The Cross and The Lotus Journal · Be filled with the peace and ecstasy of God’s almighty love. Aum-Amen. The Reverend Yogacharya Mother Hamilton The Cross and The Lotus Journal

Reverend Mother Yogacharya M. Hamilton

Dedicated to the Realization of God and Service to Him in All Forms

The Cross and The

Lotus Journal

September 2010, Vol. 11, No. 3

The cross and lotus symbolizes the unity between East and West. The lotus is the sign of

illumined consciousness, the thousand petal lotus of the crown chakra. The cross is the sym-

bol of the body surrendered to the will of God. Following the way of the cross results in the

resurrection of illumined consciousness.

The Cross and the Lotus, symbol of man. East and West blended, join hand in hand.

Marching toward the infinite light and life divine. Lift up your eyes and see the star,

descending from heaven where e’er you are. Be filled with the peace and ecstasy of God’s almighty love.

Aum-Amen. The Reverend Yogacharya Mother Hamilton

The Cross and The Lotus Journal is published by

The Cross and The Lotus Publishing

P.O. Box 1864, Mount Vernon, WA 98273, U.S.A.

Website: www.crossandlotus.com

E-mail: [email protected]

© 2010 The Cross and The Lotus Publishing is dedicated to the publication of materials

that promote God-realization. Our spiritual lineage begins with Jesus Christ and Babaji and

flows down to us through Lahiri Mahasaya, Swami Sri Yukteswar, Paramhansa Yogananda

and Yogacharya Mother Hamilton.

The Reverend Yogacharya David Hickenbottom continues this lineage with the help and

support of many sincere devotees. We are dedicated to realizing God and serving devotees of

every race, color, creed and religion.

Mother Hamilton often said she was the product of two fully illumined Masters, her own

Guru, Paramhansa Yogananda, and Swami Ramdas. We therefore feature articles about

Swami Ramdas and Anandashram. We bow to the feet of Saints and realized Masters of all

religions.

The Cross and The Lotus Journal Page 3

Dear Friends,

Recently in working with others

on their spiritual development a

theme has emerged that is both per-

tinent to this time but also reaches

right into the core of human suffer-

ing. It is something that everyone

has done, but when carried to an

extreme is hurtful and destructive. It

is when one cuts others out of his or

her life—physically and emotionally

creating a barrier that becomes an

impenetrable wall.

This wall can be built with the granite blocks of studied indif-

ference, it can be fiery anger, icy silence or vicious rage; the wall

can be built with different materials but it all has the effect of

keeping others at a distance.

Truly, this is something we have all done at times in our lives.

A healthy person may choose to make some distance from an-

other; to use the time to collect himself, to allow emotions to

calm down and to rediscover a connection with his deeper self.

However, when that time extends and the separation becomes a

hardened blockade, fueled by hurt feelings and an angry indiffer-

ence, then the wall becomes a destructive force.

In my own family history there was a farm that was collec-

tively owned by the adult children through inheritance. One

brother ran the farm and the others had part ownership. When

the Great Depression came in the 1930s the farm was lost be-

cause the price paid for fruit was less than what it took to grow

it. Nearly all of that poor brother‘s siblings never spoke to him

again; his son said it was as if they blamed the depression on his

father!

There is much pain and hardness of heart involved in cutting

someone out of your life. It is never a passive activity. Since you

would never bother to do this to someone with whom you have

Page 4 The Cross and The Lotus Journal

no connection, no sympathy or love, then you must use a tremen-

dous amount of life-force to create this distance.

To some it almost seems to be their nature to cut off those who

disappoint them, who do not meet their expectations. Since in

the field of human activity no one will meet the anticipations of

everyone he knows, then every individual will feel let down by

others. If at every turn you cut someone off because you feel

some disappointment, then you will be a very lonely person.

There are some who narrow their circle of affection to a few, in

some cases to none at all; a very lonely plight indeed!

If you analyze why you would exclude someone from your life

you will know that it is out of a sense of protection. There are a

few cases in which someone‘s behavior is so destructive that you

must distance yourself from that one; lest he or she destroy you

and/or others. But that is rare in life.

Most times the protection is fueled by your sense that another

has fallen short of your expectations. ―If he really cared for me,

he would never behave that way!‖ ―A person of integrity would

never do such a thing!‖ or, ―You lied to me, I will never speak to

you again!‖ When your anticipation of how someone should be-

have is wreaked you feel exposed: ―I trusted you and you let me

down.‖ Your deepest feelings are open to the harsh elements;

therefore you want to protect your deeper self from the pain of

too much contact with the world.

When you do not have the courage to do your own work, then

you erect the walls of seeming indifference and keep them in

place. You reason, consciously or unconsciously, ―It is not safe

to be in relationship with that person, therefore I will not open

myself to them.‖ But this kind of reasoning lacks depth and fore-

sight; the solution to feeling overly vulnerable is a fantastic op-

portunity for spiritual growth.

The strength to endure the bumps, hurts and crashes that life

brings to you ultimately comes from your relationship with your

deepest Self. Attempts to indirectly feel a connection with the

Self can take many forms, some healthy and some destructive:

getting bolstered through receiving empathy from friends and


family members, finding consolation in work or a hobby that

makes you feel competent, losing yourself in a book or a fantasy

life where you are invincibly protected, and still others choosing

to find solace in strong drink or drugs to ease the hurt. These are

all indirect ways of finding, or attempting to find, a deeper con-

nection with the Self.

Only when you are consciously aware that the solution to this

problem of vulnerability is found in your connection with your

true Self will you be fully equipped to meet the challenge. You

will know that trying to change another, when he or she is not

interested in change, is a lost cause. You realize that no one in

this world, or any other, can separate you from your true Self

unless you give them the power to do so. Your relationship

with your Self always rests in your hands, and this union

with the Self produces the security, peace and love which you

crave. This is the greatest secret to be known.

