In need of spiritual CPR? Or how about just a check-up? In Ananda’s Meditation Teacher Training, I learned that sometimes you have to do CPR on your meditation practice, making it a “Constant Process of Re-Inspiration.” When we try something new, or look at our practice from a new angle, it adds fresh life and can make the experience more … Read More
Being in LA has a number of superficial perks – a variety of great restaurants, temperate climate, wonderful museum exhibits, etc. but everything in this world has its pluses and minuses. A big minus I’ve discovered in the past 2 years is… the jackhammer! We have the good fortune to live in a beautiful neighborhood called Hancock Park, with immaculately landscaped yards and giant, beautiful homes. About 3 years ago, a law was passed to help alleviate the housing crisis …
The modern fad is to spend and spend and spend to the limits of our ability, and beyond. Several centuries ago, the great preacher and evangelist John Wesley (1703-1791) set a radically different example. Although Wesley was born in humble circumstances, he became so well known that his income eventually exceeded 1400 pounds per year—in today’s terms, the equivalent of … Read More
The road to the nursery school follows a steep ridge at the western boundary of the village. At the top of that hill, a panoramic view is favored by sunset watchers. In the evenings, star watchers come here to observe the heavens as we spin through space. The interconnectedness of our little lives can be felt in expansive vistas. From … Read More
My mother used to tell me, “the dumbest question is the one not asked.” I’m finally starting to take her advice! So I have some questions: Who am I? What is my life’s purpose? What is it all for? Have you ever asked yourself these kind of questions? At Ananda during our “Festival of Light” we say: Thank you, Swami Kriyananda, for writing the “Festival of Light” because it expresses the wordless anguish of my heart. Of course, we want …
Recently, while Nayaswami Jyotish and Nayaswami Devi visited Los Angeles, I had a powerful and humbling dream. Many times my dreams give me a hint (or in this case a knockout punch) as to what effort I need to be putting out for my spiritual growth. The dream setting was a beautiful temple during a Kriya Yoga Initiation. Narayan and I had the honor of serving as blessers during the ceremony, along with Jyotish and Devi. Narayan was there, Jyotish and …
One time I lamented to Swami Kriyananda that I couldn’t see light in meditation. I felt like I was a lackluster meditator. He told me, “It’s good to see the light. But if you don’t, concentrate on that aspect of God that you do experience.” This was a helpful answer for me at the time as I was struggling then (as I am still now!) with restlessness in my meditation. How do we battle restlessness in meditation? A few years …
When Lord Krishna played the role of a boy chela in the Avanti ashram of Guru Sandipani, He formed an intimate friendship with His fellow disciple Sudama, a Brahmin boy so impoverished that his clothing was in tatters, and so free of material attachment that he paid no attention. He was affectionately known as Kuchela, meaning “poverty-stricken” or “dressed in … Read More
