Material Success and Happiness Through Yoga Principles

by Swami Kriyananda
(J. Donald Walters)

Copyright © 2005 Hansa Trust
All rights reserved.

Lesson Five
What Is It, to Be Practical?
The Principles
Often, people use the need to be practical as an excuse for being unimaginative and uncreative. They contrast the word practical to unrealistic schemes born of a visionary attitude that is forever dreamy and undisciplined. When people say “Let’s be practical,” they generally assume that a chasm exists between idealism and the way things really are. It was this attitude, to a great extent, that kept mankind trapped for centuries in dark ages. The word, “practical,” must be understood more intelligently: not to discourage innovation, but to test new ideas reasonably and see whether they are workable.
People who reject novelty, and are unwilling to see it even tested, view the world almost like a train traveling along fixed tracks. How can such people even consider the new discovery that matter is really a manifestation of fluid energy? To them, matter is the fundamental reality of everything they know. Ideals may be inspiring, but here on solid earth, they consider, we must accept prosaic reality, which includes the fixed ways of tradition. They cannot seriously believe that matter is not the final arbiter. To them, human ideation is wholly dependent on matter.
They overlook, in their belief, the simple fact that what is traditional was once, in another time, new and original. It began as a dream, a vision, or a revelation in the consciousness of some one person. Buddha springs to mind as an outstanding example of a truly innovative spirit.
America, in its openness to new concepts, sets a dynamic example for our own times. For we are living today in an age of energy: no longer an age of matter. Though all things are still material, the essence of our age is the discovery by science that matter is, itself, a vibration of energy.
The pioneering spirit in America exemplified this new awareness from the beginning. Energy may have been a thing unknown before oil was discovered seeping up out of the ground in Romania, late in the nineteenth century. Thereupon, some years later my father was sent there to find it underground. It wasn’t the discovery that opened up this new age of energy. It was a new spirit in the air that made the discovery.
In 1894 Swami Sri Yukteswar, in his book, The Holy Science, declared that cosmic forces are now bringing a more enlightened awareness to the world. For centuries, people had observed in Romania that natural seepage of oil, and probably saw it as only a nuisance. It was the new awareness entering human consciousness that was opening up human minds, and that suggested to a few people the practical possibilities in that oil.
It was an awareness of energy that prompted scientists to recognize energy as the true basis of matter. New awareness must precede new discovery and invention. Another example of this truth is simple bread mold, which had been observed regretfully for centuries. Only when medical science had advanced to the point where it could recognize the uses of that mold was the discovery of penicillin made.
What seems ideal and right is not necessarily a dream in an undisciplined mind. It may simply be a reality waiting to be found. Practicality is not limited to what is known as workable today: It is what trial and error have shown actually to work. That which people call practical is only what they have experienced to date, not what some creative spirit may discover and turn into a new revelation. What a few daring pioneering spirits test and demonstrate in action (often against considerable public opposition) is not unusually the beginning of a new tradition.
Let us not, then, equate what is practical merely with what has been done before, lest, even while walking toward a beautiful sunset, our eyes look backward into a graying twilight.
One recalls America’s history with covered wagons rolling over desert wilderness in search of new, fertile land. One recalls the Pilgrim Fathers, landing in the New World, confronting, and overcoming, numberless hardships in their effort to create a new and better way of living, with freedom to worship God according to their own conscience. One recalls the pioneering spirit blazing new trails of invention, again in America, by men like Cyrus McCormick (inventor of the McCormick Reaper), Benjamin Franklin (discoverer of electricity), and Thomas Edison (inventor of the electric light).
Invention and discovery are not by any means limited to America, though it was probably the pioneering spirit in America that first encouraged people throughout the world to welcome a new spirit: a spirit of inquiry that sought new ways of doing things in disregard of the paralyzing statement of tradition: “This is the way things are. This is how they have always been. And this is how they shall always be, time without end. Amen.” The credit for this new spirit sweeping across the world belongs not to America, but to one simple fact: new influences in the world are producing a new age, an age of energy. America, being a new country, has been able more easily to welcome insights previously unknown.
The universe itself was created not by insensate surgings of unconscious, inanimate substance, but deliberately, wisely, and by a vastly superior divine consciousness.
Paramhansa Yogananda greatly admired the “go-getter” spirit he found in America. It is, he said, the spirit of a new age! To define as practical only what has been done before is to close one’s mind to fresh opportunities. This new spirit is not “newfangled” in the sense of being a passing fad. Rather, it is how things are now on our planet, as it whirls through cosmic space.