Once you know this unlocked secret you are empowered. Your

connection with your Self, which is one with the Divine Princi-

ple, need never be overshadowed by any other relationship.

There may be occasions when, in your sadhana, you are thrown

off your game in staying connected to Self—to merge with your

Self you may need some time away from the disturbing person

or situation. This time is an opportunity to meditate, chant, or get

into nature—to use all of your tools and skills to be established

in your Self. Once you feel strong in your Self you can then en-

ter back into the field of activity with strength and courage;

knowing all that you previously sought for in outer relationships

is really to be found in Self-realization.

The greatest barrier you can erect, and this goes to the core of

suffering for all humanity, is when you build a wall between you

and your eternal Self, between you and God. And why would

you ever choose to do that? It is because you feel that God has

let you down. ―If God is perfect, all love and light, then why

would anything bad or hurtful happen in this world?‖ Without

comprehending the Divine Light that is ever shining within you,

you will be absent the comfort and the understanding that only

comes from the Supreme Consciousness. Instead, you will be


primarily focused on the outer events of life and live in igno-

rance and the pain of separation. Cut off from the Comforter and

the Source of wisdom, you feel alone and betrayed. Your solu-

tion is to never open yourself to your true Self, feeling it has not

been true to you. The truth is: it is not God Who has not been

true to you, you have not been true to God; you closed the door

and put a huge padlock on it.

When I was in India I met a wonderful kriyaban/devotee, Mr.

Tiagi, who disclosed a remarkable and insightful experience to

me. Tiagiji had prayed to Babaji to have the financial means for

his daughter to get married, since he had no savings. The next

morning Mr. Tiagi discovered a roll of rupees under his pillow,

enough for his daughter to get married! When the day of mar-

riage came he prayed to Babaji to come to his daughter‘s wed-

ding since it was through his grace all of his dreams for his

daughter had come true. Mr. Tiagi felt deeply hurt when he did

not see the great Master during the wedding festivities. Some-

time later, during the Kumbha Mela, Babaji magnetically drew

Taigiji to him at Keshashram, the Himalayan ashram established

by Swami Keshabananda, the exalted disciple of Lahiri

Mahasaya. When Mr. Tiagi met Babaji he remembered his hurt

that Babaji had not attended his daughter‘s wedding. Babaji, the

omniscient Master, then described to Tiagiji many details of his

daughter‘s wedding; Mr. Tiagi realized that Babaji had been pre-

sent, even though he had not had ―the eyes to see, or the ears to

hear.‖ Knowing that Babaji had been present resolved his doubt,

his hurt was healed. Likewise, when you know that God has

been a witness to all of your trials in life, inwardly loving you,

working through others to provide what you need (not always

what you want), then the hurts of life melt into a sea of under-

standing and newly gained wisdom.

Be mindful of your relationships in life. Examine yourself to

see if there are relationship rifts that are unresolved. If so, go

about doing your part to take down your defenses. And most im-

portantly, examine your bond with your Divine Creator. Unless

you are swimming in the ocean of His blissful Presence, then

you have not fully removed the walls that keep you in separa-


tion; you have yet to complete your sadhana of coming into un-

ion (yoga) with the Infinite.

In your oneness with God you ultimately find that you are

deeply connected to all of life, every person, all sentient and non

-sentient creation; you cannot avoid it. Your Soul sings with

deep realization: We all come from God, and in Him we all re-

turn. You are merged into omniscience, intimate oneness with all

creation through all-powerful, joyful Spirit.

The Himalayan Char Dham Yatra*

My dear friends,

I have felt a calling over the past years to visit some remote

sites in northern India, a pilgrimage path referred to as the Hima-

layan Char Dham Yatra. The original Char Dham Yatra meant

the 4 cardinal points of India where the great Master Adi

Shankaracharya established temples. The Himalayan or Chota

(meaning small) Char Dham Yatra includes making a pilgrimage

to temples at Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath.

Yamunotri Temple is at the headwaters of the Yamuna River,

Gangotri Temple is the source of the Ganges River, Kedarnath is

a temple dedicated to Shiva, and Badrinath Temple is dedicated

to Vishnu, one of the most venerated holy sites in all of India.

We also plan a trek to Babaji‘s Cave near Dronagiri (the moun-

tain of Drona, the teacher of the Pandus of the Bhagavad Gita).

These mountains and their temples are snowed in much of the

year. They hold a special significance in Hinduism. They are

naturally endowed with a sacred aura that has been enhanced by

the many saints who have trod their way to these remote destina-

tions, sanctifying the entire region.

Our yatra will begin in Haridwar at the samadhi temple of La-

hiri Mahasaya on the great Master‘s Mahasamadhi day, Septem-

ber 26th. We will make a clockwise sweep of the mountainous

route in a sturdy vehicle and will hike into several of the sites.

* Yatra: Spiritual Pilgrimage


We will be as high as 11,000 feet in altitude and will have vistas

of some of the tallest snow peaked mountains in the world.

When we return to the lower altitudes we will embark south-

ward to Anandashram (the abode of Bliss) for a few weeks stay.

There will be a group of 13 travelling together and we will be

away for approximately six weeks, September 22nd through Oc-

tober 31st. We appreciate your loving prayers for a safe and ful-

filling journey, and you are heartily invited to come with me in

Spirit. See Map

Also, please see article on page 22

Letter (from and) to a Devotee

Dearest David,

[Excerpted] I thank you with all my heart and soul. In the

journal, when I read what you wrote about the poem from St.

John of the Cross, that there is a state where you are no longer

who you once were, and you are not yet fully present in your

spiritual Self I felt such truth in this. I do feel caught in between,

and it is both uplifting and beautiful and also a little scary. I

want to do everything possible to realize my oneness with God,

and so much of the time I feel like I fall short of this. I think this

is why I sometimes feel afraid…because I am not enough and I

have all these areas of imperfection. This is a fear that must be

destroyed.

