If man combined his worldly life with meditation and did his sadhana of meditation at the same time as his daily commitments, then the world, which had been filled with three-fold agony — the physical and mental suffering caused by oneself, by others, or by fate and the forces of nature — would become heavenly.

If man combined his worldly life with meditation and did his sadhana of meditation at the same time as his daily commitments, then the world, which had been filled with three-fold agony — the physical and mental suffering caused by oneself, by others, or by fate and the forces of nature — would become heavenly.

It is simply because man is indifferent to God that the world is full of pain and suffering for him. If you made a sweet pudding, full of delicious ingredients — pistachios, almonds, cardamom — but left out the sugar, how could it have any taste? In the same way, the world can be enjoyable only if you meditate on God.

Through meditation, man can make the world his greatest friend; without meditation on God, the world is full of pain. The truth is that life in this world can be a magnificent way to happiness, but only if God is in it completely. Without remembrance of God, without knowledge of Him, without meditation on Him, worldly life is crippled; it has no savor, no delight.

Don’t abandon the world and your near and dear ones. Don’t waste your strength running in every direction in search of God. Don’t lose yourself while you look for peace and rest. Beloved people, stay at home with your husbands, your wives, your children. Be friendly with your crafts, skills and talents. Stay with your businesses and factories.

Call on Him with love, meditate on Him with love and He will reveal Himself within you. You will see the divine light filled with His love.

Through intense deep meditation you reach a state that is beyond thought, beyond change, beyond imagination, beyond differences and duality. Once you can stay in that state for a while and come out of it without losing any of it, then the inner divine love will begin to pour through you. You will not see people as different, separate individuals. You will see your own Self in everyone around you. Then the flow of love from within you will be constant and unbroken.

(Extract from Play of Consciousness, Swami Muktananda)