Lesson: 1

The way to a higher life

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, Mother, Friend, Beloved God, Bhagavan
Krishna, Jesus Christ, Mahavatar Babaji, Lahari Mahasaya,
Swami Sri Yukteswarji, Guru-preceptor Paramahansa
Yoganandaji, saints of all religions, I bow to you all. May thy
love shine for ever on the sanctuary of my devotion, and may I
be able to awaken thy love in all hearts.
Affirmation:
This day shall be the best day of my life. Today I will start with a
new determination to dedicate my devotion for ever at the feet
of Omni
Presence.
Question: 1
How should a yogi view material activities?
Yogi should first meditate and feel the divine presence and then
do his material activities saturated with the consciousness of
GOD.
Question: 2
What is the relationship between personal effort and divine
grace?
Personal effort:
YSS Students should never go to bed without first giving his
deepest attention to GOD. Those who practice YSS techniques
of meditation daily, with sincere devotion to the lord, will find
by their own self-realization the validity of YSS teachings.
Divine Grace:
By being loyal to the gurus in this way, the student makes it
possible for the gurus to guide him surely to the divine goal.
Question: 3
When does GOD respond to the devotee?
God will not respond immediately. Only when he is convinced
that you seek him not for the satisfaction of temporal desires or

for spiritual glamour and glory but simply to be His,

unconditionally forever. He will open the door when the
devotees who are faithful to the end.
But to those who make no demand, who just keep on striving
saying, Lord, I will wait for you, no matter how long it takes
He will come.
Question: 4
It is common for religious person to speak against sin and
sinners. What is the attitude of the YSS gurus on the matter?
No one should call himself as a sinner, whatever your errors,
they belong to the past. They are not you. Gods yours.
The great YSS masters are yours. Hold the trust in your mind
and in every thought you have and one day you will find that
you have only dreamed. You were a man, you will wake and
know you are a GOD an external reflection of the infinite spirit.
The greatest sin is ignorance of our oneness with Him.
Question: 5
Why is Yoga said to be the fastest path to GOD?
God is silence. To find Him, the devotee must establish within
himself a temple of silence. God is like a moon and devotee
mind is a lake, so long as the surface of mental lake is
disturbed by restless thoughts, the reflection of divine moon
will be distorted.
But when the waves of the mind is stilled by calm concentration
and meditation, the divine image can be clearly seen at last.
The fastest way to find GOD is to go within meditation and the
fastest way to achieve success in meditation is to practice
some scientific technique for bringing the mind and life force
(prana) under the control of ones will.
The science of meditation is known as Raja Yoga the royal
highway to God which is taught by YSS gurus. So sincere
practice of scientific techniques is given time to time in lessons.
Some of which are the highest ever taught by any great rishi of
India.
Sincere practice will lead you quickly to God.
Question: 6

What is the proper length of time to meditate?

The meditation period should last at least 30 minutes in the
morning and 30 minutes in the night. The longer you sit,
enjoying the state of meditative calm, the faster you will
progress spiritually.