to the winds,
I'll
sing to my red clouds!
I'll
roam, roam, and roam--
King
of the lands through which I roam.
By
day, the shady trees will be my tent,
At
night, the stars shall be
My
candles, twinkling in the firmament;
And
I will call the moon to be my lamp
And
light my silver, skyey camp.
I
will be a gypsy--
Roam,
roam, and roam.
I
will eat the food that chance may bring;
I
will drink from crystal sparkling spring;
I
will doff my cap and off will go,
Like
a wayward brook of long ago;
I
will roll o'er the green
And
scatter the joy of all my heart
To
birds, leaves, winds, hills--then depart
To stranger and stranger lands, from East to
West.
Oh!
I will be a gypsy--
Roam,
roam, and roam!
But
always, when I lay me down to rest,
I'll
sing to Thee my gypsy prayer,
And
find Thee, always, everywhere (within me).
PRAYER
O
Divine Mother, .I often heard Thy gentle voice saying:
"Come
home," but it was drowned in the noises of the wild cravings
of
many ·lives. Now I have forsaken the jostling crowds of
desires.
In the solitude of my mind, my devotion is bursting to
hear
Thy voice again.
AFFIRMATION
I
will make a bonfire of all my desires for
material
possessions and burn them in the one
great
ever-increasing flame of desire that seeks
only
to know Thee.
DIVINE LOVE
O
Love, thou art the mystic echo from the caverns of heart,
And
the inaudible voice of feeling.
Thou
art the unseen charmer of souls.
Thou
art the fountain flowing from the bosom of friendship.
Thou
art the Divine Cupid, enticing mystic souls
To
pierce the heart of all living things.
Thou
art the silent language of souls,
And
the invisible ink that lovers use
To
write letters on the pages of their hearts.
Thou
art the mother of all affections,
And
in Thy breast throbs the heart of God.
Love
is the silent conversation between two hearts,
And
it is the call of God to all creatures,
Animate
and inanimate,
To
return to His house of Oneness.
Love
is the heartbeat of all life,
And
the angel of incarnation.
Love
is born in the garden of soul progress,
And
it sleeps behind the darkness of outer attachments.
It
is the oldest and the sweetest nectar,
Preserved
in the bottles of hearts.
Love
is the light that dissolves all walls
Between
souls, families, and nations.
Love
is the unfading blossom of pure friendship
In
the garden of both young and mature souls".
Love
is the door to heaven, the completed songs of souls.
PRAYER
I
come to Thee with the song of my smiles.
Whatever
treasures lie in the secret safe of my
soul,
I have brought eagerly to Thee. I have
brought
all the honey from the hive of my
heart.
Whatsoever is mine, that also is Thine.
The
taper of my happiness will merge with Thy
blaze of Bliss.
AFFIRMATION
I am
the resistless fire of smiles. I shall fan myself
with
the breeze of God-Joy and shall blaze my way through the
darkness
of all minds. My smiles will bear His smiles, and
whoever
meets me will catch my divine joy. I shall strew fragrant
purifying
torches of smiles in all hearts.
GOD! GOD! GOD!
From
the depths of slumber,
As I
ascend the spiral stairway of wakefulness,
I
whisper:
God!
God! God!
Thou
art the food, and when I break my fast
Of
nightly separation from Thee,
I
taste Thee, and mentally say:
God!
God! God!
No
matter where I go, the spotlight of my mind
Ever
keeps turning on Thee;
And
in the battle din of activity, my silent war-cry is ever:
God!
God! God!
When
boisterous storms of trials shriek
And
worries howl at me,
I
drown their noises, loudly chanting:
God!
God! God!
When
my mind weaves dreams
With
threads of memories,
On
that magic cloth I do emboss:
God!
God! God!
Every
night, in time of deepest sleep,
My
peace dreams and calls: Joy! Joy! Joy!
And
my joy comes singing evermore:
God!
God! God!
In
waking, eating, working, dreaming, sleeping,
Serving,
meditating, chanting, divinely loving,
My
soul constantly hums, unheard by any:
God!
God! God!
PRAYER
Teach
me, O God, to sow the seeds of wisdom, health,
prosperity,
and happiness in the garden of my life.
FOR THEE I WAS MADE
I
was made for Thee alone. I was made for dropping
flowers
of devotion gently at Thy feet on the altar of the morning.
My
hands were made to serve Thee willingly; to remain
folded
in adoration, waiting for Thy coming; and
when
Thou comest, to bathe Thy feet with my tears.
My
voice was made to sing Thy glory.
My
feet were made to seek Thy temples everywhere.
My
eyes were made a chalice to hold Thy burning love
and
the wisdom falling from Thy nature's hands.
My
ears were made to catch the music of Thy footsteps
echoing
through the halls of space, and to hear Thy
divine
melodies flowing through all heart-tracts of devotion.
My
lips were made to breathe forth Thy praises and Thine
intoxicating
inspirations.
My
love was made to throw incandescent searchlight flames
to
find Thee hidden in the forest of my desires.
My
heart was made to respond to Thy call alone.
