Years ago I was involved in the founding of an Ananda center in Rome. Although I scarcely had any prior experience with starting a facility like that, my enthusiasm was intense and sincere. It was not always kept under control though. Yogananda encourages us to interiorize our spiritual enthusiasm so that we might apply it judiciously. Properly used and placed, … Read More
Aaryan and Vinaya perform HOME IS A GREEN HILL, by Swami Kriyananda This song calls us to our real home within, in the silence of our own soul. As this prayerful silence becomes our second nature, we can truly feel home everywhere, at any time and under all circumstances.
A major karmic challenge in this life arose during my early school years. One day a boy emerged from a large group of children playing in the schoolyard. He walked over to me and said, “We are friends.” His announcement was accompanied by a rather fierce handshake. He told me his name was Edmund. The friendship that ensued for Edmund … Read More
Swami Kriyananda’s words were fired with great gusto as he dashed into the living room of his home in Gurgeon, India, saying: “The main thing is that, with all of these (flower essences), we can use them to grow if we agree with them.” Thus began his first and only class on flower essences. “For instance, I held in my … Read More
If you, thinking of God, take one step towards Him, in response, He, who is more kind than a mother, thinking of you, takes nine steps—such a long distance—and accepts you. So great is His grace. (Ramana Maharishi) Yogananda’s encounter with Ramana Maharishi, whom he named “the enlightened Rishi of South India,” highlights the universal power hidden behind Jesus’s parable … Read More
How to grow together – LIVE with Anand and Kirtani
A course dedicated to Love (spelled with a capital “L”), also a rare opportunity to be together with Anand and Kirtani, spiritual directors of Ananda Europe, and to draw upon their long years of experience on the spiritual path and as a couple. Also recommended for single people, this evening offers a chance to open up and prepare to receive what is in store for your heart.
“Keep doing everything with an eye on God and guru. Inherent in that is your good since Atma or your soul is your real guru.” Lahiri Mahasaya For the spiritual seeker wishing to understand the need for a guru (or more specifically to understand the guru-discipleship relationship), there are many expositions of this in the writings of Paramhansa Yogananda and … Read More
In India there are many ways to worship God, as our Heavenly Father, Divine Friend, or as Divine Beloved. However one of the most favored ways is God in the form of Divine Mother. Paramhansa Yogananda said, “In India some devotees call God the Divine Mother which is a more tender, gentle aspect of God. The Mother always forgives Her … Read More
Whenever I think of what Master meant when he said that small world brotherhood colonies would be the way of living for the future, I think especially about what his purpose was. Because, as we know, his real concern was our freedom in God, our spiritual realization. So he wasn’t just talking about these small communities as a solution on … Read More
