Tyagi Dharmaraj

Ananda India

Answer

Dear Peter,

Thank you for your question. There are many devotees who would like to study Yogananda’s teachings but who live far from a teaching center. I myself was one such devotee.

Ananda is a separate organization from Yogoda Satsanga Society. We do offer a home study course in Yogananda’s teachings. You can learn more about it here, if you haven’t already: http://www.ananda.org/meditation/course.html

Nayaswami Asha

Ananda Palo Alto

Answer

Dear M:

Good for you that you are trying to master your shyness. Making friends first with girls is a good way to start.

It is natural to be attracted to boys. But there is an appropriate time for everything. If now what you want is to keep your energy focused on God and not scattered by infatuation, then you should follow your own feelings, and continue to be more restrained around boys than you are around girls.

Nayaswami Asha

Ananda Palo Alto

Answer

Dear Jaya:

There is no divine law that says a woman must clean her own house or cook the food her family eats. Some women enjoy that kind of work. Some don’t. Regardless of their feelings in the matter, however, few have the luxury of choice, as you do. They have to do it and therefore must master their aversion and find a way to enjoy it.

Nayaswami Gyandev

Ananda Village

Answer

Krishna was an actual historical figure, so his skin was surely not blue. It would have been some shade of brown. In fact, some scriptural references call his skin "dark as a thundercloud," suggesting that his skin may have been a darker shade of brown even than most of his contemporaries.

Nayaswami Seva

Ananda Village

Answer

Dear Abhishek,

We’ve all felt the world holds nothing for us. The spiritual path of Paramhansa Yognanad will teach you understanding of this material world as well as the spiritual world.

If you have a desire to know about these life transforming teachings, contact an Ananda ashram. We are pledged to helping all truthseekers find their path to the Divine.

Nayaswami Savitri

Ananda Village

Answer

Dear Bhushan,

I hope that I have understood well enough to answer you correctly. If I have misunderstood your question, please write again.

If you are asking if illness and suffering are caused by one’s misdeeds in this or other lifetimes, the answer, generally speaking, is yes.

Nayaswami Hriman

Ananda Seattle

Answer

Dear Friend,

During the day and in meditation and yoga practice, talk to God in the silent language of your own heart. Talk to God as your nearest and dearest friend. Share everything you think, feel, and seek, and especially ask for the grace to love God ever more. With the simple words of a chela, a child, a disciple, keep your focus on God’s presence within you, in everyone you meet, and in all of life’s circumstances: whether pleasant, difficult or ordinary.

Nayaswami Anandi

Ananda Village

Answer

Dear Lila,

I am sorry for your loss. The most helpful advice I’ve heard about grief was given by Swami Kriyananda to a friend of mine who had just lost her husband.

He suggested that, instead of regret for what she lost, she should focus on gratitude for what she had been given. If you do not have a meditation practice yet, I suggest that you look into this meditation technique. You can use this technique to help you calm and focus your mind. Or you can use another technique that is more familiar to you if you prefer.