My dear _______,

Thank you for the heartfelt letter.

Imagine a seedling, so small and seemingly so insignificant.

Advance in time and the seedling sends down roots into the

ground, branches reach up to the sky, at first so little and fragile.

Move forward even more time and see the roots grab hold of the

earth, the branches reach up higher, the stalk turns into a trunk,

all the time the tree gains strength. With farsightedness peer into

the distant future and now you will behold a great tree: tall,

weathered, inured to changing seasons, wise in its years and


great in its presence. Who would have guessed that such a grand

tree would have come from such an infinitesimal beginning?

Judge the seedling‘s future in any of the snapshots of develop-

ment and you would miss what it is surely destined to become.

See the potential within the seed from the beginning and you

will stand in awe of its developing majesty in each stage. The

growth can seem delicate, that is true. However, what is even

more true is the strength of its certain future.

That seedling is you. Feel the evolutionary strength demand-

ing growth within you, stronger than any limiting obstacles put

in the path of growth. Your destiny is assured; you are powerful

in the eternal Light.

Do not worry; you have the great potency of a divine seed,

more than you can know. Remain strong in the Light; God and

Gurus will supply all that you need and more.

With unending love and Light,


Melody of God An Excerpt from a Talk Given by

The Reverend Mother, Yogacharya M. Hamilton

in Seattle on May 10, 1978

Mother Hamilton

[Here are a few paragraphs from an article by Swami Ramdas.

When Mother gave this talk she read the whole article.]

Glory of the Divine Name

The guru and the Name, which the guru gave, were the

two greatest saviors that liberated Ramdas from the

bondage of ignorance and granted him perfect bliss and

peace. He who has always God’s Name on his lips is a

blessed soul. God’s name is sweeter than nectar. If you

keep it in your tongue always, you will be drinking the

sweetness of it, and that sweetness will enter into every

part of your being and make you intoxicated with the di-

vine emotions of peace and bliss.

So Name is the precious jewel, which we should not

lose when we have once gained it. If we take to it, we

must do so with all our heart, with all our love and faith


in its power. Sages and saints are never tired of singing

the glories of the Name. You may find this out for your-

self. Sit still and sing the Name and get your mind inebri-

ated with its sweetness. You will find your whole body is

permeated with a strange ecstasy and what you will find:

your ego sense or low desires disappear completely, and

you are thoroughly purified.

If you continue doing this practice, you will be estab-

lished in that state. You will become the very image of

God. No other sadhanas can take you to this spiritual

height. Other sadhanas may raise you to self–realization,

but they cannot infuse into you that joy of the self, perme-

ating your entire being, entering not only your mind and

intellect, but also in all your emotions, senses and body.

Nay, every atom of your physical frame will be thrilling

with joy. That is why the saints approach God by taking

His Name, His sweet and glorious Name constantly.

…That is why the Name has been held as the highest

thing in the world. Ramdas’ one task wherever he went

was to glorify the Name and tell everybody to take the

Name. The Name of two syllables, Rama, Krishna, Shiva

or any name one liked. See the power it wields on you,

how it elevates you, illumines you and fills you with di-

vine peace and joy.

…But his prime object, the burden of his song, as it

were, was to spread the message of the Name every-

where. That is his favorite subject, the glory of the Name

that was given to him by his compassionate and all–

merciful guru.

That is a tremendous article. You know, I have, at times,

known people who have not been interested in chanting the

name of God. Each one‘s path is different according to his own

nature; there is no question of a doubt about that. But to sing to

God, to chant from your very soul, from your very heart, just

praising Him, worshipping Him, adoring Him—to me, is a tre-

mendous experience.


I love to do it. I love to hear others do it. And if you can tune

in with the vibration that the Name brings forth within your

heart, within your consciousness, within your soul, your whole

being is filled with the infinite bliss and peace of God‘s pres-

ence. Try it and see whether or not what I say, what the saints

have all said, is not true.

There is Nothing but the Name

[Mother then read from Chapter 1 of Saint John which begins

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God”]

I want to talk to you tonight about the melody of God. There‘s

a music without strings, and yet when you sing the name of God,

it binds you with a cord that is the strongest cord that you can

possibly imagine in this world. And it‘s a cord which cannot be

broken. It has no knots in it. It seems to have no beginning and

no end, but it originates within the spirit of God and as He sends

forth His own spirit. And He enters this garment of flesh, which

each of us wears.

That Name is the light; it is the sound, which keeps us moving

and living in this body which He has given to us, which is the

temple not made by hands. When you stop to think about it, it‘s a

strange thing to think that sound or word, rather, can produce

light. We think of it, certainly, as being able to produce sound

but not necessarily light. And yet we have this electrical sub-

stance in the universe that is brought forth by this same Word of

God.

When you close the outer ear; in other words when you go

deep within your own consciousness as you lose track of all of

the things of the senses, when your concentration is so great that

you are totally involved with listening to this name of God that

sings itself constantly within your own being, you go beyond

time, space, the word, the atom, every known human experience,

and you find yourself one with God, one with His light, one with

His sound, one with His glory, and you are filled with the bliss

of His presence.


These are not just words. Saints and sages have been speaking

of this mystical experience down through the ages, and surely

not all of them could say these things unless they had actually

experienced them. If you will read the stories of the lives of the

great saints of the world, you will find that each and every one of

them had this sort of an experience. The Word is called by many

names in accordance with the particular language, the particular

religion. In India it is called Ram Nam. It is also called Aum,

which is the basis of all sound, Aum, and yet is pronounced as

though it were spelled O–M.

