Today is the fourth anniversary of Swami Kriyananda’s leaving his body. Ananda Worldwide celebrates this occasion with what we call “Moksha Day,” a day dedicated to Self-realization, or spiritual freedom. We start the day with a six-hour meditation at the Moksha Mandir, where Swami Kriyananda’s body is enshrined. This is an especially beautiful time of year at Ananda Village, with … Read More

The faces of the young couple were radiant as we led them in their wedding ceremony in the chapel at Crystal Hermitage. The late-afternoon light illuminated the chapel’s stained-glass windows, but the light shining from within the bride and groom was more luminous than the sunlight. The chapel was filled with family and friends who had come to be with … Read More

I would like to ask you to take a moment, close your eyes, and answer this question in your own words: What is happiness? Now that you’ve formed your own idea, here is what Wikipedia says: “Happiness is a mental or emotional state of well-being defined by positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. Happy mental states … Read More

Have you ever been awestruck by a great work of art or a scene of natural beauty? The power of Michelangelo’s “David”; the mystery of Leonardo’s “Mona Lisa”; the perfection in architecture of the Taj Mahal; or the cosmic grandeur of the Aurora Borealis: I’ve looked at all of these, and felt deeply uplifted. Yet when I try to understand … Read More

This morning as I sat in meditation, I ignored some of the advice I am sharing here. Instead of focusing entirely on my meditation, I spent some time thinking about this blog. (Ah, how often we ignore good advice, even when it comes from ourselves!) Yet I hope some benefit will come from my well-intentioned restlessness. Anyway, here is what … Read More

There is a story about two shoe salesmen who are sent by their companies to explore the possibilities for sales in a Third-World country. They arrive at the same time, check out the scene, and then both head for the telegraph office to report back. The first one wires: “Everyone barefoot here. No market. Returning immediately.” The second one writes, … Read More

As I write these words it’s March 7, the 65th anniversary of Paramhansa Yogananda’s mahasamadhi (conscious exit from the body). He left this earth in a dramatic fashion. At a banquet in Los Angeles in honor of the visiting Indian ambassador, after a short and very sweet talk, the great master recited his poem, “My India.” As he read the … Read More

While in Hawaii, I read a translation of an ancient Hawaiian song about mana, or “life force”:      For mana is divine power      And we Hawaiians have a keen awareness of this             Supernatural force running through all things.      For it is our natural consciousness to be psychic.             And we read signs and omens into elemental phenomena.      To us, there … Read More

I am writing this from the Island of Kauai, the northernmost island of the Hawaiian chain. It’s certainly one of the most beautiful places on earth, set like a gemstone in an aqua sea. Its hills, valleys, swaying plants, and even its people have been shaped by centuries of rain, sun, and wind. It’s as if Divine Mother had said … Read More

Aloha! We’re currently relaxing on Kauai, one of the beautiful Hawaiian Islands, on a two-week vacation that was gifted to us by many friends from Ananda. One hears “Aloha” everywhere here, because it’s a word with multiple meanings: “hello,” “good-bye,” “love,” “compassion,” and “welcome.” It’s considered one of the most sacred and powerful of all Hawaiian words, having the literal … Read More

It is a little ironic for me to be writing about this subject just now. Here at Ananda Village, in Northern California, we’re in the midst of yet another major storm, experiencing the greatest rainfall in over twenty years. The rivers are roaring, the reservoirs are full, the mountain snowpack is huge, and more is on the way. Maybe, just … Read More

Dr. Shinichi Suzuki, founder of the world-renowned Suzuki School of Music Education, was a humanitarian as well as a pioneer in musical training for children. In his book, Nurtured by Love, Dr. Suzuki shares a story that has relevance for us today. He, his wife, and their two small children were living in Matsumoto, Japan in the painful, chaotic period … Read More

A dear friend, Nayaswami Devarshi, is a longtime Ananda member who is now serving in India as the head of our Monastic Order. He sent this letter to us last week. “A very miraculous save by the Guru here at Mumbai airport, on our way to Singapore. As Aditya [a fellow monk] and I were standing in line to leave … Read More

Once Paramhansa Yogananda was attending a wedding with some of his disciples, and at a certain point he began handing out different-colored roses to the women devotees. After receiving her rose from the Guru, one woman expressed disappointedly, “But I wanted a pink rose, not a red one.” Yogananda looked at her, and with unexpected intensity replied, “What I give, … Read More

The love and friendship of the guru are something that is hard for us to understand, much less accept. We, who are limited in time and space, naturally relate to the guru in the same way. How often I’ve thought and heard others say, “If only I had been with Master.*” This thought, sweet though it is, actually ends up … Read More

Historians tell us that medieval alchemists were continually in search of the elusive “philosophers’ stone,” that mythical substance which could turn base metals into gold. As far as we know, they never succeeded in their quest, but there is a different kind of philosophers’ stone which we have already discovered. The guru is that philosophers’ stone, for he or she … Read More