Last Wednesday Vidura and I went to Oakland to pick up the statues of the Masters. As you may recall, has been a 2 year project. (please refer to previous post). The 2 life size statues of Yogananda and Sri Yukteswar each way somewhere around 600 pounds and are made out of beautiful white marble. We needed to get Prakash with his backhoe to help use offload the crates.

The plan is to eventually place the smaller statues of the masters along iwht the lifesize statue of Yogananda in our new Mandir when it is built. We plan to build a special Mandir dedicated to Sri Yukteswar similar to the Lahiri Mandir already here at the village.

The smaller marble statues of the masters were uncrated and placed the up on the dais in front of the altar for a few weeks. We can already feel the enhanced vibrations and joy during weekday morning community meditations.

Hopefully over the next 2 weeks we can get the 2 large statues uncrated and platforms built on which they will reside. We will hold a blessing and dedication ceremony on July 12 when the artists are here from India. Please send me a note if you have any questions or comments. More to come.

Students of yoga often believe that yoga techniques alone can give one spiritual liberation, or moksha. But Paramhansa Yogananda taught that right attitude, discipleship to a true Guru, and deep devotion are just as important as yoga techniques, if not more so.

Yogananda told a disciple, “Kriya Yoga plus devotion works like mathematics. It cannot fail.” I often tell people that it’s the only mathematical equation the Kriya Yogi needs to know, and it’s as fundamentally true as “one plus one equals two.” Even advanced yogis fall into the delusion that they can achieve liberation through self-effort alone, without the assistance and divine grace that one receives through devotion to the Guru.

In his new book Revelations of Christ, Swami Kriyananda mentions Kriya Yoga several times in the context of Christ’s teachings. I highly recommend this brand new book to all practicing Kriya Yogis, and anyone interested in Kriya.

In one passage, Kriyananda states that it is “universally true that the ‘son of man’—every son of man—must lift his consciousness, through kundalini awakening, in order to know God.” He goes on to explain how this is done:

A vitally important technique for this awakening is Kriya Yoga. A principle effect of Kriya Yoga is the circulation of energy around the spine, magnetizing it. It is also important, however, that Kriya Yoga be practiced with devotion, and with high spiritual aspiration.

Too much has been made in the yoga teachings of the importance of raising the kundalini by merely mechanical methods. Many misguided students have, in consequence, turned an important spiritual teaching into a mere exercise. This, obviously, is wrong. Even without any such method, but with exalted devotion, many have experienced, during meditation, an awakening of their kundalini power.

On the other hand, when kundalini awakening is accomplished by mechanical means alone, and without devotional aspiration, the energy may rise temporarily, but it will soon fall again. Until the heart has been completely cleansed of all worldly attachments and desires, the increased focus of energy in the spinal centers may stimulate any one of those centers in such a way as to flow outward, and to reawaken latent delusive tendencies.

In a book of mine, Conversations with Yogananda, I included an account of one time when our Guru said to us, “When one thinks good thoughts, the Kundalini automatically starts moving upward. When one thinks evil thoughts, it moves downward. When one hates others, or has wrong thoughts about them, it moves down. And when one loves others, or thinks kindly about them, it moves up.

“Kundalini is not awakened by yoga techniques alone.”

Learn more about Revelations of Christ, and the official launch of the book in Los Angeles in July. Swami Kriyananda will be appearing in person to speak about this new “Revelation.”

“Property obligations, therefore, should be considered as man’s stewardship under God.”
–Swami Kriyananda

June and July bring the season of mowing the land here at Ananda Village. Many of you have seen on TV news, the wildfires which rage in the western US, such as in South Lake Tahoe at the moment, threatening homes and towns. We live in a very rural area. Since 1976 when a wildfire ravaged the community we have tuned into making the land safer for living through wise stewardship. Where once was dense thickets and deep forests are now pockets of dense thickets and deep forest interspersed with meadows, thinned forest and grassy hillsides where we have cleaned up many of the potential wildfire opportunities.

That is not to say we cannot and will not have wildfires. We do as evidenced by the recent 20 acre fire 2 years ago below the Expanding Light retreat. However, the blackberry bushes come back and the grasslands, other than the natural meadow areas up near Rajarsi ridge, need to be mowed. The good news is that we do this once a year. The bad news is there is a lot of acres to mow.

As part of our sense of stewardship, we personally have about 6-7 acres to mow around our home in Almora cluster. Weed eating does some of it but takes a long time. Some of it can be mowed with a tractor which Ananda Village Property Services does on the more common land areas. We have about 3 hours of large tractor work where we have cleared the rocks and smaller trees and where grasses grow 2-3 feet high. Nearer to the house where the land is too steep for the tractor or too close in, we spend hours running the weed eater and one of our neighbors in the cluster (there are 5 single family homes in this housing cluster) bought a large self propelled field mower which enables me to cut down the drying grasses after they have gone to seed. We have planted clover around the house and recently on cleared land across the road above our home which doesn’t need mowing. In the spring we have wildflowers blooming in this area and had spent several weekends seeding this 2 years ago and spreading straw as temporary cover. Now this work is paying off with a steep hillside covered with clover thereby keeping the winter rains from sending the mud down the hill and enhancing the beauty.

