{"id":198,"date":"2021-07-13T16:11:14","date_gmt":"2021-07-13T16:11:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/?page_id=198"},"modified":"2021-07-13T16:11:14","modified_gmt":"2021-07-13T16:11:14","slug":"1975-challenges-worldly-spiritual","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/1975-challenges-worldly-spiritual\/","title":{"rendered":"1975: Challenges Worldly &#038; Spiritual"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_201\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-201\" style=\"width: 665px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-201\" src=\"http:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/swami-correcting-the-path-824x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"675\" height=\"839\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/swami-correcting-the-path-824x1024.jpg 824w, https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/swami-correcting-the-path-241x300.jpg 241w, https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/swami-correcting-the-path-768x954.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/swami-correcting-the-path-1236x1536.jpg 1236w, https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/swami-correcting-the-path.jpg 1282w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 675px) 100vw, 675px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-201\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Swamiji makes corrections to <\/em>The Path: My Life With Paramhansa Yogananda<em>, 1976.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Swamiji continued to feel the urgency of Master\u2019s predictions<\/strong> about coming hard times. His contribution was to keep working on his autobiography. A book about Master could draw many people to God, the only true security. To help in other ways, Swamiji sent six of us on a speaking tour around Northern California. Our marketing was not subtle. The free lecture was <em>Trial by Fire: World Prophecies of the Great Yogi, Paramhansa Yogananda. <\/em>The all-day workshop was, <em>You Can Prepare for Disaster. <\/em>Even though they were a success, ever after we called them the Disaster Seminars.<\/p>\n<p>Each of us covered a specific area: Jyotish talked about communities; Devi, simple living; Binay Preston, economic options; Shivani, growing your own food; Santosh O\u2019Hara, land and shelter. My area was spiritual solutions. We were such a novelty, we got attention from the media. The <em>San Francisco Chronicle <\/em>called Jyotish and me the \u201cgloom and doom duo,\u201d although the reporter went on to describe us as, \u201cMore than happy, they are positively beatific.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A pleasing side effect of the Disaster Seminars was not a disaster at all. The friendship between Jyotish and Devi blossomed into romance, and soon after, marriage. Shivani\u2019s future husband, Arjuna Lucki, was also courting her at that time, following us from city to city.<\/p>\n<p>All of us had experience teaching at the Retreat, but this was one of our first efforts to reach a broader audience. The crowds were small, but receptive. I had some understanding of the spiritual path, but compared to Swamiji, my cup of wisdom was more like a thimble. Now, on tour, sharing with others, I saw how much I did know.<\/p>\n<p>In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says, \u201cEven a little practice of this inward religion will save you from dire fears and colossal suffering.\u201d By now I had practiced <em>a little<\/em>, and could attest to the truth of what Krishna said.<\/p>\n<p>I came to Ananda to be with Swamiji. I loved helping people, but inwardly I kept aloof from \u201cthe project.\u201d I considered my detachment a virtue; I had come for God-realization, not to get further enmeshed in the world.<\/p>\n<p>One day, driving through the community with Swamiji, looking out the window I thought, \u201cWhat tremendous effort it has taken to manifest each part of Ananda. Swamiji has given his life\u2019s blood to fulfill the commission given to him by Master. And how grateful I am that he did! I couldn\u2019t imagine life without Ananda.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Suddenly I saw my detachment in a different light. I was happy to <em>take<\/em> from Swamiji, but what was I <em>giving<\/em> in return? Yes, I cooked meals, wrote letters, made tea, but how was I helping with the only thing that mattered to him, to fulfill the responsibility given to him by his Guru? I considered myself his friend, but how could I be, unless I made his cause my own? I resolved to become worthy of the friendship Swamiji extended so selflessly to me.<\/p>\n<p>***<\/p>\n<p>Swamiji starting holding Thursday night satsangs at his house. He would read us the latest chapters from his autobiography, now titled <em>The Path. <\/em>Reading aloud to others, and feeling their mental response, often revealed weaknesses in the writing he hadn\u2019t noticed before. He kept pencil and clipboard at hand and would pause to make editorial notes.