Editor’s note: Swami Kriyananda is visiting Ananda Europa at the time of writing. This is an account of his 83rd birthday celebration at Ananda’s center in Assisi, Italy on May 30-31. It is written by Asha Praver, spiritual director of Ananda Palo Alto, who traveled to Assisi to join the festivities.

“I feel so much bliss, I cannot contain it.”
– Swami Kriyananda, birthday celebration 2009

About 200 guests, in addition to 100 residents and friends from the nearby area, gathered to be with Swami Kriyananda for his birthday celebration.

The majority, of course, is from Italy, but devotees came also from Russia, Croatia, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Finland, Switzerland, America, and probably a few other places too.

At the end of Autobiography of a Yogi Paramhansa Yogananda speaks of the small communities he envisioned as “World Brotherhood Colonies.” In America, that name for our communities is uplifting, but more theoretical than actual (although Ananda Village includes residents from several countries).

Here, however, that principle is active every day. World War II is now half a century behind us, but skirmishes took place in the very hills around us. You can find bullet holes in local buildings. Conflicts are ongoing in many parts of the world. But here, all these many cultures and countries are united, just as Yogananda urged us to be, by the knowledge that we are children of the One Divine Father.

The community here is situated on a country road that runs along a ridge, winding through rolling hills. The view in all directions is breathtakingly beautiful. Layer after layer of soft green hills and darker green trees and shrubs.

It has been mostly warm, with occasional clouds and most recently rain. One or two of the sunsets have been astrally beautiful. After Swami Kriyananda’s Saturday talk, the sun was partially obscured by clouds, but rays of luminous, multicolored light streamed from behind the clouds down to the green hills.

The main building, a former hotel and restaurant that’s still called Il Refugio (The Refuge), is located right on the road.  Just behind it, out of sight from the road, nestled in a shallow bowl among the green hills, is the Temple of Light, dome shaped (like the hills behind it) but covered in deep blue tiles.  The design has been replicated now in our community in Seattle, Washington.

There is a driveway—more often a walkway—from the road to the Temple. It is pavement off the road, then changes to cobblestones, goes up the small hill, then curves downward again leading right to the beautiful arched doorway of the Temple.

The area around the cobblestone, the downward curved part, is beautifully landscaped, with a wide green lawn on one side, a stone patio on the other, and flowering plants all along the way. At this time of year, especially, everything is in bloom.

Swami Kriyananda’s talk was scheduled for Saturday afternoon. He arrived here several days earlier, but the journey from India was hard on his body, and he spent most of these past few days resting; so this talk was the first time most people would see him. In eager anticipation, many gathered along that walkway to greet him.

With the help of a cane, and leaning on a devotee’s arm, Swami Kriyananda began to make his way slowly down the cobblestone walkway. Both sides of the path were lined with devotees. He greeted many people by name, reaching out to touch one or another on the cheek, or the head, or the hand. Again and again he said, “It is such a joy to see you, to be here with all of you.”

Walking behind him was like being in an astral paradise. The physical setting was exquisite: flowers, green hills, and the blue dome sparkling in the sunshine.  But that beauty was as nothing compared to the faces of the devotees. The country of Italy has created many saints. It is easy to see why. There is a depth and refinement to the devotion here that was offered now in full measure to Swami Kriyananda in gratitude for all he has done to bring them to Yogananda and to God.

Swami Kriyananda has often said that he has had only two desires in life: to know God and to help others also to know Him. Waves of bliss flowed from him, and waves of blissful gratitude flowed to him, as he moved slowly through that corridor of angels.

Finally we reached the Temple, which was also crowded with devotees, another corridor of angels as he walked down the center aisle to the beautifully carved tapestry-covered chair, waiting for him on the dais.

Swami Kriyananda again greeted everyone, and spoke of his great joy at seeing them all again after so many months away in India and America.

There was music: the choir sang perfectly. Then Swami Kriyananda did his rendition of “Life Flows On Like a River.”  His voice has become much deeper, and he delights in singing this bass solo, reveling in the lowest notes.