By mid-July all will be done and we will be much safer (but not out of the woods by any means) as a result. We can only pray that what happened here in 1976 and recently near South Lake Tahoe, does not happen again. If it does, we will still count our blessings for being in Yogananda’s light.

June 23rd 2007 marked the day for the dedication of the beautiful Ananda Seattle Meditation Temple. The Ananda community of Seattle joyfully and skillfully organized the entire weekend with keen attention to detail. All events for the weekend were sold out. People who weren’t able to get in the temple had to use the auxiliary rooms and the outside tent to watch the live video feeds.

The weekend festivities started on Friday evening with the performance of the play “Jewel in the Lotus” written by Swami Kriyananda. Actors from Ananda Village gave one of their best performances, which brought first laughters and then tears with its clever humor and divine inspiration.

At 11am on Saturday, the time for the dedication ceremony, the temple was filled to overflowing with members of Ananda Sangha from all around the world as well as the Ananda Seattle congregation and special guests including our own Swami Kriyananda for the dedication event.

The special guests included B.S. Prakash, Consul General of India from San Francisco, and Rosemary McAuliffe, Washington State Senator from the First District. Mr. Prakash spoke beautifully for the dire need of such temples in bringing the East and West together and in uniting people from all religious and spiritual backgrounds in peace and harmony.

Hriman and Padma, the spiritual directors of Ananda Seattle, introduced and acknowledged the main contributors involved in the building of the temple.

Swami Kriyananda as the keynote speaker gave one of his most uplifting and inspiring speeches ever. He seemed to be doing great physically, which he attributed to the recent chiropractic treatments he has received. He was able to give his speech while standing with great energy and enthusiasm. Here are some excerpts from his speech:

“An infinite number of vibrations can produce the illusion of reality, of solid matter… Energy is a vibration of thoughts; thought is a vibration of consciousness… The entire universe was evolved out of that infinite consciousness.”

In referring to the solar energy project for India, he said:

“So here we are a spiritual community, yes, but we are not just spiritually oriented in the sense that the world is there and we are here … We want to be a part of the human race, we are not trying to separate ourselves. In the Indian teachings there is this thought of trying to find Kevalya Moksha, final liberation, but while you are in this mess you might as well make a decent thing out of it.”

On the essence of God:

“This is the teaching of Sanaatan Dharma, that the essence of God is not some big policeman up there watching and waiting for you to make a mistake so he can hurl you into hell. The nature of God is Satchidananda, ever-existing, ever-conscious, ever-new bliss.”

After the ceremony, Swamiji stayed and personally greeted all the guests, many of whom were in tears of joy.

In the evening, the choir and musicians presented a concert of Swami Kriyananda’s music, entitled “Windows on the World”. I felt honored to be able to perform with the other Ananda choir members from all around the world. As always, it was a privilege to ride the wave of inspiration that flows with Swamiji’s music.

Swamiji also gave the Sunday Service to a once again overfilled temple of devotees and guests on this week’s topic of “The Eternal Now”.

Don’t miss the streaming audio/video and a slideshow of this inspiring weekend.

You may have experienced this: you are reading a spiritual book, or talking with a person who has a lot of wisdom. You think, “I’ve heard this before, I know this, but somehow I understand it in a deeper way now.”

You knew it already on some level, but it hadn’t been made dynamic to your consciousness.

Art is one way to help Divine truths become more dynamic to our minds. This is something that Swami Kriyananda talked about during the Joyful Arts Festival last weekend.

Here is an example and experiment:

Think of Infinity. Think of what you know about it, and call to mind your experience of it.

Then look into this painting by Jyotish Novak, concentrating on it for a few moments, or for as long as you like.

In which case was your experience of Infinity more “real” to you?

Gallery of Paintings

This is one of Oliver Graf, a member of Ananda in Assisi. If I remember right, he has had no formal training in art.

Here is Jyotish talking about his painting (above) on Friday morning’s panel (you can watch or listen to the talk online).

Dana Anderson is Ananda’s most well-known artist. She heads Awakening Arts, an organization dedicated to promoting art as spiritual upliftment.

This is a watercolor by Marilyn Holm. She had a wonderful artist’s statement, which I’ll quote here in part:

“Whenever I sit down to watercolor, I am immediately swept up in the process and am sometimes engaged for hours on end….

“The energy teaches me how to capture a detail. If I can get myself out of the way, the energy simply comes out of the end of the brush, grows on the paper, and becomes something beautiful.

“It is deeply joyful.”

This is a pastel by Carianne Pollacek, Ananda Village resident and Mother.

