Dear Friends,

Ananda Ashram in Gurgaon, India

We want to share with you news from our time in India.

We arrived at Ananda Gurgaon less than a week ago, and what a blessed time it has been already.

Swami Kriyananda has been busy with all sorts of projects. He’s completed a screenplay called “The Wayshower” about Yogananda’s life, and will be meeting with prospective movie producers over the next few months.

He’s also busy with a steady stream of devotees who come for appointments with him on a regular basis.

Swami Kriyananda at the Inner Renewal Weekend in Gurgaon

Three hundred guests attended what was a deeply inspiring time. On Saturday Swamiji gave a wonderful talk, which was also the launching of the Indian edition of Religion in the New Age.

He is deeply cherished by the Indian devotees who flocked around him so densely for his blessings that he could hardly get to his car after his talk.

The concluding event of the weekend was a blessing for the new school here — Dihika Living Wisdom School. Despite feeling tired, Swamiji gave a riveting 45-minute talk on Education for Life and its importance in Yogananda’s work. Many people described his talk as “historic,” and certainly for us it was one of the most lyrical, expansive and inspiring talks we’ve ever heard him give.

Dihika Living Wisdom School

We still don’t know when Swamiji is planning to come to America — he just doesn’t know yet.

We’ll all be heading down to Ananda’s community in Pune at the end of this week or the beginning of next for the celebration of Paramhansa Yogananda’s Mahasamadhi at the new community. We will write about those events later.

The Amphitheater at Dihika School

Nayaswamis Devi and Jyotish at the Inner Renewal Weekend in Gurgaon

Ananda India truly has put down deep roots in this blessed soil.

There are now many couples and families who have moved to be close to our Center here, and are forming a very strong core group. There are over 20 Indians who have taken our training, and are now teaching meditation classes on their own.

Finally, it’s been a joyous experience to be traveling about with Swamiji in his blue nayaswami robes, with his little flock of nayaswamis all in blue as well.

Many people come up to us and ask who we are, and why we are all wearing blue. It such a joy to explain we are members of a new sannyas (renunciate) order. Somehow the Indians seem to understand it right away.

We send our loving thoughts and joy to you. May Master’s light shine through you always.

In God and Guru,
Nayaswamis Jyotish and Devi

Happy New Year! A wonderful way to begin each year is to meditate on Yogananda’s poem:

The Noble New

Sing songs that none have sung,

Think thoughts that in brain have never rung,

Walk in paths that none have trod,

Weep tears as none have shed for God,

Love all with love that none have felt,

And brave the battle of life with strength unchained,

Give peace to all to whom none other gave,

Claim him your own who is e’er disclaimed.

Each line challenges us to set our spiritual goals high – to create, think, heroically fight, and love with renewed strength and courage.

These images so well describe Swami Kriyananda’s life and many of the projects he’s recently launched:

• The Naya(new)Swami Order is a fresh approach to renunciation for Dwapara Yuga, and already has over 200 members worldwide.
• The New Path – My Life with Paramhansa Yogananda is his definitive work describing life and training with Master and is filled with hundreds of new stories.
• New Dimensions, the most respected New Age Radio program for over 25 years, is airing an interview with Swamiji about Master to millions of its listeners worldwide.

A few days ago before Swamiji flew from Italy to India, we received an email from him saying:

In a Florence hotel recently, I woke up at 3:00 am with an inspiration.

Finding no paper anywhere, I wrote it down on a paper doily that I found under a glass. Let me share with you what I wrote:

“The more bliss I feel in myself, the more I find everyone around me utterly lovable. How vastly varied are the ways of approaching that same bliss! Every being on earth has his own, unique way of seeking it!”

His words echo Master’s, “Love all with love that none have felt.” In a sense, these are not new thoughts, but what makes them come alive is the creative inspiration that we bring to them in our own lives.

One of our personal goals for the coming year is to find more selfless ways to express divine love to all. We invite you now to share your comments about what “noble new” activities have worked for you to bring greater awareness of God’s presence in your life.

May Divine Grace guide and bless your steps,
Nayaswamis Jyotish and Devi

We send you loving thoughts during this Christmas season. May you go deep in meditation and be filled with God’s joy. Paramhansa Yogananda told his disciples, “Christ is the joy felt in meditation. Christ is the perception realized in the deepest hours of silence.”

Our Guru gave a wonderful explanation of the story of the three Wise Men following the Star of Bethlehem. These Magi were, in fact, enlightened yogis of the East – Babaji, Lahiri Mahasaya, and Sri Yukteswar. They followed the spiritual star of their inner perception, which led them to the Christ consciousness present in the baby Jesus.

Yogananda came to the West at a change of ages when people are more open to spirituality. He called his mission “The Second Coming of Christ,” and gave us the understanding and the tools to seek Christ consciousness within ourselves.

