Brian D. Stephens
The spiritual story of author Brian D Stephens. An autobiography about the spiritual journey and the grace received from enlightened people such as Mother Meera, Meher Baba, Ramana Maharshi, and Jesus.
There are many translations of the Upanishads. Many people who read the Upanishads recommend the translation by Swami Prabhavananda. I found it on Internet Archive and began reading the first Upanishad in the book—the Isha Upanishad. After a few moments my mind stilled, and I was deeply immersed in the formless… Read more
Mother Meera is an avatar who travels the world giving free darshans. Through her grace you will find greater peace in your daily life. And you will learn how to connect with the Paramatman light… Read more
While lying in bed, I rested in a state between being awake and asleep. An image appeared in my awareness that I have never seen before. It was a silver ball made of water. The water flowed down the ball in ripples that looked like tiny waves. The image was so real that I tried to open my eyes in order to get a better look at it. But when my eyes opened the image vanished. Until this evening, I didn’t know what the image represented… Read more
I’m reading Ramana Maharshi’s teachings and a biography about Papaji. Being exposed to their grace has affected my system. Both men taught the spiritual practice of self-enquiry. You focus on the source of the “I” (or ego) in order to draw your attention inward and still the mind. When the “I” recedes into the Self permanently you attain liberation. After an encounter with a dove tonight my mind stilled… Read more
While living in Los Angeles, I became interested in spirituality and unknowingly chose the worst kind of spiritual teacher. Although I didn’t know it at the time, he is a charlatan and a sociopath. In spite of everything I am doing well. I am surrounded by God’s mercy and grace. Yet you should let my story be a cautionary tale. And be careful in whom you choose to guide you along the spiritual path… Read more
My favorite spiritual practices are to focus on the Paramatman light or an enlightened teacher. Of late, another spiritual practice has arisen spontaneously. I step back and observe myself interacting with the world. The way I perceive the world changes. I am freed from the ego’s influence and the mind stills. The external world loses its sense of reality. It is more like a play… Read more
Of late, I am more cognizant of how much of the day is spent focused on unimportant things. The mind moves from one meaningless thought to the next. And only when I stop to read an enlightened teaching is my attention fully focused on the divine. I must do a better job of attuning to the deeper reality throughout the day… Read more
While working at the office today, the Paramatman light is much more noticeable. It usually appears as a fine mist that is always falling whether I am indoors or outdoors. Today it is much larger, the size of rain drops… Read more
I have found that reading an enlightened teaching changes my internal reality and the way I interact with the world. The grace of an enlightened teacher draws my awareness within, toward the Self and away from the illusion of separate objects. For some reason, the teachings of Meher Baba and Ramana Maharshi are the most helpful in drawing my intention deeply within. Three in particular are the most powerful: Guru Vachaka Kovai, God Speaks, and In God’s Hand… Read more
India is a place like no other. There the veil between the physical plane and the deeper reality is very thin. And in the more holy places, it is much easier to touch the formless unity that permeates and sustains all of creation. I often envision leaving my current life behind and starting anew in India… Read more
Each year my brother likes to attend the Christmas Eve service at a local church. It was nice to be in a room full of Christians. Everyone was in a good mood. The choir sang many Christmas songs. Children walked up to the front of the church dressed as characters from the story of Jesus’ birth. And passages from the Bible were read that pertained to Jesus’ birth. Yet something important was missing. People were focused on the external ceremony—the Christmas play that was being performed. There was little, if any, emphasis on each person’s internal connection with Jesus and the divine… Read more
I have spent far too much of my life immersed in the illusion of maya. The ego loves to keep the mind active and focused on anything other than the divine. In our modern society another level of maya has been created in which we lose ourselves in an artificial electronic world. We are constantly staring at our smart phones or immersed in some form of entertainment on the television or computer. The ego-controlled mind enjoys the stimulation and soon becomes addicted to it… Read more
Working next to the window allows me to unplug somewhat from the matrix (maya) and tap into the deeper reality. The mind is more still during the day and work is more pleasant. I also found myself turning away from the computer and immersing myself in the stillness of nature. During my midday nap today, I had a vision of foliage that was just outside a window… Read more
Tonight I walked along the beach for thirty minutes and watched the sunset. As it does every night, the sun changes its mood during the ten minutes before sunset. Instead of projecting its energy outward, it begins to turn inward, and as it changes so do I… Read more
Today is April 10, 2017 and it is a good day. The first book was finished and uploaded to Amazon. Now begins the process of marketing the book and letting the world know about it… Read more
There are small cliffs that overlook the ocean in San Diego, California. On some nights a man will stand on the grass and create soap bubbles that are carried along the sidewalk by the ocean breeze. The bubble man brings a lot of joy to people. The children who are walking along the ocean with their parents stop and play with the bubbles, chasing and popping them. The bubbles remind me of the book God Speaks by Meher Baba. He uses the analogy of bubbles on the ocean to describe what happens to a soul when it appears in creation… Read more
After Mother Meera darshans today, I shut my eyes for a while and had two visions of the ocean at sunset. Spiritual visions are nice, yet they can also be a distraction. Meher Baba taught about the dangers of a seeker getting lost in the energetic planes. Some become so engrossed in visions that they do not focus on the deeper reality and their spiritual progress stalls… Read more
I use the Paramatman light to help other life forms. I probably learned the skill unconsciously during my darshans with Mother Meera. Each life form has a physical body on the physical plane of reality and an energy body on the energetic plane. And it is the energetic body that I access. At first the light was projected into trees. Then the process expanded to birds, then insects, and now people… Read more