runbei

“I am at a crossroad,” a woman wrote Swamiji.  “I have to choose between two alternatives, and the decision will affect my life for years to come. I have prayed and prayed to Master, but I don’t get any guidance. What should I do?” “Master is pleased simply because you have asked him,” Swamiji replied. … Read more

by Asha Nayaswami I had a difficult decision to make. Desperately I prayed to God, “What do You want me to do?” But no matter how much I prayed I couldn’t get an answer. I asked to speak to Swamiji about it. When we met, he was sitting in an armchair and I was on … Read more

“When I see people again after a long separation,” Swamiji said, “sometimes at first I don’t recognize them. Then their eyes come into focus and I remember who they are.” The “separation” Swamiji refers to is not only within one lifetime, but also from one incarnation to the next. “When I introduced myself to Swamiji … Read more

A devotee prayed to Master, “How can I thank Swamiji for all he has done to help me?” The thought came, “It will soon be Valentine’s Day. You could make him some cookies.” “It was just a small thing, a plateful of cookies,” she said.  “But I felt the inspiration came from Master and it … Read more

(Told by an Ananda devotee) I had suffered a severe disappointment and was living under a cloud of sadness that I couldn’t seem to shake. I found comfort in the words of St. Teresa of Avila: “Let nothing disturb you, nothing affright you. All things will pass, but God changes not.” Teresa is a popular … Read more

No one was home at Swamiji’s house, so Tim placed the bowl of pudding in the refrigerator. It was a gift to Swamiji from a spiritual teacher known as Shree Ma. Rather than leave a note, Tim decided he would explain the gift to Swamiji later. But before Tim could tell him, Swamiji found the … Read more

Whenever I cooked for Swami Kriyananda, even if others helped me, I kept strict control of the final product. But once when I was cooking dinner for Swamiji and a dozen guests, a woman helping me asked to take charge of the two main dishes. I didn’t think she had the skill, but I didn’t … Read more

(Told by an Ananda devotee) I was in a bad mood. When the phone rang in the Ananda publishing office where I worked, I answered it in a less than cordial manner. Whoever it was, I made it clear that I didn’t want to hear from him. Of course, it was Swamiji. Others have told … Read more

(Told by Madhavi) When an opportunity came to go to Ananda Assisi for a few months and work in the retreat kitchen, I jumped at the chance. For twelve years, I had been a critical care nurse. Now I wanted to get into a more holistic kind of healing. I also had some body problems … Read more

Ishani and I drove to the Village for a retreat led by Swami Kriyananda. As we settled into our room at the Expanding Light, I decided that I would make it my spiritual practice for the weekend to set myself aside and think first of other people. It worked well, up to a point. It … Read more