Listen to it here:   

Everyone laughed delightedly both at the beauty of the song and Swami Kriyananda’s obvious pleasure in singing it for them. He sang in English, but had prepared an Italian translation of the song, which he read beforehand. Swami Kriyananda speaks fluent Italian and communicates mostly in that language when he is in Assisi.

For those who didn’t understand Italian, individual headsets were provided, where one could hear a simultaneous translation in either English or German, depending on which channel one tuned into.

Swami Kriyananda is a brilliant speaker, and over these many decades has educated several generations in Yogananda’s teachings of Self-realization, both through his writings and his talks.

He has had to introduce people to concepts they have never heard before, or, when he is in India, bring to them a new understanding of their own ancient tradition. In many ways, that phase of his life is now over.

Even when it was his responsibility to teach us the principles of Self-realization, I often felt when sitting in the audience listening to him speak, even about a very subtle or complex subject, that what he was really conveying to us was vibration. As the vibration passed through him—for he acts only as a channel for Yogananda—he attached words to it so we would be able to receive it. But the words were just a medium for the attunement to God and Gurus.

Now, on this occasion, in the heart-oriented country of Italy, in the divine land of Assisi, so deeply blessed by the devotional presence of St. Francis, there was little need to clothe that vibration in complex ideas. All the complexity of God’s creation, as Swami Kriyananda said when we were in Gurgaon, emanates from a child-like simplicity.

Swami Kriyananda lives now in the heart of that simplicity, and is able to convey it to us.

The heart of his talk, as it was in Gurgaon, India, was about meeting Yogananda, reading the Autobiography of a Yogi, finding his life changed completely, then going on to become a disciple. How, miraculously, his father was in Egypt and his mother was on a ship on her way to join him. All obstacles had been removed. Yogananda was able to guide him to the book and then into his divine presence.

[Editor’s note: Asha refers to a talk by Swami Kriyananda at his birthday celebration in Ananda’s center in Gurgaon, India.]

Listen to it here:

Swami Kriyananda has been a disciple for over 60 years now. He was a young man when he first knelt at Yogananda’s feet and received initiation. Now he is 83, and has given every ounce of his energy to fulfilling the divine commission his guru gave him.

It may seem to us that much time has passed; many people listening to him weren’t even born when Swami Kriyananda began his life of discipleship. But for Swami Kriyananda, there is no time. The awareness of Yogananda’s presence takes place in a realm of superconsciousness where time does not exist.

Swami Kriyananda spoke of what Yogananda said in his poem God’s Boatman, that he “would return again and again, a trillion times if need be, as long as one stray brother was left behind.” Swami Kriyananda was moved to tears as he contemplated the depth of compassion and love that Yogananda brings to us, and many of us wept with him.

Everything about this lifetime for Swami Kriyananda is defined by his discipleship. He weeps easily, his heart is so tender. Many times on Saturday, he was so overcome, that he struggled to speak, his voice became a whisper, or stopped altogether.

“I feel so much bliss,” Swami Kriyananda has said, “I cannot contain it.  But what else do I have to give except bliss?”

After the talk was done, Swami Kriyananda made the same journey through the corridor of angels, stopped often by devotees wanting to greet him, to present their children to him, to offer him gifts, and, above all, to express their love and gratitude.

There is a wonderful movie about Padre Pio titled Padre Pio: Miracle Man. For those of you who don’t know, Padre Pio was an Italian Catholic priest, who received the stigmata when he was a young monk and bore those wounds on his body for 50 years. He died in 1968, so his life is well-known and well-documented. He is a great saint.

This film was made in Italy. It is a dramatization of his life, superbly crafted, well acted, with beautiful music and photography. The DVD is available on the Internet with English subtitles.

Swami Kriyananda has seen the movie several times, but asked to see it again on Saturday night so a few of us watched it with him. It begins at the end of Padre Pio’s life, perhaps even the last day of his life, and tells the story through flashbacks.

The actor who plays Padre Pio, Sergio Castellitto, is superb. He beautifully conveys the paradox of great physical impairment and enormous spiritual power coexisting side-by-side in the same form. This is a theme we are living now with Swami Kriyananda so you can imagine how poignant it was to watch that film with him sitting next to us.

On Sunday, Swami Kriyananda came at the beginning of the Service. It was raining, and most of the 300 people were already inside the Temple. Everyone rose in reverent silence to greet him.

