In 1952 Paramhansa Yogananda entered mahasamadhi, a master’s conscious exit from the body at the time of physical death. That same year brought a worldwide epidemic of polio, a serious disease of the spinal cord, which often brought about paralysis and permanent disability. It especially affected children, and I was one of them, at age 9. The disease begins with … Read More
It’s a Success!
After the monks in India had been wearing white for a while, Swamiji decided that the monks who had taken the Brahmachari vows should wear Ananda yellow. He gave us a sample piece of cloth so that we would know exactly what shade of yellow to wear. There was only one problem: the sample contained many different shades of yellow! … Read More
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