<\/p>\n<p>In winter, darkness came early, it rained often, and snowed more frequently than it does now. We\u2019d come bundled against the cold into the gas-lit, wood-heated dome, pulling off our boots and piling our coats on his dining room table. Swamiji always sat in a slightly padded straight chair, his back toward the large window. He dressed informally, usually dark trousers and a blue plaid wool shirt. There was some furniture, but mostly we sat on the floor around him.<\/p>\n<p>The dome itself was perched on the edge of a steep incline. Far below was the Yuba River; on the other side of the canyon, nothing but forest. Through the window behind Swamiji, we could see the stars, or the moonlight reflected on the clouds; the blackness of rain, or the silent white snow. Were we in Twentieth Century California or high in the Himalayas? How many incarnations had we spent in this way, sitting at the feet of our teacher?<\/p>\n<p>When he finished reading, Swamiji would ask for feedback. He wasn\u2019t just being polite; he needed input. He was so close to the book, he couldn\u2019t always tell what might need further editing. Information about Master was scarce in those days. <em>Autobiography of a Yogi<\/em> and what Swamiji had told us in satsangs and classes were all we knew. Now he was writing about Master, the path, and his own discipleship in ways we had never heard before. We wanted to help him, but often found the inspiration too deep for words, or felt unqualified to comment.<\/p>\n<p>Only a few people were comfortable giving suggestions \u2014 the same few, week after week. Swamiji listened attentively, but if he didn\u2019t understand, or didn\u2019t agree, the ensuing discussion could be lively. You had to meet Swamiji on his level of energy. Many felt silence was the safer path.<\/p>\n<p>Swamiji sympathized, but after several weeks of near silence from all but a handful of people, he felt a corrective was needed. One of Sri Yukteswar\u2019s spiritual maxims was, \u201cLearn to behave.\u201d Swamiji said, \u201cWhen I present to you something I have just created, to say nothing at all in response is not even common courtesy. I am not a television set, or a nickelodeon, where you put in your coin and then watch me perform.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0\u201cYou aren\u2019t relating to me as a person. You have created some image of me in your minds and are relating to that. Quite apart from what<em> I<\/em> may need in order to perfect this writing, it isn\u2019t good for <em>you <\/em>to take without giving back. Yes, you have to put out energy to come up with a response, but for your well-being, I encourage you to try.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>***<\/p>\n<p>More than a year had passed since the purchase of the New Land. For Swamiji, moving the Retreat was urgent. He had given his word. Nothing could be done, though, until the county gave its approval.<\/p>\n<p>Our first master plan\u2014we called it Master\u2019s Plan\u2014was submitted in July 1974. The county rejected it: too vague. The second version, six months later, was also rejected: Too detailed. Then new, expensive requirements were added: water study, environmental impact report, use permit, zoning change. Whenever we got close, the county moved the goal posts.<\/p>\n<p>The process was costing us a lot of money, but we couldn\u2019t use the land to generate new income. We faced a balloon payment of $12,000 with no way to pay it. In those days, that was a large sum of money. At $50 a month, I earned twice as much as Nitai Deranja, who ran the school. In the afternoons, he supplemented his income by making incense for the company Jyotish had started.<\/p>\n<p>In February, Swamiji sent out a letter of appeal. The projects for the new land\u2014retreat, healing center, institute for cooperative living\u2014\u201cwill serve many thousands of people outside our own spiritual family. They are a loving offering to needy souls everywhere. We would like this to be our gift to others, not their gift to us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But economic realities had to be faced. \u201cAnanda needs your help.\u201d A month later, the money had been raised. Swamiji wrote, \u201cI am lovingly grateful for your generosity and your desire to share in the adventure that is Ananda\u2014both as a place and as a spiritual communities movement. Your loving cooperation is the very essence of what Ananda is all about. I thank you, and the God in you, with a full heart.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then he talked about <em>The Path. <\/em>He had finished Part I, his life before meeting Master, and optimistically spoke of completing the whole book before the end of the year\u2014unless his writing was interrupted by the need to fundraise for the land and for the new Retreat to be built there. \u201cPresently, therefore, I\u2019m asking God, \u2018Shall I go out and give classes, perhaps across the United States and in Europe?\u2019 You see, my way is to give Him the responsibility by letting Him decide.