“Your religion is not the garb you wear outwardly, but the garment of light you weave around your heart. By outward garb I don’t mean your physical raiment only, but rather the thoughts and beliefs in which you enclose yourself. They are not you. Discover who you are, behind those outer trappings, and you will discover who Jesus was, and Buddha, and Krishna. For the masters come to earth for the purpose of holding up to every man a reflection of his deeper, eternal Self.” –Paramhansa Yogananda
Could any dogma encompass God, He who is everything and far more than everything? God is not concerned about how you define Him. He cares how much you love Him.
Paramhansa Yogananda taught the underlying unity of all spiritual teachings. He tirelessly lectured and wrote about the oneness of India’s teachings as expressed in the Bhagavad Gita and the original teachings of Christ as presented in the Bible.
Yogananda said, “Self-realization has come to unite all religions.” He didn’t mean that all religions should be united under a single denominational banner, but rather that people can uncover the truth of all religions in their own hearts, using the key of meditation. Yogananda taught a non-dogmatic religion of love:
Instead of peddling untested dogmas and urging people to ‘Believe! Believe!’, the churches should convert their premises into universities of living, where experiments are conducted in how to find the true fulfillment in life all people seek. Instead of gathering in God’s name theoretically, people need to come together with the firm purpose of invoking His living presence in the temple of meditation.
Spirituality doesn’t dismiss faith. The teachings upon which Ananda is founded, those of Paramhansa Yogananda, author of Autobiography of a Yogi, and his disciple Swami Kriyananda, Ananda’s founder, are universal and inclusive.
Ananda views and respects all religions, all spiritual teachings and their practices, as differing expressions of the same one Truth. Just as different instruments all play music, so too, different spiritual paths all reveal Spirit.
Come enjoy a cup of tea and casual conversation, with plenty of opportunity for discussion.
Date & Time: Thursday, May 9, 6:30pm-8:00pm.
Location: 1321 Thousand Oaks Blvd., #124.
Cost: $15.00
Ananda is a worldwide, nonprofit, nondenominational center for meditation spiritual growth, and community based on the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda. All are welcomed.
