May 2017 Newsletter

The only way to get good traction is if there is friction. We tend to think traction is good and friction is bad. But they go together. I'm not suggesting that friction between people of itself is a good thing. However, it does give us the opportunity to rise above it, by consciously feeling and expressing kindness. It is time to drop the idea that it is the other person's fault. I am responsible for me. You are responsible for you. How we manage ourselves is up to us - no one else.

When we find ourselves in situations that don't go smoothly, we have the opportunity to make real spiritual progress. If the friction is with another person, remember that in our essence we are all divine. Pray for that person. It is very hard to be angry with someone when you are praying for him or her. We truly are all very much in the same boat.

If I'm tempted to be impatient with someone, I think of the attitudes that Paramhansa Yogananda and Swami Kriyananda held of all of us. To call it patience doesn't do it justice. We have our models. Can we rise to the challenge?

Blessings,
Nityananda