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[A] man of wisdom and compassion in action, truly one of the leading lights in the spiritual world today. His work and life of selfless service are an inspiration to us all.
—Lama Surya Das, Dzogchen Center; author of Awakening the Buddha Within: Eight Steps to Enlightenment and Letting Go of the Person You Used to Be |
Prolific author, accomplished composer, playwright, and artist, and world-renowned spiritual teacher, Swami Kriyananda refers to himself simply as "a humble disciple" of the great God-realised master Paramhansa Yogananda.
From youth, J. Donald Walters (his family name) questioned life's meaning and society's values. During intense inner reflection at age 22, he discovered Yoganandaji's autobiography. The next day he traveled 3,000 miles from New York to California to meet the Master, who in a rare move accepted him at once as a monastic disciple.
They were together for most of the last 4 years of Yogananda's life. The Master appointed his young charge head of the monastery and authorised him to teach in his name and give initiation into Kriya Yoga. He also entrusted Kriyananda with 2 life missions: one instructional—writing, editing, and lecturing—the other, founding "world brotherhood colonies".
Swami Kriyananda and
Paramhansa Yogananda,
1952 |
For 60 years, Kriyananda has dedicated his life to spread his guru's teachings. Conversant in 9 languages, lecturing in 5, he has lived and traveled around the world, writing some 90 widely translated books and composing some 400 musical pieces.
Swami Kriyananda is often called the "father of the modern spiritual communities movement" in the USA. He founded the first Ananda world brotherhood colony in 1968 in California, the model for later Ananda residential communities around the globe. He also established several schools for grades K–12 and inspired a college-level institute.
In his 78th year, Swami Kriyananda moved to India to found a work to disseminate Yogananda's teachings in his homeland.
Among the
most popular of Swamiji's many books are The Path: Autobiography of a Western
Yogi, Superconsciousness—A Guide to Meditation, and Conversations with Yogananda. Very popular too are several books of Yogananda's teachings, including The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita and The Essence of Self-Realization.
Ananda Sangha Publications in India also has published the
original unedited 1946 version of Yoganandaji's The Autobiography of
a Yogi.
The Path is often considered a companion to Yoganandaji's Autobiography of a Yogi. It's the fascinating tale of one man's search for truth. Many readers, especially those whose search has been arduous or anguished, have found in it a parallel to their own.
Continuing Yoganandaji's story beyond the years covered in his own autobiography, Kriyanandaji gives an inspiring first-hand account of life and training with his guru through the eyes of a disciple who lived and worked with him during the last four years of his life.
Kriyanandaji presents Yoganandaji as a true spiritual sage and master, indeed an avatar, whose work in the West created a revolution in the way people perceive themselves and their purpose in life. He tells over 400 stories about the great master, including rare anecdotes of times at his desert retreat and his mahasamadhi.
Streaming
Video and Audio Talks by Swami Kriyananda
Enjoy these talks recorded in America and India, including recent
talks.
Articles
by Swami Kriyananda
Articles on many different subjects relating to the spiritual
path, and application of spiritual principles to daily life.
60
Years of Discipleship
Written on the
occasion of the completion of Swami Kriyananda's 60th anniversary of his first meeting
with his Guru, Paramhansa Yogananda. Includes an excerpt from The Path
recounting their meeting.
Another Rich Trove of Information about Swami Kriyananda
Another Web site with a rich trove of information about Swamiji: his life, and his works..
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