When I was in my early fifties, I signed up to run a 100-mile race in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. As a joke, I grew my hair long, thinking it would be amusing to start the race looking like an old-time mountain man. I had a difficult time during the race. On a … Read more
The doctors offered no hope for my chronic bronchitis. They stroked their beards and told me I would find it increasingly hard to breathe – I would end my life pulling an oxygen tank. In the final stages, I would lie in bed until I suffocated. I thought, “Stuff that for a lark, there’s got … Read more
Sewell (El Teniente), Chile at night, 1940s. by Nayaswami Rambhakta I was born in a mining camp at 7,000’ elevation in the Chilean Andes, on January 21, 1942. The underground copper mine where my father was employed as an engineer was the largest in the world and was critically important to America’s war effort. The … Read more
by Nayaswami Rambhakta The singers in the choir at the Palo Alto Ananda Sangha temple would meet early on Sunday morning to practice before the service began. I would attend the early rehearsal, then I would get in the car and drive for an hour on the back roads of the foothills and chant. I … Read more
by Nayaswami Rambhakta Author’s Note: I wrote this to demonstrate an important spiritual principle: that God’s guidance is always individual. In His efforts to bring us into ever-greater happiness and freedom from suffering, God is wonderfully creative in the way He makes use of the resources at hand. – Rambhakta I showered and shaved and … Read more
At 82, Rambhakta remains active in the music ministry at Ananda Sangha in Palo Alto, California. When I moved to Ananda Village in 1976, I was offered a job at “Pubble,” the department where Swami Kriyananda’s books were published. Soon after I arrived, Swamiji invited the Pubble staff to his home to talk about some … Read more
Dharmadas and his wife, Nayaswami Nirmala, are the spiritual directors of Ananda Sacramento. They provided invaluable service in the early days of Swami Kriyananda’s efforts to make Paramhansa Yogananda’s teachings known in his native India. Q: Tell us about your musical background, starting as early as you like. Dharmadas: Music has always been an important … Read more
Gitanjali serves as the main choir director in the music ministry at Ananda Europa in Assisi, Italy. She also assists Mantrini and Kirtani in directing a beginner’s choir. (Photo: 2000s) Q: Did you have an early background in music? Gitanjali: I sang in choirs in junior and senior high school, and I studied piano for … Read more
Dambara is active in the music ministry at Ananda Sangha in Portland, Oregon. Come to think of it, he’s been a prominent presence in the Ananda music ministry since dinosaurs still grazed on Sunset Meadow at Ananda Village. His cheerfulness reflects the scientifically verifiable effects of a life dedicated to serving others. Dambara now frequently … Read more
Nirmala is co-spiritual director, with her husband Dharmadas, of Ananda Sangha in Sacramento, California. At the time Nirmala when wrote the following, she and Dharmadas were living in India, helping Swami Kriyananda start Ananda’s work there. (Photo: 2000s – Nirmala and Dharmadas) When I arrived at Ananda Village in August, 1975, I joined the apprentice … Read more