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As \u201canother way God may elect to solve the problem,\u201d Swamiji had sent the manuscript to publishers in New York, London, Germany, and Switzerland. With a large advance he could meet his obligations and finish the book. He also offered to send chapters of <em>The Path <\/em>as he finished them in exchange for a small donation. Somehow we held on. Swamiji didn\u2019t have to go out and teach, but continued to work on the book.<\/p>\n<p>In May, he took a break and went to Europe to see friends, contact publishers, and take a vacation in Switzerland. A German publisher was interested in <em>Fourteen Steps. <\/em>A London publisher wanted <em>Your Sun Sign as a Spiritual Guide. <\/em>No one was interested in <em>The Path<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>By now, Swamiji had written eight books, all published by Ananda, with combined sales of $100,000. \u201cStill,\u201d he lamented, \u201cpublishers are afraid of taking this one for fear it won\u2019t sell. If necessary, we\u2019ll publish it ourselves and no doubt do well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>***<\/p>\n<p>Every year in August, SRF held a week-long convocation for its members. The direct disciples would speak, there was a Kriya Initiation, and tours of the places where Master had lived. Hundreds of people attended from all over the world. Everyone at Ananda was also an SRF member, so we could go, too. Swamiji encouraged it. SRF opposed him, but he refused to respond in kind.<\/p>\n<p>Usually people enjoyed the convocation, but three years earlier, there had been an unfortunate incident. During a tour of Mount Washington, one of the SRF nuns invited the Ananda group, about ten people, to come with her into the chapel where Master often gave services. The chair he used was on the altar, protected now by a velvet rope.<\/p>\n<p>After a few minutes of chanting and meditation, she suddenly launched into a fierce tirade on the subject of loyalty. SRF, she declared, was the body of Master, and the SRF lessons, Master\u2019s blood. Loyalty to the Guru meant loyalty to SRF. The nun never said the name, Swami Kriyananda, but the point was self-evident: loyalty to Swamiji was <em>dis<\/em>loyalty to Master.<\/p>\n<p>When she finally stopped talking, at first people were too stunned to speak. Then Shivani said, \u201cBut Swamiji <em>always <\/em>draws us to Master, <em>never <\/em>to himself! He recommends that we take the SRF lessons!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s his way,\u201d the nun responded, \u201ccleverly making it seem that he is affiliated with SRF, and that he is serving Master. <em>He is not<\/em>!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Even the most stalwart among the Ananda members were unnerved by the experience. Daya Mata wanted Swamiji to keep silence about his separation from SRF, but how could he? He had spiritual responsibility for these souls, sent to him by Master. He couldn\u2019t sit by and let their faith be destroyed.<\/p>\n<p>When the group returned to Ananda, Swamiji spoke to them about SRF. To some questions, though, he had no answer. \u201cHow can devotees of the same Master treat each other this way?\u201d All Swamiji could say was, \u201cEverything happens according to God\u2019s will, for our own highest good.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Since then, people had continued to go to the convocation and nothing untoward had happened. Now about fifteen people were planning to attend. Swamiji was concerned, but still unwilling to take a stand against SRF, even within the community.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_200\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-200\" style=\"width: 270px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-200\" src=\"http:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/bimal-and-keshava-ananda-incense-195x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"280\" height=\"431\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/bimal-and-keshava-ananda-incense-195x300.jpg 195w, https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/bimal-and-keshava-ananda-incense-667x1024.jpg 667w, https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/bimal-and-keshava-ananda-incense-768x1180.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/bimal-and-keshava-ananda-incense-1000x1536.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/bimal-and-keshava-ananda-incense.jpg 1216w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 280px) 100vw, 280px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-200\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Bimal and Keshava work at Ananda Incense, a community cottage industry.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This time, the Ananda people were invited to a special meeting for SRF meditation group leaders. Naively, they thought this meant SRF was acknowledging Ananda as a legitimate branch of Master\u2019s work. Then one of their monks, addressing all the leaders, launched into a fire and brimstone speech against those who dare to betray Master. At one point, he pounded the podium so forcefully, it seemed either his hand or the furniture would break! \u201cI would <em>die <\/em>for Master\u2019s work,\u201d he shouted, \u201crather than betray it!