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# System prepended metadata

title: Convocation 2021 notes

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# Convocation 2021 notes

**This document has been moved to ~~Google Docs [here](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1L8GgAwXnBp1o1uK_v522kuA9qMbd1eqnTVGp_PWMtc4/edit?usp=sharing)~~ [this GitHub file](https://github.com/jamesray1/convocation2021/blob/main/Convocation%202021%20notes.md), as there is a line limit here. The below doc is outdated and will not be revised further.**

Key points and inspiration for practice from each talk. Points to practice are in **bold** or *italics*. Points for inspiration and humour are in italics.

Some tips!

You can read for revision or just watch the talk again! Note that you can listen to videos and "multi-task" e.g. while getting exercise, by using the Black Me app to turn off your screen while still continuing to play the video. Notes are taken from the transcript with timestamps. To get to the timestamp of a video, e.g. 12 m of the opening talk, you can either get to each minute. E.g. in this URL:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C3Td2-HDQU&t=12m

&t=12m on the end will go to the 12th minute. 


https://convocation.yogananda.org/#events

## Opening talk

***Affirmation: "Through your grace and power, I will succeed"***

https://convocation.yogananda.org/event/details/95417


See timestamps and transcript for details and exact wording

https://youtu.be/7C3Td2-HDQU?t=452


Lahiri Mahasaya gave a picture to a devotee on her request in the Autobiography. "If you deem it a protection then it is so, otherise it's only a picture.""


https://youtu.be/7C3Td2-HDQU?t=1270

**Make Convocation a sacred pilgrimmage.** Consciously step aside from all of the routines, all of the daily worries and cares, as much as we're able to, we set that aside for this brief period of time. And we set our hearts and our minds on making that pilgrimmage into the holy places, where we can feel that connection with God and the Great Ones.



https://youtu.be/7C3Td2-HDQU?t=1350

Master in the Temple of Leaves

![](http://yogananda.com.au/galleries/py1/images/py1934-the_Temple_of_Leaves.jpg)

![](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/59/aa/9e/59aa9e9eb1a1b253d420dcc8f6ee1bd5--pin-boards-grace.jpg)

https://youtu.be/7C3Td2-HDQU?t=1507

"I am the ever living flame. I am living in the eternal present. And I shall shower the blessings of the Great Ones on all of you."

https://youtu.be/7C3Td2-HDQU?t=1652

The SRF Line of Gurus

 the harmonious blending of all the qualities. Tremendous source of upliftment for all of humanity.

A disciple is spiritually magnetized by **reverent contact** with a Master. A subtle current is generated, and the disciple's undesirable habit mechanisms in the brain are as if cauterized, dissolved, burned away. The grooves of his worldly tendencies are beneficially disturbed, and momentarily at least , he may find the secret veils of maya lifting and glimpse the reality of bliss.

Those who **tune in** feel that energy coming to them from the darshan of a saint or Master, and their brain cells are changed. Just as a rich person can bestow largesse on his family, so the Master who has realized God can transfer that spiritual consciousness from God to disciples who are in tune, as divine peace, wisdom, love, and bliss.

Master said: "Through the teachings you will be in tune with me, and the Great Gurus who sent me."

the mind begins then to rationalize he. That's such a delusion because the mind can rationalize, it beings to make excuses for itself and say, well you know I really can't expect to be happy or successful on the path because there's still so much I haven't studied and these new talks and new classes and new lessons are being released by SRF and YSS every week, so I have a good excuse.

**Find peace, and then everything will fall into place.**

Master's teachings our like a hologram. Every piece contains the image of the entire object. If you **study the teachings regularly**, even a little bit each day, and master even a small part of the essentials, then automatically you access the entirety.

https://youtu.be/7C3Td2-HDQU?t=2150

Perfect that **attunement** with the Guru, then we will find that whatever guidance we need will flow to us in the moment we need it.

**Study of the teachings** keeps us in tune with the Guru.

**Take the teachings, take the plan of life that our Guru has laid out for us, and put that into practice.**

 the more we start to put that into
38:38
practice the more we start
38:40
anchoring our life on the rock
38:44
not just of the written teachings not
38:46
just of the information in the teachings 
 but on that actual connection with the
38:52
divine consciousness in our very souls
38:54
that's the whole purpose of the
38:56
teachings that's the whole point of the
38:57
teachings
38:58
and the techniques and that is what 
convocation is presenting 

we
39:19
**should all do our part**
39:21
to contribute solutions to the problems
39:25
in whatever way god and our soul
39:29
guide us from within 

 and yet on the other hand on the other
39:34
hand
39:35
it doesn't help if we let ourselves
39:38
become a victim of fear
39:40
if we succumb to fear or if we find
39:43
ourselves constantly 
 obsessing about these things by being
39:47
addicted
39:48
to a 24 7 news media feed 

 be realistic about it and **we have to** **put**
40:03
up
40:04
**our spiritual armaments you might say**
40:06
our spiritual guard
40:07
against that ceaseless barrage of
40:10
negativity 

 yes again be realistic but as our guru
40:15
said let's be
40:16
**divine realists** divine realist 


