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
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.
Many of the Ananda India staff and devotees from Gurgaon – Delhi – Noida (also known as India National Capitol Region - NCR) went to Pune the weekend of March 27–29 for a retreat on our new community land.
It was hard to believe just how much things have progressed in just one year! The last time most of us had been there was the Bhoomi Poojan - land blessing in February 2009.
Dinner in the new dining area of the Retreat
Ananda India monks headed up the extremely complicated guest transportation schedule between Pune airport and train station, Ananda apartments and hotel in the city, and the community land, which is about one hour outside of Pune.
They led sadhanas (spiritual practices) in the grass-roofed temple, and a kirtan (devotional chanting) on Saturday evening. They took us on land tours which included new houses, kutirs (cabins), monastery, roads, and garden.
They, and many helpers, prepared three delicious meals a day for about sixty or seventy people. Dharmini from Ananda Gurgaon led our choir practice and singing. Dharmadas, Jaya, Sundeep and Amol (leaders of Ananda India) did a presentation on next phases for building, and for creating Ananda businesses to support the community.
As you can probably imagine, it was one of those wonderful, joy-filled Ananda weekends when everyone feels a part of a much bigger plan and can feel Yogananda’s grace throughout.
Walking from morning meditation to breakfast past the bath house. Small kutirs (cabins) are further up the hill.
Bramhacharis Jemal and Ditya (in yellow) lead the walking tour of the land.
Exterior of Swami Kriyananda’s house.
Inside Swamiji’s living room. It was designed to hold many people!
Lunch is served.
Kirtan (devotional chanting) under the stars.
Swami Kriyananda is answering questions from the audience.
We had the very good fortune to spend considerable time with Swami Kriyananda. We watched him recording two 2-hour sessions of TV programs based on the Bhagavad Gita commentaries, to be broadcast later throughout India and Asia.
Brian McSweeney, who is visiting from Ananda Palo Alto in California, was behind the camera, and there was a gorgeous Himalayan-themed backdrop behind Swamiji. On Sunday morning, instead of filming more programs, Swamiji lovingly and patiently answered the questions of many devotees who were squeezed into his living room.
Click below to listen to the audio recording of the Q&A, 105 minutes, 48 MB
We know Swamiji was tired from filming, but he seemed in top form and looked wonderful, as you will see in the photos. It was a deeply inspiring, precious time it was for all of us.
After Yogananda told Nayaswami Kriyananda that his life’s work was “writing, editing, and lecturing,” Kriyananda asked, “But Sir, haven’t you already written everything that is necessary?”
Yogananda looked shocked. “Don’t say that,” he replied. “Much more is needed.”
Since then, Nayaswami Kriyananda has gone on to write almost 100 books. And even so, I doubt he has covered even a tenth of all the ways of bringing Yogananda’s teachings into every part of life, if that! I expect the number could even be as small as a thousandth.
Kriyananda has said that he writes “seminally” — he wants his writing to inspire other works. I could see these delving more deeply into specific concepts, or into how those concepts apply in new fields. An effect of him writing in this way is that passages in his books often have deep meaning.
A small example: he wrote two plays, The Peace Treaty and The Jewel in the Lotus. But in each, how full of meaning the lines are! A close study of them, as an actor playing one of their parts must make, yields a wealth of insight.
Right now we’re rehearsing The Jewel in the Lotus at Ananda Village, which we’ll perform on March 6. The beginning of the play reveals a conflict between father and his son. The father is trying to get the son, who only wants God, to work for him in his shop. “My dear boy,” he says, “It’s perfectly obvious. Didn’t you yourself just say God is the money that we spend? Well, then — the more you have of money, the more you’ll have of God. Simple!”
I love that argument — the reasoning is perfect on it’s own level of ignorance!
The struggle between the father and his son represents the timeless struggle between material consciousness and soul aspiration. The son says, “I want to find God,” and the father responds by trying to pull him back into the father’s own very material world.