The Temple was not built to hold that many, so people were standing and sitting everywhere. It was the largest crowd, they said afterward, that had ever assembled there. There was chanting and beautiful choir music, and much laughter and celebration.

Even though I don’t speak Italian, if I concentrate, I can usually understand much of what Swami Kriyananda says, largely because I have heard him speak so often, that if I catch the theme, I can follow it. On Sunday, I walked in with him and ended up sitting on the floor right in front because there was no other place to be.

He spoke of the simplicity of God and the joy of childlike devotion and life as bliss. But I have to confess that I kept forgetting to listen to the words; I was so inspired by the vibration. He laughed often and people laughed joyously with him.

A few days earlier, Swami Kriyananda said, “I find it amazing that people find so much in life to be bitter about, when life itself is nothing but bliss.” He repeated this theme again in his talk on Sunday.

After speaking, Swami Kriyananda left and others carried on with the Festival of Light.

An hour later, Swami Kriyananda returned for a festive birthday dinner. The Il Refugio dining room can only hold about half of the people who were there, so tables were set up in a glass gazebo outside. People were crowded in everywhere.

Nothing dampened the joyous mood, however. Again, many people came up to Swami Kriyananda’s table to greet him, offer gratitude, love, and sometimes gifts.  For formal occasions, Swami Kriyananda wears the traditional monk ocher, but for this event he wore an indigo blue silk shirt. The table was strewn with yellow roses. So the color of his clothes, the roses, and his own aura of golden light made his table a living expression of the colors of the Spiritual Eye.

The lunch ended with the presentation of a large cake beautifully decorated with strawberries and cream. “Happy Birthday” was sung in Italian and English, and then Swami Kriyananda blew out the candles.

He told the story of Yogananda’s last birthday. When the cake with lighted candles was presented to Yogananda, his disciple Dr. Lewis asked the Guru if he had enough breath to blow out the candles. Yogananda replied, “I only have to be careful not to blow away the whole cake as well!”

Later in the afternoon, Swami Shankarananda from Rishikesh, India, came for a visit with Swami Kriyananda.

Since he was expelled from Self-Realization Fellowship in 1962, Swami Kriyananda has lived without the company of fellow monks or swamis. It has been one of the tapasyas (sacrifices) of his life. So it is always moving to see Swami Kriyananda in the company of his “peers,” i.e., others who have embraced the life of sannyas (renunciation) as he has.

Swami Shankarananda is a disciple of a disciple of Sri Yukteswar, Yogananda’s Guru, and has built a Temple of Kriya Yoga in Rishikesh.

It was a short visit, and conversation was mostly about India and ways in which the message of Kriya Yoga and Self-realization can be brought to the world.

In addition to the two public talks Swami Kriyananda gave, so many people came to greet him personally. To each one he gave his full attention and energy. Now he is ready to rest. For the next few days there are no public events.  His house here is isolated and quiet.  From every window you see either gardens and flowers, or the rolling green hills stretching out to the horizon.

In mid-June is the launch of Swami Kriyananda’s latest book, Religion in the New Age, which will be held in Rome. Then the next day, there is a performance of The Peace Treaty (editor’s note: a play written by Swami Kriyananda and performed by Ananda artists) in Italian.  After that – on to Ananda Village in California, for the 40th anniversary of World Brotherhood Communities. We hope to see many of you there!

For the past two years, spring tours of Crystal Hermitage Gardens have become a Northern California event. About 1,000 people drove from as far as the Bay Area during two weekends in April to enjoy the the thousands of tulips, flowering trees, and soaring views of the Yuba River Canyon: the breathtaking setting for Crystal Hermitage at Ananda Village.

The constant stream of visitors drove through the Village, slowing as they passed by the apple orchard near the entrance, to watch Ananda people building “the food forest,” our first efforts at permaculture.

Onward they drove, up and over the hills, to bravely climb the steep paths that lead to Crystal Hermitage from the forested parking lot. Oh, but the reward was well worth it! As they entered the gates, friendly Ananda faces and a place of heavenly beauty welcomed the guests.