It’s a great blessing to receive his teachings and to understand and seek Christ consciousness.

Christmas Altar at Ananda Village

Here are 4 guiding lights to help you in this search:

1. Meditate Deeply

Make time especially during this holy season to meditate on Christ.

If you can, attend an all-day Christmas meditation, as Yogananda recommended. If a group meditation isn’t available to you, then go to your meditation room, or a local church, and make a deep effort to feel the presence of Christ within.

2. Ask God What Gifts You Can Offer Him

Just as the Magi arrived bearing gifts for the Christ child, feel what you, too, can give to the world.

Ask God how you can better serve Him, what more you can do to spread His love in the world. Have the courage to act, to give, and to follow wherever God leads you.

3. Know That We Each Have a Unique Gift to Give

There are billions of stars, yet each one is different. So, too, each of us is unique in what we can give God.

Don’t compare your offering to that of others. Do you know Swami Kriyananda’s Christmas song, “The Shawl of Gold”? The poor girl’s gift of a threadbare shawl turned to gold when she lovingly gave it to someone in greater need.

Realize that everyone is following their own star, offering what they can, and respect all as brothers and sisters on the journey.

4. Remember Your Goal — Christ Conciousness

The journey that the Wise Men undertook to find the Christ child was not without peril, but they persevered to the end.

No matter what challenges you face in your life, or what obstacles are in your path, be steadfast until you reach your goal. If you sincerely and deeply practice the teachings of the Great Ones, you will behold the Christ within.

We’ll close with these words from Paramhansa Yogananda:

May you have a very Merry Christmas. And may you receive the greatest gift that anyone can wish for you: the perception of the Christ spirit in your own heart.

May you feel his presence on Christmas day and every day throughout the New Year.

Open your heart to receive the wonderful gift of Light. Meditate. Meditate until you get the results. The answer is sure if you persist.

Love, serve, meditate.

In loving friendship and joy,

Nayaswami Jyotish and Nayaswami Devi

Christmas blessings from your Ananda Sangha family!

The sheer number of projects he completed, and the thousands of people he reached through lectures, radio interviews, YouTube videos and other talks posted on the Internet, was unprecedented. Most important of all, the spiritual power he radiated was like a carrier wave that changed lives.

“Spiritual Power” is a concept so misunderstood that people often shy away from it. Yet God’s power lies hidden within each of us enlivening all we do. This power also gives the ability, as Paramhansa Yogananda put it, “to stand unshaken amidst the crash of breaking worlds.”

Will we need the strength to face “the crash of breaking worlds” in our lifetime?

Swami Kriyananda talks about this in a chapter called, “A Vision of the Future,” in a new book he’s writing:

Now that we are over one hundred years into the ascending Dwapara Yuga of energy, will our future be smoother and brighter? I’d like to think so. Unfortunately, but realistically, the signs point at least to an immediate future that seems neither smooth nor bright.

The constricting attitudes of Kali Yuga … are all still present, militating against the more fluid rays of Dwapara. As nature, according to science, never makes sudden leaps, so also human consciousness moves gradually, only, to new levels of understanding.

There comes a time, however, as the stresses between two opposing points of view build, when something snaps.

So we find ourselves in a time when the dogmatic consciousness of Kali Yuga is resistant to, yet energized by, the increasing energy of Dwapara Yuga, creating conflict and turmoil.

How can we build spiritual power to deal with what may lie ahead? Here are some tools:

1. Channel Today’s Heightened Energy In Positive Ways

Consciously tap into this energy to increase your strength on all levels. Make a more intense effort to go deep in meditation. Bring greater mental focus to your work. Work more diligently on your physical health through right living, eating, and exercise.

In these ways you can transform yourself and overcome any sense of weakness or limitation.

2. Evaluate the Strength of Your Adversary

Whenever you meet a challenge, try to feel the amount of force opposing you.

Don’t wilt or turn away despondently, but exert an even greater amount of positive energy to overcome the test. Meet it head on with confidence in your own strength, and you’ll emerge victorious.

3. Never Allow Tests to Make You Self-Preoccupied

No matter how you are tested, don’t contract into yourself. Self-preoccupation is the cause of most of our suffering. Keep your consciousness expanded in service to others and in love for God.

Find ways to help others, and you will forget your own troubles as you grow in strength.

4. Think “God Is the Doer”

Whatever power you may feel within yourself, remember that it is God’s power, then give it back to Him.

You will find your inner strength increasing when untainted by the ego-principle. This is the secret of Swami Kriyananda’s accomplishments.

When we know that God is flowing through us, enlivening all we do, our ability to serve as His channel becomes unlimited. Spiritual power and the strength to overcome all challenges — these are ours when we realize our unity with God.

May we be one in the Light,

Jyotish and Devi

By the end of the evening there was hardly a dry eye in the house, as one student after another, filled with spiritual vibrancy and courage, stood up to perform. One first-time guest told us, “That was the most inspiring evening of my life.”

