During my early teenage years I pondered the meaning of life and aspired to clearly know it. Near the end of my eighteenth year I was fortunate to meet my guru Paramahansa Yogananda in Los Angeles, California, and to be accepted by him for training. Now, as I write these words, forty-five years have passed; each has provided invaluable opportunities for continued spiritual growth and service. I have traveled the world to share this information and have discovered that, behind the screens of social fabric and cultural influences, all people are, at the core, the same: that one, divine essence is the reality of us all.
Everything I recommend in these pages, I do, or have done. The basic principles, practices, and guidelines are universal. I did not originate them. They are not mine, nor do they belong to anyone. Some of the insights shared here, and explanations of how I view our relationship with the Infinite, are my own because I, like everyone else, see from my personal perspective. Take to heart whatever is meaningful to you. Use your intellectual skills to determine the meaning of whatever is not immediately clear to you. Use your intuitive abilities to see beyond words and concepts, to truth — that which is factual. Doing this is the only approach to understanding the processes of life that will satisfy your heart.
