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One of the fastest (and happiest) paths to Self-realization is simply to accept things as they are.

“God,” I asked inwardly, “was it really You who came in the form of that desperate man?” I never saw the stranger again. To this day I’ve suspected that the encounter was God’s way of showing me that He Himself receives any act of kindness we express to others.

Nayaswami Jyotish reads a letter of gratitude to God and shares more on the importance of gratitude on the spiritual path.

What touched us the most, however, was seeing the divine love for others that is being offered by Ananda devotees throughout the world. Here are three stories that we heard during our travels.

We recently heard a remarkable story about Sri Yukteswar.

The saints of all religions teach that everything in life is transitory. All human suffering is caused by seeking permanence in an impermanent world. Only through inner detachment can we find lasting peace.

Diwali, the Festival of Light, is celebrated throughout India. Lights can be seen everywhere: strings of it decorating balconies and windows, candles placed in doorways and windows and on the altars of homes, and fireworks bursting like stars in the night sky.

How can this world's fighting ever end? It is only by the upliftment of consciousness. In the teachings of India, the term “maya” is used to denote “delusion.”

Isn’t is interesting that the essence of the spiritual path is somehow magically condensed into a single sacred plate?

Inner self-transformation is never easy, no matter how you approach it. In trying to transcend self-limitations and old ways of thinking, we find ourselves clinging to the familiar, even if it no longer serves our aspirations.

Happiness is something that everyone searches for but very few are able to find. Here are five key steps that lead to permanent happiness:

A small group of us just returned from a glorious trip to Varanasi, Kolkata, and Serampore—all places known for their holiness, and filled with events sacred to our line of gurus. Everywhere we saw and experienced the joyful celebration of God in many things that is characteristic of life in India, a celebration not somber and serious, but filled with exuberance.

Over and again through the long mists of time, great souls who have inhabited India have chosen God.

I understood that I could be myself without trying to impress others according to their standards—ones that I didn’t share. This is a gift of the spiritual path: to discover and accept our own uniqueness, and let it determine the course of our life.

This thought, ”Let’s let God decide,” should be like a mantra, a compass that guides our life. It is a shorthand way of saying, “Not my will, nor your will, but God’s will.”

Sometimes it is life’s tests and challenges that help us to feel God’s love more deeply. Recently while in Assisi, Jyotish and I contracted Covid, which fortunately was a very mild case. Now we are almost totally recovered.

The Masters work in very long rhythms to bring about the spiritual evolution of the planet. The current situation is not the disaster that it may appear on the surface to be. It is, rather, one of the steps needed for our awakening.

A recent lesson from a stranger while Jyotish and Devi waited in the airport as they departed for their tour. How important visualization is in our success on the spiritual path.

sn’t this everyone’s dilemma—clouds get in our way? A blossoming of love, faith, and clarity is the real benefit of the prayer, Let Thy will be done.

Every point of the universe can be perceived as the center. You are the center of the universe, and someday you will be able to experience this.