Crystal Hermitage is the home of Swami Kriyananda when he is in residence, and a spiritual center of the community. Many events take place in the spacious grounds and house: weekly meditations and spiritual gatherings, birthday parties, weddings, and celebrations of every kind. It is also a place of spiritual retreat for Ananda’s guests and residents alike.

Over 30 years of loving, attentive care that have gone into planting the gardens and erecting buildings, have borne fruit. An aura of profound healing peace permeates the Hermitage grounds, uplifting everyone who comes.

The weather was pristine, with temperatures in the low 80’s. It was a photographer’s paradise. Bright sunlight illuminated the gardens, enticing everyone with a camera to capture the beauty of the moment.

People leisurely strolled down the main staircase, along the terraces, and the koi pond, often stopping to admire this or that display of blossoms that spoke particularly to them. Every bench and low wall provided restful points in which to enjoy the surroundings. Some sat quietly, others chatted, happy to share this special day with friends.

Refreshments were served on the wisteria-covered patio of the main house. The house itself was open for tours, welcoming people with its unusual, soaring architecture, original paintings, hand-carved Kashmiri furniture, and artifacts from around the world.

A few visitors meditated near the statue of Babaji (one of Ananda’s line of yoga Masters) in the Lower Gardens, while others sat near the landscaped pool to simply absorb the beauty and peace of the grounds.

The Chapel in the Upper Gardens inspired appreciative questions about its construction. The Chapel is built of stone, its size and architecture reminiscent to that of the Porziuncola of St. Francis near Assisi, Italy. A few commented that this is where they would like to have their wedding.

Avid gardeners had the pleasure of meeting with the Hermitage staff landscapers to identify plants and talk “all things garden.” The Village residents milled about, serving as hosts to the awe-struck visitors, answering their questions about the gardens, community, and Ananda’s spiritual path. Children found enjoyment at every turn, and everyone had a smile or a look of peace on their face, their hearts opened to the beauty and spiritual vibrations of the place.

We didn’t leave our guests nourished by spiritual beauty alone. After touring the gardens, many stopped for a gourmet vegetarian lunch served at the Expanding Light. Their day was now complete!

And so was ours, for all of us serving at these events felt great joy along with a renewed sense of gratitude at the opportunity to share it. It was a beautiful divine exchange between Ananda and our guests, who may have not otherwise visited us, were it not for the Gardens. No matter what people may call it, they have truly experienced the joy of their soul, the joy of God.

Lisa.

Watch 6-minute video of the Crystal Hermitage Gardens:

It’s been months since I’ve written. Life is full to overflowing, and every day is a new challenge just to keep up. I’m sure that sounds familiar – I don’t know anyone who doesn’t feel busy and pressed for time. I have found blessings in busyness though.

More than any other time in my life, I feel the horizons of my experience keep stretching me beyond the tightly held limitations I define myself by.

Teaching at the Living Wisdom School has brought 9 children into my life and this week we round up to 10, with a visiting 4th grader. All of those students have parents and many have siblings in the school. There are also 11 other staff members and helpers I work with. Once a month I take part in an Education For Life teacher training and join more than a dozen other educators and parents in classes. Just the act of taking on this job has enlarged my circle of contacts and responsibility enormously.

My imaginary circle had to grow as I experienced health issues with my mother and my husband. My world had to take in doctors, nurses, other caregivers and all the concerned loved ones I was in touch with.

My children are growing and I have to expand my circle to include all their friends and activities. I take the light rail transit to work and I expand my circle to include hundreds of people I cross paths with each day. I don’t even speak to most of them, but I reach out and feel my circle wrapping around each person as they get on or off the train.

It slowly occurred to me that I don’t feel “stretched thin” or “stretched to the breaking point”, like a piece of bread dough, although it seemed as if I should. It felt as if God were just asking me to get bigger. Every time that imaginary circle settles into one size, there is a need to expand. Then there is a feeling of opening and including, without tension or stress. God just makes me bigger.

I thought about the connection I feel with all of my Ananda spiritual family. I know people in this family all over the world. I am in contact with many hundreds, through email, letters, and through the Ananda Portland center. There are thousands of others I include by association – all of you reading this, as well. There is no stress to include them all in my circle, only joy and gratitude.

