“Americans were growing so rich they forgot God. But now God is performing an operation. They will have only half as much wealth, […] but, they will be more spiritual.”
Considered the “Father of Yoga in the West,” Sri Paramhansa Yogananda was undoubtedly one of the most influential Indian gurus of His time. Arriving in 1920 on the shores of the United States in Boston at just 27 years of age, He immediately began sharing Kriya Yoga’s teachings of peace and wisdom across the country. Settling in Los Angeles in 1925, Sri Yogananda created a monastic order known as the Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF). Today, the work of the SRF has benefited millions of people, with an estimated 500 centers around the globe.
As Master Yogananda was preaching the Dharma across the United States of America, He was naturally concerned about this mighty country and its inhabitants. Although the Great Depression was experienced worldwide between 1929 and 1939, it was centered in the United States. Master Yogananda thus witnessed first-hand the suffering of the American people, as hundreds of thousands found themselves homeless and living in despair. Soon after this period, as if the tentacles of evil malice were trying to obstruct human awakening, World War II drew the US into a global conflict. And in the ensuing decades, every country on the planet faced multiple calamities, both human-made and seemingly natural disasters.
As an Enlightened Mystic and through His many lectures and writings, Master Yogananda spoke prophetically about the current and future times that only in hindsight can we see more clearly. Many of the Indian Master’s insightful words were recorded by one of His devoted disciples, James Donald Walters, who was also known by the spiritual name Swami Kriyananda.
Despite the positive effects of economic recovery following the depression, Yoganandaji said: “Americans were growing so rich they forgot God.”
The wealth-driven forsaking of God, in this Hindu Mystic’s eyes, was a powerfully destructive force of western decline. Not only that, Master Yogananda had foreseen another, more widespread depression ahead. “A terrible depression is coming, far worse than the last one!”
However, this new period of decline is differentiated by our humanity now being on the threshold of the Dwapara era of awakening consciousness. Sri Yogananda hints that the subsequent depression, albeit worse than the former, will be different: “But now God is performing an operation. They will have only half as much wealth.”
Although people all around the world have recently been experiencing financial depression caused by dramatic increases in the costs of goods and services, money devaluation, and massive national debts, evidence has shown that some are turning to spiritual activities such as meditation and yoga.
According to Pew Research Center’s 2014 Religious Landscape Study, Americans of nearly all religious groups, as well as those who have no religious affiliation, say they meditate regularly, with 40% saying they meditate at least weekly. In their 2017 report, the Pew Research Center found that 75% of Americans categorize themselves as spiritual, with meditation often part of their spiritual practice. Even the non-religious appear to be feeling the inner calling of the Dwapara Yuga. Approximately 26% of the Americans who identified as atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular” – also reported that they meditate regularly. There is an indication that people around the world are feeling the call of meditation as well, with one study estimating that up to 500 million globally are participating in this beneficial practice.
In Her teachings, Supreme Master Ching Hai always reminds us that the true reason for meditation is to seek the experience of God’s Presence. This is the key to balancing the physical existence with one’s spiritual practice and development while having this precious opportunity of a human body.
“More of blissful and more happy we'll become, if we're intoxicated inside. And then we don't have any more questions really. We don't care. We're just happy with Love from God alone. That is the purpose of our life to find this Love, and then we're satisfied. Because without this Love from God, we'll be just miserable. And we take all kinds of harmful drugs and sometimes alcohol and all kinds of things in order to make ourselves happy. But then we will be worse, we'll be more in trouble, because we don't have the true happiness. That's why we must meditate on God. And if we cannot, the Master power always gives us somebody, some Messenger in order to guide us, help us, to remember how to meditate on God correctly.”
“If only we take time to turn inward daily, sometimes, then we will find this highest quality, and then our life will become truly happy, because we can solve many problems in a better way, and we don't have to work so hard, but we achieve the higher result or the best result, because we make use of our wisdom which is already within ourselves. So, the way of true happiness and success can be found only when we turn inside and go to a higher level of consciousness, pick up better information and use it in our daily life.”
