It amazed me to see how Swamiji could help so many people at the same time, even if they weren’t relating to him, but were just faces in the crowd. I noticed it first during the informal gatherings that Swamiji would host at his home in the early years. An occasion stands out – it … Read more
I discovered Ananda through Swamiji’s book Cooperative Communities – How to Start Them, and Why, which I found while browsing in a bookstore in Palo Alto. Ananda seemed the answer to a prayer. I had always thought how wonderful it would be to have a community where disciples could live and worship together, with “job, … Read more
I had the blessing to be in Swami Kriyananda’s presence many times over the years, though we never had an outward relationship such as he enjoyed with friends who had given their lives unreservedly to the work, and who had doubtless done so in many former lives: Jyotish and Devi, Asha, Vidura, Durga, and others. … Read more
In the last chapters, I told how Swamiji could use humor to teach us. But he could also be very serious. Walking to Sunday service at the Expanding Light, I was about a hundred yards from the temple when a car drew alongside and the back door swung open. Swamiji smiled and said, “Would you … Read more
I was at Swami Kriyananda’s for a private interview. After we had chatted, Swamiji rose and walked me to the door. Continuing our conversation, he said, speaking forcefully, but with a twinkle in his eye and a trace of humor in his voice, “I’ve told you before – you’re TOO HARD on yourself!” Later, I … Read more
My first three years at Ananda were miserable. I was in an almost unbroken state of inner turmoil, torn by moods and depression, triggered by a sense of my unworthiness. At the deepest level, my problem was that I was much too self-involved. Swamiji tried to help me rise above the turmoil. If he saw … Read more
I’ve mentioned that when I arrived at Ananda I was offered a job in the publications department. It was located in the building that overlooks Ananda Village, its sweeping roof suggesting a descent of divine blessings. One day, someone asked me to take some papers to Swamiji at his home. When I arrived, he welcomed … Read more
Nayaswami Asha invited me to write articles for an Ananda website. Why was I feeling so unwilling? My heart wasn’t in the project. I didn’t want to talk to God about my lousy energy – it was too embarrassing! Finally, knowing I wouldn’t be able to change my attitude without help, I turned inwardly to … Read more
I’m rarely able to go deep in meditation. I was paralyzed from the chest down in my mid-twenties. After two surgeries, I began to recover, but my left leg still has lingering spasticity and my right leg is mildly paralyzed. The nerve currents on the left side of my body and brain dance and crackle. … Read more
When I moved to Ananda Village in 1976, I was offered a job at “Pubble,” the department where Swami Kriyananda’s books were published. Shortly after I joined the staff, Swamiji invited us to his home to discuss some projects. He lived on the other side of the ridge from the main “downtown” part of the … Read more