“A Visitor: ‘The Bible says that evildoers shall be punished, and the good, rewarded. Do you subscribe to this teaching?’
Paramhansa Yogananda: ‘Certainly. If we accept the principle of cause and effect in Nature, and of action and reaction in physics, how can we not believe that this natural law extends also to human beings? Do not humans, too, belong to the natural order?’
‘This is the law of karma: As you sow, so shall you reap.’ (‘Be not deceived, God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.’ Galatians 6:7) If you sow evil, you will reap evil in the form of suffering. And if you sow goodness, you will reap goodness in the form of inner joy.’
‘To understand karma, you must realize that thoughts are things. The very universe, in the final analysis, is composed not of matter but of consciousness. Matter responds far more than most people realize to the power of thought. For will power directs energy, and energy in turn acts upon matter. Matter, indeed, is energy.’
‘The stronger the will, the greater the force of energy — and the greater, consequently, the energy’s impact on material events. A strong will, especially if combined with awareness of the cosmic energy, can effect miracles. It can cure diseases, and make a person well. It can ensure success in any undertaking. The very seasons are obedient to the man of strong will power and of deep faith.’ ”
The Essence Of Self-Realization – The Wisdom Of Paramhansa Yogananda, Recorded and compiled by his disciple, J. Donald Walters, pgs. 63 – 64.