The worst aspect of the common understanding of what is practical is the attitude that says, “A chasm yawns between idealism and reality. You can have your ideals, but don’t relate them to business matters, or to getting things done in this real world.” Realpolitik is an expression invented in Germany: politics based on a hard-headed and cynical attitude toward reality, as perceived by narrow minds. That slogan once justified, in the name of material expediency and dogmatic bigotry, the imprisonment and gassing to death of countless human beings in the 1930s and 1940s.
“Practicality” has been waved like a banner to declare that spirituality and high ideals belong in the temple, mosque, and church, but not in the “real” world of business. Hard-headed business practices are perceived too often as having nothing to do with ideals: they are purely a matter of making money. Into this thinking there creeps very easily the consciousness that dishonesty in business is perfectly justifiable—the sort of consciousness that justifies itself by saying, “One can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs.” This thinking creates a serious problem for businessmen who want to live by higher principles. It was voiced to me recently by a doctor friend in India. “I believe in high principles,” he said to me earnestly. “Practically speaking, however, how can I follow them? Life makes demands of me that I simply cannot meet unless, occasionally, I cut a few corners ethically. I have a son to put through college. I want to live by dharmic principles, but if I did so always I couldn’t survive.”
It was that question which inspired me to write this course of lessons. For what I have seen from personal experience to be true is the exact opposite: To live determinedly by high principles is the surest road to material security—and beyond that, to glowing material success. My hope in these lessons has been to convince people that by giving high ideals the highest priority in their lives, they will succeed far better at anything they try in life than if they think—in the name of a practicality that can see only the solid ground at their feet—that, by cheating someone today, one has made his profit and needn’t worry about tomorrow.
My observation has been that many people—in India nowadays especially—share that doctor’s concern. The solution to his question depends first of all on another simple question: What is it doing for you? I couldn’t easily ask my friend to look in a mirror and ask himself that question, though in fact his face showed some of the ravages of his inner conflict. The truth is, when people “cut corners” ethically, they cannot help creating an inner war—as at Kurukshetra—which pits the two selves within them, the higher and the lower, in heated combat together.
“What is it doing for you?” See whether it is giving you more inner peace, or—instead—more inner anguish. The very fact that my friend asked that question showed that he was suffering this anguish. A more hard-headed materialist might say, “What nonsense! I feel no such anguish!” That is because he has surrendered to the pull of his lower self. Let him ask himself then, instead, “Am I happy?” I don’t believe his answer will be in the affirmative!
Many people make the gross mistake of equating practicality with greed. They may prevaricate to obtain an unfair advantage over someone; or to cheat a customer by selling him a product they know to be defective; or to damage a competitor’s reputation by belittling his products and services.
Many years ago, in India, I tried to cancel a flight by telephone. The ticket agent told me I must come in person to make the cancellation. To make the journey there, however, meant a long taxi ride across New Delhi to resolve what seemed to me a most trivial matter.
“Why can’t we simply conclude this thing over the phone?” I asked. She finally admitted to me, reluctantly, that businessmen had been known sometimes to cancel the reservations of their rivals to prevent them from making an important journey!
Cunning of that sort may pass among some for practicality, but it certainly is not in keeping with the principles of yoga or of dharma! Guile of that sort, moreover, generally proves counterproductive in the end. For once people begin entertaining suspicions as to who it was that tricked them, they will never again trust that person. “Straight shooters” will avoid him, certainly. He’ll gradually find that the people around him have become limited to “slippery characters” like himself. And then he himself will point an accusing finger at the world with the denunciation, “You can’t trust anybody!” It was that person himself first, however, who had become untrustworthy.
“Honesty is the best policy.” We often hear that phrase. It is no mere truism: It is the truth.
Take another example: Many years ago, I built the first of our several Ananda Sangha retreat centers. It was located a few miles outside the little town of Nevada City, California. During the building process I developed a friendly relationship with the owner of the building supply company where I bought my lumber. Indeed, he invited me to his home occasionally to pick fruit from his trees.
After several months, a time came when my expenses—greater than I’d expected—exceeded my savings for the project. I wasn’t greatly concerned, for I was earning enough at that time through classes in the cities to cover within three months any further debts. Nevertheless, I was eager to finish the job before winter came, lest its storms ruin everything. I went therefore to those to whom I owed money and asked them if they would let me pay them five hundred dollars a month until my debt to them was discharged. Everyone, including that building supplies owner, agreed to this proposal. Fortunately, as a teacher I was popular, and at that time was attracting about 300 students a week.
