We awoke this morning to a wonderful quiet blanket of snow covering the landscape. After meditation I went out to clear and area in the back garden so I could feed our wild bird population and heard the distant rumble of Prakash’s tractor. “Ah,” I said to myself, “Divine Mother is once again clearing the roads for us.” Despite 7 inches of beautiful snow, we all could get around easily.

The Outreach Ministry had planned a big mailing party today and were not deterred. When I finally arrived after some chores, they were hard at work.

It takes more than a little snow to slow Ananda down!!

This past weekend I was in the Seattle area on personal business and arranged to attend Sunday Service in the new Seattle Mandir. Prior to moving to Ananda Village near Nevada City, I had attended the Ananda Seattle church for many years and lived for 2 years in the Ananda community. I remember the first time I visited Ananda Assisi in fall 1997 and saw their beautiful Mandir.

Arjuna, who built the Italian version, spoke at length with Sraddha (my wife) and I about the need for this structure in America and I came back, inspired to see one built. I spoke with the Spiritual Directors Terry and Padma McGilloway about this, but soon moved to Ananda Village. They had also been inspired in this endeavor. In the ensuing years they sought a new place for a church and scoured the Greater Seattle area in search of property, finally, after several false starts, landing 5 acres Northeast of Seattle in Bothell, WA where the members designed and built this unique architectural building.

Unique in many ways, it is six sided with a beautiful blue tiled dome atop. While a contractor built most of the building, countless volunteer hours were spent working on the building and grounds. Ananda members from all communities and countries came to help during construction. Sraddha spent several weeks there with Willow, a local community member, putting up the stunning ceiling plaster and paint. Jyotish, the Spiritual Director of Ananda, spent several days helping to paint the ceiling using a very special process which renders a varied display of colors depending upon the light of the day and night.

I arrived on a typical rainy Sunday morning to find the marvelous blue dome peaking out above surrounding buildings. The parking lot was rapidly filling up.

The inside was illuminated not only with electrical light but inner light. As you can see, the ceiling radiated its own light.

Susan and Jacqueline were the ministers. They have lived and served in Ananda Seattle for many years. Susan sang “God, God” from Paramhansa Yogananda’s poem of the same name and Jacquelin spoke on the topic “Can Man See God?”

After Service, many folks remained to mingle and meet each other while having refreshments downstairs. I didn’t take any photos of this but was struck with the incredible bust of Paramhansa Yogananda seen at the base of the down stairs. What an inspiration.

During this experience the main impression which came to me was “This is truly Ananda”!! Master is pleased.

My wife Suzanne recently had a surgery, which she is still recovering from. She had to stay at the hospital for three days and now she continues to recover at home for a few more weeks.

The outpouring of love and prayers from our friends at our community before, during and after the surgery continues to amaze and inspire me. Everyone I talk to reminds me that they have been praying for her (or for us) during this period, which both us have been feeling very tangibly.

Due primarily to these constant prayers, the surgery went very well and her recovery is going very smoothly. I was amazed how well she felt even a mere 24 hours after her surgery.

Beyond the prayers, we also had (and continue to have) tremendous help to ease the recovery period. A friend of ours brought delicious freshly made juices and broth to the hospital so that my wife didn’t have to eat mass-produced equivalents. (Even the treated water at the hospital doesn’t compare with the mountain-fresh water from our wells). Another friend organized a dozen or so residents from our community so that delicious home-cooked dinners would be delivered to us at home for two weeks following the surgery.

And of course it is not just these kind acts and delicious food that make the difference, it is the love and spiritual fellowship that is behind them. It is this aspect of spiritual community that make me grateful to God and our Guru for bringing us here. I wake up every morning in this environment that is beautiful both in spirit and in physical plane, and the gratitude I feel in my heart is beyond words.

A dream I once had changed the way I look at Ananda. In it, a friend was telling me that Ananda is like a lake of consciousness, filled with joy and reflective of all the colors of the rainbow.

I only very rarely share spiritual dreams, but this one illustrates so well that Ananda is not only an organization, or group of communities. It is also something much greater and more enduring.

