Choir and Swami Kriyananda singing “Peace”

As many of you may know, Swami Kriyananda, now 84, has had some recent physical setbacks, including a visit to the emergency room last Tuesday after a fall that injured his hip. He was scheduled to be at a tea in Los Angeles on Saturday, and was heartbroken to cancel for the first time in his life an appearance of such magnitude. He didn’t even know if he would be able to make it to his publicized talk on Sunday at the Ford Amphitheater. On Sunday morning we were overjoyed to hear the news that he was miraculously on his way, either by the Grace of God, a Herculean exertion of will power, or a combination of both. I wasn’t sure in what condition he would arrive after what must have been a painful trip. However, he entered the Ford Amphitheater with great energy, and was greeted with much joy by all who were already seated in the amphitheater (his path to the backstage area was visible to all). The pictures you see of his talk at the Ford Amphitheater mark his first ever appearance in a wheelchair.

Divine Mother gave him a grand entrance, coinciding perfectly with a musical climax halfway through our preshow performance of Life Is a Quest for Joy. The next 10 minutes of the piece were some of the most special I’ve ever played. It was as if his presence fueled a spark within me, granting me the boon of tangibly feeling God’s loving presence expanding from my heart.

Having been a performer for the past 25 years, I’ve been backstage with celebrities such as Elizabeth Taylor, Judy Collins, Julian Lennon, Ringo Starr, and Elton John, and have often seen inconsistencies with their public personas, ranging from peaceful to exuberant, dull to vulgar.

Choir performing “Come Gather Round”

As I walked backstage last Sunday after finishing our piece, I saw Swamiji ready to go. No trace of his recent ordeal showed on his face, as he radiated joy, enthusiasm, love, and a deep sense of peace. I was simply stunned – this was no facade, as there were just a handful of us in his presence, quietly waiting.

There comes a deep joy in life when you recognize someone not necessarily for their relationship to you (a wife, a friend, a son or daughter), but for what they have brought to your life. Unlike others, I have not been in the position to be close personally to Swami Kriyananda. In fact, one day years ago I decided to try to feel towards him as I would a dear personal loved one. An hour later I passed him in the Crystal Hermitage, and I silently reached out to him with that personal kind of energy. I was amazed at how completely limiting it felt, trying to relate to him only on a superficial (egoic) level. I realized finally that I needed to go much deeper, and since then have deepened my attunement with him not by any outward relationship, but by tuning into his vibration and inspiration, especially through music. Since then, numerous times I’ve been overwhelmed at how empty my life would be without his teaching, his attunement with Yogananda, his music, and his incredible example of living for God.

For those few moments before he went onstage, I saw him not for my personal friend, or a celebrity, or even the founder of Ananda. What was overwhelmingly evident to me was a disciple’s great joy and devotion in serving his Guru – it is all he lives for now. It shone through his eyes, his face, with a force that could be tangibly felt.

I went back onstage to conduct the choir, and as we ended our set with his song Dark Eyes, you may be wondering why I was hardly moving my arms. I could once again feel that same presence of the power of love, coming from our singing, and was trying to expand that bubble of inspiration to fill the amphitheater. Could any of you feel it, I wonder?

Choir performing “Brothers”

During his talk, I sat downstairs with the choir in the green room and listened. Over the PA system I could hear his heartfelt emotion as he spoke of the beginning of his journey to live for God alone. I continued to dive deep into his vibration, not noticing how well he was articulating his words, or where his talk may be going from one thought to another. I was simply overjoyed that he had made the trip, and was here to serve all those awaiting his presence.

At the end of the show, we came back onstage to sing Peace with him, and despite his evident fatigue, still chose to sing with us, with surprising vigor. As the audience sang the final “Amen” with us, the amphitheater was vibrantly resonating with a Divine Presence that could not but open wide that hardest of hearts.

After he was taken backstage, he remained in that uplifted bliss, radiating joy as he blessed Neale Donald Walsch and his wife and a few others before leaving for his new home in Los Angeles. I know in his heart of hearts he couldn’t help but feel Yogananda’s blessings from all the energy it took to make “The Miracle Show” (as Sean has been dubbing it) the great success that it was.