That word, because of the fact that the world has been getting

smaller all the time, has become a household word practically all

over America today, where once it was totally unknown. Even

50 years ago this is so. I think that Master was one of the first to

introduce it to this country. But today, this word is indeed

known, and there are many who are chanting Ramnam all over

America. And it is a beautiful thing to listen to.

Then we have Confucius, the Confucians [Taoists] who call

the word Tao, and it‘s spelled T‑A‑O. And then I think―I wrote

down a few of these things: the Sikhs call it Shabd, S‑H‑A‑B-

D. The Hindus also call it Nadi Asmani, heavenly harmony. And

that is also Islamic. In the Christian, we call it the Holy Spirit,

the Word, and the Holy Ghost. The Greeks call it the Logos. And

the Zoroastrians call it Sharosha.

This Name sustains all of the worlds, all of the universes in

this whole galaxy and beyond. There is nothing but the Name.

Do you realize that every object which you see, every form

which you see, is a product of the Name because the Name and

God are not different. So it is easy to understand why some of

the saints use only the Name. They repeat it constantly in order

to realize their oneness with God.

The Holy Ram Mantram

I‘m sure that many of you have read In Quest of God and In

the Vision of God by Swami Ramdas. You have read how God

took him up, his Father became his Guru and he gave him the

mantram, Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram Om. Or, no, without the


Om. And he, himself, added this powerful word of Om. So it‘s

Om Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram, which means victory to God

through the name of God. You can go all over India today and in

many, many places you hear people chanting the name of God,

this Ramnam Mantram, in the marketplace, people behind stalls

selling their wares. When there isn‘t a customer present—they

stand there and they sing to God.

The Universality of God and His Son

…When you travel around the world, you cannot doubt that

every single one you see is a child of God. And to say that some

are children of God, but others are not because their religious

belief goes by a different name is to but show our stupidity and

our ignorance because there is only one Father God, one Creator,

one Christ who is universal. He is that Word, which emanated

from God and which took on the flesh and the form of every man

as well as in the midst of each and every one of us.

And when we come to realize that every great scripture in the

world says that same thing exactly in their own language, then

we begin to understand the universality of God and the univer-

sality of His only begotten son by whatever name we want to

call Him: whether it be Krishna, whether it be Christ, whether it

be Mohammed, whether it be Buddha, whether it be Confucius,

whether it be whatever, God is there. And that only begotten son

is that Holy Spirit, that Holy Name, that Holy Ghost, which

comes from God Himself. That is His first and only begotten

son, which takes on a garment of flesh and is among us.

He is our mind, He is our heart, He is our soul. And when the

Name departs from us, this form, which we give so much cre-

dence to, so much importance to, no longer exists at all. It is the

truth that there is no such thing as death because the spirit is infi-

nite, it is eternal and it continually takes on new garments

through which to express itself. All of nature is born in the same

way with its seasons: with its bareness at times during certain

seasons, with its cloak of leaves, during other season its blos-

soms, its fruits, its harvest, and then how the fruit, whatever it is,

again falls to the ground. It disintegrates, and the seeds take root


and another harvest comes up. And this is the way all of nature

is.

What makes us think that man could be different? Why would

God make all of His creation one way and then single out man to

make different? It‘s true we alone have the consciousness to seek

our oneness with God. We alone have the intelligence to go

within ourselves and find out who and what we are. But God is

present in every single creature that exists on this earth, equally

present. Each one comes with his own state of consciousness.

This is due to his past karma, his past incarnations because no-

body can go through this one slot of life and make it all the way

to God. It is literally impossible.

We have but to look around us and to see the state of con-

sciousness of the various ones that we come in contact with

every day, to realize that, certainly, they‘re not all on the same

level, that there are many who are still on the bottom rungs of

the ladder and they have a long way to climb. And then every

now and then we see…we lift our eyes and we see some rare

soul, someone who‘s so filled with the life and the love and the

consciousness of God that you automatically want to reach out

and touch them. You‘re drawn to them. They have a magnetism

about them that draws you just like any magnet would draw a

piece of steel. And you cannot stay away from them. Why? Be-

cause they have that something special, which is the realization

of their oneness with God within them. And not only the oneness

with God within them, but of their oneness, their comradeship,

their brotherhood with all men everywhere.

God is Equally Present Everywhere

There is no place that you can look where you do not see God.

You cannot go from here to there thinking that God isn‘t here

where you are, whether you go to the forest or to a cave or to the

Himalayas or to any mountaintop or bathe yourself in a stream

that God is going to be there, that you‘re going to find Him

there. You cannot separate God from Himself because He is

equally present everywhere. There is no place where His con-

sciousness, His power, His will, His energy do not pour forth.


But the amazing thing is that it is said in all of the scriptures of

the world that He made man after His image and likeness. Man

is God in human form. And He has given us the power to dis-

cover the tremendous potential that we have within us, but we

can never do that just in the human sense.

This Sacred Temple of God

It is true you can go to any technical school, any school or col-

lege and you can learn a great deal about any given subject, but

not all about it. No one has all the answers. Only God has them

all. But to go to school and learn the things that will educate

your mind is one thing, but the school of life is what educates

you in the things of the spirit. And we use, so many of us, the

―trial and error‖ method. To be made in the image and likeness

of God means to be made in His form and to be like Him, like

He is inside of ourselves. But how many of us realize that?

How many of us make the effort to go within, to spend a little

time every morning and every night communing with God,

praising Him, blessing Him, thanking Him for His constant out-

pouring of blessings to us? How many? Everything else comes

first, not God, and He alone exists. Yet we think we are so im-

portant. We think that we are doing everything there is, that we

have everything. And yet, nothing belongs to us, and, in truth,

we do nothing.