My building materials supplier, however, thought he spied a chance here (perhaps with his lawyer’s recommendation) to make a quick profit from my predicament. A week later his lawyer placed a lien on my property. A scant week later, a letter came from the lawyer threatening to foreclose on my property if I didn’t pay off my entire debt in two weeks. We’d had a verbal agreement and I’d been honoring it. I phoned the owner. He sounded embarrassed, but blustered in a conciliatory tone of voice, “Well, you see, Don,” he said, “a person has to be practical.” To him, obviously, to be practical meant to be greedy! I went then and spoke with his lawyer, who shouted at me, “What agreement? I know nothing of any agreement! Show it to me in writing.” Evidently, my “friend” was more interested in gaining possession of a valuable piece of property than in the little matter of verbal agreements, or even in the relatively small amount of money I owed him.
I’ve seen many miracles in my life, and I believe in the power of faith. I am not proposing, however, that you leave such matters passively in the hands of God. To exert faith effectively takes a certain amount of experience. Nevertheless, I do strongly believe in the ancient teaching, “Yata dharma, tata jaya: Where there is adherence to right action, there is victory.” And I believe, on the basis of many years of experience, that actions offered to God do receive a special blessing. When one acts rightly, moreover, everything really does turn out for the best, eventually. Still, with a situation as time-sensitive as this one was, that word “eventually” cannot but raise a certain doubt, which offers but little comfort!
Well, whether what happened was a miracle or not, it is essential always, and especially at such times, to put out all the energy one can, dharmically: only thus can one turn the tide of karma in his own favor. In the present instance, I can only say that what saved me did seem like a miracle.
What happened was this: A few days after receiving that devastating threat from the lawyer, I happened to be in a student’s home giving a show of colored slides that I’d taken in India. I said nothing about my financial predicament; to do so, I felt, would not be appropriate to that occasion.
I should interject here that life has taught me that an important key to receiving divine assistance is to be inwardly non-attached—not indifferent, please note, but willing to let God handle the outcome and to accept whatever He sends. Throughout that evening, though I said nothing, I prayed mentally to God to show me what to do.
After the event, a young man who was unknown to me followed me outdoors. I was getting into my car when he said, “I like what you’re doing. Would you accept a donation to help with it?”
“Yes, of course!” I replied, thinking he might give me five dollars, or even ten. Instead, leaning on the hood of my car, he wrote out a check for $3,000! This amount was more than sufficient to pay off my remaining debt to that building supplies owner.
I deposited the check the next day. Then it occurred to me that my erstwhile friend, that company’s owner, needed a stern lesson in fair dealing. I telephoned him and said, “I have the money now to pay you off fully. However, I won’t pay any of it until the very last moment, which your lawyer tells me won’t come for another two months owing to the paperwork involved. Meanwhile, because you refused to honor our agreement, I’ll let you incur all the legal fees your lawyer can charge you.”
“Oh, in that case, Don,” he cried, “pay me the whole amount right now and I’ll give you a big discount.” He’d dug a pit for me, then fell into it himself! I did pay him immediately. I was left at the end of the month, after paying my various bills, with a little over one dollar in my bank account!
Well, all of us need a few lessons in life. One lesson I myself learned from this experience (though I admit it took a little longer for the lesson really to sink in) was to put my business agreements in writing, and to get them properly signed. Such a careful precaution is offensive to my nature. I prefer to trust people, and like to consider everyone a friend with whom I have any dealings. Anyone of common sense, however, will understand the need at least to keep one’s transactions clear and open. This man, meanwhile, not only fell into the pit he’d dug for me, but lost a good customer in the bargain. Not I alone, but many others at Ananda in later years have avoided going to him for their housing supplies. Worst of all, perhaps, from his point of view, was that by playing that little game of greed he lost a friend who could have supported him in other ways, in the future.
So, then—how “practical” had he really been?
I don’t think he really feared that I wouldn’t be able to pay him. Until then I’d always been prompt with my payments. Even if he thought he had some good reason to doubt my bona fides, could his action be called honorable? “Gentlemen’s agreements” are not unheard of even in the business world, though the question obviously rests on whether both parties really are gentlemen! The question turns, surely, on whether anything is justifiable that is without honor.
What if he’d obtained that land by unscrupulous means? What else would he have won along with that ill-gotten gain? Inner self-reproach, certainly, though he seems to have been prepared for that. What about inner tension, and a shrinking sense of self-worth? What about a diminished trust in others, and his own dwindling trust in his own integrity? What about his consequently narrowing circle of friends?
