runbei

(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

The night before, one of the retreat guests had shaved his head. Now he was hidden in the bushes, stark naked, carrying his clothes in a small bundle. Swamiji was giving a class in the outdoor Temple of Leaves and the man’s intention was to lay himself and all he possessed at Swamiji’s feet. He … Read more

As I’ve mentioned ad infinitum in these pages, before I came to Ananda I worked for a small sports publishing company in the San Francisco Bay Area. When I moved to the community, I was concerned about the fitness of the members. The monks and nuns walked to work from the convent, a strenuous hike. … Read more

(Told by Sudarshan)     I meant well, but I was too immature to handle the assignment. Eventually I had to admit defeat and go back to Ananda Village. I felt like a complete failure. Soon after I returned, Swamiji had a party at his home, Crystal Hermitage.  I was in such turmoil I didn’t feel like … Read more

Swami Kriyananda planned to attend a fundraising dinner in Sacramento. As Ananda’s sole photographer, it fell to me to take pictures of the event. But I didn’t want to go, and I pleaded illness. “So you’re sick,” Swamiji said matter-of-factly when he saw me the day after the dinner, his voice impersonal and tinged with … Read more

When I arrived at Ananda, I was offered a job at Ananda Publications, later Crystal Clarity Publishers, where I was asked to start a magazine for Ananda. No one had to tell me how to publish a magazine. I had learned the needed skills at the company where I worked before I moved to the … Read more

Several people dedicated to ending war and banning nuclear weapons came to Ananda to try and enlist Swamiji’s support for their cause. Their presentation included a graphic description of what would happen if a nuclear bomb hit an American city. Using charts, graphs, and full-color illustrations, they explained how people would be vaporized, incinerated, burned, … Read more

I was at Swami Kriyananda’s for a meeting – the subject escapes me. I arrived early and Swamiji chatted with me in his gracious way. He said that a woman in Arizona had offered to pay him to take photos of her guest retreat. He was free of other engagements and accepted the assignment as … Read more