As the Christ is made to say in the scriptures, I of myself am

nothing. It is my Father who doeth the works. And yet we praise

the Christ constantly. We make God of Him and we forget God

the Father. And yet, as He Himself said, He is nothing. Also, He

said, he who has seen me has seen the Father. And that is true of

each and every one of us. Whoever has seen any one of us has

seen the Father manifesting Himself in human form. And the

Christ said, ―I‖—He did not say, I am the only one who can do

this. He merely said, Yes, you’ve said I am the Christ, but so are

we all. Only we have not realized it. And He said, All of these

works that I do, ye may do also. And even greater works than

these that I do, ye may do.

…And to do that means to emulate Him in every detail, even


to giving your life on your own cross. And that life that you give

is your idea of separation from Him, the human consciousness,

the son of man, and you give that freely. You wish to transform,

you wish to do away with it in order that you might be filled

with the power of the Holy Ghost, that you might become the

Christed one, the Divine Ego, the Son of God. To all of who re-

ceived Him, to them gave He the power to become the Sons of

God. Why, when it says that in the scriptures, are we continually

told that there was only one, one man, Jesus the Christ?

They contradict themselves in this scripture. Think about it.

Read it. Verify it for yourself. Prove it to yourself. The Christ is

in you. He is in me. He is in every man that walks this earth.

There is only one church, one temple and that is your body tem-

ple. The rest are outer forms of this sacred temple of God. The

attention, the meditation should be upon Him alone, and one way

of doing that is to repeat His name.

Story about Papa

I remember one story that Swami Ramdas told one time that

he was up in the wilderness and he was sitting on a stump, and

all of a sudden it seemed that bed bugs were biting—perhaps

somebody had been there before whose clothes had been infested

with them. And so he would reach down with his fingernail and

kill them. Well, there was another spiritual aspirant there who

thought this was a terrible thing for a man who was following

the spiritual path to kill any living thing. So he remonstrated

with Swami Ramdas and told him he thought that that was com-

mitting murder. Ramdas said, ―Not at all.‖ He said, ―I am here

but for one purpose, and that is to realize my oneness with my

Father. If anything stands in my way, just as the Christian scrip-

tures say, if thy eye offend thee, pluck it out. If thy hand offend

thee, cut it off. Just so, if the bed bugs bite me, I get rid of them.‖

You know, he had a great sense of humor. He had absolutely

no fear. He went without food, without drink for days upon days.

He wandered the face of India with his bare feet, walking over

stones and sticks and rough roads and all the rest until his poor

feet were a mass of bleeding pulp sometimes, but always God


took him up and took care of him, and bound his feet, washed

them, healed them, fed him, did everything. Why? Because he

had faith in one power alone, and that faith was in the power of

God to supply him with every need, to take care of his body, to

lead him where God wanted him to go.

…So this is the way we must do, that with the slightest change

in direction, we must be so tuned into God that we are able to

turn in our footsteps and retrace them or to do anything else that

God asks you. If you are truly listening inside of yourself every

moment—and don‘t tell me that it can‘t be done while you‘re

doing your job because I have done it, and I do it, and it can be

done, because my mind is always on God no matter who I‘m

talking to, no matter what I‘m doing, because everything in this

world that I am doing I am doing for God, in the consciousness

of Him.

And when you will tune in and listen to that voice of direction

every moment of your life, you will find that God will walk be-

fore you and light your way. He will make your path easy. He

will lift you up, and He will take you over the rough spots. Occa-

sionally, He will let you get bumped up against something rough

a little bit to teach you a lesson because it also says in the scrip-

tures, you know, that you shouldn‘t get too elevated. I‘ve forgot-

ten just how it is expressed, but once in a while you have to have

a thorn in your side to keep you—keep your feet on the ground

because, believe me, when you really attain the consciousness of

your oneness with God, when you go upstairs, when your whole

being is so filled with this ecstasy and this bliss, you‘re not con-

scious of very much around you, I can tell you. And you need a

thorn once in a while to bring you downstairs and make you

know that you‘re still in a human body, walking on this earth.

But all is God. Remember that. All is God. The Name is so pow-

erful that you cannot possibly delete it.

God and Name are Not Different

One time there was a crew of men building a tall wall. A saint

was walking along the road, and just as he got in front of the

wall, the wall crumbled, and many of the workmen were killed


and so, also, was the saint. Well, there was a great hue and cry

about the whole thing. People were mourning over the loss of

their loved ones and particularly the devotees of the saint who

came to hear of this and came to somehow discover his body.

Well, they couldn‘t discover anything because everything had

been pretty well put together and smashed up.

And they saw all these bones all one intermingled with the

other. And they thought how in the world are we going to find

the bones of our particular master? So another saint, who was the

saint of the temple there, came along, and he said, ―I can dis-

cover your saint‘s bones for you.‖ So he picked up each one of

the bones separately and listened with his ear. And in every one

of the saint‘s bones he could hear the name of the Lord being

repeated.

The Name Penetrates the Consciousness

The name had so penetrated the consciousness of this saint

that it had even penetrated to the very marrow of every one of

his bones. This is not told about just in India. It is told about the

Russian saint, The Way of the Pilgrim, and how he took the

name of the Lord, Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on my soul, and

attained a tremendous state of bliss. And there‘s not only bliss,

you see, but there‘s enlightenment. And enlightenment brings

constant, instant, continuous knowledge.

And it‘s just like a flow constantly going through the mind of

the one who has attained this state. And they are never without

God within. He is the sole dweller in their temple. And they are

but the witness of everything that the Lord does through them

and for them. This is one specific, definite, easy and wonderful

method to go to God. And I would like each and every one of

you to occasionally at least practice this and find out for your-

self. And that is the proof of the pudding is in the eating, you

see.

…So if you will do this, then, certainly, you can prove for

yourself that what I say is true...Use Him. Become one with

Him. God and Name are not different. And you will go all the

way to Him in the name of God.


