Why I paint
Why do most of us struggle with staying creative and fresh as adults? Everyone is creative, not just a select few with outward talent. It is an innate quality in all of us, it doesn’t disappear over time. All we need to do is keep it alive and learn to work with this creative energy in us. Swami Kriyananda emphasized … Read More
Flowers Along My Path: Balancing a Spiritual Life Amidst Worldly Struggles
Early on, in my journey on the path, I nursed an idyllic imagination of life. It was like the Finding Happiness movie story, being just as what I saw of the people living in the Ananda Village. As beginner’s luck would have it, some early experiences drew me deeper into this dream. I imagined myself meditating for long hours, doing … Read More
A Divine Shortcut to Freedom
Freedom is a goal desired by truth seekers throughout the ages—but freedom from what? Paramhansa Yogananda simplified human behavior to the basic desires of “finding happiness and avoiding pain.” Our every action is based on its potential for happiness or reduction in suffering. It follows that we seek freedom from suffering or pain. Suffering is threefold in nature: physical, mental … Read More
Music Uplifted my Heart
Even though we say that Swami Kriyananda composed over 400 pieces of music, Swamiji himself always used to say: “I never wrote a single note! It was all given to me by God.” God usually doesn’t “just give” melodies to people here and there. In order for us to listen to the divine melodies, we have to attract them by … Read More
Generating the Courage to Paint
“I can’t do this!” she said as she held the paint brush in her hand, about to begin her painting. A few months ago, we were offering an art workshop and, as a group, we all had gone through preparatory exercises to enable participants to become comfortable with a creative process. We also offered activities to raise our level of … Read More
The Purpose of Walking the Spiritual Path
Why should we follow the spiritual path? Why not live life eating, drinking, shopping, making money, partying and pampering our senses? After all, this world too has been made by God, and He has placed us in positions in our family, society and in the world. So why not get to God through enjoying the material world and its pleasures? … Read More
