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September 29, 2019
It is hard to believe that a lake, whipped into waves by a storm, can return to a state of serenity, where its surface reflects like a perfect mirror. Yet, it surely does. Serenity means the state of being calm and peaceful.
Your mind, even when agitated by strong winds of anger, passion or desire, also can return to serenity. Happiness and serenity are your natural condition — but they are hidden from you by a stubborn, inborn ignorance.
The goal of spiritual practice is to dispel this ignorance and calm your mind. In that serene state, joy spontaneously arises and your true original nature — a spiritual being born of divine love — may be revealed to you.
In this talk Br. Shankara offers four specific steps that can lead you to greater truth about your Self and greater serenity.
This talk is offered as a tribute to Pop Taylor, the minister who led the Grace Methodist Church in Riverside, California, during the 1940s and 1950s. Rev. Taylor was an inspiration and spiritual guide to the nine-year-old boy who later became Br. Shankara.