“Never let your mind be seduced by restlessness, through joking too much, too many distractions, and so on. Be deep.
As soon as you succumb to restlessness, all the old troubles will begin to exert their pull on the mind once again: sex, wine, and money.
Of course, a little fun and laughter is good, occasionally. But don’t let light-mindedness possess you. I, too, like to laugh sometimes, as you know. But when I choose to be serious, nothing and no one can draw me out of my inner Self.
Be deep in everything you do. Even when laughing, don’t lose your inner calmness. Be joyful inside, but always inwardly a little withdrawn. Be centered in the joy within.
Dwell always in the Self. Come down a little bit when you have to, to eat, or talk, or to do your work: then withdraw into the Self again.
Be calmly active, and actively calm. That is the way of the yogi.”
The Essence of Self-Realization, The Wisdom of Paramhansa Yogananda, Recorded and Compiled by his disciple, Kriyananda (J. Donald Walters), p. 87.
