Painting: The Vision of Saint Teresa of Avila
It was just another typical average day in the spiritual life.
On the way to the laundry room, I ran into a friend I seldom see. After exchanging how-ya-doin’s, he said, “I enjoy the photographs you take.”
Fresh from a viciously difficult two-day video-editing session from hell, I gave free rein to my frustration: “I can’t take a picture to save my life!!”
Of course, my friend deserved an explanation. I added, “Whenever I take pictures, I feel absolutely clueless. It’s why I always take pains to get God involved.”
My friend murmured his approval, and I continued, “Just last night I went through absolute hell trying to edit a video in an exotic format. Finally, I said, ‘Divine Mother, should I sell all my video equipment and go back to doing only photography? If you want this project done, you’ll have to show me how. It’s not my project, it’s yours. I want to help, but I need your help.’ Seeing no way forward, I set the video project aside. Then this morning I did a simple Google search that turned up a seven-year-old video on YouTube that explained exactly the process I needed. It was simple, and the client loved the results.”
I entered the spiritual life sixty years ago. At the time, I very consciously and deliberately decided that I would be scientific – I would accept nothing on the basis of blind faith. I would test the teachings of the saints with scientific rigor.
The saints tell us that if we pray to God He will answer. I began to pray to God with fierce, one-pointed attention, sincerely and humbly asking Him for answers to the many questions I had as a beginner in the spiritual life. And, of course, He answered every prayer.
Back to the present. for months I had felt that Swami Kriyananda would be pleased if I would purchase a certain camera. But it was expensive, and I had made mistakes in the past, buying photo gear that logic dictated was right, but without bothering to get prior approval from God for the purchase. On one occasion I fell victim to a scam and lost $1100. I am absolutely convinced that God clouded my mind, because I would never have been so clueless, otherwise.
After months of feeling a warm peace in my heart when I contemplated the expensive camera, I went ahead and bought it. I was sure to purchase from a seller that offered a 15-day return policy, just in case I had misunderstood the guidance. So far, it has proved an improvement over my previous camera, opening vistas to provide new and improved service to my Ananda clients. The learning curve has been steep, with lots of bafflements that have forced me to pray for help. And I suspect that is the point. God loves to help us grow by pressing us to seek our help from Him. He will use money, relationships, work, technology — anything to press us to the point of gasping exasperation, not to torture us, but to help us create a relationship with him.
Swami Kriyananda said that he never started a creative project without first asking God to guide him. “Before I sit down to write, I ask God to inspire me – and I never fail to do this.” There was a sense, around Swamiji, that he didn’t actually live in this world, but that his consciousness was merged with something far greater that was living through him. He was long past the stage of having to remind himself to talk to God. He lived in God.
In her wonderful book, Swami Kriyananda: Lightbearer, Asha Nayaswami reports:
The Christmas (1975) issue of The Banyan Tree (a magazine sent from Ananda Village in the early days) included a family photo, signed by Swamiji and all the residents.
In his Dear Friends letter, he wrote, “Offering of one’s will to God’s guidance should be made daily. It should become a mental attitude that is carried with one constantly, an inner gift from the soul unceasingly given until not the slightest decision is made without first asking the Lord at least for comment.”
The photo above of Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) inspired me to find out what the great Spanish saint might have said about practicing God’s presence in our daily lives. Here’s what I discovered, with a little help from Google AI:
St. Teresa of Avila taught that keeping God’s presence is achieved through “determined determination” to maintain a loving, conversational friendship with Christ, recognizing he is always with us. She emphasized finding God in everyday life — ”among the pots and pans” — by treating prayer as an intimate sharing with a friend, rather than a formal performance.
Key aspects of her teaching on God’s presence include:
Interior Companionship: She encouraged keeping Christ present with us in our hearts, allowing us to speak with him, complain of labors, and rejoice in moments of delight, which strengthens the soul.
Constant Awareness: She noted that all sins arise because we forget God is actually present, imagining Him far off. She taught that realizing He is present fosters humility and security in our spiritual journey.
“The Inner Cell”: Even in busy times, we can retreat into our inner “castle” to converse with God, ensuring our hearts are not consumed by the world.
Service as Presence: She reminded us that Christ has no body now but ours, meaning our actions and service to others are expressions of his presence on earth.
Teresa emphasized that this practice is not dependent on profound feelings, but on a “determined determination” never to stop seeking God.
In her most recent incarnation, St. Teresa was reborn as Sister Gyanamata, foremost woman disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda. When Sister Gyanamata questioned her spiritual state at the time of her passing, Yogananda told her, “You are with Mother Divine, Sister mine; I am holding you there. The path is not needed – you are already there.” After her passing, Yogananda said that he had watched her soul merge with “the watchful state beyond creation.”
— Rambhakta