At the close of Ananda’s celebration of its fiftieth anniversary, Jyotish urged us to memorize Yoganandaji’s poem “God! God! God!”—and to so train our minds that whatever comes our way we turn within and call on God: When boisterous storms of trials shriek, And when worries howl at me, I will drown their noises, loudly chanting: God! God! God! The … Read More
Soon after Ophelia left her body, mid-May of 2019, the Ananda community gathered to celebrate her life and to affirm our eternal friendship in God—with Ophelia, and with one another. A deeply devoted Mexican Catholic, Ophelia came often to Ananda to keep a watchful maternal eye on the two of her eleven children who were members of the community. At … Read More
“‘America! Surely these people are Americans!’ This was my thought as a panoramic vision of Western faces passed before my inward view.” And just after this vision, Yoganandaji cries joyfully to young Bimal (who has found his hiding place), “I have news for you: the Lord is calling me to America!” And so begins our Master’s sacred journey to America, … Read More
Early in the twentieth century, a young Anglo-Indian named Jim Corbett lived and served in the jungles of the Himalayan foothills. A true kshatriya, he faithfully carried out whatever responsibilities he was given, leading large crews of native workers in the endless struggle to keep the trains running, to keep supplies moving uninterruptedly through a complex network of rail- and … Read More
A burning candle, offered on the altar of our devotion, symbolizes the luminous presence of God’s love, the descent of His light into our little human lives. As celebrants during the Festival of Light, as we gaze reverently at the candle’s flame, we pray to know God, to choose Him with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength—God alone. It … Read More
Flower in the crannied wall, I pluck you out of the crannies, I hold you here, root and all, in my hand. Little flower—but if I could understand What you are, root and all, and all in all, I should know what God and man is. (Alfred, Lord Tennyson) A child born into slavery, growing up during and after the … Read More
As we kneel before those acting as channels for our great line of Masters, we each one pray aloud, “I seek purification by the grace of God.” And the answer comes, “The Master says, ‘Open your heart to me, and I will enter and take charge of your life.’” * * * * * * * The Roman emperor Tiberius, … Read More
Nayaswami Parvati shares about the inspiration behind the ancient practice of tithing and an example how it helped her in her life. From a Sunday Service at Ananda Village, January 13th, 2019.
The secret of Ananda’s survival has always been one simple practice: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added unto you.” God is the great Giver. To receive the most from Him, we need to be on His wavelength of Giving—spiritually, energetically, mentally, and materially. Ananda is fundamentally different from “the world.” Worldly people … Read More
The back-to-the-land movement of the 1960s and 1970s produced a compilation of related products and how-to advice called The Whole Earth Catalog—resources for living off the grid, homesteading, organic gardening. Threading its way through pages of product information is a Bildungsroman for the hippie era—the journey of self-discovery of a young man driving across America in his VW bus (which … Read More
