This story popped into my mind spontaneously while we were giving a recent class on the subject of Self-realization. Although it is entirely fictional, it gives us a window into the reality that Paramhansa Yogananda called, “Man’s Eternal Quest.” *                                   *                                 * Dr. Para was born, interestingly, in the first hour of the first day of the twentieth … Read More

I once saw someone wearing a T-shirt with these words printed on the front: “Be patient with me. God isn’t finished with me yet.” Spiritually we are all “works in progress,” lovingly, unrelentingly being shaped by a divine hand. The process of creation and evolution — whether for a great, heavenly body or an individual soul — has in each case a similar pattern. … Read More

What an amazing dream God has created for us! It is engaging, intense, happy, sad, frustrating, fulfilling, and, above all, mesmerizing. And it is all of these at the same time, all of the time. Our days and weeks are so entrancing that we rarely step back to see a broader perspective. When we do so, we see that there … Read More

I am fortunate to have had a wise and loving mother, who taught me a lot about how to live. There were times as a child, however, when I found the wisdom she shared hard to swallow. If, for example, I’d been taunted or teased by another child (as happens to most children from time to time), and come home … Read More

Have you ever seen a snapshot of a child and wondered what happened to him later in life? Well, then, here is the rest of the story for one young boy. And although it may not be factual, it is true. In fact, it is the rest of the story for all of us. Swami Kriyananda told us the tale … Read More

Life can sometimes be downright discouraging when things don’t go the way we want or expect. I’d like to share a simple practice with you that can change your reaction to life’s ups and downs. First, let’s begin with an incident from Swami Kriyananda’s life. After Swamiji had been with Paramhansa Yogananda for about six months, a period came when … Read More

This has been a very intense week for Devi and me. We’re in the middle of our annual Inner Renewal Week, and are launching the pilot course that we hope will be a whole new way of sharing Yogananda’s teachings. The daily classes, all new, have needed a lot of thought and preparation. It has been exhilarating and exhausting at … Read More

“As above, so below.” These words from an ancient school of wisdom can be taken on different levels, and will help us understand the subtle laws of creation. On the highest level, it means that the universe is a reflection of the overarching Spirit that created it. On a lower level, it means that the consciousness of people who have … Read More

For the last year we’ve been working on a very important project, The Indira Institute. The purpose of the Institute is to bring the universal teachings of Ananda’s line of masters to a much larger audience. Until now, Ananda has concentrated largely on training and supporting devotees, those who want to find God. Noble though this is, there are many … Read More

Last week a dear friend of ours from India visited Ananda Village for the first time. What a wonderful experience it was showing her around and explaining to her the many aspects of this remarkable community. Amazed by what she had experienced, our friend quietly said, “No matter how much you told me about Ananda Village, there was no way … Read More

Two students had just arrived from India to attend high school at Ananda Village, and we were welcoming them and their teachers to our home over tea. We had known both of these wonderful, creative girls from our time in India. One of them asked, “What were the essential qualities that went into creating Ananda?” I had to think for … Read More

It’s not always easy to feel joy in life, especially when we’re bombarded with discouraging news and wrenching images of human suffering. Yet holding on to happiness in spite of everything is a challenge which confronts everyone. As Paramhansa Yogananda wrote: “Life is a struggle for joy all along the way. May I fight to win the battle on the … Read More

“Good karma is that which moves you closer to God, and bad karma is that which moves you farther away from Him.” Swami Kriyananda once gave this reply to a young man’s question. His answer not only clears up much of the confusion around the subject of karma, but also gives us a guideline for living: Always strive to do … Read More

“The closest of dear friends, she made one feel, yet an aura of remoteness was ever around her — the paradoxical isolation of Omnipresence.” In this way Paramhansa Yogananda wrote of the great woman saint, Anandamayi Ma, in Autobiography of a Yogi. This describes the dilemma we, too, face in trying to deepen our love for our Guru. It’s often easier to … Read More

Some years ago we were leading a New Year’s retreat in which one of the exercises was to write down your resolutions for the coming year. Afterwards one of the guests came up to Devi and said, “I find that really disappointing.” “What?” she asked. The man replied, “You’ve been on the path for so many years, and you still … Read More

One of the intriguing accounts surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ is the story of the three wise men, or magi, who traveled from the East to bring him gifts of gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. Paramhansa Yogananda tells us that these three wise men were, in fact, Babaji, Lahiri Mahasaya, and Sri Yukteswar in earlier incarnations, and that later … Read More

It is nearing Christmas, and next week Ananda centers will host the annual eight-hour Christmas meditation. This long meditation is a spiritual anchor for many of us, and so I thought it would be helpful to give some tips on how to deepen our meditations, especially longer ones. In order to sit for a long period of time, or even … Read More

Usually we write our blogs with you in mind, dear friend, but this time I’m going to do something different. After nearly three months in India, we’ll be returning to America in a few days. Although it will be a welcome change to stop traveling and have some familiar things around, my heart is filled with profound appreciation for all … Read More