 **the only solution is to hold patiently**
41:57
to the course which has been set out for
41:59
us by god in the gurus 

 i'll show you the way again and again
44:06
until you get it 

**patience** and
44:12
**faith** 

 don't give in to that gloom
44:27
and doom
44:29
we can find joy along the way 

 you know naturally she um she always was
45:12
in
45:13
coming up against these challenges or
45:15
problems in the work
45:17
and she used to say how often she would
45:20
go
45:21
into the master's presence and she would
45:23
say she would start to
45:25
explain to him the problem and he would
45:27
just stop her and say
45:29
**just keep your mind here** **just keep your**
45:32
**mind on god**
45:34
**just give it to god**
45:38
and over and over again he impressed
45:40
that on her
45:42
and she learned it and one time she
45:43
remarked to us she said
45:46
if i hadn't learned that lesson then
45:49
today i would be nothing more than
45:51
another
45:52
harried businesswoman
45:55
what a powerful lesson because
45:58
far from that we all know we all felt
46:01
and still feel
46:03
that great beacon of divine love and joy
46:06
and compassion
46:08
that she became and that she showered on
46:12
all of us over the years
46:15
but let me share another story um partly
46:18
related to this and partly
46:19
again about our revere diamatagy
46:23
from the early years in the in the
46:24
ashram my early years in the ashram
46:26
this was back in the 1980s
46:31
and at that time our editorial
46:33
department
46:34
of which i was a member at that time was
46:37
working on a new book of
46:39
of masters sayings and
46:42
we had promised the book to diamatta
46:45
because
46:46
for years she'd been asking that can srf
46:49
please have a little volume of what she
46:51
used to call
46:52
masters gems of thought and
46:57
she had already planned at this time to
46:59
hand it out as christmas gifts
47:02
and of course we didn't want to let her
47:03
down we
47:06
we had made that commitment to her
47:09
but i found that you know has the these
47:12
long hours to meet that deadline
47:14
week after week
47:17
day after day it started to make me feel
47:21
stretched
47:21
i mean it was it was it was beyond
47:24
anything
47:25
that i had ever felt before i mean
47:28
honestly i felt exhausted i felt
47:31
fatigued
47:32
and um dayamata uh remarked to
47:36
to brother and one of our other monks
47:39
here
47:40
she said what's wrong with terrence
47:42
that's what i was called in those days
47:43
what's wrong with terence he has no life
47:45
force around him
47:47
well well believe me that was a wake-up
47:49
call
47:50
i thought yeah i better do something
47:54
so i thought about it and i i meditated
47:57
about it and i remembered
47:59
these words from from the master from
48:01
masters
48:02
writings he said
48:05
**the lord helps those who help themselves**
48:09
he gave you willpower concentration
48:13
faith reason and common sense
48:16
to use when trying to rid yourself of
48:20
bodily and mental afflictions any kind
48:22
of problem
48:24
you should employ he said all those
48:26
powers while simultaneously appealing to
48:29
him
48:31
and here's the key this is what really
48:33
struck me he said always believe
48:35
that you are using your own but
48:38
god-given powers
48:41
you're using your own but god-given
48:44
powers
48:45
ask his aid but realize that you
48:48
yourself
48:49
as his beloved child are employing his
48:53
gifts
48:54
of will emotion and reason to solve all
48:57
the difficult problems of life
49:00
so i took that and i thought all right
49:03
this is going to be my savior and what i
49:05
did i found it
49:08
when feeling that that stress of meeting
49:11
these deadlines of this
49:12
uh this huge project many times during
49:14
the day i used to
49:16
**just stop close my eyes**
49:19
**look into the spiritual eye**
49:22
**and strongly make this affirmatio**n
49:27
**by your grace and power**
49:30
**i will succeed** by your
49:33
grace and power i will succeed
49:40
you know it wasn't might succeed it
49:42
wasn't i can succeed
49:44
i will succeed and the thing is here's
49:48
the point god's
49:49
grace and power are there for us
49:52
that's right they are there for us but
49:55
we have to deploy them
49:57
we have to put them into action by our
49:59
own will
50:00
that's why both parts of that
50:02
affirmation are needed
50:05
making that inner contact with the
50:07
divine presence by your
50:08
grace and power
50:12
i will succeed
50:15
you see that two parts you see that
50:17
balanced attitude
50:19
that training that guruji was giving and
50:21
is giving
50:22
to every one of his disciples
50:27
and i'm happy to tell you the deadline
50:29
was met
50:30
and uh i guess somewhat appropriately
50:33
and the book was on how to meet life's
50:37
challenges
50:38
that was the uh that's his book that we
50:41
know today the
50:43
where there is light insight and
50:45
inspiration for meeting life's
50:47
challenges
50:51
now you notice that uh gurji was
50:55
referring to your own but god-given
50:58
powers and so
50:59
you know naturally sometimes it's
51:02
we find ourselves asking okay where are
51:05
they
51:06
if god gave them to me somewhere i must
51:08
have lost them
51:12
well we may not be at the hotel
51:15
as in past years a physical convocation
51:18
but we still have the convocation lost
51:20
and found department
51:23
so if you feel like you've lost those
51:24
qualities that's why the theme of this
51:27
week is
51:28
discovering your soul's infinite
51:30
potentials
51:31
stay with the program and you'll find
51:33
them
51:35
stay with the program and you'll find
51:37
them 

