runbei

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

The event was a “new age” ecumenical gathering called Meeting of the Ways. It was held in San Francisco and included leaders from the most prominent yoga and meditation groups in America. The day before the public program started, there was a reception for the spiritual leaders and a handful of their students so they … Read more

(Told by an Ananda devotee) Swamiji was one of several guest teachers sitting on the raised dais at a large yoga center waiting his turn to speak. It was a casual event and the speakers were all in rocking chairs. The room was hot and stuffy and the talks were a little dull. Swamiji was … Read more

I am not a patient traveler. Hours before my flight would leave Lihue, I was packed and out the door. The airport shuttle driver was friendly. I asked if he had lived on Kauai all his life. He said that he was born on Oahu and moved to Kauai in 1974. He told me that … Read more