Thank you Swamiji, for your continued example of a life lived completely for God, no matter what the cost.

Choir performing “Dark Eyes”

Sean, when introducing Swami Kriyananda to the audience of 1150 people called this event “The Miracle Show”.

Swamiji has been dealing with considerable fatigue and a fall (which happened the week after SRW) that resulted in an injured hip and all the pain and debility that can accompany something like that.

He had many very uncomfortable days which forced him to cancel two events in LA and until the last minute his attendance at the Ford Theater very questionable. However, not being one to give in to pain or hard times, Swamiji bravely rallied and on Sunday boarded a plane (preceded by a two drive to the airport) and arrived in LA at 4, just in time to make the 6:00 show at the Ford. Upon his arrival to the theater in a wheel chair, he was greeted with a standing ovation. The crowd appreciated Swami’s monumental effort to be part of this wonderful event at the Ford Theater, and his desire to share the love and teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda

The evening began with beautiful music from our Ananda choir, Brook and Sean introduced both Ananda LA and Swamiji with eloquence and heart. Brook also introduced Neale Donald Walsch, and shared a bit of Neale’s journey which was fascinating. He gave a thought provoking and lovely talk and then introduced Swamiji. It was an honor for me to be backstage to photograph them together and the see the high regard they held for one another.

Swami spoke from his heart about his life as a disciple. And the at the end the choir joined him and performed the song, Peace.

Catherine Kairavi also gave a presentation of the book, Two Souls, Four Lives. This is a newly released and fascinating book which presents a clear and compelling case for Yogananda’s statement that in a past life he was William the Conquerer. In addition, she makes the case that Swamiji was King Henry, William’s son. I highly recommend the book. It is the culmination of 13 years of research.

Ozro, Sean and Brook did an amazing job organizing this event.

They were assisted by scores of volunteers, who were cheerful and serviceful and helped create an event that will be remembered by many. I got to fold programs before the event with this fun group and had a great time.

The day before this big event there was a tea at a local hotel hosted by members of Ananda LA, it was a delightful gathering of people. We were treated to some delicious tea sandwiches and amazing little tarts and a selection of tea. Sean and Brook talked about the work happening in LA and introduced the team of teachers who will be coming to Southern California.

Asha gave a wonderful talk about Swami Kriyananda and this new phase of Ananda’s outreach. Very exciting!

There was music from the choir and the yet to be named quartet of singers who will be moving to Los Angeles to help with the work there. Ramesha, Peter, Bhagavati and Laurie will spread Master’s love through song. For being a newly formed group, they sound wonderful together.
Again, many people were involved in making this special day happen.

Many lovely people stayed and visited and I especially enjoyed connecting with friends from the LA area again.

There was lots of laughter!

I want to thank all the great souls in Southern California, especially Brook and Sean who hosted this great weekend. We felt supported and uplifted by your work and we are thrilled for you all and the next phase of the work there.

And especially, thank you to Swami Kriyananda, who has given his life to spreading the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda. His has been a guiding light to so many.

And now that Swami Kriyananda is now in residence in LA and a small army of amazing teachers and singers are on their way to making LA their home the work of spreading Yogananda’s teachings is going to be very exciting indeed!

Blessings to you all!

The Peace Treaty is a three-act play that Swamiji wrote many years ago. And for about the last 10 years it has been a tradition to perform it during Spiritual Renewal Week. I know that for the actors and viewers alike, with each performance the play offers some new pearls of wisdom. The play in an entertaining way, presents the teachings and blends wisdom and humor with ease. I am always struck by the Swami’s wonderful use of the english language and how understandable and poeticly he can share deep truths.

Swamiji arrived and greeted a few friends, then settled in to enjoy watching The Peace Treaty come to life.

It started off quite dramatically, with a battle scene as part of the preshow that gave the background of the play.
And then… the scene we all look forward to… Slash, parry, slash parry. And one by one the soldiers took stage.

