A friend of ours recently told us a good joke. A man was late for an important meeting and was frantically looking for a parking place. Though an atheist, he cried out in desperation, “God, if You find me a parking place, I’ll believe in You.” Just at that moment a spot miraculously opened up right in front of the … Read More

The Inspiration Most of my paintings are meditation born. That is, an inspiration will come during meditation or at a time when my mind is quiet. Often it will be an intangible subject such as a quality or a particular color. For instance, this painting is called “Vastness.” The idea came during meditation while I was trying to expand my … Read More

Never write poetry on a lazy summer morning. I was sitting in bed reading a good book, sipping tea, and enjoying some quiet relaxation. But eventually I couldn’t put it off any longer, and I knew that it was time to face the tasks at hand. As I was about to swing my feet over the bed to the floor, … Read More

We have just finished one of the most remarkable weeks in the long history of Ananda. Last week we held a worldwide online Spiritual Renewal Week. This event is a tradition at Ananda, going back more that fifty years to the roots of our work. In the early days, Swami Kriyananda led everything: the sadhanas, the classes, the evening entertainment. … Read More

“If you would do even one one-hundredth of what I have taught, you would find God in this lifetime.” Paramhansa Yogananda encouraged his followers with these words, for he knew that the revolutionary teachings he brought had the power to transform lives. Though he launched his mission one hundred years ago, spiritual seekers and even scientists are only now beginning … Read More

It is said that at the moment a great soul achieves enlightenment a wave of blessing is felt around the world. Here is what happened that day long ago when Gautama meditated under the banyan tree and became the Buddha. The leopardess was well past her prime, but though age had taken some of her strength, it had given her … Read More

A revolution against racism and social injustice is upon us. Like the slow rise of water behind a dam, this revolution has been building for a long time. Finally, one drop too many fell on the rising water: the death of George Floyd while in police custody. This released the flood of global conscience which is sweeping away the long-standing … Read More

This may be the most important period of our life. We are under pressure from multiple sources: a worldwide pandemic, a troubled economy, and now, a global call for sweeping social change. Tests provide opportunities. How we react to these challenges will determine our future karma, certainly for this lifetime, and perhaps for many incarnations to come. Paramhansa Yogananda used … Read More

The violent storm that had struck off the coast of Donegal, Ireland, in 1748 was threatening to take down Captain John Newton’s ship, the Greyhound. Newton was not a religious man, and moreover he was a slave trader: The cargo hold was filled with Africans who had been captured and were now chained in horrific conditions. As the high waves … Read More

As many of you know, Devi and I are working with a team of architects and designers in India to create a museum based on Paramhansa Yogananda’s explanation of the Bhagavad Gita. It will be quite different from the usual museum, where a visitor simply observes the exhibits or art works, but leaves in the end not much different than … Read More

“All I want to convert you to is who and what you really are.” Swami Kriyananda often said this to newcomers attending his classes. He was not trying to persuade people to leave their chosen religion, nor necessarily to convert them to Yoganandaji’s path and teachings. Rather, he wanted to convey to everyone that all the joy, fulfillment, strength, and … Read More

“I think you and I have been brothers in a past life,” Swami Kriyananda once remarked to me. Indeed, from the day I met him, I always felt a deep spiritual connection with Swamiji. Some years ago, while he was still alive, I wrote this “Tribute to Kriyananda,” and since May 19 is his birthday, I thought you might enjoy … Read More

“That’s not what I look like!” our friend objected during a self-help session she was attending. This friend (let’s call her Tara) related to us how each member of the group had been asked to look in a full-length mirror and describe how they saw themselves. “Fat and unattractive,” was what Tara said as she gazed at her image. In … Read More

A friend from India wrote, “In our lives we are so used to solving our problems. Then one fine day we are confronted with a problem that we really can’t do anything about. . . . At such times all we can do is pray and leave it to God. But ‘Leave it to God’ somehow makes us feel helpless. How can we turn … Read More

“How are you coping with the lockdown restrictions?” This is a common question these days. Many of us are faced with things like isolation, changes in daily routines, inability to get food and supplies, loss of income, and confinement at home. Any or all of these can take their toll. Yet we needn’t feel as if we’re being punished by … Read More

A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens, starts with these immortal lines: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness.” These words ring as true today as they did in the time of the French Revolution. Times of adversity push people toward the … Read More

A friend of mine recently told me about a big turning point in her life. She’d been going through a period of discouragement over some deep-seated self-critical attitudes. Finally she ended up crying for days, feeling that she was hopeless, and helpless to change. Then the phone rang. Forcing herself to answer, my friend heard the voice of an acquaintance … Read More

I was the General Manager of Ananda Village for many years during its early days. Sometimes, as you can imagine, I felt overwhelmed by all of the problems and challenges we faced, and would go to Swami Kriyananda for advice and solace. Often he would tell me, “Don’t think overmuch about the problems, but keep your focus on finding solutions.” … Read More

In 1996 Jyotish and I had one of the most inspiring experiences of our life: Swami Kriyananda asked us and two other friends to join him on a trip to India. This was long before Ananda had established centers there, so our journey was for personal inspiration and some relaxation as well. Our first stop was Darjeeling, a small, quaint … Read More

These are difficult, even unprecedented, times for the world. The spreading coronavirus, as well as the ripples of economic and social disruption, have sent shock waves throughout the whole planet. As spiritual seekers, and especially those who are followers of Paramhansa Yogananda, there are several things we can do to protect ourselves and our families, and, more importantly, to help … Read More