Making time for God in silence and solitude

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And in the early morning, while it was still dark, he arose and went out and

departed to a lonely place, and was praying there. And Simon and his companions

hunted for him; and they found him, and said to him, " Everyone is looking for

you. " (Mark 1:35-37)

 

(p.426) Even great masters seek times of solitude to renew themselves in Spirit.

Though the omnipotence of the soul cannot be diminished, the bodily instrument

of Jesus was heavily taxed by the multitudes--just as an electrical machine

shows fatigue if run nonstop though its power from the dynamo is not lessened.

The crowds drew from Jesus healing energy and spiritual strength; and as he

moved among them he was in a sea of the vibrations of their worries and human

emotions. He became one with them in their pains and sorrows as he uplifted

them. So we see from the Gospels it was his wont to withdraw periodically into

solitude and prayer--to leave behind for the moment the troublesome realm of

transgressions and consequences and enter the transcendent inner blissful

kingdom of God-communion.

 

In this present account, Jesus arose before the morning brought upon him the

press of his responsibilities, and sought out a solitary place for prayer. This

is the way people in general should learn to outwit the demands that would steal

all of one's attention from prayer and meditation. There is a time to be given

to everything needful. People regularly eat their meals at certain hours each

day to nourish the perishable body. They work many hours daily to make money to

maintain themselves and others who are dependent upon them. In childhood, the

" working " hours are spent in schooling to nourish the mind and prepare it for

assuming life's responsibilities. Six to eight hours are passed in the

restorative oblivion of sleep. What precious moments of the day survive

unclaimed should be wisely apportioned. The right mental education should give

each individual at least the common sense to know what methods to adopt in order

to perform uniformly all the physical, mental, and spiritual duties calculated

to bring real happiness. (p.427) That mind-set is fruitless which makes an

individual one-sided, either materially, intellectually, or spiritually. The

performance of one duty should not starve out other important duties.

One-sidedness is a sure formula for unhappiness. It will create a painful

paucity [lack] in other aspects of one's threefold nature.

 

God is often the last to receive attention on one's daily agenda: " As soon as I

get time, I will meditate. " Where does that time go? Yet anyone who performs the

highest duty of knowing God is automatically guided in accordance with God's

will in the performance of the roster of other lesser duties. It is disastrous

to seek prosperity at the cost of health or to seek health while entirely

neglecting to strive to be successful and prosperous. But since God is the

source of all power, it is right to seek Him first, for, with God, health and

prosperity are added; but with the acquirement of health and prosperity alone,

God is not attained. So the commitment of ardent renunciants to seek God first

by forsaking material goals is the consummate life; for God, once attained,

enriches one with imperishable life and eternal opulence.

 

Whatever be one's vocation in life, one needs to feel his connection with God.

The cultivation of a spiritual life requires solitary places for divine

communion. God can be felt easily in inspiring scenic surroundings free from

noise. Man's mind is usually busy with the sensations of sight, sound, touch,

smell, and taste. Sound is the most distracting sensation. The sight of material

objects or material activities also snares man's attention. But by closing the

eyes, one can quickly get rid of the sight sensation, whereas freedom from sound

sensations can best be attained by being in a quiet place. The novice devotee

who attempts to meditate in noisy surroundings finds his time of " silence "

entirely taken up in battling the restless thoughts the noises arouse. In a

quiet atmosphere, one can go deep into the silence without any preliminary

skirmish with the sensations of sounds. However, if a person makes a super

effort of will, he can concentrate in spite of such distraction.

 

In noisy places there are also people to interrupt one's meditative endeavours.

The vibrations of their restless thoughts and activities pass through the body

of the meditating individual and keep his energy rushing toward the senses

instead of being released to flow toward God. While it is very helpful to the

beginner to meditate on quiet occasions and in solitary places, this does not

mean that one should not meditate unless one has a chance to travel to a place

of solitude. A room in one's home where nobody will disturb the meditation

period is all that is really necessary. (p.428) One should repair to that room

and create his own inner quietness by deep meditation on the Infinite. Once God

is contacted, no outward disturbance can bother the soul.

 

There is a proper time and proper place for performing one's different duties.

Just as sleep takes place at night in a quiet bedroom, as business is carried on

during working hours in an atmosphere of business, and as intellectual studies

are carried on in scheduled times in the halls of learning or in a quiet

library, so, there should be a proper time and place for meditation, or

God-communion. Whatever be one's sanctuary of solitude, he will find it

especially beneficial to pray and meditate any time during the following

periods: from the earliest hour of dawn, from 5 to 8 a.m.; noontime from 10 a.m.

to 1 p.m.; evening from 5 to 8 p.m.; and nighttime from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. The

masters of India have taught that the hours surrounding the transitional times

of dawn, noon, sunset, and midnight of each solar day are conducive to the

cultivation of spiritual development. The magnetic cosmic laws of attraction and

repulsion that affect the body are more harmoniously equilibrated during the

above four periods. This helps a meditating individual to interiorize himself in

divine communion. To meditate in the quietness of the early mornings and at

night is to meditate in a solitary place. During those times, most people are

asleep, and the city, or one's surroundings, are quiet. The results of peace

realized from meditation are easily obtained due to less noise and wrong

vibrations of restless people.

 

On holidays and in leisure moments, instead of wasting time with senseless

diversions and worldly people, the devotee-seeker enjoys time with God--taking a

refreshing walk to a quiet lonely place to meditate, for example. Jesus lived in

a temperate climate, conducive to his choice of outdoor solitude in nature

during the early morning hours.

 

When the disciples found Jesus in his solitude, they called to him: " Everyone is

looking for you. " Just as the fragrance of flowers draws the bees, so souls such

as Jesus who are fragrant with God automatically draw spiritually thirsty souls

to themselves.

 

The Second Coming of Christ (The Resurrection of the Christ Within

You) Volume 1, Discourse 25, pg. 426-428

Paramahansa Yogananda

Printed in the United States of America 1434-J881

ISBN-13:978-0-87612-557-1

ISBN-10:0-87612-557-7