Then I remembered Yogananda’s description of God as being “center everywhere, circumference nowhere”. My imaginary circle evaporated and I realized it was my center connecting with all those other centers. God was showing me that circumference is nowhere – it’s an illusion that we end somewhere and others begin. That’s why I feel bigger – because spirit is endless.

This must be a little taste of what Swami Kriyananda and other saints feel – no limitations, no circumference, only center everywhere and in everyone. Read what Swami Kriyananda says about relating to life at the center in the post from April 1, 2008.

Today has been the first day I have had a couple hours at the computer, for weeks. My little desk is at the end of the kitchen, not far from activities of four other people in the house. I have three guinea pigs at my feet, and the interruptions have been continuous, as the rest of the family comes into the kitchen for one reason or another. Tomorrow is Monday and another busy week begins. I’m sure God will show me that I’m not yet big enough.

From the center,
Lorna

Luckily, it’s a very rainy Sunday here at Ananda Village. The ponds are rising steadily (due to the rain, and melting snow) and this bodes well for the new farming projects in Ananda Village.

Peter Goering, an Ananda minister, gave an incredible talk on the physical cosmos in his Sunday Service talk. He outlined the known science, and described how contemplating this can be very expansive for the mind and spirit. He did a great job, so I won’t try to paraphrase.

Besides the talk being very inspiring in it’s own right, it struck me for another reason, as well. My husband, Tim, and I have been parenting for 30 years and counting (our youngest is now in 11th grade). All along the way, we have been committed to keeping devotion to God alive and well in our kids, according to their natures. (I chronicled some thoughts on this in Finding God in the Heart of Your Family.)

Our kids were receptive to stories of the Masters and Saints, but even if they were not, then I would have started with science alone. For God is everywhere. One could inspire older children using a combination of the best science, and the best metaphysics, as described by a God realized Master. Let the wonder and expanse of scientific discoveries be a springboard to awe for all miracles of life. In any event, Peter Goering’s talk is a wonderful resource in this direction.

Our teen son, David, was there, so he saw it live. Is this because he wakes up on Sunday, and says, “Oh boy! I get to go to Sunday Service today!”? Dream on. We simply required that our kids go to at least one satsang, or spiritual event every week. We started that about 28 years ago when our daughter was very young. Luckily, there is now a Family Sunday Service at Ananda, but in the early days I would a take her to a kirtan, (spiritual chanting) for as long as she enjoyed it.

It has served us well to have this simple family rule. It eliminates fights. The kids knew what to expect, and even when we bent the rule, we didn’t eliminate it altogether. I remember when David was younger, piping up, “Can I go to Purification today?” That is another ceremony at Ananda, and it starts earlier on Sunday. We were surprised, until we realized that there was a King’s basketball game at 11 AM, and he wanted to be home on time to watch it! Since he was a big fan, we went along with that.

At other times David might choose one of Swami Kriyananda’s talks online. These talks are short, yet beautifully deep, with a balance of reason and devotion. Swamiji starts each one with a prayer and a mantra. Sometimes, when we simply need a “Sunday off”, we will watch one of these, and end with a healing prayer. If I did not have the blessing of living right here at Ananda Village, I would use this online resource every Sunday for my family.

This all gives variety, but there is value in being in a room with other devotees chanting, and meditating, so we prefer that our son join us for Sunday Service most of the time. The talks are interesting and inspiring. It can broaden the perspective of kids’ minds in their teen years, a crucial period for spiritual choices and development. As the years go by, I’ve come to feel this was among the more important spiritual choices we have made as parents, and it is simply part of the rhythm of our lives.

For the past two years, I have had the blessing of living with Swami Kriyananda and many Ananda friends in India, our spiritual homeland. My husband Tim and I moved to the Ananda ashram in New Delhi in October 2006.

This past November we moved to Pune with a few other “pioneering members,” taking up residence in several apartments of one of the new apartment buildings on the edge of town. We were joined a month later by Swami Kriyananda and others, making our total number here twenty.

Swami Kriyananda feels that Pune will be a receptive place to the idea of spiritual community. The population of Pune and the surrounding urban area is just over five million, with approximately half of the population between fifteen and thirty years of age. There is a great amount of young, vibrant energy.

