It’s always a joy to share inspiring events that come into our lives, especially when they come unbidden and filled with “education and entertainment”—the purpose of all our life’s experiences, according to Paramhansa Yogananda. A few days ago a friend shared an article written by the well-known writer Jean Houston, describing her “chance” encounter with an older gentleman and how … Read More
The Yearning of the Soul
Every soul yearns for the light, and will find a way to grow toward it. No matter what the obstacles, the soul will find its way upward just as a blade of grass will sometimes grow through a slab of concrete. What follows is taken from the journal of a young woman who lives in an area where it is … Read More
Embrace Your Dharma
This year’s Inner Renewal Retreat theme is Embrace Your Dharma—Your Path to Liberation. We’re delighted to announce that for the first time we will be streaming all of the classes free of charge. Over 2,000 people have already registered. We hope that you too will join us. Throughout the week, Devi and I will be exploring the profound and multifaceted … Read More
One at a Time
In such a chaotic world it is easy to feel overwhelmed. How do we cope with the pressures and demands? It helps if we break things down into small steps. Mary Kretzmann, the head of our Healing Prayer Ministry, related how difficult it is to keep staff over a long period of time. People get overwhelmed by the many tragic … Read More
Stories of Attunement
From time immemorial, stories have entertained, informed, amused, and united us. Spiritual stories can also enlighten us. While I was recently in seclusion, I reread a wonderful but lesser-known book, Thank You, Master. It contains reminiscences by three direct disciples of Paramhansa Yogananda: Hare Krishna Ghosh, Meera Ghosh, and Peggy Deitz. When Yogananda returned to India in 1935–36, he spent … Read More
Turn Within
The holidays have ended, and with it the flurry of outward activity. Now is a good time to turn within, but first a little humor, a balm for the soul. A few years ago we read this true story. A grandmother found it increasingly challenging to buy suitable gifts for her grandchildren as they got older. Finally, she decided that … Read More
The Shawl of Gold
Many of you reading this blog will have heard Swami Kriyananda’s beautiful song, “The Shawl of Gold.” But few of you will have heard the rest of the story. This is how it was revealed to me in my meditation. Angelica, for that was the young girl’s name, had been wandering alone and hungry for nearly a week. The old … Read More
World Brotherhood
Ananda celebrated its first World Brotherhood Day more than four decades ago, and it has now become a treasured tradition. Paramhansa Yogananda spoke often and forcefully about the need for people to recognize their kinship with one another. When Devi and I were honored in 2017 as “Global Peace Ambassadors” at the United Nations in New York, we concluded our … Read More
Simple Steps to Happiness
Paramhansa Yogananda said that everyone in the world is motivated by the same twin desires: “to be happy and avoid pain.” Each of us can take some simple, and yet surprisingly effective strides toward that goal. Even a series of little steps can produce great changes if we apply them consistently. The road to happiness starts by replacing bad habits … Read More
What Can We Give?
There is a lovely song based on a poem by Paramhansa Yogananda. The words are: I have nothing to offer Thee, For all things are Thine. I grieve not that I cannot give, For nothing is mine, nothing is mine. Here I lay at Thy feet, O Lord, My limbs, my life, my thoughts, and my speech, For they are … Read More
Mountains in the Mist
We recently took our annual period of seclusion at a guesthouse on Abbott Mount, nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas. As the crow flies, it is a mere eighty miles from Babaji’s Cave, and it seems as if Babaji still walks these very hills. He feels very close when we are there, especially during our long periods of meditation. … Read More
Show Me Your Friends
An Indian friend of ours recently mentioned a phrase that really caught my attention. While guiding her son through a challenging period she told him, “Show me your friends, and I will show you your future.” This phrase can also serve as a noteworthy reminder for ourselves. At times we can get a little careless about this aspect of life, … Read More
What Is Essential
When a famous Hollywood actor, Herb Jeffries, met Paramhansa Yogananda for the first time, he asked a question that resonates with many, though few have the courage to voice it: “Religion seems to tell me you shan’t do this, and you must not do that. I’m not interested in what I can’t do. What I want to know is what … Read More
The Trunk and the Branches
About six months after Swami Kriyananda passed from this world, Devi and I had a Nadi reading about our life—past, present, and future. This experience was fascinating on many levels. The pundit who did the reading had only our birth date, time, and place: the standard information needed to cast an astrological chart. Using this, he found in his storage … Read More
Navigating Life’s Dramas
Life is a journey filled with highs and lows. Sometimes it feels like a roller coaster, bursting with exhilarating peaks and gloomy valleys. At other times, it feels like the repetitive routine of a Ferris wheel that simply turns in endless circles. We will continue to ride the cycle of life from one incarnation to the next until we have … Read More
Spiritual Power
We are in Assisi, immersed in a Spiritual Renewal Week with the theme “How to Develop Spiritual Power Against Troubled Times.” There is a common misperception in which people confuse developing spiritual power with spiritual powers, the ability to perform miracles. In today’s class one of the speakers talked about the time when Paramhansa Yogananda visited Therese Neumann, the Bavarian … Read More
The Inner Light
When Swami Kriyananda gave me the spiritual name, Jyotish, he said that it means “Inner Light.” Seeing light in the forehead during meditation has always been a cornerstone of my practice, which is probably why he chose this name for me. Yogananda explains that one of the hidden teachings of the Bhagavad Gita is that each character, good and bad, … Read More
Lessons Learned in Eighty Years
I will celebrate my eightieth birthday in less than a month. While my personal inclination would be to let the occasion slip by unnoticed, the precedent set by Swami Kriyananda impels us to honor the event with a celebration. He understood that these occasions are wonderful opportunities to knit our worldwide family together. I thought it appropriate to share a … Read More
Ups and Downs
Life is a journey of ups and downs. The immutable laws of maya (delusion) dictate that we will navigate through alternating cycles: day and night, birth and death, good and bad. Should we be surprised, then, if our spiritual life also has its peaks and troughs? There are times when we feel energized, dedicated, and in tune. Then we can … Read More
What Makes Us Happy
Ananda has a dear friend, Sri D. R. Kaarthikeyan. Swami Kriyananda considered him to be “my Indian brother” and, indeed, their camaraderie made them seem like two brothers. Kaarthikeyanji is a pivotal member of the Board of Directors of not only Ananda in India, but many other spiritual and humanitarian organizations as well. One of the ways this compassionate soul … Read More