My
soul was made to be the channel through which Thy
love
might flow uninterruptedly into all thirsty souls.
PRAYER
O
Divine Sculptor, chisel
Thou my life to Thy design.
AFFIRMATION
,
All
my powers are but powers borrowed from Thee.
No
one is greater than Thou, O my Father. I cease to
live
and express without Thy wisdom and strength. Thou
art
so big; I am so little. Teach me not to be proud.
THY MAGIC POWER
Make
my eyes behold what Thou dost see.
Make
my ears catch the bursting of Thy voice
In
the billows of all creation.
Make
my speech the fountain of nectared words
Showered
over souls scorched with bitterness.
Make
my lips utter naught but the songs
Of
Thy love and joy.
Beloved,
work through me the work of truth.
Keep
my hands busy serving all my brothers.
Keep
my voice forever casting seeds of love
For
Thee on the soil of seeking souls.
Keep
my feet ever moving on the pathway
Of
right action.
Lead
me from dark ignorance to Thy light of wisdom,
Lead
me from temporary pleasures
To
Thine ever new joy within.
Make
my love Thy love,
That
I may know all things as mine.
Father,
throb through my heart and make me feel
Sympathy
for all living creatures.
Kindle
in me the flame of Thy wisdom
And
burn the dark forest of my mundane desires.
Let
Thy reason be the preceptor of my reason.
Think
through my thoughts,
For
it is Thy magic power
Which
uses my mind as Thy mind,
My
hands as Thy hands,
My
feet as Thy feet,
My
soul as Thy spirit to perform Thy holy works.
PRAYER
Divine
Mother, teach me to till
the
soil of my mind with discipline,
and
sow the seeds of good habits.
AFFIRMATION
I
form new habits of thinking by seeing the
good
everywhere, and in beholding all things as
the
perfect idea of God made manifest.
THE ONLY REALITY
I
take a sacred vow!
Never
will I throw my love's gaze
Below
the horizon of my constant thought of Thee!
Never
will I take down the vision of my lifted eyes
And
place it on aught but Thee!
Never
will I turn my mind to do anything
Which
reminds me not of Thee!
I
will abhor nightmares of ignorant acts.
I
will love dreams of noble achievements.
I
will love all dreams of goodness,
For
they are Thy dreams.
I
may dream many dreams.
But
I am ever awake thinking of Thee.
In
the sacred fire of constant remembrance
Burning
on my soul's altar,
I
will ever behold Thy face
With
my ever watchful eyes of love.
Through
Thy grace, I know that health and sickness,
Life
and death, are but dreams.
When
I finish my dream story of good dreams
And awaken
behind the world-painted screen of delusion,
I
shall behold Thee as the One Reality.
PRAYER
O
Divine Shepherd of Infinite Perception, rescue the lambkins
of
my thoughts, lost in the wilderness of restlessness, and lead
them
into the fold of silence.
***
AFFIRMATION
I
will find Thy presence on the altar
of
my constant peace, and in the joy that
springs
from deep meditation.
PRAYER
Divine
Mother, let the magic wand of my intuition stop the
gale
of passions and unnecessary desires, and in the rippleless
lake
of my mind, let me behold the undistorted reflection of the
moon
of my soul, glistening with the light of Thy presence.
***
MAY I ACT FROM FREE CHOICE, NOT HABIT
Teach
me, O Father, to seek the soul's
lasting
happiness rather than temporary sense pleasures.
Strengthen
my will power, that I escape
from
bad habits and reform myself by meditation
and
the influence of spiritually minded companions.
Give
me the wisdom to follow happily the
ways
of righteousness. May I develop the soul
faculty
of discrimination that detects evil, in
even
its subtlest forms; and that guides me to
the
humble paths of goodness.
I
would direct my life by the God-given
power
of free choice, not by the compulsions of
hardened
habits.
PRAYER
Heavenly
Father, teach me to contact Thee first and thus
harness my will and activity to the right goal.
YOU WERE HIDING FROM HIM
Forsake
the tipsy dance of forgetfulness! Be sobered by
the
understanding that you must not neglect to honor the Silent
Guest
in your temple. Forgive your enemies but not yourself-the
greatest
enemy of your own Self, who forgets to befriend
your
Best Friend waiting in the temporary parlor of your life.
The
light of life is waning, and darkness is approaching
fast.
Kindle the unextinguishable lamp of love, that by its
light
you may behold Him when the chimerical gloom of death
throws
its curtain of darkness around you.
You
were away and He was here in your heart, always waiting
and
waiting for you, and now you come whining that you
have
been waiting for Him. It is you who have been hiding
from
Him. And now that you have found Him, you must lose
sight
of Him no more in the self-woven cocoon of your own unknowing.
Open
your error-drunken eyes and behold the light,
tapping
at the gates of your closed eyelids. Open the inner
eye
of silence! Behold Him spread allover your being. Pull
off
the veil of sorrow, and find His blissful presence. Remove
the
self-created darkness of delusion and behold aim right
within
your bosom.
You
ran away from your all-containing soul-home to stay in
the
dark hovel of evanescent pleasure. Now come and behold
your
home of all-fulfillment within you. He has not been hiding
from
you--you have ever been hiding from Him!
