runbei

 Arjuna played a key role in Ananda’s growth beginning in the early mid-1970s when he started Ananda Construction, a company that provided a living for many of the community’s families. Q: Can you talk a little about how you got started in business? Arjuna: I don’t really consider myself a businessman. I studied philosophy and … Read more

Years ago, the folks at Ananda Village put on a Winnie the Pooh play at The Expanding Light. Haridas was a natural choice to play Tigger, the cheerful tiger who bounces as he goes. It’s impossible for those who know Haridas not to associate him with words like “willingness,” “energy,” “good humor,” and “high spirits.” … Read more

  At the time we talked, Gyandev managed The Expanding Light Retreat at Ananda Village. In the late 1990s Gyandev moved on to other dharmas (still within The Expanding Light staff). Q: I hesitated to interview you, because The Expanding Light isn’t really a business. Yet surely there are business aspects to running a successful … Read more

Devamuni runs an electrical contracting business at Ananda Village. Q: Can you tell us how you got into business? Devamuni: When my father died, I left college and took over the family’s hardware store in San Francisco. My brother had little desire to keep the store going, so I took it over and began remodeling … Read more

Karuna lived for many years at Ananda Village, where he started a surveying business that developed a large clientele in Nevada County. Karuna passed away in the 1990s. Q: Tell us about your background. Karuna: My dad was a trade union representative in New Zealand. He believed that the world’s weight was carried on the … Read more

At the time of our conversation, Nivritti managed Crystal Clarity Publishers, the company that publishes Swami Kriyananda’s books and recordings. She later moved to Seattle, where she co-managed East West Bookshop, a metaphysical bookstore that she and two other women started in the mid‑1980s. Q: How did your interest in business begin? Nivritti: I can’t … Read more

Vasanta served for many years as a general consultant for the Ananda businesses. His job involved helping the managers and employees find better ways to do business while growing spiritually themselves. (Photo: 2000s) Q: Tell us a little about your background in business. Vasanta: I graduated in 1970 from the University of Utah with a … Read more

NOTE: This is a long, combined posting of two chapters in Gurudas’s life, before and during the years when he worked closely with Swami Kriyananda as manager of Crystal Clarity Publishers, the company that published Swamiji’s books. For readers who are interested to know what it was like to work as one of Swamiji’s “right-hand men,” … Read more

Tom Taylor managed Master’s Market, a small health foods store at Ananda Village. Under Tom’s sure hand the market steadily improved its services, adding a baking business that delivered fresh breads, cakes, and cookies to stores in the local area, and remodeling and expanding the premises to include a deli and indoor seating. Tom eventually … Read more

Gangamata managed Mountain Song, a successful women’s boutique and gift store in Nevada City that was owned and run by members of the Ananda community. When Mountain Song was sold, Gangamata worked in Ananda’s management office. She now serves with her husband Daiva in Ananda’s Portland ministry. Q: How did you initially get involved in business? … Read more