Dear Friends, Swami Kriyananda recorded a series of videos based on the book, The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita Explained by Paramhansa Yogananda. One talk is entitled “Don’t Identify with Your Mistakes.” In this talk he states: “We have to get rid of the consciousness of identifying ourselves with any stage in life. If you’ve made a mistake, don’t identify … Read More
Dear Friends, I remember a meeting we had here in the Sangha Office some years ago. A longtime friend related the following story: In 1981 she was living in a house in nearby Grass Valley with other devotees of Ananda. Life was very simple, a little too simple. The earnings of the average “Anandite” in those years were very meager. … Read More
Dear Friend, Here is a touching story from the life of Padre Pio. Padre Pio built a hospital in a very poor region of Southern Italy. He was acquiring donations from many wealthy and poor individuals. The donation that most touched Padre Pio was from a poor widow. The donation was a 50 lire note, which was worth about 3 … Read More
Dear Friend, Astrophysicists tell us the universe started with the “Big Bang” which occurred at some point in space and has spread out from there. I read about another astrophysicist who stated the “Big Bang” did indeed happen, but he could not explain how it happened everywhere at the same time in an infinite universe. Paramhansa Yogananda stated that God … Read More
Dear Friend, I read the biography of a great Christian businessman named Herny Crowell, the “Cereal Tycoon.” He founded the Quaker Oats Company. I will not tell you he became rich because he gave 70 percent of his income to God. He became rich because of his good karma, born of his past “righteous” action. He gave in previous lives. … Read More
Dear Friend, In this letter I am going to tell you about one of my own tithing stories. I have been privileged to know Dr. Peter Van Houten for about 30 years. For those of you who don’t live here at Ananda Village, he began a rural clinic about 30 years ago down the road from Ananda. His practice began … Read More
Dear Friend, Swami Kriyananda’s book God is for Everyone ends with a visualization: “What the aspirant must do, finally, is make happiness, first, then joy, and finally, bliss his constant reality. Here is a suggestion for helping you in this direction: “Every time a bubble of happiness appears in your heart, make it your top priority to continue in the … Read More
Dear Friend, I was with a friend the a few years ago and we were speaking about tithing. She recounted her first experience with tithing: Many years ago she was working and was then at the top of her pay scale. Her husband had recently passed away and she still had her daughter at home. No matter how she sliced … Read More
Dear Friend, Here are some thoughts on prosperity from Paramhansa Yogananda: A man’s success depends not only upon his intelligence and efficiency, but upon the nature of his past actions or karma. However, there is a way to overcome the unfavorable results of past actions. They must be destroyed and a new cause set in motion. God’s Will and Your … Read More
Dear Friend, Paramhansa Yogananda taught that what the world needs is a blend of the best qualities of the East and West: the spiritual insight of the East and the practical efficiency of the West. One without the other leads to a society barren of human fulfillment, but a balance of the two can bring peace, harmony, prosperity, and happiness. … Read More