Anniversary of Swami

Satchidananda’s Mahasamadhi By Yogacharya David R. Hickenbottom

It is two years now

since the great Mas-

ter‘s passing. Time

is an interesting al-

chemist, fading

some experiences

into oblivion, high-

lighting and sweet-

ening others in rich,

vivid tones. Swami

Satch idananda ‘s

presence in my life

has been of the lat-

ter; great Masters

leave an imprint

upon the soul that is

unmistakable. Any

time I place my

mind upon him he is

a living Presence

that comes to me,

bearing gifts of love and spiritual enlightenment. A soft glow

surrounds my heart in thrilling recognition of the connection dur-

ing those sacred communions.

I know in my conversation with other devotees that Swamiji

has remained a living Presence for them as well. It seems that he

is well suited to the taciturn nature of invisible Spirit, but effort-

lessly comes with a gentle mien to the calling heart that conveys

an all-powerful Consciousness. Once Mother asked Swami Ram-

das if he would be her Papa as well, and Ramdas said he was

Papa to all; I feel that Swamiji would reply the same about being

Swamiji for all, with a nod of his head and a slight, bewitching

smile.


This fall we will return to Anandashram for the first time since

Swamiji‘s passing in Mahasamadhi. Larry, who was there in

January, said that the Ashram is permeated with Swamiji‘s Pres-

ence, something I can well believe. Yet, I feel a slight hesitancy

in going, knowing that Swamiji‘s physical being will not be

there at the Ashram, a gaping hole in the Ashram experience.

And this is the dual experience I feel at Swamiji‘s passing; I am

feeling forever united in Spirit with the quiet servant of Papa and

Mataji, and yet I miss the familiar salutations at his feet, being

invited to sit and hold his hand, listening to the words of wisdom

come in his simple illustrations and brief utterances.

Swamiji once told me that others have to learn to be quiet; he,

on the other hand had to learn to speak. Now, in the Silence of

the great unmanifest, Swamiji communicates effortlessly through

wordless utterances that bring Light and Love to all who listen

with an open heart.


The Holy Himalayas Up in the misty heights of the

majestic Garhwal Himalayas that

adorn the magnificent State of

Uttaranchal, awaits a rejuvenat-

ing spiritual experience for the

devout. Nestling in the lofty

peaks are the four most holy pil-

grimages of India—Yamunotri,

Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badri-

nath collectively referred to as

the Char Dham (or four pilgrim-

age centres) of Hinduism. For

centuries, saints and pilgrims, in

their search for the divine, have

walked these mystical vales

known in ancient Hindu scriptures as ‗Kedarkhand‘.

Through these sacred shrines meanders the holiest river of In-

dia, Ganga—the stream of life synonymous with sanctity and

splendour that is eternal, around which are woven myriad leg-

ends and tales from mythology and history of India. According

to a legend, Goddess Ganga took the form of a river to support

life on earth and hence is the most venerated deity in Hinduism.

The four Dhams receive their holy waters in the form of four

streams—Yamuna (in Yamunotri), Bhagirathi (in Gangotri),

Mandakini (in Kedarnath) and Alaknanda (in Badrinath).

Holy conflu-

ences, scenic sur-

roundings and an

aura of spiritual

serenity make an

ideal abode for

the Gods and are

a refreshing re-

ward for the pil-

grims who visit

Uttaranchal.

Yamunotri Temple

Gangotri Temple


Tradit ionally,

the yatra (or jour-

ney) is done from

the west to the

e a s t — s t a r t i n g

from Yamunotri,

then proceeding to

Gangotri and fi-

nally to Kedarnath

and Badrinath.

Although Char

Dham are accessible through a network of motorable roads, ar-

duous trails remain in the ancient sanctuaries of faith for a fulfill-

ing experience.

The temple of Shri Badrinathji on the banks of the Alakananda

river, dates back to the Vedic times. Situated at an altitude of

3,133 mts., the present temple is believed to have been built by

Adi Shankaracharya—an 8th century‘s philosopher saint, who

also established a ‗Math‘ here. Once the spot was carpeted with

‗badris‘ or wild berries and hence was famous as ‗Badri Van‘.

Kedarnath Temple

Badrinath Temple

Excerpted from a pamphlet by the Uttaranchal Tourism Development Board.


ADI SHANKARACHARYA By Yogacharya David Hickenbottom

Adi Shankaracharya is one of the most

renowned yogis and scholars in all of

India. He stands as the common guru of

all monks of the swami order. In the 32

years of his short life he travelled over

the length, width and breadth of India

debating scholars for days on end and

was declared the winner in each case. He

taught that there is one supreme state of

consciousness that may be realized,

without regard to caste or meaningless

ritual.

The great Master was born, according to scholars‘ best esti-

mates, in the eighth century C.E. in a small village in Kerala,

(south) India. His parents, Shivaguru and Aryamba, desired a

baby, but were unable to conceive. One day in intense prayer,

Shiva appeared before the astonished couple and offered them a

choice, a mediocre son who would live a long life, or an extraor-

dinary son who would not live long. The couple chose the latter.

In honor of Shiva, they named their son Shankara (destroyer of

doubt or difficulties), an appellation of Shiva.

Shankara‘s father died when he was young. He studied the

holy texts of India, living at his teacher‘s home, and amazingly

anything he read or heard once he could recite. By the time he

was eight years old he had mastered the four Vedas. A custom at

the time was the young brahmacharya, student, would beg for

his own food around the village by going door to door. He stood

at the door of a very poor woman who only had one dried am-

laka fruit. With great devotion she offered Shankara her only

food she had to eat. This touched him so much that he deeply

prayed that she should be blessed with prosperity. This prayer is

called Kanaka Dhara Stotram, and on its completion it is said the

goddess Lakshmi, goddess of prosperity, showered the woman

with amlaka fruit made of gold.