 he said the soul is a divine fountain
52:16
of gods freely given ever
52:19
joyous power and wisdom
52:23
and **if you allow it your soul**
52:27
**will be an unfailing all-accomplishing**
52:30
**guide**
52:30
**to right action for happiness and**
52:32
**success**
52:36
but all too often expression of the
52:38
soul's
52:39
joy and discriminative intelligence is
52:42
eclipsed
52:43
by the turbulent emotions that roil the
52:47
waters
52:47
of the human mind and feelings fears and
52:50
worries
52:51
likes and dislikes moods anger hatred
52:55
jealousy and so forth
52:58
therefore gurji says therefore a basic
53:01
principle of yoga
53:03
taught both in the bhagavad-gita and the
53:05
yoga sutras of patanjali
53:08
is that control of the emotions is the
53:11
key to health and happiness
53:14
**control of the emotions** **is the key to**
53:16
**health and happiness**
53:17
the happiest and most successful
53:20
individuals
53:22
are those who have learned to live with
53:25
right mental attitude
53:28
and inner self mastery of the ego
53:31
created emotional reactions and moods
53:40
and he said many persons blame outer
53:43
circumstances
53:45
or they blame the behavior of others
53:47
when they experience hurtful emotions
53:52
but unwanted emotions arise from one's
53:55
own
53:57
lack of control over chitta
54:01
chitta meaning that quality of feeling
54:05
the the aggregate of consciousness that
54:08
expresses
54:10
through the incarnate mind
54:14
unwanted emotions arise from one's own
54:16
lack of control
54:18
over chitta the feeling **and they can be**
54:21
**neutralized**
54:22
**by applying the yoga science of**
54:24
**even-mindedness**
54:25
**and self-mastery**
54:32
so then he went on and he gave he gave
54:35
this
54:36
exhortation to each one of us and now
54:40
be warned that the guru tells it like it
54:44
is this is not a sugar-coated
54:47
explanation and i think if he were here
54:50
we might very well see him talking like
54:52
he did in that film clip that i
54:54
mentioned
54:54
from awake when he was you know
54:57
forcefully impressing this on our
54:59
on our consciousness but he does it for
55:01
one reason
55:02
because he loves us he loves us and he
55:06
wants us to see
55:07
he wants to see us become free
55:10
so listen to his words with that
55:12
motivation in mind
55:17
if you have led a life dominated by
55:19
worldly influences
55:22
do not let the world impose its
55:24
delusions upon you
55:26
any longer
55:30
**you should control your own life**
55:32
henceforth
55:33
**you should become the ruler of your own**
55:36
**mental kingdom**
55:39
fears worries discontent and unhappiness
55:43
result from a life uncontrolled
55:45
uncontrolled by wisdom
55:50
now what is wisdom wisdom is the very
55:54
nature of the soul the very nature of
55:56
the soul
55:58
so we may just think of it any time that
56:00
we we feel bothered or anytime we feel
56:03
troubled or worried or afraid or
56:06
frustrated or anger angry
56:09
any kind of physical or emotional upset
56:12
there's one reason
56:13
we have lost our awareness of the soul
56:19
now i urge you don't let that be a
56:23
discouraging thought
56:25
it's not a discouraging thought
56:28
if we take it as a divine realist and
56:31
remember that
56:32
**identifying the problem is the first**
56:33
**step to solving it**
56:35
and to me that attitude that's what
56:38
makes this convocation so exciting
56:41
so something we look forward to so much
56:44
because **this whole week is a practical**
56:47
**workshop**
56:50
giving us the tools we need to reclaim
56:53
our forgotten divinity
56:57
for the next week for many hours each
57:00
day
57:02
we're going to be exploring together and
57:04
more importantly we're going to be
57:05
practicing together
57:06
the teachings given by Paramahansa
57:08
Yogananda
57:09
to remedy that loss of connection with
57:12
the soul
57:22
there's been a lot of time a lot of
57:25
loving effort that's gone into preparing
57:28
this week for each for all of you
57:30
the program has been especially designed
57:33
to help you navigate
57:35
spiritually through these difficult
57:37
times
57:39
we have a wonderful roster of our
57:42
classes presented by some of our senior
57:44
monks and nuns
57:46
i think you're going to find a
57:48
tremendous amount of help
57:50
in their wonderful and inspired
57:52
presentations and also
57:54
accompanying each of the classes in the
57:57
short experiential workshops and guided
57:59
meditations that are
58:01
presented along with the classes this is
58:03
something new that we're introducing
58:05
this year
58:06
for all of you again to make it
58:10
not just information but experience
58:13
transmission of spiritual consciousness
58:20
so now i'm going to turn you over to the
58:23
other monks and nuns until later in the
58:25
week
58:26
and by the way i don't mean just the
58:29
monks and nuns that you're going to be
58:30
seeing on your computer or tv screen
58:33
they're just the tip of the iceberg you
58:36
know how an iceberg that
58:37
you only see 10 and the 90 is underwater
58:40
well the other hidden 90 of that iceberg
58:44
are the two or 300 monks and nuns in our
58:47
ashrams all over in the united states
58:50
in india and europe who you won't see
58:54
but who i've requested to especially
58:56
pray for you
58:58
throughout this week to pray that all of
59:01
you who are participating in convocation
59:04
receive tremendous spiritual blessings
59:06
receive that transmission of spiritual
59:08
consciousness
59:10
so just remember in addition to your own
59:12
efforts
59:13
in addition to the the help and
59:16
blessings of god in the gurus
59:18
know that you have spiritual
59:20
well-wishers
59:22
in all our ashrams around the world who
59:24
are silently
59:26
and constantly supporting you in a
59:29
powerful way
59:33
so can we go back just to the beginning
59:35
then and
59:36
and uh now in the context of everything
59:39
we've talked about this morning
59:41
let's go back to that experience
59:45
of forging the connection of forging
59:47
that
59:49
openness and receptivity where that
59:51
transmission of consciousness
59:53
can take place so again sit up straight
60:00
inhale the breath and hold and feel that
60:04
peace is flowing into your body and
60:06
cells
60:07
and nerves and thoughts and feelings
60:15
inhale hold and exhale
60:22
feel peace permeating your whole being
60:28
now with the eyes closed and uplifted
60:31
and gazing into that point between the
60:34
eyebrows the spiritual eye
60:35
the christ consciousness center the
60:38
center of kutusta chaitanya
60:45
visualize that great aura
60:48
of divine golden light
60:52
shining out of eternity on your body
60:55
mind and soul
60:59
and visualize in that great aura of
61:03
golden light
61:07
that sphere
61:11
of blue pure divine consciousness
61:18
in the midst of which is that
61:22
diamond-like
61:24
radiant white star of cosmic
61:26
consciousness
61:30
visualize that more than visualize that
61:34
feel that spiritual blessing
61:37
that spiritual power pouring from that
61:40
divine portal
61:42
in the spiritual eye over your whole
61:50
being
61:53
feel that you're receiving it feel that
61:56
it's washing you
61:58
cleansing you purifying you energizing
62:04
you
62:07
and awakening the reality of your soul
62:12
beloved of god beloved of god
62:31
and in closing i want to read just a few
62:33
poetic lines
62:36
our guru wrote this in a poem that he
62:38
called the cup of eternity
62:42
and he talks about that spiritual eye
62:45
that we're just
62:46
visualizing and experiencing
62:49
he talks about that as a little cup
62:53
a little orb from which the soul
62:56
can drink so
63:00
and when he when i read these lines and
63:02
he talks about the little orb that's
63:03
what he means the spiritual
63:04
eye that portal to divine consciousness
63:08
so these are these words are for all of
63:09
you
63:13
he wrote the traveler of the endless
63:17
track
63:19
all weary thirsty
63:22
sore doth seek to quench the quenchless
63:26
mortal thirst the wordless worry
63:30
of the heart he spies a cup
63:34
a little orb and hides to drink with
63:38
joyful sob
63:40
now in the little cup he'll see
63:44
unsounded deep of eternity
63:48
for ageless hours and endless days
63:52
the ambrosial drink heal taste
63:56
and praise
63:59
the deathly thirst so fleshly born
64:04
shall parch his soul o near again
64:08
the cup he'll drink but not the bane
64:12
to quench his thirst and bliss
64:15
attain and for other thirsting souls
64:19
he'll weep
64:20
and beg them from the cup
64:23
drink deep
64:27
for other thirsting souls he'll weep and
64:30
beg them
64:31
from the cup drink deep
64:37
so my beloved friends that's my wish and
64:40
my prayer
64:41
for each one of you from the cup of this
64:44
convocation
64:46
drink deep drink deep
64:50
god bless you until we meet again
65:54
you