\u201d Swami Kriyananda\u2019s name was never mentioned, but everyone in the room knew at whom the tirade was directed.<\/p>\n<p>A woman had moved to Ananda from the East Coast. She had been very generous to Swamiji, and as a way of saying thank you, he had promised to take her to Disneyland. When Swamiji heard about the monk\u2019s tirade, he decided that now was a good time to go.<\/p>\n<p>Swamiji invited those attending the convocation to join him. He knew Disneyland well and with great enthusiasm led the group from ride to ride. Eventually, they all settled down in one of the restaurants for a long, serious discussion. Each time he told the story of his separation from SRF, he revealed a little more. Always, though, there was the hard, unanswerable question: \u201cHow can good people make such bad mistakes?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The fact that Master\u2019s own organization, and the great disciples who led it, so strongly disapproved of Swamiji and Ananda was a dilemma every person had to resolve for himself. From then on, Swamiji didn\u2019t forbid people to go to the convocation, but he no longer encouraged it. The challenge of negativity can strengthen one\u2019s faith, but it can also destroy it. Why take the risk?<\/p>\n<p>***<\/p>\n<p>At about the same time that Ananda started, many young people in California were also going back to the land and building their own homes without regard for the regulations. For a while, officials turned a blind eye. Now, many counties were posting red tags on non-conforming structures. According to the building codes, they were uninhabitable and had to be torn down.<\/p>\n<p>Trailers, teepees, and cabins all over Ananda were red-tagged. The Planning Department told us they wouldn\u2019t even <em>consider <\/em>our master plan, until every existing structure was brought into compliance with the codes. In fact, it was illegal to tie the two issues together, and with the help of a local attorney, we got the Planning Department to back down. Still, we were no closer to getting the master plan approved.<\/p>\n<p>Statewide, people organized into a group called <em>United Stand <\/em>and began to lobby in Sacramento for changes to the Uniform Building Code. <em>Rural standards for rural living. <\/em>Swamiji supported United Stand, but didn\u2019t think it would solve our problems.<\/p>\n<p>The Planning Director in our county started as a secretary and rose through the ranks to director without ever getting professional training. Her incompetence was so well known that a Grand Jury had investigated, then recommended that she be fired. But the Board of Supervisors refused to act.<\/p>\n<p>The right category for Ananda was Planned Unit Development: multiple uses on one piece of land. But there had never been one in Nevada County, and the director had no idea how to do it. Her solution was to keep putting up roadblocks until we gave up and went away.<\/p>\n<p>Swamiji said, \u201cI knew Ananda\u2019s complaints alone would not be enough to get the Supervisors to act. I had to make them see there was widespread opposition.\u201d Which there was. Many county residents had been tyrannized, not only by the Planning Director, but also by other county officials. As individuals, their complaints fell on deaf ears. As an organized group, Ananda could do something to help them <em>and<\/em> ourselves.<\/p>\n<p>Taking advantage of the upcoming 200th anniversary of the United States, Swamiji created the <em>Bicentennial Liberty Committee. <\/em>He, as J. Donald Walters, was president of the BLC; I, as Nan Savage, was secretary. Our English names were unknown in the county. Even in person, no one knew me, and very few would recognize Swamiji. He thought we would be taken more seriously if we acted as private citizens rather than as Ananda. Eventually we revealed our identity, but only after the movement had gained momentum.<\/p>\n<p>He wrote a petition, \u201cTwo hundred years ago our forefathers fought for the right to be represented in government by people who were responsive to their needs, rather than to rules and restrictions insensitively imposed from afar. In this Twentieth Century, increasing centralization of power has raised again the threat of insensitive legislation, originating similarly from afar, where the needs of the individual are ignored in favor of mass uniformity.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe, citizens of Nevada County, feel that with the approaching celebration of our country\u2019s bicentennial it is time to affirm with some of the revolutionary zeal of our forefathers the need for personal liberty and self-direction.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It went on for two more paragraphs, calling upon all governments, especially the county, to protect our rights to live our own lives as we choose to live them, and to build homes according to our tastes and inclinations, as long as we don\u2019t infringe on the rights of others or endanger health or safety.