I think people feel this when they come to Ananda Village, or to other Ananda communities – if not always consciously, then at some deeper level they sense the “Ananda behind Ananda.” This is an energy that can be tapped into wherever you are, for Ananda (literally “Divine Bliss”) is not bound by distance or divided by borders.

Each year Ananda (the organization) holds an all-day Christmas meditation the week before Christmas, a tradition started by Paramhansa Yogananda in the early 1900s. The first year I was with Ananda (in Seattle), I wanted to go, but was stopped by back problems that forced me to change positions often and meditate lying down – far from an optimal way to meditate, and not really compatible with group meditation.

So I held a long meditation on my own that same day, and discovered a joy that I had never felt before. I mentioned this to Terry McGilloway, one of the center leaders in Seattle, and he said, “Oh, you felt it too?”

I know that my experience would likely have been deeper in a group. However, it has helped me realize that Ananda (Divine Bliss) is not a thing which is here and not there. Yogananda described it as “center everywhere, circumference nowhere.” It is most clearly felt, I think, in the heart of one who loves God, no matter where they are.

May you, dear friend in God, be much blessed.

As director of Ananda’s Kriya Sangha, I’ve had the great good fortune of hearing from countless Kriya Yogis from around the world. These wonderful souls have shared with me their stories about the extraordinary growth that comes from following the Path of Kriya.

In the coming months I’ll share some of those conversations with you. It is my hope that you’ll see how these teachings transform the lives of everyone who practices them faithfully and with devotion.

If you would like to share your own experience of following the Path of Kriya, feel free to email me.

Soon I’ll be traveling to two international gatherings at our center in Gurgaon, India: a retreat honoring the anniversary of Paramhansa Yogananda’s Mahasamadhi (March 2-4), and the First International Kriyaban Retreat (March 9-11). I’ll share news and photos from both events.

I’ll also post photos of the natural beauty of Ananda Village, including scenes from my garden. To me, Ananda is the highest example of people cooperating with each other and with Divine Mother in Nature. This cooperation helps to create a beautiful and harmonious environment in which to practice the spiritual principles taught by our Guru, Paramhansa Yogananda.

Recently we had a visit from Swami Shankarananda, a Kriya Yoga teacher from the Sri Yukteswar lineage who lives in India. He remarked that Ananda Village expresses the highest ideal of Ancient Vedic living, and that it will serve as an example and sanctuary to many people in the coming years. Even though Kriya Yoga is an internal practice, the changes it creates manifest outwardly in the lives of those who practice it. Ananda is a living example of the power of the Path of Kriya Yoga.

The photo on the right was taken last winter in my garden. I share it here to honor Mahavatar Babaji, the source of our Kriya teachings and of the grace that has helped create Ananda.

This blog is dedicated to Paramhansa Yogananda, who brought Kriya Yoga to the West, and with deepest gratitude to Swami Kriyananda, for selflessly sharing these teachings.

Swami Shankarananda Giri, who directs a large Kriya Yoga work in Northern India (Rishikesh and Bubaneshwar ashrams) visited Ananda Village last week. His guru was a disciple of Sri Yukteswar Giri, so you could roughly say he is a spiritual cousin of Swami Kriyananda. In fact he stated, during our community satsang at Hansa Mandir, that he and Swami Kriyananda have spent many lifetimes together in the past. (click on any of the images to display larger ones).

What a joy and blessing it was to be with this Swami. His energy, and light are a great example to all of us of the result of Kriya yoga practice.

Swamiji toured the village, visiting our schools, retreat and Sangha ministry offices, dined with village managers at Crystal Hermitage, had tea at our home) then Satsang in the evening with a packed house.

One note as to why Sraddha and I were involved. Swamiji has been instrumental in assisting us with the statue project inspired by seeing the statues of our line of Master’s at his beautiful temple in Rishikesh. With his guidance, we contracted with an artist in Jaipur, India, to carve marble statues of Yogananda, Babaji, Lahiri, and Sri Yukteswar. See the image below of the statues as displayed in his Kriya Yoga Mandir in Rishikesh. More on this in a later post.