## How to Get the Most Out of Convocation to Transform Your Life

https://convocation.yogananda.org/event/details/11600


00:24
Pranams and greetings to you all and welcome once again after such a
00:29
wonderful beginning to Convocation
00:31
from our president, Brother Chidananda,
00:33
and his always incomparable reminders and inspiration
00:38
and spiritual direction for the week ahead.
00:41
And the purpose of this class is to build further on how
00:45
the integrated program of meditations and kirtans and classes
00:51
and video presentations and so on, can help us to achieve
00:55
those high intentions and to literally transform ourselves
01:00
in body, mind, and soul.
01:02
And so the name of our class is entitled
01:04
“How to Get the Most Out of Convocation to Transform Your Life.”
01:09
And I thought we might get started by taking a walk back in time
01:13
to when our guru and founder Paramahansa Yogananda
01:17
first came up with this life-changing idea of a week dedicated solely to
01:23
unlocking the soul’s potential, as Brother Chidananda had shared
01:26
with us in the beginning, and to, again, literally transform
01:30
our lives and consciousness.
01:34
And it was back in 1950 when one day he was talking with
01:39
one of his very close and exalted disciples, Sri Daya Mata,
01:43
who many of us will know, later became one of the presidents of SRF and YSS.
01:51
And he said to her on that occasion,
01:53
“I think we ought to have a Convocation next year.”
01:56
And he added, “And I want you to organize it.”
02:00
And for those of us who will remember her telling us that story, she said,
02:05
“I was shocked.” And she thought to herself, “This time he’s gone too far,”
02:10
meaning too far in what he was was expecting of her at that time.
02:15
And so she said, “Master” — and just a short pause here,
02:20
when we might hear one of the close disciples
02:24
or followers of our Guru address him
02:26
as “Master,” it merely signifies one who has become master of him or herself
02:31
and wishes only to bring others to that same state of consciousness.
02:36
And so she said, “Master, I cannot do it. It is physically impossible.”
02:41
And then she said she thought of all the very good reasons why she couldn’t do it.
02:45
She said, first, she knew nothing about organizing Convocations,
02:49
and then secondly, she said she didn’t have hardly any help at that time
02:53
to do what she was already expected to do, which thirdly,
02:57
involved basically managing the offices, the organization, the correspondence,
03:02
the ashram matters, the financial matters.
03:05
So, as she said, she felt very justified in why she felt she couldn’t
03:10
rise to that occasion and take on that extra duty.
03:15
However, she said, when — and we’ll remember —
03:17
she said when Paramahansaji left Mount Washington,
03:20
she said she could tell all was not right with that conversation with the Guru.
03:25
And she said she herself felt uneasy. She felt out of tune.
03:28
She said she felt that joy and peace
03:31
and happiness was no longer flowing in her life.
03:36
But again, just like we might do,
03:37
when we have this sort of mental struggle back and and forth
03:40
for some of our challenges and big tasks in our lives,
03:44
she then went back and thought,
03:46
“But still, I’m justified. It’s not reasonable. I really can’t do it.”
03:52
But she said she tried to meditate that evening,
03:54
she tried then to retire to get some rest, and she said her mind was too upset.
03:59
So she sat up and she said, “I **began to analyze my attitude**.”
04:04
And it’s interesting, she segued a bit at this point of her story.
04:10
And she said, “The trouble with most people is that they can’t stand
04:14
to look at the truth about themselves —
04:18
although those of us who knew, this never could apply to our Daya Mata.
04:24
And so she went on and said, “As I **introspected** that night in my room
04:28
and objectively analyzed why I was so distressed,
04:32
I had to admit the truth of the matter. I was not unable to take on this task
04:38
Master had asked of me, but I was **unwilling to do so.**”
04:43
And she continued, “To my mind, the reasons
04:45
why I could not organize the Convocation seemed justified;
04:49
but now I realized
04:51
I was just rationalizing my own unwillingness to assume
04:55
such a great responsibility.”
04:59
And she said the moment that she got behind her thoughts
05:04
and realized what was going on deeper in her consciousness,
05:08
she said instantly she felt this wave of peace come over her.
05:13
And before she fell asleep that night,
05:15
she determined in the morning that she will get in touch with Paramahansaji
05:18
and assure him that she’ll do her best in organizing
05:22
the Convocation that he wanted.
05:26
But she said when she got up in the morning and before she herself
05:29
had a chance to call, Paramahansaji called her.
05:33
And she and the other disciples at that time who lived with our Guru
05:38
said whether they were in the same room with him or whether he was on
05:42
the other side of the world, he always seemed to know their struggles,
05:47
their consciousness, what they were going through.
05:51
But in order to speak first, she said she quickly said to him, “Master,
05:55
please forgive me for my unwillingness. My attitude was wrong.
06:00
I don’t know how to organize a Convocation,
06:03
and I confess that I already feel overburdened. But I promise you this:
06:08
**I will do my best**.”
06:11
And then she said, “I can never forget how sweetly he replied:
06:15
‘That is all I ask of you.’ ”
06:18
And the purpose of all these stories, too, and
06:21
we know, Daya Ma, she doesn’t want to share her life, so to speak,
06:26
and yet sharing it because of the joy that the experiences of her life
06:31
brought her, she wants to do the same for us. And in the same way,
06:35
that’s all the Lord expects of us as well, that we just do our best.
06:38
We’re not expected to achieve perfection,
06:42
that doing our best is what leads to that perfection, in time.
06:48
And so she goes on, “Well, we had the Convocation and it was a success.
06:52
And she said, “Furthermore, my world did not come to an end!”
06:56
And she said, “From that experience I learned what great strength
06:59
and blessings come from **willingness**.”
07:03
And conversely, she added, “Unwillingness is a formidable stumbling block
07:08
on the spiritual path.” She said,
07:10
“So often our failure to progress is caused by this one obstacle.”
07:18
And so I was thinking, each one of us here today can give our own thanks,