I am amazed at the talent of our Ananda actors. There were a few new actors, and some who took on new roles. It was fun to see Nabha transition from playing serious and thoughtful Ponder to the eccentric Baltan of clan Emerald.

The play is often profound and often hilarious.

The play contrasts good and noble qualities with bad qualities. Lord Crystar and Gazella display qualities that are to be aspired too.

The bad guys are convincingly played by some of the nicest men you could ever want to meet. They seem to enjoy playing these roles, as much as Swamiji said he enjoyed writing the roles. He laughs when he describes how absurd these Lords are when trying to preserve their domains.

There is love and music.

There are wise hermits and free and joyful spirits.

There are lessons to be learned.

And a very happy ending.

Swami Kriyananda, the playwright was honored and obviously happy with the performance.

And Swamiji honored Devaki, the director and one of characters, and the cast with a bouquet of flowers to thank them for their deep commitment to the play and its message. Thank you all for your wonderful and joyful performance and your dedication to The Peace Treaty.

Its hard to believe how quickly time has past. It is already Spiritual Renewal Week 2010, one of the highlights of the year at Ananda. The Village is bursting at the seams with guests, the hustle and bustle of event planning and the high energy that happens when spiritual friends from the world over gather together to recommit their lives to finding God. Some people will tune in via the internet, others are here in body, but all of us are together in spirit.

Swami Kriyananda spoke yesterday which is uploaded and should be on ananda.org very soon. I couldn’t help but to share this photo of Mukunda, the cat, on stage with Swamiji during his talk.

Swamiji sang three songs this evening, to open the concert, but wasn’t able to stay for the whole evening. However, I think everyone there was deeply grateful for his blissful presence.

He sang a humorous song accompanied by a group of talented singers, who made us laugh with their antics. He also sang Life Flows on Like a River, and Love is a Magician, both with deep feeling. The remainder of the concert was also blissful.

The youth orchestra played Life is the Quest for Joy.

It was absolutely beautiful. Such talent and devotion was channeled through them that I am sure everyone, like me, was in awe.

Thank you to all the singers, too.

Swamiji will also be speaking Friday and giving Sunday Service. While his body is often weak, his spirit is strong and it seems every time he speaks a great power moves through him. He will be attending some of our other favorite events: The Peace Treaty performance, and the Indian banquet. Lets all pray that his health allows him to participate fully, he has said on many occasions that he can feel the loving prayers we offer to him.

This week will be jammed packed with activities! And I will try to keep the photos coming! SRW began for some of us with either planning, hosting or cooking for the Crystal Clarity Publisher fundraiser dinner held at Crystal Hermitage.

I was there to record the event and was again so impressed with the creativity of my fellow gurubhais. The delicious and beautiful food, well-tended and well-loved gardens, the gorgeous table settings, the beautiful music, and the joyful helpers created an evening of enchantment to thank the generous supporters of Crystal Clarity. Swamiji spoke at two different points in the evening once sharing what it was like to live with Yogananda.

At the end of the evening he shared with delight, his new book, The Time Tunnel. Which is a charming, but deep and instructive book he wrote for children of all ages. I am sure we all will be hearing about it during this week.

This is the tent set up at the amphitheater for Spanish translation!

There is a lovely group of spanish speaking pilgrims visiting for the week. It is wonderful to visit with all our new and old friends and to share with all of you!
Bless you all! There will be more to come! Love, Barbara

Editor’s note: Please also see “The Peace Treaty” blog by Barbara about the play performed during the Spiritual Renewal Week.

This past weekend was a very busy and joyful for the folks at Ananda Village. We hosted people from all over to celebrate the 41st Anniversary of Ananda and Independence Day.

Friends from all over came to help us celebrate, of course, but especially they came to see Swami Kriyananda who has just returned for a 2 month visit to America. This weekend is just one of three major public events scheduled while he is here.

Swamiji gave three talks: one on Saturday, one at Sunday Service and one at the Sevaka Retreat held at the Meditation Retreat. There was also a talk on Friday given by Jyotish and Devi Novak and Ananta McSweeney. The talks were amazing. All of them are on Ananda.org, so you can listen to them anytime.

