A Power Worth Striving For
Dear friends,
There’s a good friend of mine who is an American living in India, where he has been a teacher of yoga philosophy for many years. He has been a disciple of Yogananda for over 50 years, and is one of those I have looked up to as a friend and mentor for decades.
In India, it is thought that a great yogi will have developed esoteric “powers” of some sort. In Sanskrit the phrase is “siddhi power.” Some time ago, at the end of class in India, he was asked, “And what siddhi powers have you developed?” He said, “none” and you could see the energy in the room deflate amongst the many students that had attended his inspiring talk. But after reflecting he paused and replied, "Well, actually, one. The power to be happy at will.” What a great response!
After all, what is the goal of yoga if not inner peace and eventually Divine Bliss? Every time we are affected by our circumstances or treatment by others we are affirming our dependence on outside factors for our peace and joy. Yogananda had a wonderful quote that the successful yogi can “...stand unshaken amidst the crash of breaking worlds.” Now that’s a siddhi power worth striving for! How often a little thing happens that knocks us out of balance for hours… or days… or longer, taking unwelcome residence inside our heads.
Habitual positive attitudes do not come by chance. They take work and attention… as does every other area of life worthy of pursuit. But the nice part of dedication to inner unfoldment is that with each step forward we can feel a deepening sense of freedom from the chaos that surrounds us. My path is yoga with Yogananda as my guide, but any true path leads to the same goal. As one of Yogananda’s chief disciples put it: "Patient endurance brings you to victory. Once you’ve found God you’ll want nothing more.” May your own search be tempting enough for you to persist and flourish in it!
Blessings,
David G., manager
For the staff at East West