Spiritual Destiny

"My guru often said, “Devotion is more important than practice of meditation techniques; together, they are an unbeatable combination.”A person whose psychological temperament is mainly devotional may think that intellectual analysis of higher realities is not necessary or may neglect superconscious meditation practice.

One who is inclined to intellectually examine philosophical concepts and to meditate, may need to be reminded of the usefulness of nurturing devotion. Because spiritual awakening occurs more easily when the body is healthy, the mind is well-ordered, emotions are stable, environmental conditions are supportive, personal relationships are ideal, behaviors are well-disciplined, and actions are constructively purposeful, everything that one does should be viewed as spiritual practice. If ordinary states of consciousness are allowed to prevail or thoughts and behaviors are allowed to be influenced by moods, whims, or subconscious inclinations, meditation is not likely to be transformative.

When a disciple is willing to be fully committed to right living and spiritual practice, initiation can be offered, which may be a simple affair or may include a formal ceremony. Initiation is a rite of passage into a body of knowledge and the company of adherents of that knowledge. The occasion of initiation should be known as a “new beginning”that empowers the disciple to more quickly fulfill his or her spiritual destiny. Awakening to Self- and God-realization to the stage of liberation of consciousness should be considered as being possible in one’s current incarnation rather than as a goal to be accomplished in the distant future, as one leaves the body, in an imagined astral realm, or during another physical incarnation.

At the time of initiation, one is instructed to be committed to ethical living and spiritual practice, and meditation methods may be taught. In the Kriya Yoga tradition represented by Mahavatar Babaji, Lahiri Mahasaya, Sri Yukteswar, Paramahansa Yogananda, and their successors, initiates are taught a unique pranayama and supplemental meditation methods which are to be regularly practiced. When conditions are ideal, the guru’s consciousness is blended with the disciple’s consciousness and a spiritual force is transmitted that can awaken the disciple’s dormant soul forces. A psychic (soul) connection is then permanently established between the guru and the disciple that enables the disciple who nurtures it to be receptive to streams of supportive, redemptive grace that flow through the guru and the lineage of gurus."

-- Roy Eugene Davis, a direct disciple of Paramahansa Yogananda, is an internationally acclaimed teacher of meditation and spiritual growth processes, an author whose books have been published in ten languages, and the founder of Center for Spiritual Awareness with world headquarters in northeast Georgia.