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Welcome to the September edition of the Self-Realization Fellowship eNewsletter. In honor of the International Day of Peace, we offer you some insights and practical suggestions from Paramahansa Yogananda on the topic of World Peace.
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Paramahansa Yogananda on World Peace
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Join us in observing the International Day of Peace, September 21, 2010. Established by a United Nations resolution in 1981, this annual event is devoted to commemorating and strengthening "our personal and planetary progress toward peace." It is a reminder of what individuals, organizations, and nations alike can contribute to the creation of global world peace.
The following helpful thoughts from Paramahansa Yogananda offer a powerful spiritual perspective on how we can all participate in the achievement of these ideals.
The Greatest Necessity for World Peace
War results from selfish patriotism, which does not recognize the kinship of all humanity under the fatherhood of God....It is because of man's ignorance of his divine nature and his lack of spiritual balance that nations are using engines of war to destroy one another. This is why the world's greatest necessity is God-communion, which brings understanding that we are all His children....
In actual communion with our common Father, we realize we are all one. When we have fellowship with God, we feel fellowship with all people.
Understanding Must Be Freed From Prejudices Our vision is obscured from our very birth by the prejudices of family, race, and nation. Prejudice is a principal cause of war between brother nations. We shall never understand ourselves or others unless we keep our understanding free from all clouds of prejudice....
Be more proud that you are made in the image of God than that you are of a certain nationality; for "American" and "Indian" and all the other nationalities are just outer coats, which in time will be discarded. But you are a child of God throughout eternity. Isn't it better to teach that ideal to your children? It is the only way to peace: Establish the true ideals of peace in the schools, and live peace in your own life.
Peace Begins With You
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God."
They are the real peacemakers who generate peace from their devotional practice of daily meditation....Having felt the nature of God as inner peace, devotees want the Peace-God to be always manifest in their home, in the neighborhood, in the nation, among all nationalities and races.
Anyone who brings peace to an inharmonious family has established God there. Anyone who removes the misunderstanding between souls has united them in God's peace. Anyone who, forsaking national greed and selfishness, works to create peace amidst warring nations, is establishing God in the heart of those nations....
Man's power to make war is increasing; so must his ability to make peace. 
Meditate. Feel the great love of God in your heart, and extend that love to all nations of the earth, that it contribute toward removing the cause of wars.
Prayer for a United World
"May the heads of all countries and races be guided to understand that men of all nations are physically and spiritually one: physically one, because we are the descendants of common parents−the symbolic Adam and Eve; and spiritually one, because we are the immortal children of our Father, bound by eternal links of brotherhood.
"Let us pray in our hearts for a League of Souls and a United World. Though we may seem divided by race, creed, color, class, and political prejudices, still, as children of the one God we are able in our souls to feel brotherhood and world unity. May we work for the creation of a United World in which every nation will be a useful part, guided by God through man's enlightened conscience.
"In our hearts we can all learn to be free from hate and selfishness. Let us pray for harmony among the nations, that they march hand in hand through the gate of a fair new civilization."
Read more about the Self-Realization Fellowship Worldwide Prayer Circle and how you can join us in serving others and promoting peace on earth through the dynamic power of prayer. And experience a beautiful "Prayer for Peace on Earth" suggested by Self-Realization Fellowship president Sri Daya Mata.
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New Video Satsangas
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 Now available on our website − two new video satsanga excerpts featuring Sri Daya Mata and Brother Anandamoy.
Experience Sri Daya Mata's joyous and uplifting spirit of encouragement as she speaks about how to "be in the world but not of the world" − a video excerpt from Fulfilling the Soul's Deepest Needs.
Discover why the law of karma is not a matter of "punishment," but a stimulus to help us reclaim our immortal divine potential. A video excerpt from Understanding Karma by Brother Anandamoy.
Watch videos
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Convocation 2010
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 Thousands of SRF members and friends joined together at the 2010 annual Convocation in Los Angeles. Whether you were able to attend or not, we hope you experience the inspiration and fellowship that permeates this joyful event in our 2010 Convocation slideshow and brief video. View Convocation 2010 Slideshow and News Video
Convocation 2011 will be held August 7-13. Additional details and program information will be available in February 2011. |
Upcoming Events
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Public Lecture Tours
Self-Realization Fellowship monks and nuns will be visiting the following cities in September to conduct programs on the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda:
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September 2010 |
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Munich, Germany (public lecture) | |
30 - Oct 3 |
Weiden, Germany (member program) |
For more information and program details, please see our 2010 Lecture Tour Schedule.
How-to-Live Retreat Programs
On many weekends this fall, SRF monks and nuns will be conducting How-to-Live Retreat programs. Join us at one of the beautiful Self-Realization Fellowship Retreats at Encinitas, Lake Shrine, or Hidden Valley to spend some time deepening your relationship with God and recharging body, mind, and spirit. See schedule.
For those in the eastern United States, retreat programs will be held September 10-12 and October 8-10 (for women) at the SRF Greenfield Retreat in Front Royal, Virginia.
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We hope you enjoyed this edition of the Self-Realization Fellowship eNewsletter. Check your inbox each month for more inspiration and wisdom from the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda.
In divine friendship,
Self-Realization Fellowship
Copyright © 2010 Self-Realization Fellowship
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Resolve that you will love the world as your own nation, and that you will love your nation as you love your family. Through this understanding you will help to establish a world family on the indestructible foundation of wisdom.
Follow the ways of God. Set a time apart each day to meditate on Him. When you commune with God, you shall feel toward everyone as toward your own. No one can ever make me feel he is not mine. All human beings are God's children, and He is my Father.
− Paramahansa Yogananda
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