With all of his heart Shankara wished to adopt the life of a

sannyas, a wandering mendicant. His mother would not give her

permission for her young son to leave on such an arduous jour-

ney, which would take her boy away from her. One day

Shankara was down by the river and an alligator grabbed hold of

his leg. Aryamba came running to her son‘s assistance, but there

was nothing she could do. Shankaraji said to his mother, even

while in the teeth of the alligator, that either he would die now,

or she would give permission for him to leave as a sannyasin, for

he would not leave without his mother‘s permission. She gave

her permission on the spot and the alligator let go of his deathly

grip.

Thus began the wandering life of the young sannyas. Shankara

left Kerala and travelled throughout India. When he reached the

banks of the river Narmada he met his Guru, Govinda Bhaga-

vatpada, he was a disciple of the Advaitin Gaudapada. In ad-

vaitin thought realization comes about when you know that eve-

rything created is temporary in nature, and therefore unsubstan-

tial. The only true Reality is the supreme Consciousness that is

realized as uncreated, ever-existent, blissful; all else is an illu-

sion.

Under his Guru‘s direction Shankaracharya, acharaya mean-

ing he was now a teacher of truth, wrote commentaries on many

of the ancient texts, some of which were falling into disuse. He

also travelled all over India and entered into formal debates; In-

dia having a long tradition of formal debating. He won promi-

nence wherever he went and strengthened appreciation for the

Vedas and clear understanding of the spiritual path.

Adi Shankaracharya, Adi meaning the first, formed the Swa-

mis into an order and became the first guru in an unbroken chain

that extended down to Sri Yukteswarji and Master, and all pre-

sent day swamis.

Adi Shankaracharya took Mahasamadhi in Badrinath, the

northern pilgrimage point we are travelling to in our tour. He

was but 32 years old, but in his short life he changed the course

of India and his blessings continue to this day.


Memories of Mother Memories and Musings about Waiting on God

By Cate Koler

As devotees, we all say that we want God. But with how much

intensity—are we one-pointed in our devotion? Do we not all, at

times, feel like the disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane—

asked by their Master and Savior to keep awake and keep watch

but who all slept while He needed them?

Here is my memory of an incident with Mother which precipi-

tated these thoughts: I had been asked by Mother to drive and

accompany her to Victoria where she was to stay with the center

leader, Pat Downey, and give a Sunday talk (this was around

1983). Mother, having suffered a stroke the year before, was no

longer able to drive and needed assistance with dressing. I asked

Mother if I could bring along my three year old daughter as I

didn‘t want to be away from her for a whole weekend.

When I awoke the next morning in Victoria, I listened for

Mother in the room next door and didn‘t hear her. I tapped on

the door softly, calling her name, but she didn‘t answer. I then

took my daughter downstairs to the kitchen to get her something

to eat (at the time Pat lived in a very large house) and kept listen-

ing for Mother. Pat poured me a coffee; we sat chatting but every

few minutes I would go up to Mother‘s room and listen at the

door to hear if she was awake and needing me.

All of a sudden, while sitting in the kitchen, I heard a soft,

―Cate, Cate, where are you?‖ I ran upstairs to see Mother leaning

over the banister. She was noticeably upset. ―Why didn‘t you

come?‖ she remonstrated, ―I was calling you for fifteen min-

utes!‖

―Oh, Mother, you couldn‘t have been,‖ I was quick to defend

myself. ―I was checking on you every couple of minutes.‖

―No, I have been calling you all that time,‖ Mother scolded.

I was about to protest again. After all, my honor and pride

were at stake; I didn‘t want to seem like a lackadaisical devotee.

And, I have always been someone who places great stock in be-


ing right—all the time. But all of

a sudden something inside me

shifted. ―I‘m sorry, Mother,‖ I

apologized. ―I should have been

more attentive.‖

Mother immediately dropped

the whole thing. And the lesson

burned itself on my conscious-

ness. Mother was testing my will-

ingness to submit—to God and

Guru. Who was right in terms of

number of minutes was immate-

rial. A devotee must be willing to

love, honor and obey the guru;

otherwise no spiritual progress

can be made.

This story might not seem comparable to the Garden of Geth-

semane. After all, Mother always wanted us to live in the world

and to be completely balanced. During those years I had worldly

responsibilities, like my family, and on that particular morning I

was also caring for my 3 year old who needed her breakfast. I

had always been more than willing to do whatever service

Mother required of me. And yet, what strikes me now, many

years later is how many hours or days I would be willing to sit

outside a door for even a glimpse of my beloved Guru.

In recent years, during the five times I visited Anandashram, I

learned what bliss it can be to ―wait on God‖, sitting with devo-

tees on the porch to wait for Swamiji to come out for his walk.

What contentment, sitting at his feet during satsangs, even when

it was hot and uncomfortable. I lamented to Swamiji one time

that I felt that I hadn‘t taken full advantage of my time with

Mother. ―If only I knew/felt then what I do now!‖ Swamiji

smiled and said, ―There isn‘t a devotee alive who doesn‘t feel

that way about his master.‖ Oh, the pains of this earthly plane!

Dear Mother, hear my prayer: Let me sit outside your door,

awake and ready, until you open wide the door of my heart and

make me one with Thee.

Mother and Cate (1986)


Center News The Bellingham Center has been meeting with David

once a month to study the inner meaning of the Bhagavad Gita.

The Gita – An Ancient Owner’s Manual

for Modern Living By Greg Hough

A major blessing and highlight this past year has been the

monthly Gita Study Class. The Gita is so thick with wisdom that

the only hope to absorb anything is to spread it out and take it in

by small doses. The corollary benefit of the spreading is more

time spent thinking about God—on the bus, at bedtime, or wait-

ing to pick up the kids. We have three texts at our disposal: what

I think of as the Readers Digest Condensed version, the small

yellow covered printing from India; Master‘s wonderful two-

volume commentary; and David‘s writings which distill it down

into words we‘re familiar with in the 21st century.