To that end, Ananda decided to purchase twenty-five acres of rural land near the village of Watunde, an hour drive outside Pune. The team in charge of developing the land travels there daily, often working 10-12 hour days, overseeing developing of the land, drawing up plans, and meeting with architects, builders and land agents. Our goal is to create a community.

After arriving in the city, Swami Kriyananda suggested that in addition to creating a rural community, we also focus on building an urban community in the city of Pune in order to reach a broader population. At this time, the project is in the beginning stages, but we have already had several meetings to get the process started. We are trying to define the spiritual needs of the local population, and find the best location.

In the meantime, Swami Kriyananda finished a new edit of his autobiography, The Path, now titled The New Path. He has begun recording the audio version of the book. After that he is planning to record video talks based on his book The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita.

In addition to working toward building communities, we give free inspirational talks four evenings a week, open to the public. One of those, by Swami Kriyananda, takes place in the community room of our apartment complex. His talks are full of enthusiasm. (A link to the one from January 17 is posted at the end of this article).

One of the aspects of Ananda’s work in India includes providing solar/wind hybrid systems to small villages. A recent touching event was when the solar team installed a solar/wind hybrid system on the land where our rural community will be built. The caretaker and his family live in a simple four room building. One cannot properly call it a “house,” as there are no doorways between the four rooms and one must access other rooms by walking outside to a common porch area. There is no running water or electricity. Meals are cooked over an open fire pit in the front of the building. A couple of weeks ago the solar team went to work to remedy this situation. A week later they finished installing a system which allowed the family to have light in their home. This happened on the very evening the rest of the village was shrouded in darkness due to the scheduled weekly power outage! To witness such a basic convenience provided for people who may otherwise live their entire lives without, is a joy.

Living in Pune has been a very different experience for me personally than living in New Delhi. The language (Marathi, not Hindi, is the main language), the weather, and … the noise.

We live in an area of major new construction. New apartment buildings are cropping up all around us. Hammering, drilling and shouting are the order of the day. And at some point every night, the dogs decide to go into their street corner songs. My husband Tim thinks they sound pretty awful, but I think they’re not so bad… I just wish they would confine their vocal exercises to the daytime hours! Alas, they are apparently enamoured with the sounds of their own barking and often have vocal contests with each other throughout the night.

Another difference from New Delhi is the absence of the pedal-driven rickshaws, overabundance of cows roaming the streets and chilly winter days. Instead, there are vast amounts of auto-rickshaws, scooters, motorcycles, and goats. In the middle of January we only need a light blanket for sleeping.

There are other differences as well. For instance, Pune has more schools, colleges and universities than any other city in the world! It is known as the “Oxford of the East,” due to having over one hundred educational institutions, including nine universities. Students come from all over the world to study at the University of Pune.

Pune is also referred to as “The Detroit of India” owing to the many manufacturing companies, particularly automobile giants, having their headquarters  within the city’s metropolitan area.

Pune is rich with historical and spiritual sites. There is no shortage of museums, temples and shrines in this city which has existed since 937 A.D.

All the noise, bustle, educational institutions, temples and landmarks are, however, merely the backdrop to our lives here. Ultimately, what we are here for is to share Yogananda’s work in whatever way we can. LOTS of energy is needed to start a community and offer spiritual teachings to all who wish to know.

So many of us here work behind the scenes in ways that may not be directly connected with developing the land, teaching classes or providing solar electricity, but each one’s seva (selfless service) provides support to the whole in ways beyond measure.

There are the selfless souls who opened the doors of their apartment to make their living area a temple where we have group meditations every morning. Others provide the audio and video recordings of Swami Kriyananda’s talks, and others send out reports and photographs of daily life here, and the announcements of coming events. Decorating the altars, singing in the choir, playing devotional chants for our guests… all of these divine services provide the support that helps keep our energy upward and onward.

And then there are all our friends from around India and the world who send us prayers and love every day, that we may have the energy to keep up with Swami Kriyananda who, despite his almost 83 years, can still run circles around all of us with his energy and enthusiasm!

Listen to Swami Kriyananda’s talk, “The Essence of Religion.”
Pune, India, January 17, 2009. 72 minutes.

