| | DFW Guru Purnima Service 2015
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GURU PURNIMA 2015
July 31, 2015 Dear Ones,
On this sacred day of Guru Purnima, celebrated by devotees throughout the world who follow India’s tradition of paying homage to the guru, we lay at the feet of our own beloved Gurudeva, Paramahansa Yogananda, our hearts’ devotion and gratitude. How blessed we are that God has drawn us to such a pure channel of His love to be our eternal friend and guide in the journey from the darkness of maya to the light and freedom we are meant to find in Him. I pray that each of you open your heart and mind anew to the guru’s love and wisdom, that he may fulfill his most cherished wish for you ─ union with the Divine Beloved of your soul.
For lifetimes you may have lived in the small cage of the ego ─ accepting its limitations, the conditions it places upon your happiness, and its vulnerability to the unpredictable circumstances of this world. The guru comes to rouse the heroic qualities of the soul, by which we overcome all that hinders the expression of our innate divinity. As Guruji said of his own guru, Swami Sri Yukteswar: “He wanted perfection for me. He wanted me to be supremely happy. That was his happiness. He wanted me to know God; to be with the Divine Mother for whom my heart longed.” That is also our guru’s desire for us. The sadhana he has given, when faithfully practiced, infallibly leads to that goal, and he has assured us, “God has sent you to me, and I shall never fail you.” Inherent in his promise is an unconditional love that transcends all boundaries of space and time and will watch over you until you reach God-consciousness. The disciple’s part is to recognize and receive the guru’s love in all its guises ─ in his words of guidance, in answered prayers, and especially in challenges and difficulties that stretch one’s faith and endurance and offer new opportunities to grow and change.
Those of us who were with Gurudeva often found that just when we thought we had attained a new level of spiritual progress, he would “raise the bar.” We learned to ban from our consciousness the thought, “I can't,” and he asks the same of you ─ for by your willingness to keep reaching a little higher, you will receive the fullness of his blessings. If human nature resists, that is the time to ignore the skillfully rationalizing mind and listen to the quiet voice of the heart’s devotion, which urges us to trust and surrender to him. Surrender is the key that will open every closed door in our consciousness to the guru’s purifying, transforming power.
The greatest gift you can give to Gurudeva is to cooperate with him in your own salvation. His standards are high, yet he will guide you with infinite compassion, for he sees and honors the divine image you within you and wants you to honor it too. I encourage you to apply the truths he taught and attune yourself with him daily in the soul-silence beyond the reach of maya. There you can most tangibly feel his presence and God’s power flowing through him to help you cast off the limitations of the little “I” and become your true divine Self. Jai Guru!
In God and Gurudeva’s love and unceasing blessings,
Sri Mrinalini Mata Copyright © 2015 Self-Realization Fellowship. All rights reserved.
SRI MRINALINI MATA, PRESIDENT
INTERNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS: 3880 SAN RAFAEL AVENUE, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90065-3219
TEL: (323) 225-2417 · FAX: (323) 225-5088 · www.yogananda-srf.org
IN INDIA: YOGODA SATSANGA SOCIETY OF INDIA |
| | | | | | Guru Purnima Service Saturday, August 1, 2015
We will be celebrating Guru Purnima on Saturday, August 1st with a very special Saturday 3 hour meditation. We will have relevant selections from some SRF monastic CD's and chants along with periods of meditation.
This day is a sacred day celebrated by devotees throughout the world who follow India's tradition of paying homage to one's guru. We will be offering our devotions to our blessed guru and pure channel of God's love, Paramahansa Yogananda.
Please join us for this special occasion. The service will be from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm on Saturday, August 1, 2015. We are sending out the format for this service so that you will notice that the chants will not be on the hour. Please enter and exit only during a chant and try to be with us from the beginning to receive the most benefit.
Tentative Schedule
09:00 - Opening prayer/announcements/letter from Mother Center/chant/Bro. Mokshananda's CD, "Remembrances of the Guru"
09:45 - Chant/Bro. Anandamoy's CD, "The Importance of a True Guru"
10:30 - Chant/Bro. Bhumananda's CD, "Spiritual Victory Through Attunement With the Guru"
11:15 - Chant/Bro. Nakulananda's CD, "The Guru - Spiritual Fortress of Love, Guidance and Protection"
11:45 - Master's Collector's Series CD/closing chant/healing service/closing prayer
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| | Austin, TX, Monastic Visit September 25-27, 2015
Self-Realization Fellowship is happy to announce that monastic disciples will be visiting Austin, TX, September 25-27, 2015 for inspirational programs, meditation classes, and a Kriya Yoga Initiation.
All information about this event can be found on this web link including program agenda, and hotel accommodations.
New Kriya Yoga initiates must have the proper forms filled out and returned to Mother Center by July 25, 2015. All necessary forms can be found in the above web link.
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| | For the Latest Information on Activities and Services
You can keep current on the Dallas Fort Worth Meditation Group activities and our services under News and Events and Monthly Calendar on our local website: http://www.srfdallasfortworth.org/
The entire website is a wonderful resource for members and anyone you may know who is interested in SRF and our local group. |
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