Swamiji was filled to overflowing with inspiration and his talks touched on many aspects of the life of a spiritual seeker. He was quite tired from all his recent travels but came and filled the amphitheater with spiritual strength.

On Saturday night there was a concert in The Expanding Light Amphitheater that featured a 90 person choir. It was so beautiful. A new song was debuted: Larks Fly High. Swami wrote it for the new book, The Time Tunnel. If you would like to listen to it click here. It is enchanting sung by some of our Ananda children and Karen and Dambara.

Also part of the weekend was the annual 4th of July Parade. A classic! Floats! Costumes! Flags! It didn’t last very long, but I saw a lot smiling faces. Then there was picnicking and games.

Our parade started with Lady Liberty (Marga, from Spain) and Uncle Sam on a motorcylce (Lucien, from South Africa)!

We had a float highlighting the Ananda goat farm, Yogoata dairy.

And finally, five different presidents made an appearance with Andrew Jackson firing a canon with popcorn in it. Fun.

Monday was the day for our annual Sevaka Retreat held at the Meditation Retreat. The retreat center gets more beautiful every time I see it. It is so lush and colorful. The day began with a 3-hour meditation, then a brunch that was attended by Swamiji.
The sevaka members then convened to the temple of trees for brief, but inspiring reports from all the colony leaders. Swamiji spoke for about 35 minutes. It was a beautiful day.

It is SO nice to have Swamiji back in the village. He will be doing a live webinar June 15th. Check ananda.org for details.
I hope you enjoy the pictures. Blessings to you all.
Love, Barbara

Editor’s note: For video and audio of the weekend classes and concert, go to http://www.ananda.org/inspiration/video-audio/events/2010-july4.html

Over the past several years, the Yoga Festivals in Italy have grown in size and importance.

Ananda has been involved from the beginning, cooperating with the organizers and making presentations of Ananda Yoga and meditation at both the Milan and Rome venues.

The Rome Festival is held in the large park of Villa Pamphilli, an area of 2 square kilometers of meadows, lakes, flower gardens and stately trees developed by a 17th century noble family and now the property of the city and people of Rome.

In an outdoor exhibition area, Italy’s yoga and Ayurveda centers and schools are represented, including The Ananda Yoga Academy of Europe.  Over 5000 people attended.

This year Swami Kriyananda’s visit to Italy coincided with the Rome Festival, and he was invited to give a talk in the main tent on Saturday. This was a unique event in that all of the other presentations are yoga practices of various kinds. This was the only inspirational talks.

Audience at the Rome Yoga Festival

The sides of this large tent were open to permit the over-flow crowd to stand outside. Inside there were about 500 people crammed in, with another 300-500 standing all around the tent. The event organizers said that there has never been such a talk at the Festivals, with such a large audience.

The event started with two musical pieces played on keyboard, flute, viola and guitar. The choir sang four songs, joined by Swamiji who sang “Pace (Peace).” The music attracted everyone, and the exhibition area and other venues emptied out as people came to attend the talk.

Swami Kriyananda speaks at the Festival

Swamiji spoke movingly about Yogananda and his Autobiography, which has just been published in the original 1946 version in Italian.

Most of the people present had been touched by that book, and Swamiji told the story of how he was attracted by it to become Yogananda’s disciple. He remarked that had he read a later, edited version of the book, he doesn’t know if he would have been so inspired, since he was not interested in organizations or institutions. He talked about the book’s vibrational power, how it transforms one’s consciousness and life.

He urged people to always think of themselves as potential saints, sons of God, and never as sinners, never identified with their human mistakes. He also urged the audience to not be limited by their own capacities, but to let God into their consciousness and lives and take them to higher awareness and achievements.

Earlier that morning Swamiji remarked, “I think this is a very important day.”

His presence at the Yoga Festival and his talk have launched more than the Italian translation of the Autobiography: they have stimulated a new respect for Yogananda and a renewed interest in Ananda.

Thanks to our publicist’s efforts, many important people and journalists were present at the talk, and there were numerous interviews before, many articles were published, and others will be published. One well-known professor and author has just released a book about three influential spiritual leaders, including Swami Kriyananda.

