I would like to explore two vital principles from Swami Kriyananda’s tradition which can help us in cultivating attunement with Swami Kriyananda as a channel for Ananda Sangha and staying deeply in tune with the Master. I highly recommend reading the ‘Last Will and Testament’ he wrote before passing in 2013. In this Will, he covers a wide range of … Read More
The Gift of Apples
It was that time of the year when the world was preparing to celebrate Christmas in 2012. Life at Ananda Pune was busy, joyful, and full of activity. The greatest blessing of all, of course, was Swami Kriyananda’s presence in Pune. From time to time we had the joy of seeing Swamiji at satsangs, recordings, and other public programs. One day I set aside … Read More
100 years of “O God Beautiful”
In 1926, Paramhansa Yogananda stood before thousands at Carnegie Hall in New York and began chanting “O God Beautiful” — a sacred hymn originally composed by Guru Nanak. For one hour and twenty-five minutes, thousands of voices chanted in unison in “a divine atmosphere of joyous praise.” Even after Yogananda left the stage, the audience sat on, chanting. The next … Read More
A Tribute to Swami Kriyananda
My relationship with Swamiji has been one of giving, sharing the teachings, helping other people always, and through the particular vehicle of Kriya Yoga. When I first came, I was here for some time, and then I went to Italy. And Swami’s mantra was always: share and give to people. Then, at a particular time, I went to Africa—share and … Read More
They are disciples of Paramhansa Yogananda
In his autobiography The New Path, Swami Kriyananda wrote: “In the sixty years, now, that I have been on this path, I cannot recall to mind a single instance where a disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda has failed to find protection in time of real need.” I’ve now been a disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda for nearly fifty years. I too, have seen that same … Read More
Spiritual Healing with Kriya Yoga
In the beautiful book by Paramhansa Yoganandaji, called the Autobiography of a Yogi, there is a chapter on Kriya Yoga. Kriya Yoga is a pranayama which is given after discipleship and during an initiation. Yoganandaji called it the most advanced technique of Raja Yoga. It is a meditation practice – a pranayama where we control the energy in the spine. … Read More
Liberation through Selfless action
Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita , Shloka 2.40: “In this path (of yoga action) there is no danger of unfinished business, nor are there latent within it the opposite, canceling effects of duality. Even a little practice of this religion will free one from dire fears and colossal sufferings (which are inherent in the unceasing cycles of death and … Read More
Deeds versus Intention
I was really pondering on this topic. whenever we use the word ‘versus’, – it means that in our spiritual path as we ascend, they are two different things, which ideally it should not be. As Jesus emphasized repeatedly the Spirit, not the letter of the law. Even Swami Sri Yukteswarji in the Autobiography of a Yogi says, not the … Read More
How Devotees Rise
In this world of duality, if we identify ourselves with waves on the ocean we will rise and we will fall. And that is the rhythm of duality. The spiritual path is not a linear way forward. Yogananda ji said, it is a spiral staircase, and we can find ourselves on higher octaves or on lower octaves of the spiral … Read More
The Attitude of The Healer
One aspect of the service of channeling healing to other people that we render as we try to transmit the power of God’s infinite love and healing energy to people whom we know and people who have asked for this service is how our thoughts affect our own health. “We are what we think.” Master talks about our mental diet … Read More
In Aum, Nothing Can Touch You
I’d like to just say how wonderful it is to listen to Swamiji chanting AUM. That’s something we can do every day…. just play that in our car, our house, however and whenever we can. Here are a couple of wonderful quotes on Om. These first two are from Master: When you are immersed in om nothing can touch you. … Read More
Accepting People As They Are
Some time ago, I read a quote by Ram Das, a disciple of Neem Karoli Baba. He said in a very poetic way, “Just the way when we go in a forest and we appreciate different trees and different shrubs and different bushes, and we don’t go and discriminate between each one of them, deciding which one is better or … Read More