07:24
some 71 years later, to her attunement,
07:27
to her willingness to take on that task of Convocation
07:30
so that these many years later here we are,
07:33
able to enjoy following those footsteps,
07:36
the footsteps of all those who have attended Convocations in the past,
07:40
and benefit from that same experience.
07:44
And an event that has grown from those couple of hundred participants
07:49
here at the Mother Center in 1950, to what is now literally
07:53
a world event, attended not just by thousands, but some of our events
07:57
actually tens of thousands.
08:00
And so again, the point also is when we apply or muster those same qualities,
08:07
or carry that same torch of willingness and faith, and use them in our lives against
08:13
the obstacles we face, then we can attain
08:16
a similar transformation in our lives, as well.
08:21
And so that was the story of that first World Convocation
08:25
from Daya Ma’s perspective, who was asked to organize that event.
08:31
But that 1950 Convocation was unique for our Guru, as well.
08:35
In fact, he said that during that event,
08:38
he had what he called one of the greatest experiences
08:42
of his entire life.
08:44
And it’s a story that this time was narrated by Sri Mrinalini Mata
08:48
who, again, as most of us know, succeeded Sri Daya Mata
08:52
as our fourth president of SRF and YSS after Daya Ma’s passing.
08:59
And so Mrinalini Ma starts off,
09:01
“I remember at the time of our first World Convocation,
09:05
held at the Mother Center in 1950,
09:08
Master was having a particular difficulty with his legs.”
09:12
And she paused and said because of the karma that he was taking on
09:17
of others at the time onto his own body.
09:22
And she said, “He was not even able to stand or walk
09:26
without the most extreme pain,
09:28
and so it was arranged that he would be driven in a car
09:31
down to the tennis court where the gathering was to be held.”
09:36
And she said, “We were all praying and worrying,
09:38
‘How will he ever be able to get up onto the platform to give his talk?’ ”
09:43
And she continued, “As the car drove up and stopped, those of us who knew
09:47
the difficulties his body was going through at the time,
09:51
were holding our breath anxiously.
09:53
The door opened and Master stepped out of the car —
09:56
and we all gasped in unison,
09:59
because it really seemed that Master did not walk but floated,
10:03
his feet barely touching the ground
10:05
as he made his way up the ramp to the podium.
10:09
And she said “He stood there for two hours
10:12
and spoke to the people;
10:14
And then he greeted everyone who had come —
10:16
staying for many hours after his talk.
10:20
Afterward, when he returned to his rooms, he said to us all:
10:24
‘This has been one of the greatest experiences of my life.’ ”
10:28
And I was thinking, imagine
10:30
that was already toward the end of his life,
10:33
and yet he considered that one of the greatest experiences
10:37
that he ever had.
10:40
And he goes on, “See how Divine Mother shows you the unreality of life
10:44
and it’s alternating contrasts.
10:46
On one side you see how this body suffered;
10:49
on this other side you see I am completely aloof.
10:54
I am held in the arms of Divine Mother;
10:57
and I don’t know this body or its suffering at all.”
11:02
And Mrinalini Ma went on and continued, she said,
11:05
“We saw this in the life of our Guru —
11:08
how he was living in a physical body like yours and mine,
11:12
which was capable of feeling pain
11:14
and was subject to the limitations of illness and injury;
11:18
And how at the same time
11:19
he could **express the infinite power and potential of the mind**
11:23
**to transcend those physical ‘realities.’**
11:27
When he said to the body, ‘Get up and walk,’
11:30
even if it was sick or suffering that body got up and walked.
11:35
Sometimes,” she said, “it would seem impossible
11:38
that he would be able to fulfill a lecture engagement
11:41
or to meet with people who had come from far away to see him.
11:45
Undaunted,” she said, “he would prepare for the meeting or interview,
11:49
and when the time came,
11:50
suddenly all trace of the ailment would leave.”
11:55
And then she goes on and quotes more from Paramahansaji himself, which
12:00
again gives a further back-view of
12:03
what a saint or master is experiencing in, again, his or her life.
12:09
And which again brings forth a meaning or lesson
12:12
for us as well.
12:14
And so she went on, “Because of his exertion of will,
12:19
and because of his faith in that Infinite Power within him,
12:22
as he said, ‘God always comes to my aid.’ ”
12:27
Though he added, “Divine Mother never tells me,
12:30
up to the last moment,
12:32
whether or not She is going to give me the power and the ability,
12:36
whether or not She is going to remove these tests,
12:40
the suffering from me.”
12:43
But he said, “All I know
12:45
is that it is now time to serve Her,
12:47
to share God with these who have come seeking my help.
12:51
“But always,” he said, “at the last moment,
12:54
it is as though She lifts me up in Her arms,
12:56
into that great Love and that great Light.”
13:01
And Mrinalini Mata ended that story and said,
13:03
“So he told us after that occasion at Convocation:
13:07
‘**When I stepped from the car,
13:09
suddenly I no longer had the consciousness
13:12
or the feeling of the body.′ ”
13:14
He said, “The body and all of the people and surroundings
13:18
just became one mass of the light of God.”
13:22
And he said, “I felt myself floating
13:24
in that Light, that Consciousness of God.”**
13:28
And Mrinalini Ma said, “We who were there saw it —
13:32
It was a real miracle that we witnessed.
13:35
And we knew
13:36
that a divine power had elevated our Guru at that moment.”
13:43
And so as our Guru teaches, and again, as we know how
13:47
our president, Brother Chidananda, always encourages us,
13:53
we shouldn’t think that these qualities and experiences
13:56**
are just for a few chosen ones,
14:00
but rather we are all chosen ones. We all have the same potential.
14:06
And it is to awaken that divine potential,
14:09
to awaken that same consciousness in us,
14:11
which again is the reason why our Guru established
14:14
these World Convocations in the first place, that
14:17
again, we might have the opportunity to
14:20
spend a week of our lives, to immerse ourselves
14:23
in discovering who and what we really are,
14:26
so that we may get closer to that same divine consciousness
14:30
in our own lives as well.
14:35
Now of course it wasn’t long before this
14:38
extraordinary idea of Convocation