<\/p>\n<p>Not everyone at Ananda was happy about the BLC. It was folly, they said, to antagonize the very people who controlled our future. The whole thing would blow up in our faces! Better to wait and see what United Stand could accomplish. Ananda had always stayed out of politics; the BLC was a breach of <em>dharma <\/em>(right action; that action which leads to higher consciousness).<\/p>\n<p>With the help of those who were willing, we collected signatures, first from local businesses, then from individuals. Soon thousands of county residents had signed the petition. Along with signatures, we collected dozens of horror stories about mistreatment by officials. We started a campaign of letters to the editor, systematically targeting nearly every county department. Emboldened by the BLC, other citizens began to write letters, too, and register complaints.<\/p>\n<p>Nevada City is a small town, with just one newspaper. The BLC made quite an impact. \u201cA tempest in a teapot,\u201d Swamiji called it. The Supervisors waited a year, then quietly fired the Planning Director, replacing her with a competent professional. Nan Savage of the BLC became quite well known. Some people wanted me to run for Supervisor from our district.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt would be helpful to have someone from Ananda on the Board,\u201d Swamiji said, when I asked him what to do. \u201cBut it wouldn\u2019t be good for you.\u201d <em>People are more important than things <\/em>is Ananda\u2019s founding principle, along with <em>Where there is <\/em>dharma<em>, there is victory. <\/em>No matter how worthy a project, the first\u2014in fact, the <em>only\u2014<\/em>consideration is, \u201cWill it be spiritually beneficial to those involved?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Later he said, \u201cIt would have been foolish and pointless to flex our muscles further. It wasn\u2019t power we were after; it was simple survival, so that we might continue in the way of life to which we are dedicated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy methods were creative and unanticipated, but they worked\u2014as I am not sure anything else would have done. Our very existence as a community was being threatened. What I did was <em>dharmic<\/em>, and the only effective course I could see to take. I would do it again if the same issues confronted us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>***<\/p>\n<p>Swamiji received a letter from a man who had been thinking of joining Ananda, but first wrote to SRF, asking their advice. Their answer caused him to doubt Swamiji\u2019s sincerity as a disciple, and the validity of Ananda itself. He asked, \u201cWould Yogananda approve of Ananda under your leadership? If not, shouldn\u2019t you question your motives?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps there was something in his letter that inspired Swamiji to answer; maybe it was just time to speak up. He wrote, \u201cA Master\u2019s blessings are like the broadcasts of a radio station. Even one who owns the biggest and best radio can have no monopoly on the broadcasts. Every disciple can <em>and should<\/em> try to attune himself to his Guru\u2019s inner guidance, and not seek direction only outwardly. Master himself always trained us to seek his guidance primarily <em>within ourselves.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He then acknowledged the dangers of going it alone. The true disciple is not one who says, \u201cI\u2019ll do whatever the Guru says, but I refuse to cooperate with his close disciples.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Swamiji wrote, \u201cI wanted with all my heart to cooperate with Master\u2019s closer disciples, but I found myself denied all opportunities to give such cooperation. I was left with no recourse but to seek all my guidance directly from Master. For my life remained dedicated to him; I had nothing else to live for but to serve him. No doors opened for me except those which led to Ananda.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt took many miracles for Ananda to come into being; Master would have needed to withhold only one of them for us to have failed utterly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t blame those who think of me as beyond the pale. Most don\u2019t know how desperately I tried to remain within the pale. They imagine I simply refused to be guided.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEverything serious I have undertaken during these fourteen years since my separation from SRF has been started only after deep prayer, in many cases over a period of years, for Master\u2019s guidance. I have learned to be <em>very<\/em> impartial in my readiness to accept whatever guidance I receive from him. Ananda is not my <em>imposition<\/em> on Master\u2019s will.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLeft as I was completely on my own, I have had to develop a kind of independence, which I myself would generally counsel people against.