This is a painting by Mantradevi LoCicero, one of the spiritual directors of Ananda LA. Her works are available at Sacred Ways handicrafts, an Ananda business.

Finally we have a piece by Gyandevi Fuller, an Ananda Village resident who frequently travels to India.

The Meditation Experiment

There’s an experiment you can try with any piece of art.

Look at (or read, or listen to) an inspiring piece of artwork. Then meditate.

Afterwards, in the space of peace and stillness, look at it again, and see if you notice any difference.

Try this with one of the above paintings – it is fun!

Related Links

• A simple meditation technique
• Paintings by Jyotish Novak (one of the slideshows)

“All art must be based on truth and on human nature.”
–Swami Kriyananda in his Saturday talk on the Arts

The Joyful Arts Festival, held every June (this year 15-17) here at Ananda Village celebrates the arts as a medium for inspiration and upliftment, not merely the display of good skills or clever ideas.

Friday night was held a beautiful musical concert (contact The Expanding Light for a recording) and Swami gave a talk on Saturday morning (see some excerpts below).

Here is a little slideshow from these 2 events. (you can watch it again by refreshing the webpage)

Saturday evening featured a play called “The Peace Treaty” written by Swami Kriyananda. In the Preface to the play, he writes:

“The Peace Treaty is a comedy in the classical sense of a play with a happy ending, and not in the more modern sense of a farce. Though much of it is, I hope, funny, the underlying theme is quite serious – as serious as mankind’s increasing longing, in this embattled Twentieth Century, for world peace.”

Here is a slideshow you can watch from this page (you can watch it again by refreshing the webpage)

Some excerpts from Swami’s talk on the arts:
“We need to become artists as human beings”
“Art should be true, it should give hope”
“A good artist, a true artist, should be a philosopher”
“Bliss is what we are all looking for”

Others will comment on these pages about this past weekend. Coming back to back with Swami’s Birthday weekend it has moved the energy to a deeper level here at Ananda Village.

Last weekend we celebrated Swami Kriyananda’s 81st birthday at Ananda Village. He spoke for over three hours during several occasions, covering many topics. I am quoting a few of his words here, but I urge you to listen to his talks on the Ananda website.

Swamiji shared a lifetime’s worth of spiritual insight from the perspective of someone who has overcome the tests given to those who seek final freedom in God. He has mentioned a few times during the last weeks that after a lifetime of those tests — and of grateful service to his Guru — he feels divine bliss all the time now.

In one of his talks, he said with deep feeling in his voice, “The joy of God is beyond imagination of expectancy. All those little ups and downs, they didn’t mean a thing. I see what it’s all for now, all the wandering.”

Of God’s unconditional love, and the right attitude toward our faults, he said:

“Don’t worry about your faults. If you work on them, you will become purified. The Masters are perfectly willing to wait, because they know that it takes time. It may take a long time. In fact Master told me that it takes a long time. But it doesn’t have to. You can find God in this life if you will make the effort….

“No matter who you are, no matter your limitations, no matter how many times you fall, or how many mistakes you make, He’s always there waiting for you.

“There is a picture on the altar of the Sistine Chapel, where God is condemning the damned. All his energy is directed toward condemning those poor damned. What a picture! Art it may be, but what a philosophy! God loves you. He knows that the dice are loaded. Is God going to get angry with you for falling into a pit he himself had dug for you?”

On attunement to the Guru, and the practice of Kriya Yoga and devotion, Swamiji remarked:

“The process of being in tune with the Guru is not just being around a good guy. He’s working on your mind!

“Yogananda used to say that the spiritual path consists of 25% your own effort, 25% the Guru’s effort on your behalf, and 50% the grace of God

“Where is your effort? There are two things. You can try to be close to the guru, to attune your mind to him.

“But you also have to make your own effort, and this is where Kriya Yoga comes in. Kriya aligns the [subtle] molecules in your spine. It helps to raise up the samskars [desires and inclinations that reside in the astral spine]. As you practice Kriya Yoga, the samskars that were buried in the spine are lifted up to the brain, and released.

“This is a very, very important technique. [You can find freedom through it] as long as you don’t develop the kind of ego that many yogis develop. They think, ‘I’m the one that’s doing it’….

“I’ve met many yogis who are so arrogant. They’ll never find God that way. They’ll fall again and again. People that practice tantra [a certain type of yogic practice] often rise very quickly, but then fall very hard.

“No, freedom comes from devotion. You have to have devotion. Devotion is not a sentiment. Devotion is an absolute longing for the Truth. It must be a longing of the heart. The more we long for it and for God, the more we find that He is there. He wants you to come back.”

The underlying feeling of the weekend was conveyed best by Swami Kriyananda himself, when he said this about the fruit of the spiritual life:

“It’s a blissful life. There’s nothing but joy underneath everything.”

Please take the time to listen to his talks. Along with those of us who were present at Ananda Village, you may find that your life will be transformed.