After toting up the account, even the obvious objection to wrong action—namely, karmic retribution—begins to seem only a small part of the disadvantages incurred.
If being practical means to ask oneself, What will work? it is apparent that what actually works may not always be something measurable by the yardstick of material values. The human dimension is, and should always be considered to be, part of the cost. Beside that consideration, monetary gain must be seen as temporary and, in most cases, unsatisfactory.
It is wise always to keep life’s longer rhythms in mind. It is also wise to be sensitive to other people’s realities. Selfishness has a way of blinding us to the larger picture. If that aspect gets shut out of one’s reckoning, however, one develops a kind of tunnel vision which, in time, will prevent him from making good decisions even in perfectly ordinary matters.
That building supplier’s selfishness prevented him from seeing that Ananda was already promising to flourish over the years. Today, it is home to hundreds of people. They, in turn, for the very slight price of common trust, would have become that man’s customers also for many of their housing needs. He was never in any danger, but let us ponder this possibility: Even if I’d failed, and he’d beaten others to “the punch” in rescuing what was possible to be retrieved from the shambles, he’d have lost incalculably in ways many people would have considered important also.
To understand what will work, and therefore what is practical, means to consider everything in a broad context, and not merely in terms of immediate profit. There is a way to make this discernment. We’ll discuss it in the next section, “The Application.” First, however, let us consider other theoretical considerations.
For example, what if one’s reason for “cutting corners” ethically is motivated by generous motives? Let us say a person wants—as my doctor friend did—to put his son through college, and feels that he must pit the boy’s future against whatever little harm might result from cheating a stranger. In many people’s eyes, this might seem more like generosity than selfishness. It would take someone of greater-than-usual understanding to see that, if he harms even a stranger, however slightly, he still harms himself. To that extent, indeed, he harms those as well, consequently, who are his dependents.
Valmiki, in his account of the Ramayana, asked his wife and children, on the prompting of a group of saints, if they’d be willing to bear the burden of his sins, committed only to support them. They responded with outrage at the suggestion. “That’s your karma!” they cried. “Why should we have to share it with you?” Thereupon, he renounced his family as strangers to him, and left them to seek God.
In the present context, it should be stated that whatever mistakes a man commits to support others certainly draws them, too, into the karmic orbit of those mistakes, for they’ve benefited willingly from his sins.
Many people need to approach subjects like this with the question, “What’s in it for me, really?” If, with the best of intentions, I draw harm to those whom I love in my efforts to help them, will not the results—assuming they support those efforts—entail eventual misfortune for them?
The truth is that a straightforward and honorable attitude develops the magnetism, in time, to become a victor under every circumstance. The time required to achieve this glorious end depends on how many obstacles you have to overcome in your own nature. By right action we straighten out our subconscious “kinks.” The fact may be, however, that this inner transformation will take longer than that man’s son has, for instance, in his present need for an education. Again, the truth is that no one will ever be able to transform himself without first passing through the tests that are hurled at him by the forces of maya, or delusion. Those forces range themselves consciously against every effort toward spiritual upliftment.
Will you argue, “I can’t wait that long. I have immediate problems to face!”? So be it. I will not try to persuade you against your will and present understanding. All I will say is, Think well, before making an investment of money, time, and energy that you know must bring you grief, someday. Someday? That “someday” will be very much this day—someday! Meanwhile, whatever karmic mistakes, or sins, you carry in your heart will, in ways not even evident to you, diminish you as a human being. That is a burden one notices only when he has been relieved of it. Otherwise, delusion convinces him, meanwhile, that his lack of happiness and of inner satisfaction is “perfectly normal.”
It would help everyone to realize that the reality behind all existence is consciousness, not a blindly operating law. This thought leads us to subtle metaphysical levels, and may seem merely theoretical to some people. It would be wise, in any case, to give these concepts at least a chance to “do their stuff.” I promise you, they will prove themselves to you many times over if you sincerely give them a chance. I have some experience in these matters, long and varied.
One of the most inspiring chapters in Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramhansa Yogananda is “Two Penniless Boys in Brindaban.” Mukunda, as my Guru was then known, receives a challenge by his materialistic older brother Ananta, who says to him, “Suppose I suggest that your vaunted philosophy be put to the test in this tangible world?”
“I would agree!” my Guru answered. “Do you confine God to a speculative world?”