Inauguration of a second Ananda center in Rome

Swami Kriyananda at the Ananda center in Rome

The following day Swamiji inaugurated the new Ananda yoga and meditation center in Rome.

A shop on the ground floor sells Inner Life products (Ananda’s mail-catalogue and retail business in Europe), and the lower floor includes a large yoga hall, a meditation room/class room, changing rooms, bathrooms and an outdoor garden.

About 100 people crammed into the yoga hall, many standing or sitting on the stairs and in the hallways. The musicians and choir performed, and Swamiji continued with some of Saturday’s themes, including more stories about Yogananda, then answering many questions.

His presence and blessings were deeply felt and Yogananda’s power was infused into the center.

With Swamiji’s presence during this visit, a new era has begun.

Note from the editor: May 22 marked the launch of a newly published original edition of the Autobiography of a Yogi in Italian. The event took place in Milan.

Swami Kriyananda addressed a full room of 500 avid listeners, after having given a number of magazine and television interviews the previous days, and a private donors’ dinner at the hotel.

The event seemed to be happening in an astral heaven, with every little detail full of brilliant light and colors: the flowers, the musicians, the choir, the new Autobiography and other books, including the Italian publication of the New Renunciate Order.

Entrance to the Hotel Brun where the launch took place

As people came into the hall, Ananda musicians were chanting Wave of the Sea (devotional chant by Yogananda), creating an uplifting atmosphere. Narya Tossetto, one of Ananda Europa leaders, introduced the evening. Then the choir sang songs in Italian and English, with Door of My Heart in Bengali as well.

Chanting

Two well-known Italian authors spoke briefly about the importance of the Autobiography in their lives, and about Swami Kriyananda as a magnificent channel for Yogananda’s presence and love. A known television personality gave his testimony, and then there was a brief slide show of images and quotations from Yogananda.

Swami Kriyananda speaking

Swami Kriyananda spoke for over an hour, most of it while standing, and the entire audience was rapt in their attention and wrapped in an aura of bliss.

It seemed that no one was breathing. Many in the audience were new to Ananda, and everyone left with light in their eyes. Swami Kriyananda told the story of his meeting with Yogananda and other stories, transmitting the experience that Yogananda is the nearest of the near and the dearest of the dear.

Autobiography of a Yogi

He urged people to get the book in its new translation of the original edition, the version which changed his own life and consciousness, and that of countless thousands, even millions, of other truth seekers.

A part of the success of the Autobiography, he said, actually traces back to him. In the early years, the book didn’t sell well. In fact it was offered to many publishers, but none of them were interested. Only the Philosophical Library press took it on. It did not sell well for them, so SRF, the organization Yogananda founded, was able to get the publishing rights back.

At this time Swami Kriyananda was in charge of correspondence and the Lessons, Yogananda’s home-study course. He noticed that most people dropped out after a year, and almost all, after two years. But those who stayed were those who had read the Autobiography. So he suggested that instead of promoting the Lessons, they should promote the book. His proposal was accepted, and from that time the book’s distribution began to grow.

Swami Kriyananda singing with the choir

To date, nearly the entire printing of 5000 Italian copies has been sold or placed in bookstores all over Italy through our distributor, which is the second or perhaps by now the largest, distributor in the country. We will be reprinting soon.

The talk will soon be posted on internet, in Italian of course. No translation is available at this time.

Swami Kriyananda

Swami Kriyananda then left for a few days of vacation, and then on May 27 he flies to Seville, Spain, where he will be joined by about devotees from Ananda Assisi and hundreds of Spanish devotees, to launch the Spanish translation of the original Autobiography.

He returns to Assisi on May 31, and after a few days of rest, goes on to Rome where on June 5 he will be one of the keynote speakers at the Rome Yoga Festival, speaking to hundreds, perhaps over a thousand people, in the vast park grounds of an ancient Roman Villa. After that, he will inaugurate the new Ananda Yoga and Meditation Center of Rome.

A busy schedule!