Paramahansa Yogananda
Quotes on the Presence of God
The Presence of God
See & Hear God in All Things
The beauty of God is vast. To enjoy flowers for their loveliness is good, but far greater is to see behind their purity and beauty the face of God. To be carried away by music for its own sake cannot compare with hearing God's creative Voice in it. (me)
The sense-hypnotized man sees nothing but the world and is unable to perceive God. (bg p.318)
The wise man wakefully enjoys
the presence of God in all things.
"Be still,
and know that I am God"
(Psalms 46:10)
Along with periods of meditation you should think day and night of God.
"Door of my heart, open wide I keep for Thee....
Night and day, night and day, I look for Thee night and day." *
We must uplift our consciousness
so that even the most worldly duties
are performed with the thought of God.
* From "Door of My Heart" in Cosmic Chants (jt)
There cannot be any excuse for not thinking of God. Day and night, rolling in the background of your mind, God! God! God! ... Whether you are washing dishes or digging a ditch or working in an office or a garden—whatever you may be doing—inwardly say,
"Lord, manifest to me!
You are right here. You are in the sun.
You are in the grass. You are in the water.
You are in this room. You are in my heart."
He who perceives Me everywhere and beholds everything in Me never loses sight of Me, nor do I ever lose sight of him.
— The Bhagavad Gita VI:30
He is nearer than the nearest, dearer than the dearest. Just behind the words of your speech, just behind your thoughts, just behind the love of your heart, just behind your will, just behind your sense of I-ness, is the great spirit of God. For those who think Him far away, He is far away; but for those who think Him near, He is ever near. [—The Bhagavad Gita VI:30]
Cultivate the will to think of God during activity. It is extremely important that you make this a part of your daily life. Don't follow this course a few days only and then forget all about it. Follow it as best you can every day. Even if you slip back into old habits, keep on trying. You will become spiritually strong and healthy in due time.
God is with you now;
you have only to make the effort
to realize His presence.
Not tomorrow,
but today,
this minute.
The way to God is not through the intellect, but through intuition. Spirituality is measured by what you experience intuitively, from the communion of your soul with God.
It is so simple if inside you are always talking to Him, ‘Lord, come to me!’
Why do you put up a barrier of doubt between yourself and God? If you love Him and inwardly talk to Him, and know He is with you, you will get much more result than from hours of just sitting absentmindedly in silence, supposedly meditating, with your mind wandering over everything but God.
Keep Him in your heart
all the time.
And when you meditate, go deep in divine communion. (jt)
No matter which way you turn a compass, its needle points to the north. So it is with the true yogi. Immersed he may be in many activities, but his mind is always on the Lord. His heart constantly sings:
'My God, my God, most lovable of all!'
Every day you should affirm,
"I am not a mortal being;
I am not the body.
I am a child of God."
That is practicing the presence of God.
Of greatest help in your development is the habit of mental whispering to God. You will see a change in yourself that you will like very much. No matter what you do, God should be constantly in your mind.
Conversation with God
requires silence.
Meditation must be practiced every day. Start now! Do not look to the future. Begin this very moment to think of God.
One way of practising God’s presence is to talk to Him mentally. Whenever you have a real need, the thought of it is in your mind all the time, no matter where you are or what you are doing. Develop such deep, dynamic, inner whispers is sure to bring a response from God. Constantly, unceasingly, whisper to Him of your eternal love, of your burning desire to communion with Him.
Jesus said:
‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God’.
If you are seeking something else first, you will surely be disillusioned. Each man rationalises, ‘Well, others have been deceived, but I won’t be.’ Nevertheless, he will be deceived. The only experience that is real, the only experience that brings happiness, is awareness of the presence of God. (me)
Heavenly Father, Mother, Friend, Beloved God,
I offer unto Thee the cries of my soul.
Forgive my wanderings in the land of matter.
Be with me now and forever, that I may feel unceasingly Thy blessed presence.
I have not to acquire Thee, for Thou art already mine throughout eternity.
Only bless me to revive my memory of Thy presence, the memory of my eternal possession of Thee.
Aum. Aum. Aum.
Further reading:
The Presence of God (by Brother Mokshananda)