Recently I received an email laced with unfair criticism, and my first reaction was to get defensive. I could feel my mind speeding up, getting ready to argue. Then I had a flash of insight and remembrance: You can’t fight darkness with more darkness. I decided instead to neutralize negativity with gratitude. I thought about this person and recalled several … Read More
The chemotherapy drug slowly dripped into my friend’s arm as we sat in the treatment room. She had been diagnosed some months earlier with an aggressive form of breast cancer, and, after surgery, was receiving a regime of outpatient chemotherapy treatments. The room in which we sat was a large, airy space with about two dozen comfortable reclining chairs where … Read More
The great American Botanist, George Washington Carver, said, “If you love it enough, anything will talk with you.” Much more than a nice sentiment, this is a fundamental truth of the universe. But in order to communicate with nature, we need to learn new and increasingly subtle languages.
It’s an interesting experience to pick up the threads of your life after returning home from a long absence. Since late August we’ve been visiting and teaching in our centers in Italy and India, and have just returned to Ananda Village after four months. Readjusting to the responsibilities and rhythms of our life here requires some time and effort. To … Read More
There is a story of a woman with two pots. Each morning she fetched water from a well and carried it to her small hut. One of the pots was new and whole, but the other was old, worn, and cracked. A day came when the old pot began to weep, feeling like a failure in even the simple task of carrying water. The new pot, on the other hand, was proud and scornful. The woman knelt and whispered to them, “Come with me. I wish to show you something.”
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
The natural food for the mind is joy, and we’re always hungry until we find the ability to feast on that joy.
As we move more fully into Dwapara Yuga, we can see the first glimmers of a global shift from competition to cooperation. How can we become agents of change, especially at work where competition is still highly rewarded?
The repetition of this mantra will begin to drive out all other thoughts and desires, until your consciousness begins to rotate around that single phrase, “God, God, God.”
A tool for the New Year.
Today many people are fearful for the future. How can we stay open and expansive in this time of uncertainty and turmoil? How do we remember that God is always supporting and guiding us?
Swami Kriyananda recently challenged Ananda members to practice the presence of God for five minutes a day. It doesn’t sound like much, but this practice has the potential to transform our lives
There is a refreshing and inspiring quality of joy in the Indian culture that pops up in everyone from cab drivers to professors.
Self-offering is a natural step for the devotee when our love for God has deepened through the practice of devotion.
Much of our suffering comes from two sources: the force of delusion and our own karma.
Having fun together is vital for a happy marriage. Every day should include some merriment. Over time, a relationship can collapse from the pressures of stress, disappointment and self-involvement.
I am grateful for my life exactly as it is.
The liberating concept underlying so much of Yoganananda’s teachings is that we aren’t our habits, our personalities, or even bodies, but WE ARE ENERGY.