What is the consequence of humanity ignoring the sage advice of the Masters past and present? Master Yogananda made it very clear to His disciples with the following prediction.
“The time is growing short. You have no idea of the sufferings that await mankind!”
What type of suffering could be awaiting us – more even than those who suffered the Great Depression and the Second World War? There are many ways the dark, fading energy of Kali Yuga can still influence human behavior, which in turn can drastically alter the Divine balance of Nature and Earth. We have already seen an increase in the frequency and severity of disasters like tsunamis, hurricanes, and forest fires, as well as precious lives lost to pandemics like COVID-19. Adding to this are the lives sacrificed to senseless conflicts, such as Russia’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine.
Paramhansa Yogananda gives us a clear insight into another such outcome that is currently ravaging our planet.
“In the next century Boston will have a tropical climate, and the people there will be brown skinned.”
This prediction, made in a time before climate change was known as a scientific reality, then seemed outlandish. How was the clairvoyant Guru able to know that humanity’s cruelty toward and consumption of animal people would result in environmental destruction and significant global warming, if not using His Divine eye?
As we can see from the official records in Boston recorded since 1900, the temperatures in the city have been steadily rising for the last century. Moreover, this is the same future that scientists have been warning of. They predict that by 2100, Boston will have hotter temperatures at or above 32 degrees-Celsius for as many as 80 days per year, compared to about ten days per year up to now.
The impacts of today’s climate change are, of course, not limited to Boston, USA. They are global in scope and unprecedented in scale. As the earth gets warmer and warmer, people will suffer more and more from frequent and extreme heat, cold, wind, rain and snow.
Supreme Master Ching Hai has long been a Messenger for Heaven’s solution to this and other earthly crises. She has urged leaders of nations, religions, government officials, and even the meat and dairy industry to take heed. Her message is clear: to address the cause of this climate emergency, we must stop the immoral and unsustainable use of animal-people for food.
“Raising animal-people of any kind is making our planet climate change worsen because of the methane and all kinds of economical-related problems. [...]”
“You know well by now, by the UN’s warning, by scientific research report, you know, we know that the meat, fish, eggs, milk, laboratory tests on animal-people, leather industry; ANYTHING TO DO WITH HURTING ANIMAL-PEOPLE, domestic or wild, ARE DETRIMENTAL TO OUR WORLD. We talk about all kinds of climate reduction, or reducing air pollution BUT animal-people raising, fish, egg, milk industries, etc., anything to do with animal-people, are the worst producers of lethal methane gas which heats up our planet. So, stopping these brutal, murderous businesses is the fastest way to cool our Earth. […] Do be vegan. THAT’S THE RIGHT THING and that’s all you have to do. Everything else will fall into place.”
Though still at its beginning stages, the rise in vegan consciousness has been encouraging in recent years. Worldwide, people identifying themselves as vegan or vegetarian has increased, with the younger generations embracing a compassionate lifestyle at a much higher level.
Sri Yogananda also hints at a potentially positive side to the calamities of our time. He added: “They will have only half as much wealth, […] but, they will be more spiritual.”
It cannot be said more clearly than by Supreme Master Ching Hai Herself that the path to a higher spiritual consciousness that also brings peace for all beings is through the vegan lifestyle.
“[…] it’s high time that the human race should rise to a higher level of consciousness anyway. They should be noble, kind and compassionate. Be veg, go green, do good, is not just for the planet, it’s for the whole human race ennobling spiritual merit and quality.”
“And as the killing karma is reduced with people becoming vegan, all disasters will diminish, a more loving atmosphere will envelop our Earth, and we would not even have to worry about war between countries, because vegan diet will make people feel peaceful, more clear-headed. So consequently, each nation would naturally have sufficient resources and wholeheartedly exchange help to each other. So, the best way to prepare for conflict is to take complete prevention. The vegan diet will help us to achieve that goal, and almost immediately.”