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI haven\u2019t any doubt that Master himself engineered my dismissal, not for anyone\u2019s punishment, but because he had other things to accomplish through me. Why, then, should I blame anyone? I wonder, rather, at the greatness of Master\u2019s love. Surely I was not worthy of such great blessings as he has bestowed on me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>***<\/p>\n<p>It was Swamiji\u2019s practice at Christmas to give everyone in the community a copy of his latest book. He knew <em>The Path <\/em>wouldn\u2019t be ready in time, so he decided to republish a book he\u2019d written twenty years earlier as a gift to his fellow SRF monks\u2014<em>Stories of Mukunda<\/em>, about Master\u2019s childhood. Before he was Yogananda, Master\u2019s name was Mukunda Lal Ghosh. The original book was so popular, SRF had decided to publish it. Without asking Swamiji\u2019s permission, or crediting him as the author, SRF registered the copyright in their own name.<\/p>\n<p>When he was expelled, SRF took the book off the market: \u201cOut of print with no plans to print again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In September, Swamiji wrote to Daya Mata, asking her to transfer the copyright to him. He explained that he planned to revise the book and do a quick print version as a Christmas present to the community. Formal publication would come a few months later. He didn\u2019t hear back, so went ahead with his plans.<\/p>\n<p>In December, Swamiji decided to write a piano sonata, as a birthday present for his mother. She was also a musician; the baby grand piano in his living room had been hers. As a young woman, she had gone to Paris to study the violin. It was there that she met her husband-to-be, though both were Americans from Oklahoma. Ray was an oil geologist, working in Europe, on vacation in Paris.<\/p>\n<p>The sonata was Swamiji\u2019s first instrumental piece. After months of writing words, it was relaxing for him to write melodies without the need for words. The secret of Swamiji\u2019s prodigious creativity was to concentrate on one thing at a time. In his teens, Swamiji had spent hours every day practicing the piano, but since then had played very little. Now, day after day, he practiced the sonata, in order to be able to play it for his mother when he went to see her after Christmas. \u201cThe best way to learn to play the piano,\u201d he said, \u201cis write a piece of music that is beyond your level of skill, then practice till you can play it.\u201d He called the sonata <em>The Divine Romance.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>***<\/p>\n<p>The Christmas issue of <em>The Banyan Tree<\/em> included a family photo, signed by Swamiji and all the residents. In his <em>Dear Friends<\/em> letter, he wrote, \u201cOffering of one\u2019s will to God\u2019s guidance should be made daily. It should become a mental attitude that is carried with one constantly, an inner gift from the soul unceasingly given until not the slightest decision is made without first asking the Lord at least for comment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He ended the letter saying, \u201cThe purpose of Ananda as a place is to demonstrate attitudes that can and should be a part of everyone\u2019s life, wherever one lives. Above all, Ananda\u2014divine joy\u2014is a state of consciousness. What is truly important is to be <em>in <\/em>Ananda rather than <em>at<\/em> Ananda.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy dear friends, may <em>ananda<\/em> be ever yours, wherever you are.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Swamiji continued to feel the urgency of Master\u2019s predictions about coming hard times. His contribution was to keep working on his autobiography. A book about Master could draw many people to God, the only true security. To help in other ways, Swamiji sent six of us on a speaking tour around Northern California. Our marketing &#8230; <a title=\"1975: Challenges Worldly &#038; Spiritual\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/1975-challenges-worldly-spiritual\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about 1975: Challenges Worldly &#038; Spiritual\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-198","page","type-page","status-publish"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>1975: Challenges Worldly &amp; Spiritual - Swami Kriyananda: Lightbearer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A 51-year disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda recalls early challenges of building a World Brotherhood Community.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/1975-challenges-worldly-spiritual\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"1975: Challenges Worldly &amp; Spiritual - Swami Kriyananda: Lightbearer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A 51-year disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda recalls early challenges of building a World Brotherhood Community.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/1975-challenges-worldly-spiritual\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Swami Kriyananda: Lightbearer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/swami-correcting-the-path-824x1024.