14:41
started to draw more and more seekers and students and friends.
14:45
And so within a fairly short period of time,
14:49
we outgrew the opportunity to
14:52
host the numbers that were interested to come to Convocation
14:56
here at our Mother Center.
**Fun facts for trivia**
14:58
And so we then moved to what is known as India Hall
15:01
at our Hollywood Ashram Center.
15:04
And from there to the Hollywood Assistance League Theater,
15:08
that we also quickly outgrew.
15:11
And then to what is known as the Wilshire Ebell Auditorium.
15:15
And then from there it was our joy to
15:18
then move into what is known as the Biltmore Hotel, where
15:21
as most of us know, that is where our Guru
15:23
left his body in mahasamadhi in 1952
15:27
after speaking of God and his beloved India.
15:31
But even then it was just a matter of time before we outgrew the Biltmore Hotel.
15:35
And after some years we finally moved in to the site of what is our current location,
15:40
the Bonaventure Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.
15:44
And of course we could have never foreseen the
15:47
events of the last year or two.
15:50
And so that Convocation at the Bonaventure Hotel
15:54
has now of course expanded into a virtual worldwide Convocation
16:00
that has gone beyond hotels and borders,
16:04
but has embraced the whole world.
16:08
And for a moment, thinking back to
16:10
the Biltmore and Bonaventure Hotels,
16:14
it was a real joy and is a real joy working with the management there.
16:19
First with the Biltmore staff and of course currently with the
16:23
hotel management at the Bonaventure.
16:27
And one of the managers one time said to us,
16:30
“We just love having your people here.”
16:34
And he added, “You make a temple of this hotel.”
16:38
And he said, “No other group that we host in their conventions has such members.
16:43
Where do you find so many persons who are so well-behaved?”
16:47
And then this fellow added, “Some of them even make their own beds.”
16:53
And so, the point is we may not always see our progress or
16:59
how we’re being transformed.
17:01
And again, to keep in mind, our Guru once said that effort is progress.
17:05
And I said before, doing our best is what is inspiring
17:09
to others and to the Divine.
17:12
And so we often may not realize just how our own efforts
17:17
can and do inspire others along their path as well.
17:24
Thinking back, I now remember my own
17:27
first convocation that I attended back in 1973.
17:32
And at the time there was such a large number of members and
17:37
devotees from the New York–New England area where I was living at the time,
17:42
that someone got the idea to look into
17:45
whether it might actually be cheaper to charter a plane
17:49
just for all of us to go out to Convocation — and in fact that’s what happened.
17:53
And so I remember here we were
17:55
flying out on our own plane together.
17:58
And halfway through the flight,
18:00
one of the members handed me a harmonium.
18:02
I was sitting sort of in the middle from front to rear,
18:06
and thought okay that was the most strategic position in which we can
18:10
spread out this chanting.
18:11
And so here we were, this whole group of members, our own jet,
18:15
from front to back, chanting our Guru’s Cosmic Chants
18:19
while we’re flying out through the clouds.
18:20
So that was my, I hadn’t even arrived at Convocation yet,
18:23
but that’s how we were all making our approach
18:26
into Los Angeles for this experience.
18:29
And, you know, from that flight out
18:33
to the first event at Convocation to the last,
18:36
I was just mesmerized.
18:38
And I had never experienced anything like that in my life before.
18:41
And it was safe to say, looking around at all the other
18:45
members who I didn’t know, but I could
18:48
just see and feel they were having the same experience as I was.
18:51
And if somebody were to ask me “What is Convocation?”
18:55
From my experience before entering the ashram, as a monastic,
18:59
and now from this side as well, my perspective is the same.
19:04
I would I would answer just right away.
19:06
It’s the most brilliant, novel idea to take a week out of our lives
19:11
and to dedicate those days entirely to discovering
19:16
in a greater way what and who we really are.
19:18
And not just by ourselves,
19:20
but in the company of so many others — thousands literally —
19:23
that are endeavoring to do the same thing.
19:26
And of course, those of us that have come to Convocation,
19:30
to these different venues, and feel that power as a group,
19:34
still even if we’re alone right now in our flat or our home somewhere,
19:38
still we can feel that we are experiencing Convocation,
19:43
we are making this effort in the company of each other,
19:46
and that will have a profound
19:48
benefit to our own individual seeking as well;
19:52
so much so that at the end of this week,
19:54
we are changed, we are transformed,
19:56
we’re supercharged in body, mind, and soul,
19:59
ready to go back into our daily lives
20:02
and to face whatever battles lie ahead of us
20:06
and to experience in a greater way the joys that lie ahead of us as well.
20:12
And in its own unique way, again as we can experience,
20:16
we are experiencing in this moment,
20:18
and certainly those who participated in that first online Convocation last year,
20:23
we know that this year promises to be just the same,
20:26
this wonderful opportunity in this virtual hotel and room
20:32
to have that same transformative experience
20:34
as we would if we were here all together in person.
20:40
And so let’s take a deeper dive now
20:42
into what will actually be offered this week
20:45
and how to get the most out of that virtual experience.
20:49
Of course, you can find the weekly schedule
20:52
and all the other relevant information
20:54
on our website as to what is being offered each day —
20:58
the meditations, the classes, the kirtans, the video,
21:04
the virtual video tours of the ashram centers where our Guru lived,
21:08
and the other video offerings.
21:10
And one way to look at this package of Convocation
21:15
is to see that it all makes up
21:17
**what our Guru called his “How-to-Live” teachings,
21:20
this guide to our everyday life and experiences,
21:25
and that lead, he said,
21:26
to the harmonious development of body, mind, and soul.
21:31
And in fact, he categorized
21:33
these How-to-Live skills and principles
21:35
into four areas of practical learning
21:38
that he called “Science of the Body,
21:41
Mental Engineering,
21:43
Social Arts,” and “Applied Spiritual Science.”**

