Seldom has a great master come into the world with such an outwardly commanding and heroic role as Jesus. The age Jesus lived in was a hard one. He had to survive a public mission in a rough, dogmatic, and intolerant society. Never did he hesitate to “thunder” when the occasion called for a divine rumble.

In my practice I try to present the deeper aspects of Ayurveda in a way that helps people see the connection between their attitudes and the “imbalances” that lead to illness, and how their attitudes relate to their karmic lessons in this lifetime.

Vaastu is the science of bringing Spirit into physical manifestation in the form of a building. A building designed and constructed according to Vaastu principles becomes “alive” with prana or life force. The building functions much like a radio that can only receive and transmit beneficial energies, and cosmic energy bathes the entire building.

To understand human origins, a true scientist must not only evaluate the tangible evidence gathered by archeologists and other experts, he must also study consciousness, without which he neglects the most basic human capacity — the ability to think creatively and aspire spiritually.

Scientific knowledge is at the point where we now understand that many physical properties of the universe had to be exactly right for human life to exist. Today there are so many examples of these unique “life-friendly properties” that science can no longer dismiss all of them as mere chance or coincidence.

I don’t like to generalize but I am coming to agree with others who have said that the Indian psyche is primed for mysticism whereas the Western mind is primed for practical efficiency, due to the influence of culture and training.

Hardly a week goes by without an announcement that some ancient structure or astronomical artifact has been found, or that some civilization is discovered to be older or more advanced than previously thought. Consequently, a greater effort is underway to find out exactly how much the ancients knew and how far back their knowledge might date.

The next morning the boys entered the large hole in the back wall, which in fact was a tunnel leading gently downward. The first thing they noticed as they got deeper inside was a low humming sound.

A very different kind of world and universe will open up as we advance into this age. By the end of Dwapara Yuga in 4100 A.D., mankind will conquer the delusion of space and people will be able to go, not only to other planets, but to distant galaxies.

By the end of Treta Yuga, most people will understand that time, like space, is a delusion, and that the most ancient civilizations exist, not in the distant past, but right now, in the eternal present.

Recent archeological finds, and other accumulating evidence from the past, seriously call into question the commonly held view of primitive, stone-age cavemen men roaming the world 10,000 years ago. Indeed, more and more evidence points to a far longer history of civilized man than is currently assumed, and to a picture of man in 10,000 B.C. far different from the caveman of popular conception.

Ask most people and they will tell you the Great Pyramid was a tomb for a pharaoh. While tombs have been found from this same period, the Great Pyramid was probably never used that way.

The avatars come again and again, to correct people’s misunderstandings of the eternal, unchanging truth.

This is a time when people need to “stand up and be counted” – a time for active participation in the outer struggle of light against darkness.

What is needed today is a spiritual army of souls demonstrating — not militantly or aggressively, but with sincerity declared — their commitment to higher values, to God, and to a firm rejection of worldly values.

Some may think, “I’ve already committed myself to the spiritual quest as deeply as I can. Is it necessary to take an outward formal step to make that statement of commitment?”

People are no longer content to hear, “Heaven will come after you die.” People want to do something right now that will make them better people. And science is confirming that you can do things that will make you a better human being. In the process, science is also corroborating some of the fundamental teachings of yoga.

Today anyone who is truly aware of human directions believes we’re in for very hard times. For devotees, such times present an extraordinary opportunity for service and spiritual growth, greater than any in recorded history.

Whatever our role, we must see ourselves as a part of the great divine whole and have compassion for our brothers and sisters who are acting in ignorance. This is often the missing element in the ecology and environmental movements.

Paramhansa Yogananda told us more than once that in a former life he had been William the Conqueror. Some months after his passing, an inspiration came to me: I suddenly realized that I had been his youngest son, Henry, who later was crowned as Henry I.

What was at stake in 12th century Europe, and in England in particular, that caused a Self-realized master to incarnate as William the Conqueror? Our thesis is that William the Conqueror’s vision anticipated the role that England, specifically, would play in bridging East and West, uniting the strengths of each to bring mankind to the present time, an age of energy.

The dark streams of consciousness flowing through the world at this time are basically three types: conflict, greed, and fear. But tuning in to the ray that Yogananda brought into the world will help counteract the dark consciousness that is afflicting the planet.

Sri Yukteswar explains that the cycle of the yugas is caused by influences from outside our solar system that affect the consciousness of all mankind. Today, when many are turning a blind eye to exploitation, inequity, and injustice, it may not seem that the world is actually getting better! However, through the cycle of the yugas and the evolution of dharma, Sri Yukteswar offers a profoundly reassuring vision of where mankind is heading.

For the current age, it’s communities like Ananda that are laying the groundwork for the future.

The more we can learn to see life as a flow of unity, the more we’ll be able to find what we’re all looking for: happiness, love, and inner peace. Yogananda came to bring this vision of unity to everyone—a vision that he manifested in his words, in his teachings, and in the example that he set for all of us.

Most people, including world leaders, respond to conflict by striking back—two eyes for an eye, a bomb for a bullet. Killing “enemies” produces no lasting peace; it only sows seeds for further conflict.

Paramhansa Yogananda’s mission was to change world consciousness.

Only recently has science begun to investigate exactly how music affects us and what it does to our bodies, our brains and our nervous systems.

Many people say that art is simply a matter of taste, as if taste existed in a vacuum and had nothing to do with anything else.True art should take us in the direction of joy. But why?

In difficult times such as we’re living in today, God will give you very special blessings if you are willing to act as channels for His love.

Though not considered a child prodigy, the notion that Einstein was slow, retarded or mentally challenged is unfounded.

There are certain times when a big wave comes along and if we catch it, it will carry us a long way spiritually.