Ah, love! Is there any other topic that inspires songs, poems, books and other creative works more than love? Such a “rabbit hole” of a topic, just like in Alice in Wonderland, especially when involving spirituality. When one asks the question, “What is God?” the answer can rightly be given as, “God is LOVE.” It’s said also that God is … Read More
I think that spiritual renewal calls for us to develop depth and stillness within the inner self. I think that most of us have an ocean of eternal faith and wisdom within us. This ocean is deep, deep down inside of us, and is not present on the surface. I am currently reading a book called The Awakening. It was … Read More
The Law of Love Paramhansa Yogananda said that the purpose of life is to find God. We may similarly say that the purpose of life is to: Find your true Self End the long exile of the soul Find the way back home Return to the heavenly joy once known but lost All of these aspirations involve a special law … Read More
In the summer of 2017, I came across Steve Jobs, the authorized, self-titled biography by Walter Isaacson. Up until that time, I had never read a book that big. The size of the book was formidable but to my surprise, Jobs’ life and Isaacson’s writing were quite captivating. Not only did I read the entire book but I also later … Read More
Before I moved to Ananda, I worked for a fledgling sports magazine, Runner’s World, with its offices in Mountain View on the San Francisco Peninsula. I discovered Ananda and Swamiji in 1974 through his book Cooperative Communities – How to Start Them and Why, found while browsing in a bookstore in nearby Palo Alto. Ananda seemed the answer to a … Read More
Every situation of pressure, pain, difficulty, or forceful change in our lives places us at a crossroads. One reaction and possible direction for us to take is to say, “NO! This is bad, unfair, too much!” Unfortunately, this reaction takes us down a gray and rainy road in life. The other path is to say, “YES! I embrace it; this … Read More
Get up, wake up dear traveler, It is not night anymore. Those who sleep, they lose. One who wakes finds. I remember childhood days when my grandfather woke us by chanting lines from this ancient bhajan. These very words have an answer and incentive for the common dilemma, How can I find the time to meditate? Some may say the … Read More
Meditation can have a positive effect on the overall well-being of children. We live in an age of information that can easily overwhelm many adults—but for children, it can be far more stressful, because they have yet to develop the proper coping mechanisms and the aptitude to compartmentalize their emotions in healthy and self-sufficient ways. Meditation can help children become … Read More
Addiction is often thought of as a disease — a disease that “someone else” has… In essence, the ego is an addict! The ego is the soul identified with the body. All addictions are attachments to things we think will provide happiness and fulfillment for us. An addiction is a compulsion, not a choice. The real toxicity of an addiction … Read More
Paramhansa Yogananda was a monk, yogi, and guru who introduced the teachings of meditation and Kriya Yoga to the West through his U.S. organization known in the East as the Yogoda Satsanga Society of India. Yogananda’s global mission was to spread the teachings and practices of Self-realization to uplift humanity. Yogananda is often referred to as “Master” and he traveled … Read More