I think of myself as a linear ―in-words‖ type thinker. My ex-

perience of the Gita is truly like an Owner‘s Manual. Questions

come into your mind as you‘re reading a verse; often the next

verse or the next chapter resolves the quandary. I find the simple

tangibleness rewarding. I can‘t predict how my evening‘s medi-

tation will go, and I try—but don‘t stay awake through most

talks. But with the Gita, I can read, and the pacing I can manage.

Never have I digested it all, which is why I‘m so thankful for

David to interpret, and dissect the quandaries that don‘t get re-

solved. Every session I‘m making mental notes— ―Oh, so that‘s

how I can deal with that situation.‖ Through it all I feel progress,

which gives me HOPE and keeps me coming back for more.

The other part that keeps me coming back is the camaraderie

of the group. There is a quiet rooting for each other to have a

good month. We are all dedicated to making progress along the

path, but each of us have a different experience of which root or

rock we tripped over, or which energy drink we tried, that made

the miles just melt away. And you don‘t feel alone like a bicycle

rider who‘s lost the pack. The monthly stories from your compa-

triots resonate with the chords in your own soul—which gives


Gita Warrior, Greg,

climbing Mount Rainier.

you the inner knowing of the truth

David speaks when he admonishes

to each that we are exactly where we

ought to be. God is Perfect, God is

Us, so how could it be otherwise?

A special thank you to my class-

mates for listening and sharing. A

special, special thank you to Michele

Rogan for hosting and opening up

her home. And a Thank You beyond

words to David for being my Guru

and interpreter!

Om Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram.

Out of the Mouths of Babes 3 year old Aiden:

When I asked Aiden if he knew what God was, he said, ―Yes,

God is just God.‖ When I asked him where God was, he pointed

to his third eye and said, ―Right here.‖

He says, ―I am really close with God. I don‘t have to drive to

His house because He is right (points to his third eye) here.‖

Aiden‘s Feet in meditation garb

Ph

oto

by M

ike

Vic

tory


From the Master’s Kitchen One of the recipes originally published in Master’s Lessons

Raspberry Sherbet

Raspberries: 3 cups fresh, or 2 cups canned raspberries

Sweetened Condensed Milk: 1 1/3 cups (1 can)

Grated Lemon Rind: ½ tsp. Water: 1 cup

Lemon Juice: 2 tbsp.

R u b b e r r i e s

through strainer to

remove seeds. Stir in

water, lemon juice

and lemon rind. Add

sweetened condensed

milk and blend thor-

oughly. Freeze in

freezer. Makes one

quart.

Comments from our C&L chef, Angela Victory

The last bit of summer in a bowl. I first put the raspberries in

my blender then rubbed them through the strainer twice to get

the maximum amount of juice and to make sure there were no

seeds. The flavor was amazing, very tart and just sweet enough

to make it appealing to a younger palate. The consistency was

such that I could have used an ice cream maker, but not having

one was a

r e m i n d e r

of life‘s

little chal-

lenges. I

highly rec-

o m m e n d

this cheer-

ful treat. It

will delight

your taste

buds! Ph

oto

s b

y M

ike

Vic

tory


Lahiri Mahasaya

September 30, 1828 to September 26, 1895

Journal Editors: Larry & Cate Koler

Calendar of Events Aug. 10 Ramadan (sundown)–ends sundown on September 9

Sept. 8 Rosh Hashana (sundown)–ends sundown on Sept. 10

22 Fall Equinox (7:11 p.m. PDT)

26 Lahiri Mahasaya‘s Mahasamadhi Day (1895)

30 Lahiri Mahasaya‘s Birthday (1828)

30 Swami Satchidananda‘s Mahasamadhi Day (2008)

Oct. 7 Mother Krishnabai‘s Birthday (1903)

11 Thanksgiving Day (Canada)

17 Yom Kippur (sundown)–ends sundown on Sept. 18

Nov. 12 Swami Satchidananda‘s Birthday (1919)

25 Thanksgiving Day (U.S.A.)

Dec. 1– 9 Hanukkah

21 Winter Solstice (3:39 p.m. PST)

25 Christmas Day, Mother Hamilton‘s Birthday (1904)

27 Swami Ramdas‘ Sannyas Day (1922)

Sw

am

i S

atch

idan

and

a—

Sep

tem

ber

30

th i

s th

e

seco

nd

an

niv

ersa

ry o

f his

Mah

asam

adhi

It is difficult to know why God

reveals Himself to some and plays

the game of hide-and-seek with

others. It is His Lila. He cannot be

accused of favoring some and for-

saking others. Let us always re-

member that He dwells in us and

that we ever dwell in Him. He who

reveals Himself to us is He. He

who plays hide-and-seek with us is

also He. Everything is He. Guru is

He, Shishya is He, Player is He,

Witness is He. Realize this great

truth and rest happy.

Swami Ramdas

Every person, by self-

analysis, should detect his

injurious mental and

material habits. He should

cease to identify himself

with his ―second nature,‖

and rather assist his true

nature of the soul, loving the

divine bliss of Spirit, to

emerge from behind the

clouds of indiscretion,

ignorantly formed useless

habits, and spiritual

indifference.

Paramhansa Yogananda

Receptivity to God and Guru opens the doors to Divine Ex-

perience. Indifference, absorption in the senses and worldly

concerns, doubt, anger and fear all close the doors to

the spiritual vibrations perpetually streaming to you. Only by

a sustained spiritual thirst will you know the upliftment

into heavenly consciousness promised by the great ones.

Yogacharya David Hickenbottom

Documents

The Cross and The Lotus Journal · Be filled with the peace and ecstasy of God’s almighty love. Aum-Amen. The Reverend Yogacharya Mother Hamilton The Cross and The Lotus Journal