METTA CENTER

By Paramhansa Yogananda in "The Essence of Self-Realization".   Self-realization means realizing your true Self as the great ocean of Spirit, by breaking the delusion that you are this little ego, this little human body and personality... The wave must realize that its reality, as a mere wave, is temporary. It may appear again and again as other waves, but in the end it has to realize that its reality lies not in its separateness as a wave, but in the ocean of which the wave is a manifestation. Realization of its true identity demands merging into the ocean and becoming one with it.

(This article was first published in September 2006 Metta Center Newsletter.) Recently, on a labyrinth walk at Sibley Regional Park in Oakland, I received a profound insight from Mother Earth that I would love to share with you. As I walk inwardly toward the center of the labyrinth, I noticed a yellow jacket buzzing around me. At first, I was apologetic to it. I said I was sorry that I was bothering it. When the insect still buzzed around me, I started to feel angry and told it to buzz off itself. Then, I started wondering if there was a "better", different, way to respond than the ways I had responded: either being apologetic to or being upset by this insect. As I thought that question out loud, I heard this thought within me that said, very gently, "We all have a space here." The yellow jacket came back and started buzzing again around me. This time, I quietly said to it "We all have a space here, you and me." Then, to my surprise, the yellow jac