One of the most fantastic and beautiful stories in Paramhansa Yogananda’s Autobiography of a Yogi tells of Lahiri Mahasaya’s initiation into Kriya Yoga by his Guru, Mahavatar Babaji.

To this day, the Kriya ceremony at Ananda is performed just the way Yogananda did it, and is patterned after the way  Lahiri Mahasaya received, and gave, initiation into Kriya.

In The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita, Swami Kriyananda writes of the importance of receiving Kriya through initiation:

Kriya Yoga, in order to be wholly effective, must be received not only intellectually (in written or spoken form), but vibrationally, in the form of initiation.

People who are interested in Kriya Yoga often miss the importance of the Guru-Disciple relationship, which forms an essential part of the path of Kriya. In fact, a close reading of Autobiography of a Yogi reveals the thread of the Guru-Disciple relationship running through the entire book, from the very first sentence to the very last (read those two sentences and see!).

The spiritual “highlight” of the book—the fulfilment of Yogananda’s lifelong search for divine union, or Samadhi —is finally reached only with the help of his Guru, Sri Yukteswar (as told in the chapter An Experience in Cosmic Consciousness, linked below).

After many years of Kriya practice, and observing hundreds of other Kriya yogis, I have seen that attunement to the Guru makes the difference between receiving extraordinary benefits from your practice,  vs. merely ordinary results, or no results at all. I’ve seen firsthand the truth of this statement by Swami Kriyananda:

It isn’t enough merely to receive good teachings and good techniques, or take Kriya Yoga initiation and then, as many people have done, figure that they can safely leave the line of gurus.

Those who merely practice a meditation technique receive some benefit, but not nearly as much as what is possible through attunement to a guru.

I’ve even seen people who were highly advanced become bogged down through rejecting the higher of these realities. That is, they chose techniques over attunement with the guru.

Marble statue of the Yogi Christ, Hansa Mandir, Ananda Village, Christmas 2008

That attunement comes in many ways, but an important and obvious one is keeping a strong connection with other long-time disciples of Yogananda and our line of Kriya Gurus.

In that regard, I have seen that people who keep that connection alive gain the most—specifically those who visit Ananda centers, or stay in touch via phone or email, or the many talks and offerings on the Ananda website. I’m quite sure that the same holds true for all other Kriya lineages and paths.

Swami Kriyananda has written, in regard to Kriya: “Guidance from the guru is not only helpful: It is essential.”

Recently I heard him say that attunement to the Guru is most important, and Kriya (as a technique) only secondary. Of course, Kriya yogis also gain that attunement through deep Kriya practice. Lahiri Mahasaya once said that practicing the techniques of Kriya, as taught by the Guru, draws the grace and help of the Guru.

So, if you are interested in receiving Kriya Yoga, or getting the most from your Kriya practice, understand that the greatest progress is made when it is combined with discipleship and attunement to the Guru. Here is one way that it can be done, as offered by Yogananda in The Essence of Self-Realization:

“To tune in to the guru’s consciousness, visualize him in the spiritual eye.Mentally call to him there. Imagine his eyes, especially, gazing at you. Invite his consciousness to inspire your own. Then, after calling to him for some time, try to feel his response in your heart.

The heart is the center of intuition in the body. It is your ‘radio-receiver.’ Your ‘broadcasting station’ is situated in the Christ center between the eyebrows. It is from this center that your will broadcasts into the universe your thoughts and ideas. Once you feel an answer in the heart, call to the guru deeply, ‘Introduce me to God.’

Further reading:
Autobiography of a Yogi:
· Chapter 34: Materializing a Palace in the Himalaya
· Chapter 14: An Experience in Cosmic Consciousness
· The Essence of Self-Realization
· The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita

I should title this blog: It’s a Small World, since reports are now coming in about Swamiji Kriyananda’s return to India and his talk to a packed crowd in Delhi.

But, I just wanted to share a few more photos with you of Swami’s visit in America and also photos of our beautiful fall colors.

This year has been unusual. We had rain and cold temperatures, then it warmed up and the result was an extra long season of autumn leaves. The colors at Crystal Hermitage were spectacular.

I hope you enjoy them. Bless you all and Happy Thanksgiving!