runbei

In 1967, I joined Self-realization Fellowship and began studying the SRF lessons, which required that we submit regular reports on our progress. At the time, Brother Bhaktananda was the men’s course examiner. In response to one of my reports, he wrote: “Your practice seems good, but the thought occurs that you might not be getting … Read more

Swamiji was traveling with Lawrence* in Europe, when they went to dinner with a married couple who were friends of Swamiji’s, but not connected with Ananda. Afterward, Lawrence exclaimed, “What a relief to get away from those two! The negativity between them was so thick you could cut it with a knife.” “It was?” Swamiji … Read more

During his talks in the final years of his life, Swamiji often warned of severe economic hard times ahead. How will we live, if the material foundations of our lives should be shaken or removed? I don’t have a fixed answer, but I pray that the following stories will inspire the reader to consider that … Read more

(Told by Hassi) My husband was forty years old when he was diagnosed with ALS, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. He was a carpenter—a big, robust man. We have four children; the youngest was three. I knew the medical facts but I still found it impossible to imagine that my husband would never … Read more

(Told by Jayadev) I always tended to be a rebel, getting into arguments with teachers, neighbors, and anyone in authority. Even at Ananda I decided, “No one will boss me but God!” For a while I got away with it. No one interfered with my way of doing things. Then Swamiji appointed a new director … Read more

(Told by Liladevi) By the time I got to Swamiji’s lecture it was standing room only and I had to sit on the floor of the middle aisle. It didn’t matter where I was in the room, when Swamiji began to speak, I felt as if he were inside my spine, speaking directly to my … Read more

 (Told by Nayaswami Lalita)  During the hours when Swamiji was having open-heart surgery, I led a prayer vigil in the temple of the Ananda Sacramento community where I lived. A few others joined me, but mostly I prayed alone. Swamiji was in a hospital nearby, and afterwards I wanted to go see him. Each time … Read more

“Softer than the flower, where kindness is concerned; stronger than the thunder, where principles are at stake.” Vedic definition of a man of God  It Must Be Lonely Adjacent to the lobby of the hotel where Swamiji and a few of us were staying there was a small jewelry store. For hours every day, a … Read more

by Nayaswami Asha The first time I saw Swami Kriyananda was in a tent set up behind the Beta Chi fraternity house on the campus of Stanford University, in Palo Alto, California. It was late November 1969. He was in his early forties. I was twenty-two years old. Usually the tent served as an expanded … Read more

I love a good movie with an entertaining story, and I don’t mind too much if it involves superheroes. I’ve enjoyed the X-Men films, though I find Wolverine’s hairstyle tiresome and Magneto’s ponderous utterances unintentionally funny. I was entertained by the first Thor movie, and the first and third Ironman flicks. There’s something appealing about … Read more