Watching the sunset on the Pacific Ocean is one of the most beautiful sights in the world. Recently while in Pacific Grove, California, we enjoyed this experience — seeing the sun change its color from golden to pink to orange before slipping below the horizon. Gazing out at the ocean, I remembered another sunset I’d witnessed some years before — … Read More
Devi and I are taking a short break in Pacific Grove, California, overlooking Monterey Bay with its rugged and dramatic coastline. In addition to the beauty of the ocean, there is an amazing variety of sea life: flocks of cormorants and seagulls, seals sunning themselves, and sea otters somehow endlessly entertaining doing nothing more than floating on their backs. Further … Read More
Everyday a miracle is happening all around us. Because it’s so humble and simple, we hardly even notice it, yet without it we couldn’t survive: the miracle of healing. I don’t mean the dramatic examples of divine intervention like Jesus restoring sight to the blind man, or Lahiri Mahasaya bringing Sri Yukteswar’s friend back from the dead. I’m talking about … Read More
Some years ago a delightful friend of ours, an architect and engineer, observed, “We engineers study the laws of gravity, but you people at Ananda study the laws of levity.” While humorous, this statement is also deeply true. As things expand they become lighter, and the purpose of life at Ananda is to expand. Swami Kriyananda introduced the concept of … Read More
Dear Friend, One evening during our recent trip to Mexico, we were having dinner at the home of Alicia, Ananda’s center leader in Monterrey. As we were enjoying one another’s company over a wonderful meal, the memory of another evening came to mind. It was in the early 1980s in Rome with Swami Kriyananda. We were walking back to our … Read More
Good health results from a strong unobstructed flow of life-force to all areas of the body; illness, moods, apathy—in fact, all negative states—are symptoms of a conflict or blockage of the life-force. One of the great benefits of meditation is a gradual freedom from these conflicts.
Have you ever finished meditating and then realized you’d been so unfocused that you could hardly remember what happened? Paramhansa Yogananda defined meditation as “deep concentration on God or one of His aspects.” In order to achieve this, we need to bring the consciousness to one-pointed attention at the spiritual eye. The first few minutes after closing our eyes is … Read More
Her name was Abigail. She was ten years old with shining brown eyes and a shy smile. Her parents were members of the Ananda Mexico City Center, where we were staying, and they had brought her over to meet us before she went to school. Putting her arms around my waist, Abigail hugged me and sweetly rested her head on … Read More
There was only stillness. A stillness so profound that no words existed to describe it. And bliss, a bliss so fulfilling that nothing more was desired or needed. But the nature of the bliss was to expand, ever to expand. And so a small part of the still, infinite bliss began to vibrate. And this was the primordial duality: stillness … Read More
It was quiet and cool in the interior of the dimly lit church – a dramatic contrast to the ceaseless activity on the college campus during this hot day in late spring of 1969. A friend had given me Autobiography of a Yogi to read, and it had awakened in me a keen desire to learn to meditate. My friend … Read More
In Psalm 46:10 of the Bible, there is the oft-quoted statement, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Usually this is interpreted as “sit still” or “be quiet.” But there is a deeper and more profound explanation. The yogic meaning is to still the prana, or life force, and then you will know God. I have been reading a … Read More
Discouragement and moods are two obstacles that often assail us on the spiritual path. There was a time during my first few years at Ananda when certain things happened that left me feeling pretty discouraged and downhearted. Fortunately I had a dear friend, an older gentleman who’d been on the path a long time, to whom I could go for … Read More
Devi and I led the first Ananda pilgrimage when we were living in Italy in 1984. After going to Assisi and other sacred places, we visited Florence for its great art and history. While there, we went with a wonderful guide to one of the world’s greatest museums, The Uffizi Gallery. She told us, “We don’t have enough time to … Read More
“A friend gave me a book to read, but something about the photo on the cover just put me off. I set the book aside and forgot all about it,” he said. A young man was telling us the story of how he found Autobiography of a Yogi. “Later that year,” he continued, “as I was getting ready to move … Read More
I’m writing this a few days after the New Year when people have already begun to break their resolutions. Let’s ask why. Will power alone, which Paramhansa Yogananda defined as “desire plus energy directed toward a goal,” is a weak ally. Like a muscle, will power suffers fatigue. An interesting study showed that the worst time to seek leniency in … Read More
Swami Kriyananda often said that Ananda is like a living laboratory. By observing others, you can see which attitudes lead to deeper happiness and attunement with God, and which lead in the opposite direction. One of the things that inspired me during our recent time in India was observing my friends from America who are serving there. We’ve known many … Read More
This is something I wrote some years ago but perhaps you have never had a chance to read it. I hope it helps fill your Christmas season with God’s light. I am the Christ-consciousness, which has been with you always. Before you were born, I was there. Before even the world was, I was. I am the Spirit of God … Read More
As our plane landed in Delhi, India seven weeks ago, Jyotish and I looked at each other and said, “This is going to be…interesting.” It wasn’t as if we hadn’t been to India many times before, but we expected that this trip was going to be different. And it was. For one thing, it was the first time we’d come … Read More
We’ve just had an interesting experience: our first Thanksgiving in Gurgaon, India. This holiday, so well known in America, is normally not celebrated in the rest of the world.
Most people worry about what their salary or position will be in the future, but a more valid question would be, “What qualities do I want to have in five years?” Your career is the canvas on which you will create that person.