What follows is one of the most thrilling episodes in the entire book. “Mukunda” abundantly demonstrates the practicality of depending on God even in this “hard” material world. I won’t give away the story if you haven’t yet read this book, but I do urge you (if you don’t own a copy) to buy one and read it now! I will add only that this chapter helped to change my life so completely that I took the next bus non-stop across the American continent—a journey of four days and four nights—to become the author’s disciple. I have, moreover, to the best of my ability lived up to my commitment to him for almost sixty years.
Nor are the miraculous-seeming events described in his book confined only to the workings of God-realized masters. I have tested and proved the claims in that one chapter again and again in my far more ordinary life. Those principles work! Dependence on God wins an actual, loving response from the Lord!
I remember once, many years ago, feeling that the Divine Mother wanted me to return to India. I had saved up the money I’d need for the journey, from classes that I had given and from gifts that a few kindly-disposed people had made me. It was enough to get me to India and back.
Two weeks before my scheduled departure, however, the rod on my car went out. I realized that the time had come for me to sell the car and exchange it for another, better one. A used car was all I could afford at the time, but even that would make a dent in my savings, resulting in my having to cancel my trip to India.
I asked the Divine Mother, “What shall I do?” No answer came. I was in San Francisco at that time, and the only “church” or “temple” to which I could withdraw to pray for guidance was the restaurant where I and a few friends were eating lunch.
“Divine Mother,” I prayed finally, “common sense tells me I shall have to return to America in two months. On my return, living as I do in the hills, I will need a car. Since You won’t answer me, what can I do but follow the dictates of common sense? If You really do want me to go to India, You’ll just have to reimburse me!”
That was a Friday evening. I wrote out a check for eleven hundred dollars ($1,100) toward a good used car. The rest of the amount needed was covered by what I received by trading in my old car.
The following Monday morning, three days later, a letter came in the mail. Enclosed with it was a check for $1,000. The letter, from someone I’d never heard of, said, “Please use this money as Divine Mother wants you to.”
Now, how many Americans even think of God as their Divine Mother? Very few, indeed. (I’ve often wished there were more!)
Many, many times have similar experiences come to me. They corroborate the testimony in my Guru’s book—adding the useful evidence, perhaps, that divine faith works even for common people like me. It is evidence, furthermore, that I know what I am talking about when I say that God listens to any sincere demand His children address to Him, and will respond in kind. Perhaps I’ll include other stories like this one in future lessons, for this is an important truth. Although God is infinite, He/She is aware of every tiny ripple of thought and feeling in our consciousness.
To return, then, to the question of maya’s tests, designed as they are to test our resolve to move forward on the path to truth: There will be tests, certainly, placed consciously, deliberately, and sometimes with seeming indifference to impede your way. Yes, you will have to prove yourself to the Divine Mother, or to any form in which you worship the Infinite Consciousness. This testing has a divine purpose: to stiffen your mettle. If you remain true to your principles, everything will work out in the end—beyond “imagination of expectancy” as my Guru put it—for your good, and will be the right thing also for all who depend on you.
Your son in college, for instance, may actually benefit from having to work part time to put himself through college. Or it may be that his highest success lies in some other direction, and in a different kind of training altogether. Or perhaps, again, you’ll find an unexpected financial windfall coming to you.
Tests must come to us; sometimes they may seem to deluge us. It remains an infallible truth, however, that the law protects all who abide determinedly by truth. Yata dharma, tata jaya!: “Where there is adherence to right action, there [alone] lies victory!”
The Application
For some time in my life I worked under someone who, to my considerable frustration, began responding to my every proposal with the statement, “It just isn’t practical!” I imagine she was as frustrated with me as I came to be with her predictable reply. I knew my ideas were good. I knew they were practical. If they were novel, I saw this as their main virtue. Years later I had many opportunities to prove that my ideas did work. Her unvarying judgment, however, was based on the common assumption that if a thing hasn’t been tried before, it would be unsafe to try it ever.
Nothing new or better is ever accomplished by following well-trodden paths. Lack of daring may guarantee a certain smooth safety, but it also ensures mediocrity. “They laughed at Fulton” is a popular saying in America. Robert Fulton was the man who first proved that a metal steamboat could actually float on water, and would travel faster than wooden ships. People who succeed greatly in this world almost always do things in new ways. I therefore plead with you, who are studying these lessons: If you can afford to take a chance, don’t be afraid to try!
What you must do when you face any problem is withdraw first, mentally, into your spine—even for just a moment. Your spine is the center of your body. Pause there, briefly if necessary, and ask yourself in a consciousness of inner balance what, considered from every angle, is the best solution.
