Your Spiritual Life and Growth

If I had to choose a few must have books, other than the sacred texts, Meditation and Spiritual Life by Swami Yatiswarananda is the book that would be near the top of my list.
Calling it a primer on how to achieve Self (and God)- Realization does not describe entirely what it is all about. This book covers all aspects of achieving and living a God connected life. Incredibly engrossing and readable, this book is filled with relevant anecdotes and reminisces that make it so interesting.
Swami Yatiswarananda was a member of the Ramakrishna Order.
As an aside, there is plenty of instruction and information that can be beneficial to Christians and those of other faiths.
Here are a few quotes from this great book:


"Unless a person starts regarding himself as the soul, the self separate from body and mind, he has not even begun his spiritual life."


"Our spiritual teachers tell us that divine Grace comes in the form of self-effort, spiritual yearning and striving."


An example of this that Swami gives: "Jesus taught a dynamic spiritual life, a life of intense struggle and effort. This was the life lived by the great Christian mystics."


"People who are highly egotistic will find spiritual life very difficult. They mistake their own lower impulses for something very grand and follow them. They do not pause to listen to the "still small voice" of conscience within them."


"Once you accept the spiritual ideal you must make it shine in all it's attitudes and relationships."


If you are truly serious about a REAL, and I mean real, all encompassing spiritual life, then buy this book. In the past I have been guilty of saying I wanted this in my spiritual life but I wasn't willing to do the WORK. It takes work and commitment, a willingness to let your quest be the focal point of your life. Don't fool yourself by saying you want it and then just go on with life as usual. Again, don't kid yourself. But, here is the reality, your connection with the Divine is more satisfying, substantive and lasting then any momentary pleasure you will find in relationships or activities.


I have read countless books over the decades on, for a lack of a better word, "spirituality," this


is the one to have.