PRAYER
O
Father, teach me to realize Thy nearness behind the voice of
my
prayer. Teach me to breathe Thy breath in my own breathing.
***
I WILL DRINK OF THEE
O
Divine Gardener, till the wild soil of my mind with
the
plough of Thy wisdom and sow therein the seeds of my
devotion.
Under Thine unvarying vigilance, the seeds will
sprout
and yield a harvest of Thy blessings.
In
the winepress of my heart I will convert those luscious
blessings
into the nectar of Thy love. I will fill
the
spacious bottle of my soul with the aged wine of Thy
love,
and I will ask all my thoughts and feelings, and all
my
wisdom and intuition, to be joyous with the intoxicating
wine
of Thy constant affection.
I
shall never be content drinking Thee out of the cask
of
silence. I want to pour Thee into the truth-thirsty
mouths
of all minds. I want to drink Thee and dance with
Thee.
Young and old, man and woman, all my brothers and
sisters,
must drink Thee with me, for it is more thrilling
to
drink Thee with others whom we love, and with all Thy
children
whom we should love.
I
will dance, filled with Thee, and I will dance with
all
those who are saturated with Thee. We will dance with
Thee
and Lady Blossoms, Mother Moon, Sister Stars, and the
Guardian
Sun--all will join us in our joyous, ever new,
rhythmic
dance of Eternity in cadence with the soul-melting
melody
of the music of the spheres.
Ah,
I will drink Thee and will dance with Thee eternally
in
the ever changing scenes of time.
AFFIRMATION
I
will acquire divinely deep concentration
and
then use its unlimited power
to
meet life's God-given demands.
THE DEVOTEE"S ASPIRATION
I
shall be a Niagara Falls, my joy thundering
in a
ceaseless cascade. The powerful flood will
sweep
away the heavy logs of others' difficulties.
I
shall be a tornado of laughter, toppling
the
timbers and towers of sorrow. Zooming over
endless
miles of mentalities, I shall demolish
their
troubles.
I
shall be lightning flashes in the night,
breathtakingly
bringing to view the panorama of
Thy
beauty--long hidden by the darkness of unseeing eyes.
I
shall be moonbeams of bliss, banishing
melancholy
from the earth.
I
shall be rays of light, putting to flight
the
gloom that lurks in recesses of human thought.
Through
Thy grace the sudden shafts of wisdom will
dispel
error accumulations of countless centuries.
PRAYER
SUPERIOR LASTING HAPPINESS
Thou
art sacred perennial joy; Thou art the joy I seek;
Thou
art the lasting joy of the soul. Teach me to worship Thee
through
the joy born of meditation and doing good, and not
through
pleasures born of the misguided senses.
***
AFFIRMATION
O
Prodigious Power, I am renewed
and
strengthened by Thine inexhaustible
life giving energy.
MY LOVE TOLD ME TO LOVE THEE ALONE
As
winter came with its garment of cold lily flakes,
My
desires for summer joys were dulled
And
I was told to seek the warmth of Thy heart.
As
spring came dancing, decked with myriad flowers
And
sprinkled with wild perfumes,
It
told me to love Thee.
Summer
came singing through leaves and swishing through pines,
Urging
me to sing of Thee.
Even
the soft-hearted sod caressed my hasty footsteps
And
cautioned them tenderly to approach Thy temple everywhere.
And
the fragrance told me to follow its trail
To
Thy secret cloister in the forest of pollen.
And
the birds told me I should try to sing of Thee as they were doing.
And
the breeze, blowing over the lake,
Roused
the ripples of my devotion to play over Thy bosom.
And
with the bowed blades of grass I learned to bow my head to Thee.
The
incense told me how fragrant Thou art
And
that I should make my heart perpetually burn with sweet-scented goodness
Before
Thy throne everywhere.
The
mute, downtrodden, uncomplaining little stones
Told
me to behold Thee in those people
Who try
to tread upon my happiness.
And
the foolish forgotten years told me
To
send a message of love encased in every second.
And
every thought told me to seek Thy hiding place in their hearts.
And
my love told me to love all things in Thee,
And
my love whispered to me to love Thee alone.
PRAYER
O
Spirit, teach me to relax and cast aside all
mental
burdens, allowing Thee to express through me
as perfect health, peace, love, and wisdom.
O SPIRIT, I WORSHIP THEE IN ALL SHRINES
Into
the temple of peace come Thou, O Lord of Joy!
Enter
my shrine of meditation, O Bliss God! Sanctify me with Thy presence.
Eternal
Allah, hover over the lone minaret of my holy aspiration. The mosque of my mind
exudes a frankincense of stillness.
On
the altar of my inner vihara I place flowers of desirelessness. Their chaste
beauty is Thine, O Spirit!
In a
tabernacle not made with hands, I bow before the sacred ark and vow to keep Thy
commandments.
Heavenly
Father, in an invisible church built of devotion granite, receive Thou my
humble heart offerings, daily renewed by prayer.
---From “Whispers of Eternity”---
By Paramahamsa Yogananda