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"19 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/1975-challenges-worldly-spiritual\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/1975-challenges-worldly-spiritual\\\/\",\"name\":\"1975: Challenges Worldly & Spiritual - Swami Kriyananda: Lightbearer\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/1975-challenges-worldly-spiritual\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/1975-challenges-worldly-spiritual\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/07\\\/swami-correcting-the-path-824x1024.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-07-13T16:11:14+00:00\",\"description\":\"A 51-year disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda recalls early challenges of building a World Brotherhood Community.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/1975-challenges-worldly-spiritual\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/1975-challenges-worldly-spiritual\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/1975-challenges-worldly-spiritual\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/07\\\/swami-correcting-the-path.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/07\\\/swami-correcting-the-path.jpg\",\"width\":1282,\"height\":1593,\"caption\":\"Swamiji makes corrections to The Path: My Life With Paramhansa Yogananda, 1976.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/1975-challenges-worldly-spiritual\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"1975: Challenges Worldly &#038; Spiritual\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/\",\"name\":\"Swami Kriyananda: Lightbearer\",\"description\":\"Completing a great work for his Guru, Paramhansa Yogananda\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Swami Kriyananda: Lightbearer\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/2008ish-Swami-Asissi-pclearcropped-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/2008ish-Swami-Asissi-pclearcropped-1.jpg\",\"width\":960,\"height\":360,\"caption\":\"Swami Kriyananda: Lightbearer\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"1975: Challenges Worldly & Spiritual - Swami Kriyananda: Lightbearer","description":"A 51-year disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda recalls early challenges of building a World Brotherhood Community.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/1975-challenges-worldly-spiritual\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"1975: Challenges Worldly & Spiritual - Swami Kriyananda: Lightbearer","og_description":"A 51-year disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda recalls early challenges of building a World Brotherhood Community.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/1975-challenges-worldly-spiritual\/","og_site_name":"Swami Kriyananda: Lightbearer","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/swami-correcting-the-path-824x1024.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"19 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/1975-challenges-worldly-spiritual\/","url":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/1975-challenges-worldly-spiritual\/","name":"1975: Challenges Worldly & Spiritual - Swami Kriyananda: Lightbearer","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/1975-challenges-worldly-spiritual\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/1975-challenges-worldly-spiritual\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/swami-correcting-the-path-824x1024.jpg","datePublished":"2021-07-13T16:11:14+00:00","description":"A 51-year disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda recalls early challenges of building a World Brotherhood Community.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/1975-challenges-worldly-spiritual\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/1975-challenges-worldly-spiritual\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/1975-challenges-worldly-spiritual\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/swami-correcting-the-path.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/swami-correcting-the-path.jpg","width":1282,"height":1593,"caption":"Swamiji makes corrections to The Path: My Life With Paramhansa Yogananda, 1976."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/1975-challenges-worldly-spiritual\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"1975: Challenges Worldly &#038; Spiritual"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/","name":"Swami Kriyananda: Lightbearer","description":"Completing a great work for his Guru, Paramhansa Yogananda","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/#organization","name":"Swami Kriyananda: Lightbearer","url":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/2008ish-Swami-Asissi-pclearcropped-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/2008ish-Swami-Asissi-pclearcropped-1.jpg","width":960,"height":360,"caption":"Swami Kriyananda: Lightbearer"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/198","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=198"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/198\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":202,"href":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/198\/revisions\/202"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}