 \k* Also in 2020 SRF Magazines
21:48
And so throughout the week, not just the theory and principles,
21:52
but the actual How-to-Live methods and tools will be taught
21:55
that will help us to realize in our own lives
21:58
that theory and the principles that he teaches.
22:03
And really it’s those tools,
22:05
and in particular those meditation techniques,
22:08
that bring about that transformative change.
22:10
And of course, most importantly, it’s our application, it’s our practice,
22:15
of those tools and those methods
22:18
that will bring about that transformative power of Convocation.
22:24
Now on the website, you’ll also see
22:26
a couple of sections outlining, first of all,
22:28
how to prepare for Convocation, and then secondly,
22:31
how to get the most out of our Convocation experience each day.
22:36
And one of the ideas mentioned, first of all,
22:39
is that you may wish to set aside, if possible,
22:42
a room or a section of a room where each event —
22:46
that can be your place of Convocation,
22:48
that can be your temple or your spiritual cave, so to speak.
22:53
And of course, if you’re sharing Convocation with friends or family,
22:58
then that room or spiritual cave will need to be a bit larger.
23:03
And in fact, on this point, I wanted to mention how,
23:05
last year, how many of you told us
23:10
how wonderful one aspect of this virtual Convocation
23:13
was that it allowed so many of you to come together as a whole family
23:18
and experience Convocation; because, of course,
23:21
sometimes the kids are in school or only one parent can come.
23:25
And so even though we look forward again to the time, of course,
23:30
when we can also come together at the Bonaventure Hotel,
23:33
this is a wonderful opportunity that you shared with us
23:37
to experience Convocation as a family.
23:39
So hello to all of you
23:41
that are experiencing and joining in as a family
23:44
or with your friends again this year as well.
23:48
And then during the week, or certainly during the events themselves,
23:53
it will also help to put aside other activities and distractions
23:57
as much as possible.
23:59
Of course, that’s one advantage
24:00
when we’re actually in person together in a group,
24:03
there’s that social leverage where we’re more quiet,
24:07
where we’re not allowing ourselves to be distracted by things
24:13
versus the temptation perhaps, or inclination — well, you know,
24:19
“I’ll just fold some laundry while I watch the class here,”
24:21
or something like that.
24:22
And in addition, you know, of course, now deep breath —
24:26
another suggestion is that you turn off
24:30
whatever notifications, calls, messages might come through
24:35
on the electronic device
24:37
that you’re going to actually be using to tune in to Convocation.
24:43
Again, the point being so that you can participate
24:45
as much as possible and immerse yourself
24:49
into this week of Convocation.
24:55
Of course, you know
24:56
multitasking can be necessary or good at times,
25:00
but again, on this point,
25:03
meditation and concentration — this is single tasking.
25:07
And again, in general, we know
25:10
if we can let go some of what we may be used to —
25:14
constantly checking our electronic devices
25:20
or just allowing life to distract us —
25:22
the more that we can compartmentalize that,
25:25
then not only during this week of Convocation
25:28
but in all the weeks of our life, we clear some space
25:31
that we may have lost in this electronic age.
25:35
It’s all brilliant. It’s all wonderful.
25:37
We’re using it right now to communicate together
25:40
and to share Guruji’s teachings.
25:42
But it still requires we’re —
25:44
it’s like our Guru said about food once,
25:46
“Food is wonderful.” we know, it’s enjoyable.
25:49
He said, “Enjoy food, eat food.”
25:52
“But,” he said, “don’t let the food eat you.”
25:54
So we make use of the brilliant inventions and innovations
25:59
that are coming from God through mankind,
26:03
but we don’t let these inventions rule us. We rule them.
26:09
So we’ll see if this week you can do that,
26:11
and then in general, maybe see the value of it —
26:14
we clear some space in our lives
26:16
so that the peace and presence of God that’s always there,
26:21
but we may have lost sight of when our minds
26:24
are unavoidably having to, you know,
26:28
like a bird, sort of, jump on each little branch one at a time.
26:34
And then one more practical point,
26:36
and again, depending on your circumstances,
26:38
you might see if each day you can get outside
26:41
and enjoy the beauty of nature;
26:43
or again, depending on your circumstances,
26:48
maybe get some physical exercise each day.
26:50
And as we know, this is so brilliant and important to do
26:53
every day of our lives for that all-round health of body and mind.
26:58
Or another idea in this regard is to take a break every now and then.
27:03
Practice one of our Guru’s energizing or relaxation exercises
27:09
in order to balance the extra hours of sitting
27:13
that we might likely do this week of Convocation.
27:17
And then lastly, is to be sure
27:19
that you’re aware of our virtual meditation room.
27:22
Just like at our normal Convocation, we dedicate a room at the hotel
27:27
where in between events devotees can come
27:29
and in the company of others have that experience of group meditation.
27:34
So in the same way, you can find on the website
27:37
how to enter that room when it’s available
27:39
in between our classes and events.
27:42
So there, as well, even in this virtual Convocation experience,
27:47
we can have the power of group meditation,
27:50
and the help that meditating with others brings.
27:56
Now, one very last point about all this,
27:58
and that is with the many wonderful offerings
28:03
of this week of Convocation,
28:05
**there’s no need to feel overwhelmed by it all
28:08
when you look at the schedule.
28:11
Just relax and just take in Convocation as a whole.
28:16
Let it wash over you and bring about healing
28:19
in body, mind, and soul.
28:22
And one way to help with this is that you might think
28:26
in terms of just taking one quality in particular
28:30
that you want to focus on this week.
28:32
For instance, stillness in meditation,
28:36
or developing greater devotion,
28:38
or learning to experience God, and so forth;
28:42
realizing again, it doesn’t happen overnight,
28:44
but as a way to enjoy Convocation as a whole,
28:48
but in particular feel that you’re making progress
28:52
in one area in particular.
28:54
And in fact, along these lines, our Guru himself said once,
28:57
and listen to this.
28:59
He said, “I was not at first the devotional kind.” Imagine!
29:04
And on top of that, he added, “My mind used to be very restless.”**
29:09
So there’s hope for all of us, hmm.
29:11
“But,” continuing — there’s always a but,
29:14
even, you know, in our Guru’s teachings — he said:
29:18
“But,” continuing with that same quote,
29:20
he went on and said, **“But now it is just like fire.
29:24
As soon as I put my mind at the Christ center, all thoughts are gone —
29:28
breath, heart, and mind are instantly still
29:31
and I’m aware only of spirit.”**
29:35
**So the way for us is to likewise take just one thing
29:39
and then step-by-step build to that same point of mastery.
29:46
Or it might appeal to you to boil it down even further.
29:50
And that is to just take one thought,
29:52
maybe during the week, something —
29:53
“Oh, that really hits the mark. That’s really something I want to be sure;
29:58
that one, that one idea I don’t want to forget.
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I want to do something with it.”
30:03
And again, we enjoy Convocation in its entirety.
30:07
Let that support us.
30:09
Let that keep lifting us up, helping us in ways that
30:12
we can’t even fathom;
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but that we determine to really do something with that one
30:17
thought in particular:
30:19
to dwell on it, to unpack it, to work on it,
30:22
to realize it in our lives.
30:25
In fact, our Guru said on this point as well, he said,
30:28
“Just one thought may redeem you.”
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And if we need even more encouragement
30:35
on another occasion, he said, “If you practice one millionth
30:39
of the things that I tell you, you will reach God.”
30:44
So, disclaimer: I know our Guru said a lot
30:48
in his lifetime, but still — one millionth.
30:52
And Brother Anandamoy said once
30:55
he wanted to be sure we realized that one millionth still includes
30:59
meditation and love for God, love for others,
31:02
there’s probably a few things that need to go in that one part.
31:06
But one millionth: that’s a fraction that sounds very good in our favor.
31:11**
So I think we can take heart from that as well.
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And of course, on a more serious note before we close,
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we also know that life of course isn’t very easy at times, to say the least,
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and certainly not this last year or two in particular.
31:28
And perhaps at this very time, we’re dealing with something that’s
31:32
especially challenging in our lives, something in our family
31:36
or in our own life as well,
31:38
that we’re especially anxious to overcome
31:42
or hopeful that we might find —
31:45
like that story of our Guru or Daya Ma in the beginning —
31:49
a greater faith, a greater courage that
31:51
we might be able to face and overcome that particular difficulty.
31:56
And if that’s the case I would say
31:57
and assure you again from my own experience and realize that
32:01
convocation, this week of convocation is a perfect time
32:05
for you to find that help, to find that strength, to find that courage
32:09
in which to deal with whatever may be going on in your life at this time.
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Because, again, not only are we
32:16
giving ourselves to that divine light
32:20
and strength that we’re looking to draw on,
32:23