Nayaswami Kriyananda’s and Yogananda’s works reward exploration. In fact, as a “live” experiment, let me open a random page of Swami Kriyananda’s The New Path, and we’ll see where it takes us…
Daya Mata [a direct disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda, and the president of Self-Realization Fellowship] tells a story dating back to when she was a teenager and new on the path. At first, in her association with him, he had treated her lovingly, like a daughter (which indeed she had been to him in a former incarnation). Once her feet were planted firmly on the path, however, he began to teach her the superior merits of impersonal love. To her now, feeling for him as she did the affection of a devoted daughter, he seemed all at once aloof, even stern.
One evening in Encinitas he addressed her that way. She went out onto the bluff above the ocean behind the hermitage, and prayed deeply for understanding. At last she reached a firm resolution. “Divine Mother,” she vowed, “from now on I will love only Thee. In beholding him, I will see Thee alone in him.”
Suddenly she felt as though a great weight had been lifted from her. Later she went indoors and knelt before Master for his blessing, as she always did before retiring for the night. This time he greeted her gently, saying, “Very good!”
From then on he showed himself once more affectionate toward her. Now, however, their relationship was on a deeper level, for the disciple saw him at last in that impersonal light in which he beheld himself.
Nayaswami Devi once told me that, if ever she related to Nayaswami Kriyananda in a personal way, it was like a wall went up between them. I realized later that he didn’t put up that wall; it was the inevitable result of holding a personal attitude towards anyone. We have a choice in how to relate to people: as personalities; or as souls, unique expressions of God.
I’ve noticed this with Devi herself. I often relate to her as a personality, and at these times she can seem distant. But the more impersonally loving I am, and the more I think of God instead of “Devi,” the more expressive her friendship is.
And I’ve sometimes thought, What a gift! She places my spiritual needs above everything else. And she isn’t just doing this for me, she’s doing it for many, many people — maybe everyone. Wouldn’t you call this Divine Friendship?
This past week at Ananda Village and The Expanding Light has been filled with inspiration and spiritual friends. It seems impossible that 12 different talks in six days about the spiritual path could hold one’s attention from beginning to end. But it did. The theme for Inner Renewal week was: Going Deeper into God.
The weather generally has been pretty gray all week with some rain. Inside the Expanding Light temple was warm and cozy. The choir sang many of my favorite songs.
The talks were very insightful, encouraging and challenging.
Anandi gave a great talk on the energization exercises. If you need any new inspiration to fuel your love for these exercises you will like this talk. You can click here to watch it.
All the talks can be accessed through ananda.org or here. I am always amazed at the depth of spiritual understanding of our teachers and of the devotion of my fellow disciples.
The week also included Kriya initiations and the very special Pilgrim initiation.
This was a special evening for me. My husband, Dave, and 102 other people took Pilgrim Vows. I felt very blessed to be part of this ceremony. These are the vows:
I understand, and intend from now on to live by my understanding, that life is a pilgrimage, of which the final goal is to find and merge back into God.
I will endeavor resolutely, therefore, to direct all my thoughts and actions toward that end.
I will offer up all material desires for purification in the fire of divine bliss.
I will offer up all attachments for purification in that cosmic fire.
I will search my heart daily for any lingering desires and attachments, and will offer them to Thee, my Cosmic Beloved.
I will strive to be an example to others of a pure, discriminating, and noble life.
I will offer the fruit of all my actions and labors to Thee alone.
Bless me, and direct my footsteps ever to the summit of Thy holy mountain.
They are beautiful aren’t they? You can find out more about them here. There was such a sweet devotion and spiritual power in the room as we took our vows. I saw alot of joy in everyone’s face.
So, next week Dave and I will be going to India! We will be with Latika, and Jyotish and Devi. I can’t believe it is only one week away! We will be in Gurgaon for the Inner Renewal Weekend there. Swamiji is planning to be there. We will also get to celebrate Master’s Mahasamadhi in Pune. I am thrilled to be able to see the great work happening in India and to be with Swamiji and my gurubhais. I plan on trying to post to this blog and also onto my Twitter account. If you would like to see some of my posts you can follow me here. I don’t know how connected I will be to the internet, but I will try to update as best as I can. I hope you will connect with me!
May the Masters bless us all. Let us radiate peace outward and create a web of joy around the world. I have been visualizing joy as an unbreakable silver string through the center of my body. It connects me to the cosmos and God’s divine joy. It connects us all.
