Week 22: The Inner Kingdom
Our Affirmation For May
Stanza 5:
“Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.”
Matthew 5:7
Blessed are they who, recognizing the bond they share with all living creatures, are more concerned for others than for themselves. Blessed are they who serve consciously as instruments of divine grace: for in their very giving they shall receive.
Swami Kriyananda
From the book
The Beatitudes: Their Inner Meaning by Swami Kriyananda
Rays of One Light: Weekly Commentaries on the
Bible and The Bhagavad Gita
by Swami Kriyananda
There are many passages in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible that describe aspects of this inner kingdom. In the Book of Genesis we read: “And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden. . . . And the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil”
(Genesis 2:8, 9).
The Bhagavad Gita tells us,
“The wise speak of an eternal ashvatta tree, with its roots above and its branches below”
Excerpted From Week 22 The Inner Kingdom
90. Demand to Love God as All Saints Love Him
By Paramhansa Yogananda
From the Book Whispers From Eternity
O Heavenly Father, fill my heart daily with the prayers and love of some new saint who found Thee in ages bygone. Fill my heart with the love of all saints who have ever loved and found Thee.
What inspired me from this week’s reading from the Rays of One Light was…
The “tree of life,” spoken of also in Genesis, is the spine. Its roots are above, in the brain’s energy. Its branches are the outward spreading nervous system. When the “sap,” which is to say, the energy, flows downward the consciousness is drawn into delusion. On the other hand, when the energy is drawn upward in deep meditation, the consciousness is drawn toward its eternal source, God, and is at last united with Him.
This week I thought we would watch a Sunday Service Youtube video by Swami Kriyananda called “How Should We Worship God" Then we will take the chant How Shall I Love Thee? by Swami Kriyananda into our meditation together…
"How Should We Worship God" - Sunday Service with Swami Kriyananda
How Shall I Love Thee? — Chant by Swami Kriyananda
Lyrics
How shall I love Thee, Lord my God?
With ev’ry breath I breathe!
Just as a fire may burn a whole forest,
Burn to the root my desires!
How shall I seek Thee, Lord my God?
With ev’ry breath I breathe!
Just as a fire may burn a whole forest,
Burn to the root my desires!
How shall I serve Thee, Lord my God?
With ev’ry breath I breathe!
Just as a fire may burn a whole forest,
Burn to the root my desires!
How shall I worship Thee, Lord my God?
With ev’ry breath I breathe!
Just as a fire may burn a whole forest,
Burn to the root my desires!