Another secret of effective, practical action is to draw upon your own inmost natural resource: superconscious intuition. To receive higher guidance, don’t think you must first engage in long meditation. Clarity doesn’t depend on the time you spend seeking it. What is important is the energy you focus on coming to your decision. Some people deliberate painstakingly for hours, days, or even weeks; even then they are only tentatively hopeful of having reached a satisfactory conclusion. By contrast, really successful people make better decisions on what may seem like the spur of the moment. Let me repeat: It isn’t a question of time. It is a question of focused energy.
In the last lesson, I mentioned an important truth. A strong flow of energy, I said, generates a magnetic field. That magnetism can actually attract inspiration, according to its animating consciousness. The slow deliberation involved in most decision-making has dim energy. The time it takes doesn’t justify the results, for it seldom or never reaches any inspired conclusions.
I remember an occasion years ago, by contrast, when a quick decision was forced upon me. I would have liked nothing better just at that moment than to devote time to deliberating the matter. The matter itself was important, and seemed to call for input from a number of people. Moreover, on a personal note, I had just finished giving a great deal of energy to teaching and to being with people. I was to see several more visitors who had asked for interviews. Moreover, I had, for the moment, closed my mental doors against any further activity, and was sitting down to enjoy a leisurely lunch.
At that moment one of our members hurried into the dining room, huffing and puffing in her haste, and announced, “We’ve just located a printing press in Texas.” We were in need of a press, and this one, she said, was for sale at a good price. “Shall we get it?” was her urgent question.
“Please,” I said, “let me enjoy these few moments of peace. I really don’t want to put my mind on any problems just now. And, to be honest, I really don’t know what to say in reply to your question. Isn’t this a matter to be deliberated over in a group before any decision is reached?”
“But we can’t wait!” she replied. “The man is on the phone now, and needs our answer immediately! Otherwise, he says, he has another customer waiting to buy.”
Well, whether or not the answer really was needed “immediately” was something I could not ascertain. If we lost this chance, however, we might not find such a good opportunity again. I realized that I had no choice but to make a decision on the spot. What about the time one ought to take in such matters, for leisurely deliberation? This, I thought, was time we all needed. Truthfully, I had no clear idea anyway as to the right decision. Time, however, was the one thing I wasn’t being given.
I therefore put aside for the moment the thought of that meal I’d been looking forward to enjoying. Instead, I sat up straight, concentrated at the point between the eyebrows, and directed the question, with energy, to my superconsciousness: “Shall we get it?” Strange to relate, I knew the answer instantly. It wasn’t as though this seemed possibly, only, a good idea—one maybe worth pursuing. I really did know what had to be done.
“Tell him we will take it,” I said. My friend went off to conclude her telephone conversation, and I sat back to enjoy my lunch. Future events proved me right. Though the decision represented a major investment for us, it was the right decision for our needs at that time.
I’m reminded of a similar occasion—similar in the opposite sense. Concentrated energy-output would have accomplished so much more than the time actually involved in doing the job. An Ananda member put together a slide show about the community. It took her a whole month simply to write the script. I didn’t tell her so, but the thought came to me, “My goodness, I wrote a script for a very similar project recently—a better script, too. And all it took me was an afternoon!” I didn’t fault my friend for having taken so long; she hadn’t had my years of practice at writing. Still, my point is that the reason it took her so long was that she didn’t put forth the energy to get the job done more quickly. The amount of energy she expended in a month could have been expended in an afternoon, and more effectively, had it been concentrated. Had it been my project, I would not have allowed my thoughts to drift down winding pathways of slow deliberation.
A strong thought not only speeds up the process of finding a solution, but is more certain to draw upon the source of all truly creative effort: superconscious intuition. To reiterate this important principle: A strong thought sends out energy which, generating magnetism, attracts to itself whatever inspiration or insight it requires. Time has nothing to do with the process. As Paramhansa Yogananda stated, “Inspiration can be controlled by the will.” There is no excuse for the “dry spells” often experienced by artists, writers, and composers. The intuitive faculty is with us always. We have only to summon it in the right way: with an uplifted attitude.
The way to approach the question is with what I call “solution consciousness.” To approach anything with this consciousness, give only minimal consideration to any difficulties confronting you. Know, rather, that the solution is there already, simply awaiting your recognition.
First, then, form in your mind a clear idea as to what kind of solution you want. Don’t ask vaguely for an answer. At the same time, don’t pray in blind hope that some sort of answer will appear. Rather, tell your superconscious specifically what you want.
