Study
Online Courses
Online Courses
The Art of Enlightened Living: The Path of Kriya Yoga and Mystical Christianity In this 40-day online course, Isha Das will introduce you to a mystical path to union with the Divine. Your understanding of the spiritual life will grow, and more importantly, your...
Friday Class
12-week Session
Starts February 2, 2024
$360 for the series, paid in advance (The entire series must be purchased)
On Zoom
10:00 to 11:30 am
One of the most soul-filling times of the week at The Assisi Institute, Friday morning class features a short time of silent meditation and a small-group study of How to Know God: The Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali with Isha Das and Swami Nirvanananda. Come to learn and grow with us! To register, please email Purnima at classes@assisi-institute.org. Before class begins you will receive an email with the zoom information.
You may pay by credit card directly below or write a check payable to Craig Bullock and bring or send it to The Assisi Institute.
Welcome to Tomberg
First and Third Mondays
7pm on Zoom
In this popular small class, Dave Barszewski presents an overview of Tomberg’s Meditations on the Tarot. Tomberg’s Meditations are a rich continuum of the mystical journey—uniting human will with divine will. The text, which is rich with spiritual imagery and symbolism, dovetails smoothly with the teachings of Yogananda in writing that radiates wisdom and inspires intuitive understanding.
We will be using Tomberg as a tool to become more in tune with God by the methods of meditating, praying, thinking, and experiencing together. Tomberg, like Kriya, takes us on a journey of mystical experience where we are transformed by our union with God. As a consequence we become co-participants with God in His work of love on earth. Reading of the text will not be necessary. Printed materials will be presented before each session for our prayerful consideration.
If you would like to join this class, please email David Barczewski here. There is no fee for this class, but donations are encouraged.
Spiritual Practice for Men
with Herb Tierney
First Saturdays
10 to 11:30am in the library
Herb’s class will include teaching, meditation, and discussion. All men are welcome! Email Herb here to let him know you are coming. Please check with Herb if the first Saturday falls on a holiday weekend.
Satsang for Women
with Shantima
First Saturdays
October-May
10:00 AM in the temple
Our beloved Swami Shantima brings to us her deeply rich spirituality, years of teaching and facilitating experience, and a special love for and understanding of a woman’s journey. Come and join her for a special time in our temple.
Assisi Reflection Circle
Fourth Monday of the month at 7pm, on Zoom
On the fourth Monday of the month, community members enjoy a time of quiet, meaningful conversation on Zoom. After a few moments of silence, we take turns sharing our thoughts and experiences and then responding to each other. We are basing our time together on the book The Wisdom of No Escape by Pema Chodron. We read a few short chapters ahead of time each month. For more information, please email Mary McFee. A chair in the circle waits for you!
For more information:
Rosary for Peace
Monday Evenings at 5:30pm on Zoom
ID: 862 3508 9739
PW: rosary
Each Monday evening, a small group gathers on Zoom to pray this traditional prayer with moments for personal reflection and insights from the Kriya Yoga tradition. All are welcome!
“Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone — we find it with another.” — Thomas Merton
Spiritual Direction
Spiritual direction is for anyone who seeks a deeper relationship with God. A spiritual mentor is someone we can talk with confidentially. He or she listens, prays with us, enters into the silence with us, reflects on the scripture and spiritual teachings with us, and helps us relate it all to life in the real world. Spiritual mentors are not therapists, but mature and seasoned guides on the spiritual path. Since every aspect of our daily lives affects our relationship with God, ordinary concerns such as work, family, relationships, emotional hurts, fears, and even our dreams may be shared in spiritual direction.
At The Assisi Institute, a team of trained spiritual directors is available to serve you. Frequency of spiritual direction varies with individual need and circumstances. In most cases people find that meeting a director every four weeks is ideal. Each session should last for approximately one hour. There is no designated fee for spiritual direction, but it is customary to offer a donation to help support the ministry.
If you would like to inquire further about spiritual direction:
Call David Barszewski 315-398-4845
“Read a little, meditate more, think of God always.” — Paramahansa Yogananda
Living Grace:
Daily Inspiration for Meditation and Contemplation
Many people from across the world begin or end their day with words of comfort, hope, challenge, and inspiration from Isha Das in his daily reflection, Living Grace. We welcome you to this virtual community! Simply click here to find today’s reflection and many more.
Living Grace Excerpts
“God is love. His plan for creation can be rooted only in Love.” –Paramahansa Yogananda
If our relationship with God is not a love affair, then it is not a relationship at all. God stands unceasingly at the door of our hearts, offering the gift of unconditional love—not because we are good, but because He is good. If this “Love” is going to be an actual force in our lives, a response is required. The only appropriate response is a tender, open and vulnerable heart—one that God can fill with God, and therefore unbounded goodness.
“Not even a sparrow falls to the ground without the Father’s consent.” –Jesus
Yes, we all want love, joy and goodness in our lives. However we also want these gifts on our own terms, and under our own control. The problem is that we do not trust Reality—meaning that we do not trust God, for God is Ultimate Reality. This is why Jesus summarized his entire message as “Good News.” In word and deed, he stated that Divine Love is not merely a force among forces, but the most powerful energy within creation— even trumping the forces of karma. Jesus revealed God as being entirely trustworthy—not just in a future heaven, but right here, right now.
“Find yourself in God and God in yourself.” –Teresa of Avila
If God is going to be an active, relevant, and transforming presence in our lives, we must be willing to live from our deepest depths—from our interior heart. There is literally a point behind our hearts where our spirit perpetually touches God’s Spirit. The more we consciously live from this point of contact, the more we allow all of God’s goodness and love to bubble up into our lives. The price of this liberating contact is silence, prayer and meditation—a bargain if there ever was one!
“My deepest ‘me’ is God.” –Saint Catherine of Genoa
One of the blessings of living from the interior heart is that we take ourselves less seriously. We know that God has created us, we know we are who God meant to be, and we know God is responsible for us. This allows us to exhale, to laugh, and to enjoy creation—which actually gives God great joy. The less we obsess about ourselves, the freer we are to love God and others. The more we live from the interior heart, the more we know that our lives are not about us–but God.
“Fear not, it pleases the Father to give you the Kingdom.” –Jesus
We all hold in our psyches levels of painful assumptions, aversions, and attachments. As we journey into the depths of our own hearts, these points of hurt will necessarily surface into our conscious awareness. Yes, the road to heaven passes through hell. Saints refer to this process as “purification.” If we are faithful to our meditation practice, keep the eye of our soul on God, and surrender all things to Divine providence, the storms will cease—God promises! The fruit of this process is a liberated heart, overflowing with peace, love and joy.
Suggested Readings
Autobiography of a Yogi
by Paramahansa Yogananda
Extravagant Love: Reflections of a Catholic Yogi
by Isha Das (Craig Bullock)
Living Grace: A Daily Companion for Meditation and Contemplation
by Isha Das (Craig Bullock)
Open Wider the Door: The Intersection of Kriya Yoga and Mystical Christianity
by Isha Das (Craig Bullock)
Seven Lessons in Conscious Living
by Roy Eugene Davis
Paramahansa Yogananda As I Knew Him
by Roy Eugene Davis
Women of Power and Grace
by Timothy Conway
The Interior Castle
by Teresa of Avila
Abandonment to Divine Providence
by Jean Pierre De Caussade