The Journey Home: Autobiography of an American Swami

by Radhanath Swami

“In the Talmud,” he said, “a book on Jewish law written by Rabbis thousands of years ago, it is taught that it is better to pray to God for the strength to overcome temptations, difficulties, and doubts in order to do His will, rather than to pray for Him to do our will.”

“Come out from among men and be separate.” I pondered this. Why should I waste my life trying to fit in with the social fashions of my peers? Why not try to live on my own terms? And hopefully, someday, on God’s terms?

In a terrible predicament, when our hearts embraced hope, we attracted a power beyond ourselves to guide us, purify us and, ultimately, liberate us.

Kandahar had been extraordinary. From a mongoose, I had learned patience; from a den of hashish addicts, temperance; and from a blind boy, spiritual joy. Grateful for all I had learned in the city, I bade it farewell.

I had once read that humans without a spiritual path are like two-legged animals.

A true yogi is one who lives with the highest human conduct.”

My mind floated, recalling how God had taken from me so little and given me so much. For a moment I contemplated that to the degree one feels unworthy of grace, one will be grateful when it comes. It is gratitude that makes the heart receptive to receive the Lord’s blessings.

As Sean rambled on, I looked within; there I saw again how the association and environment we choose can mold our character down to the fundamental views of life.

I might no longer agree with Sean’s ideas or ways, but why shouldn’t I respect him as a soul that originated from the same Divine source, and carry on with the life I now held as sacred?

“Feeding the stomachs of the poor is not so difficult. Feeding the starving hearts of humanity with God’s love—that is the great challenge. You see, our hearts must be pure to give that love.”

Real wealth is in the hearts of those with faith in the love of God.

“All my strength comes from the Lord’s Holy Names.”

“but I’ve vowed not to accept formal initiation from a guru until I’m convinced I will never leave his shelter.

I caught myself mentally criticizing them as if I were superior. I didn’t want these thoughts, which exposed my own arrogance. I prayed to be purified from my own pollution of fault finding.

“Meditation, study, and worship,” he said, “give us the inner strength to live as kind and enlightened beings.”

“Who God is,” I thought, “is a serious subject, not to be taken lightly.”

But hateful aggression in the name of God is also a sad reality of this world. It is the way of those attached to external forms without understanding the essence.

Whichever dog we feed the most through the choices we make and the utilization of our time will empower that dog to bark the loudest and conquer the other.

All of these elements harmonized in a spirit of devotion to awaken the love of God in the heart of the reader.

We are vulnerable to defeat when our minds succumb to fear. The foreigner was unfamiliar with monkeys, but the Nepalese tot had lived around monkeys all of his life. So we fear what we don’t know. Through knowledge of our spiritual nature and sincere faith in God, we can overcome all fear. Please, Lord, bless me with such courage as I find my way to You.

Lord Jesus said, “You can judge a tree by its fruit.”

When I witnessed this outpouring of love for Babaji, I understood the saying that it is only when one has no desire for adoration that one is truly qualified to receive it.

“people are creating a hell by their addiction to criticizing and fighting. Do not judge others or fall into those egoistic ways.”

“God is unlimited and independent,” Asim began. “To say He cannot appear in the deity form is to limit Him.

Just as electricity manifests in a light bulb to radiate light, so God can permeate the deity with His presence. Electricity is invisible to the naked eye and the bulb by itself gives light only when the electrical energy infuses the bulb with its presence. Then we can see and feel the light. In a similar way the Lord may appear in the tangible form of a deity to help us see and feel His presence and reciprocate with our love.” Smiling, he asked me if he had made sense.

“Krishna longs to be conquered by the love of His devotee and by the supreme grace of Radha we can realize that love. She is the compassionate nature of the Absolute and the fountainhead of all spiritual love.”

‘man is made in the image of God.’

“Love conquers the beloved Lord. It is His own sweet will to be conquered. And when Radha is pleased by our sincerity, She, too, blesses us with God’s love.”

remembered the words of Lord Jesus. “Unless one becomes like this child, one cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.”

“We must first understand the inconceivable nature of God. The Supreme Lord is simultaneously personal and impersonal. It is an eternal truth that He is both formless and that he has an eternal, blissful form.”

He went on to explain how Krishna, His form, qualities, personality, and abode were unlimited, and that all the true religions of the world worshipped the same One God. He had simply revealed Himself in different ways at different times.

How foolish it was of me to look down on them, feeling that I was better because of my ascetic lifestyle. I now understand that detachment is only sacred to the degree it fosters humility, respect, and love.

contemplated again how the tendency to judge others is often a symptom of insecurity, immaturity, or selfishness, and I yearned to rise above

Never could I have imagined where the invisible hand of destiny was leading me. Through it all, I have come to realize that if only we cling to our sacred ideals, not being diverted by either successes or failures, we may find that amazing powers, beyond our own, are there to test us, protect us, and empower us.