Once, as I’ve mentioned earlier, I wanted to write music to accompany a showing of color slides I’d taken of the ancient Italian city of Pompeii. Pompeii, as you may know, was destroyed over two thousand years ago in an eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Before asking for a melody, therefore, I began with the thought, “What do I want this melody to say? I want it to do no more than suggest that ancient tragedy, so as not to emphasize the sins that must have been the karmic reason for that tragedy. I don’t want too sad a melody, therefore; that disaster took place long ago, and—one hopes—was itself an expiation for the people’s sins. Let the melody, therefore, be reminiscent, only, of ancient suffering. Finally, let it suggest hope for a better future.”
I offered this request clearly to God and my own superconscious—not so much in those words as in the form of specific concepts. A tall order, perhaps? Well in any case, all I did after forming the ideas was pray, “Give me a melody that says all that.” Instantly, the melody came. It expressed everything I wanted.
I don’t suppose anyone who has heard the flute recording of this melody has been conscious, specifically, of all that the melody expresses. Many people have told me, however, that what they felt while listening was a sadness tinged with unexpected joy and upliftment. What more could any composer want for a reaction from his listeners?
It takes, energy, I repeat, not time and deliberation to arrive at solutions that work.
How, then, to practice decision-making? First, withdraw into your center, in the spine. Let nothing outside you sway your deliberation. From that inner danda, as we might call it, or rod of inner balance, try to sense a direction that will somehow express the whole spectrum of whatever is involved.
Next, focus your mind deeply at the point between the eyebrows. Lovingly demand, there, an answer to your question. Make the demand with solution consciousness, in the full expectation of receiving an immediate answer. Don’t say, for example, “Here is my problem. What on earth can I do about it?” Say, rather, “I need an answer, and that answer is. . . .” Await the answer with instant expectation. The answer, if your demand is made with one-pointed faith, will appear instantly and clearly in your mind.
More is involved after that, certainly. For one thing, you will need to know whether the answer that comes is the right one, and not one concocted by your imagination. But that problem must await a later lesson.
I haven’t even touched on aspects of practicality that are less directly related to yoga principles: for example, how to keep your expenses within your income. There are commonsense points that might be considered here, such as being careful to control your small, daily expenses, which can mount up quickly! As Swami Sri Yukteswar put it, “Be comfortable within your purse.” This aspect of our subject, however, opens up a wide territory, and might easily be the material for a book. More to the point: For this lesson, it really isn’t to the point!
Meditation
Remember, what works in practice will depend first of all on the kind of energy you put out, not on the energy others have put out who trod that same path before you.
Imagine the consciousness of humanity in all its variety as represented by the seven colors of the rainbow. Within that spectrum of colors numerous shades of color may be discerned—from clear, bright colors to almost muddy hues.
Imagine the people you meet as projecting to you, with varying degrees of intensity, their own particular colors. The colors they project are what is called the human aura, which surrounds everyone. It indicates their magnetic field. The auras of most people are thin, and project only a feeble light. Still, in their number and variety even that feeble light can affect you, whether positively or negatively. It is not easy to protect your integrity under the impact of so many influences. How can you defend yourself against colors that are disharmious? Even more to the point, perhaps: how can you cling to your principles in a world that, so often, equates lack of principle with being “practical”?
The answer is, Strengthen your own aura. Imagine a bright light in your heart. Radiate that light upward to the spiritual eye, and outward from there into the world. Let it radiate in every direction. Make yourself a cause in life, not an effect. Feel your aura extending outward from your spiritual eye into the world around you, protecting you from every discordant influence in a balloon of light. No weaker light will be able to penetrate the magnetic field you generate by your strong will. Any aura that is compatible with your own, on the other hand, will find itself strongly attracted to you.
Fill your light with joy and love. Know that these divine qualities are yours eternally.
Affirmation
“In Thee alone I am truly free. Freedom is forever mine in Thy light.”

Points to Remember
1. To define as practical only what has been done before is to close one’s mind to fresh opportunities.
2. To live determinedly by high principles is the surest road to material security—and beyond that, to glowing material success.
3. When people “cut corners” ethically, they cannot help creating an inner war which pits the two selves within them, the higher and the lower, in heated combat together.
4. Honest people will avoid the dishonest businessman. He’ll gradually find the people around him limited to “slippery characters” like himself.
5. “Honesty is the best policy.”
