Dear Meditator, During my first year at Ananda Village I asked Swami Kriyananda if he had advice for my meditation practice. He replied, “Keep Divine Mother first.” I realized he was encouraging me to focus more on giving rather than receiving. The goal of meditation is self-forgetfulness. Yet one’s ego refers everything back to itself, instead of offering itself freely … Read More
There was a time in my life, which ended relatively recently, when I simply couldn’t appreciate why people thought gratitude was so important. At least, I didn’t resonate with the way most people expressed it. When I came onto the spiritual path, however, I found that there are actually different kinds of gratitude. The normal kind is gratitude for things … Read More
Imagine a mother in a park tenderly holding her young daughter who was just scared by a big dog. The dog is gone and the little girl is snuggling closer into her mom’s shoulder and feeling that everything is all right. At this moment the girl knows mom is taking care of her. This is our relationship with God. Many … Read More
Dear Friends, This is a season of gratitude, and so we invite you to share your thanksgiving thoughts in the comments below. Thank you, and blessings to all. Ananda Sangha Related: Every Day Should Be a Day of Thanksgiving : Letter from Paramhansa Yogananda, 1934.
Every day should be a day of Thanksgiving for all the gifts of Life — sunshine, water, the luscious fruits and greens, which we receive as indirect gifts from the Great Giver. He makes us work so that we may consciously and thankfully deserve to receive His Gifts. The All-Sufficient One does not need the benefit of our thankful hearts, … Read More
My concept of Ananda, before I had visited, was a place of inspiration, support, and Paramhansa Yogananda’s teachings. My initiation into Kriya Yoga earlier this year proved to be the most moving and sacred experience of my life. Ananda holds a treasure, just waiting to be discovered…. and if I can find it, then so can you! I am a … Read More
Dear Friends, Writing and posting on this site has been moved up the priority list in my life; I hope to be sharing more regularly with you. Paramhansa Yogananda said we should regulate our lives – approach our days with a sense of order. We also have to flow with life and be willing to change our priorities when circumstances … Read More
What is the sound of 16 yogis stuck in an elevator? (still listening?) (hear anything?) Last month I had the great joy of being in Los Angeles for the launch of Swami Kriyananda’s new book, The New Path, which Barbara has portrayed so beautifully in words and photos in her posts. On Sunday, after we loaded all the books and … Read More
Dr. Aditya with young patients Dear ones, I am grateful for this opportunity to share with you all, my spiritual family. My name is Aditya. I am a medical doctor, and a recent addition to the ever-expanding Ananda family in Pune, India. I’m a monk. Since joining my brothers in the monastery, my life has been filled with many opportunities … Read More
Swami Kriyananda’s visit to America this summer was in many ways groundbreaking. 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” … Read More