but again, we’re doing so in
32:25
the **company** of so many others that are doing the same thing and
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we know, as Christ said, “*Where two or three are gathered there am I*.”
32:32
And so that power that we’re generating as a group
32:36
is going to draw on the Divine in a greater way;
32:40
so that presence of God, that blessing of God is even more present
32:44
at this time than normal for us to appeal to, to turn to,
32:48
and to draw on, to help us face whatever we may be going through.
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Sister Gyanamata, one of the great women disciples of our Guru, once said,
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*“There is no spirituality without heroism.”*
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There is no spirituality without heroism.
33:10
And if we look at the lives of the saints and masters, we see
33:14
this is the path that they walk,
33:17
these are the experiences that they had, that they might show us
33:21
how we can overcome our struggles along our own individual path and journey.
33:27
And if we accept this, if we realize as Paramahanasaji said,
33:31
that *“Yoga is not just a science of meditation,”*
33:36
but he said, *“a science of self-transformation,”*
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— there’s that word again from our title —
33:43
“of,” he said, *“transforming the little body-bound self*
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*into the pure divine Self or soul.”*
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And if we embrace this, if we accept this,
33:54
that these challenges will be part of our life and our life journey,
33:59
then we’ll see for sure at the end of this week that we have changed,
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that we have transformed ourselves, that we,
34:05
we’ve either risen above that particular trial or challenge,
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or we’ll find that we have discovered a new way to
34:13
view that challenge.
34:15
W*e’ll find a greater faith or courage in which to face that challenge.
34:19
And that experience will not only help us in what may be
34:22
going on at this present time,
34:24
but it will give us wisdom and strength and understanding
34:26
for whatever other challenges may lie ahead in our journey
34:31
on our way back to God.
34:33
And so we can take heart from that as well,
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and we’ll see our heart strengthened during this week of convocation.*
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And I was thinking, and again, it was something that
34:44
Sister Gyanamata said in one of her letters once
34:49
that no matter how hard our difficulties are,
34:54
the interesting thing is that if we look within ourselves
34:59
in that stillness of our own soul,
35:01
we’ll realize that no matter how good anyone else has it,
35:05
we really prefer our own karma to anyone else’s.
35:09
Because it’s me, it’s us,
35:12
it’s our beautiful creation, it’s what we know we need
35:15
in order that we might realize and express
35:20
that full divine potential of what
35:22
we are as an individual and unique spark of God.
35:25
And this is what our Guruji said.
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We are unlike anyone else and therefore equally loved,
35:31
equally dear to our Father and Mother Divine.
35:37
And really, God doesn’t want us to be anyone other
35:41
than who we already are.
35:43
In fact, our Guru said once,
35:45
“We should envy no one.” He said “Let others envy us.”
35:50
He said, “What we are no one else is.
35:54
Be proud of what you have and what you are.”
35:58
He said, “No one else has a personality just like yours.
36:02
No one else has a face like yours.
36:04
No one else has a soul like yours.”
36:08
And he said, *“You are a unique creation of God.
36:11
How proud you should be!”*
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And so likewise, in the context of
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convocation and our title about transforming our lives,
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*it’s okay to feel good about that positive
36:24
transformation that we can experience this week,
36:26
about the efforts, the good efforts that we are making,
36:30
about the victories we achieve, the confidence that we’re generating.
36:34
Again, as our Master said in his Lessons,
36:37
“Self-respect is different than pride.”
36:41
He said, “Pride puffs up the ego;
36:43
self-respect is to give honor to the soul.”
36:49
And he went deeper and said, “Never consider yourself a sinner;
36:53
remember always your true divine nature,
36:56
and behave in a way that expresses it.”*
37:01
And again, that is what our week of convocation is all about.
37:05
That is what this transformative week
37:08
of convocation can give us.
37:13
You know, I mentioned toward the beginning of our talk about
37:16
my own first convocation,
37:18
flying out on that plane that we chartered as a group,
37:21
and understandably I was a bit sad to
37:24
leave that bit of heaven on earth,
37:27
and that “temple,” as even the hotel manager had put it.
37:31
And as I was moping through
37:33
the airport in Los Angeles on my way to the terminal —
37:37
this time on a regular commercial flight.
37:41
Although there weren’t X-ray machines at that time,
37:44
there was quite a bit of tension at the airport
37:48
at that particular time
37:49
because of the world events that were going on then as well.
37:53
And so the airport officials were actually
37:56
looking inside everyone’s luggage before
37:58
we were able to board the flight.
38:01
And so my turn came. I walked up to this
38:04
fellow who, he was this big, muscular man.
38:08
And at that moment, it flashed that
38:10
I had purchased at convocation a large 16 by 20 photo of
38:16
Paramahansa Yogananda that I wanted to bring back home with me.
38:19
And I had laid it in my luggage
38:21
face up on the top of of my other belongings.
38:24
And so in a flash, I realized,
38:26
okay, as soon as I open, here’s this picture.
38:29
Here’s this, you know, giant of a man, and this should be interesting.
38:33
So as I unzipped my bag,
38:36
there’s Yogananda’s face looking up.
38:38
Here’s this big man looking down. He took a step back
38:41
*and he said, “Paramahansa Yogananda, my Guru!”
38:45
And he said, “Go on up, everything’s okay.”*
38:48
So as I was recovering from that experience myself
38:55
and trying to process it, and I didn’t really —
38:58
I was too taken out of my own space to
39:01
kind of ask, well, now, when did you become a member?
39:04
And you know all the details.
39:06
let’s face it, I was just enjoying the wonder and the beauty
39:09
of that moment because, again,
39:12
*no miracle, no levitation, no lights.
39:18
But really, these are the best miracles.
39:21
And we all experience them. As soon as we
39:24
turn back toward that light, as soon as we start moving
39:27
back towards spirit.
39:29
These are the most beautiful miracles of all,
39:31
just those simple, little, private, personal miracles of love.
39:35
And of course at that moment, all my sadness was gone
39:41
and I realized that God and Guru were going back with me
39:45
to my home. Not just in a photograph,
39:48
but as a living, loving, caring presence.
39:52
And it reminds me, someone once said once that
39:56
one day we’ll realize that not only
40:00
does Divine Mother love us,
40:03
but She actually likes us as well.*
40:06
And I just think that’s so brilliant.
40:08
Of course, we need, most important, we want to be loved,
40:12
but we want to be liked as well. And that’s what,
40:15
that’s sort of the added bonus of this relationship
40:18
with the Divine — that we are liked so much
40:20
that we can’t even imagine.
40:23
And in these little ways, we are reminded and will be reminded
40:27
now and to the end of our days.
40:31
And so let’s finish our class today,
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if you are able, by spending 10 or 15 minutes together
40:38
in a guided meditation and prayer, that we might experience
40:41
and tune into that miracle of love for each one of us, and enter into
40:46
that presence, that omnipresence of God and the divine Gurus.
40:52
And you’ll see an additional link for that provided below.
40:57
And of course, if you are unable to join in now,
41:01
or plan to do so at another time,
41:03
then let me take this opportunity to wish you all
41:05
the most blessed Convocation.
41:08
You know, those that every year when they come,
41:11
those that have come before, they always say,
41:13
“Oh, you know, this was the best Convocation ever.”
41:16
So for those that have come before, I pray that this be,
41:20
and will be, the best Convocation experience for you ever.
41:23
And if you’re here for the first time,
41:25
may it be the most transformative week of your entire life.
41:29
And, in addition to that, from myself and all the monastics,
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for you, and your family, and dear ones, all our love
41:37
and goodwill now, and always. Jai Guru, Jai Ma. 

xxxxx


"And then during the week, or certainly during the events themselves, it will also help to put aside other activities and distractions as much as possible. Of course, that’s one advantage when we’re actually in person together in a group, there’s that social leverage where we’re more quiet, where we’re not allowing ourselves to be distracted by things versus the temptation perhaps, or inclination — well, you know, “I’ll just fold some laundry while I watch the class here,” or something like that.

And in addition, you know, of course, now deep breath — another suggestion is that you turn off whatever notifications, calls, messages might come through on the electronic device that you’re going to actually be using to tune in to Convocation. Again, the point being so that you can participate as much as possible and immerse yourself into this week of Convocation".
 Bro. Sevananda