6. Practicality is not always measurable by the yardstick of material values. The human dimension is, and should always be considered to be, part of the cost.
7. It is wise always to keep life’s longer rhythms in mind. Selfishness has a way of blinding us to the larger picture, and preventing us from making good decisions.
8. A straightforward and honorable attitude develops the magnetism, in time, to become a victor under every circumstance.
9. Whatever karmic mistakes, or sins, you carry in your heart will diminish you as a human being. That is a burden one notices only when he has been relieved of it.
10. The reality behind all existence is consciousness, not a blindly operating law. Dependence on God wins an actual, loving response from the Lord!
11. There will be tests, with a divine purpose: to stiffen your mettle. If you remain true to your principles, everything will work out in the end for your good.
12. The law protects all who abide determinedly by truth. Yata dharma, tata jaya!: “Where there is adherence to right action, there [alone] lies victory!”
13. Nothing new or better is ever accomplished by following well-trodden paths. If you can afford to take a chance, don’t be afraid to try!
14. A strong thought sends out energy which, generating magnetism, attracts to itself whatever inspiration or insight it requires. Time has nothing to do with the process. The intuitive faculty is with us always.
15. To practice decision-making: First, withdraw into your center, in the spine. Let nothing outside you sway your deliberation. From that rod of inner balance, try to sense a direction that will somehow express the whole spectrum of whatever is involved.
16. Next, focus your mind deeply at the point between the eyebrows. Lovingly demand, there, an answer to your question. Make the demand with solution consciousness, in the full expectation of receiving an immediate answer. Say, “I need an answer, and that answer is. . . .” Await the answer with instant expectation. The answer, if your demand is made with one-pointed faith, will appear instantly and clearly in your mind.
17. Strengthen your aura. Imagine a bright light in your heart. Radiate that light upward to the spiritual eye, and outward from there into the world. Feel your aura extending outward from your spiritual eye into the world around you, protecting you from every discordant influence in a balloon of light. Any aura compatible with your own will find itself strongly attracted to you.

Workbook Ideas
by Joseph Bharat Cornell
Give God a Chance
A wealthy devotee of Shiva was passing through a forest, when a robber suddenly appeared. The devotee called on the Lord to save him. Shiva, hearing His devotee’s cry, rushed to his defense. By the time Shiva arrived, however, the devotee had already picked up a stone to protect himself. Seeing this, Shiva turned back. “Why did You return so soon?” Parvati asked Shiva. He replied, “My devotee no longer needed me.”
The Lord, who gave us free will, waits to see if we really want His help. If we insist on doing things ourselves, He won’t intrude.
Action Items:
•	Give God a chance to work in your life, by offering Him a situation, project, or even a whole day. Invite His presence and guidance on whatever you choose, and with an effort of will, pray, “Whatever You give me, is fine.” Concentrate on trusting God, and leaving the results to Him. Let Him surprise you.
•	Don’t presume on God, however. Choose something no more than one step beyond your experience of God’s help and presence.
•	Make God your partner in this experiment. Share and do everything with Him. Constantly ask for His guidance. This will keep you actively attuned to Him, and add your energy to His.
•	Pay attention. God’s guidance is often subtle and happens over time!
Choose something you want to offer completely to God. Say to Him, this is Yours, I just want to become closer to You through this experience.
Receive an Answer—Right Now!
A disciple of Yogananda had to decide whether to take a risky treatment for a serious illness. For three years he had avoided doing so because of the severe side-effects. After years of no improvement, however, his doctors began to think the treatment might be the lesser of two evils. During a hospital exam the specialist wasn’t able to decide. So he left the room to look at the x-rays again before giving his recommendation. Meanwhile the devotee, knowing a decision had to be made in a few minutes, prayed intensely to God for guidance. The doctor returned with sudden assurance, and with great conviction told the devotee, “I definitely don’t think you should do the treatment, I definitely don’t!” Before, there was uncertainty, now, clarity. God had answered the devotee through the doctor. Months later the devotee’s health improved; the treatment was indeed unnecessary.
Clarity doesn’t depend on the time spent seeking answers; it depends on the amount of energy focused while making a decision. When we are desperate for an answer, our sense of urgency naturally concentrates and increases our energy. The secret to receiving guidance anytime is to create a strong flow of energy, by dynamically offering your request up to the spiritual eye.
Action Item:
•	Think of something you want answered. Magnetize a reply immediately, by generating a dynamic flow of energy at the spiritual eye with your request. If your thoughts wander, keep concentrating until only your loving demand exists.