As they sang the lyrics, “Even so all of us together can create a better land,” we were thrilled to see that the spirit of Ananda had been absorbed by the next generation. Afterward we began thinking about the lessons we’ve learned in building Ananda, and want to share some of them to help you, also, to create a better world wherever you are:

1. Clarify Your Inner Life Goals
What do you really want to accomplish in your life, and what are you actively doing to achieve those ideals? Keep your goals in focus, and try to do something every day to further your efforts. Never allow yourself to become complacent or discouraged, and never give up.

2. Improve Your Outer and Inner Environment
See objectively which people, things, and circumstances in your life are holding you back from growing spiritually. Then act on your insights. Consciously choose to be with the people and in situations that uplift you, and avoid those that pull you down. The most important things you can do are to develop a daily practice of meditation and to seek good company.

3. See Your Work As Service

No matter what you do for employment, think of what you can give to others, not only of what you’ll receive. Learn also to serve in a spirit of cooperation, not competition with your co-workers.

4. Live With Integrity Not Merely Expediency
Never compromise your principles to achieve a short-term advantage. The spirit with which you act is much more important than the outcome. And remember, the outcome of any undertaking, whether success or failure, will be greatly influenced by the consciousness behind it.

5. Include God In Everything You Do
Try to feel a higher power present behind your thoughts and actions, guiding you toward a divine purpose. Ultimately, all good done in this world comes from God, but we can consciously choose to be channels for His Light. Thus, we can become sources of upliftment to others, and will be blessed ourselves in return.

So, like those young singers, let’s join our energy in a beautiful chorus, not of voices but of inspiration, and offer hope and upliftment to the world. Together we can bring into manifestation Paramhansa Yogananda’s prophetic words, “Today marks the birth of a new era!”

In divine friendship,

Jyotish and Devi

He went on to tell about his first meeting with Swami Kriyananda twenty years ago. At a pool party at Crystal Hermitage, Swamiji sat down next to him, and without any preamble, said, “The real treasures in life are true friends.”

We live in a time of financial uncertainty on a global scale, and many are faced with losing their jobs or their life savings. Certainly the era of living beyond one’s means is over, and it’s time to heed Sri Yukteswar’s advice to “live comfortably within your means.”

But there are keys to living in prosperity despite outer circumstances, and we’d like to share four of these with you.

First, our security doesn’t come from possessions, but from living with the consciousness of abundance. In his wonderful little book, Money Magnetism, Swami Kriyananda writes, “If one is wealthy in his mind or spirit, he may require very few material possessions to be perfectly satisfied with life.”

In 1976 when Ananda Village was burned to the ground by a forest fire, our home and all our possessions were destroyed. Even though we had no insurance to cover the loss, by God’s grace we were able to cling to the thought that our true wealth was inner peace.

A few days after the fire, members of the Red Cross knocked on the door of Swami Kriyananda’s home, where we were temporarily staying, and said, “We’re here to provide support for the disaster victims.”

We calmly replied, “Well, I guess that would be us.”

“No, no,” they said in disbelief. “We mean the people who lost everything in the fire.”

Finally we convinced them that though we didn’t seem like “victims” or in dire need, our home had burned down. They wrote us a check in compensation for our losses. “Poverty consciousness” is a state of mind.

Second, energy, determined and unflagging,  is a key to living in prosperity. During the Great Depression of the 1930’s, Paramhansa Yogananda said, “If I didn’t have a job, I would churn the ether with my energy until I drew one.”

During the time when Ananda was seemingly being crushed by the financial burden of an unjust lawsuit, there were several times when we thought we’d be forced to sell off the land. A small group of us was discussing what to do if faced with this eventuality.

Someone voiced the opinion that we all shared, “They can take everything from us, but they can’t take away our energy or enthusiasm to serve our Guru. We’ll just start another community somewhere else.” Fortunately, we were never forced to take this step.

Third, living in prosperity comes from including others’ welfare in your own. No matter how “impoverished” you may feel, try to find some way to share with others. When you realize that you do indeed have something, however small, to give, you begin to understand that true wealth is a flow of energy that you can tap into, not a fixed quantity that can be lost.

Finally, we need to live in the thought that we are part of a greater reality, of God, and everything we have comes from Him. Once a supercilious visitor to Mt. Washington asked Yogananda, “What are the assets of this organization?”

“None,” Master replied in a booming voice. “God is our only asset.”

Living with a sense of abundance and appreciation for what we have, having high focused energy to achieve our goals, sharing with others, and developing deep faith in God – all these will give us the ability to weather whatever financial storms may lie ahead.

May you be an example to others of how to live in true prosperity with the understanding that “the kingdom of God is within you”.

In divine friendship,
Jyotish and Devi