{"id":289,"date":"2021-09-13T16:40:14","date_gmt":"2021-09-13T16:40:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/?p=289"},"modified":"2021-09-13T16:46:46","modified_gmt":"2021-09-13T16:46:46","slug":"1994-srf-opens-a-new-front","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/1994-srf-opens-a-new-front\/","title":{"rendered":"1994: SRF Opens a New Front in Its Lawsuit Against Ananda"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Children perform a song by Swami Kriyananda, \u201cAll the World is My Friend,\u201d at The Expanding Light, Ananda Village, 1980s.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cNow that SRF has lost everything in court,<\/strong> is there anything they can do to regain their monopoly?\u201d Swamiji addressed this important question to our attorney, Jon.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, there is one thing,\u201d Jon said, \u201ca legal principle called tarnishment. <\/em>If SRF can prove that Ananda is, for example, morally reprehensible<\/em>, and any association in the mind of the public between SRF and Ananda would tarnish<\/em> SRF\u2019s reputation, then they may be able to win back some of their exclusive rights.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGet ready,\u201d Swamiji said.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

The lawsuit had been going on for more than three years, but SRF had not yet taken Swamiji\u2019s deposition. There were no secrets to uncover; he had published his thoughts for all the world to read. The judge had already ruled on the major issues. Still, in January, his deposition was scheduled. \u201cAn exercise in futility,\u201d Swamiji called it.<\/p>\n

Jon explained the protocol: \u201cAnswer only<\/em> what is asked. Even if you know what he meant <\/em>to ask, don\u2019t volunteer information.\u201d Swamiji\u2019s comment: \u201cIn my position, it is not appropriate to answer that way. It would make me seem afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most of the legal team came with Jon and Swamiji to the deposition. None of the SRF Matas attended, just four monastics\u2014two monks, two nuns\u2014and their lead attorney, with two assistants.<\/p>\n

\u201cUsually the lawyer controls the deposition,\u201d Swamiji said, \u201cbut my way of answering kept me in control. As soon as I saw where a line of questioning was going, I volunteered the answers before he could ask. I refused to answer any questions, though, about Master\u2019s teachings. It wasn\u2019t right to talk about sacred subjects in that atmosphere. I invited him to step into the hall where I would be happy to discuss the teachings, but he declined the invitation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe SRF lawyer likes to play the tough guy. He tried to humiliate me, but you can\u2019t humiliate someone who has no need to defend himself. And in the presence of ahimsa<\/em>, his bully nature had nothing to hold onto. I don\u2019t fight against,<\/em> I only fight for <\/em>the truth. When I was in SRF, it was aggravating sometimes for those who saw things differently from the way I saw them. I refused to argue. I just quietly went my own way.\u201d<\/p>\n

He described an incident in 1960, in India. Swamiji was with Daya Mata and Ananda Mata on a train pulling into the Kolkata station. He had arranged for a big reception and was standing in the open doorway to get a photograph of the group waiting on the platform. Ananda Mata also wanted to take a picture from that angle. She could have asked Swamiji to move, but instead, silently tried to push him aside. Swamiji, too, was silent\u2014and unmoving. No matter how hard she pushed, he wouldn\u2019t budge. He just calmly continued to take pictures.<\/p>\n

I was incredulous, both at her behavior and his response! \u201cYou were just a young monk. How did you have the nerve to defy her?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI had high position, too,\u201d Swamiji said, \u201cbut that wasn\u2019t the point. Nobody<\/em> treats me like that. Even as a child, when I had no chance of winning, I wouldn\u2019t let anyone bully me.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaster told Daya Mata, \u2018God has given you great power in this lifetime. No one will be able to stand against you.\u2019 I believe Daya thinks to give up the lawsuit now would show a lack of faith in Master\u2019s promise. Her misunderstanding is that I have never stood against <\/em>her. All I have done is protect Ananda from her attempt to destroy it. I don\u2019t oppose Daya Mata. I stand for truth against un<\/em>truth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Speaking of the deposition, he said, \u201cIt wasn\u2019t pleasant being surrounded by such hostility. My prayers to Master helped me stay calm, but sometimes the body had a mind of its own. Twice my heart started racing at about 160 beats per minute.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the SRF nuns attending the deposition was also a doctor. When he felt his heart acting up, Swamiji briefly explained to her his medical history. \u201cJust in case I lose consciousness,\u201d he said. He tried to draw her into a discussion of some of the more interesting aspects of his case, but she wouldn\u2019t engage.<\/p>\n

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Ananda members happily and harmoniously protest outside the SRF annual convocation in Los Angeles during the SRF lawsuit.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cShe was caught between her Hippocratic Oath and her vow of monastic obedience,\u201d Swamiji said. \u201cIt was obvious that her superiors had told her to remain hostile to me at all times. I don\u2019t know what she would have done if I had passed out.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust think of all the money SRF spent on that deposition, and all the hours preparing for it. In the end, what did they get? Nothing.\u201d Then he added, sympathetically, \u201cIt must have been very frustrating for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Swamiji had finished the first draft of The Rubaiyat <\/em>the previous August, but it took until the end of the year to polish it to his satisfaction. Whenever he finished a major project, he liked to take a holiday to \u201ccelebrate with Divine Mother.\u201d Right after the deposition, he went to Hawaii. On the last day of his holiday, he was alone in his hotel room when suddenly the prosthesis in his left hip\u2014the one recently operated on\u2014came out of its socket. He managed to get himself onto the bed and call the front desk. It took an hour for the ambulance to arrive, and then they had to break down the locked door of his room. He couldn\u2019t move off the bed to help them.<\/p>\n

In the hospital, the doctor gave him a heavy dose of muscle relaxant, which made it possible to put the prothesis back in place. But Swamiji had a bad reaction to the medication and began to vomit vast quantities of blood. The vomiting was so violent, he tore a hole in his esophagus, and half his blood was lost\u2014again. When word got back to the Village, Dr. Peter cancelled all his appointments and immediately got on a plane for Hawaii. He assumed Swamiji would be in the hospital for at least a week and wanted to be there to supervise his care.<\/p>\n

When he arrived, Swamiji was sitting up in bed, full of energy, talking to the doctor about checking out of the hospital. As Peter anticipated, the doctor wanted him to stay a week, but Swamiji saw no reason for it. Transfusions had restored his blood; the esophagus had healed itself. So he checked himself out of the hospital \u201cinto the care of my personal physician,\u201d took Dr. Peter out for a fine Italian dinner, then the two of them flew back to California.<\/p>\n

This was the third time, Swamiji had a life-threatening incident right after an SRF event.<\/p>\n

The leaders of SRF were powerful yogis. Their meditation-trained minds were focused on a cause they believed to be righteous. Thoughts are an actual force, more subtle than a gunshot, but no less real. Swamiji acted as a lightening rod, protecting Ananda by drawing the negative energy to himself.<\/p>\n

Thinking about the many great souls who suffer serious illness, are martyred, or die young, I asked Swamiji, \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTo others it may appear tragic,\u201d he said, \u201cor bad karma for the saint. But it isn\u2019t. They are doing tapasya<\/em>\u2014gathering energy and offering it to God. You might call it, \u2018putting good karma in the bank,\u2019 creating a storehouse of energy they can draw on later to help launch a new work, or accomplish whatever it is they are here to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

The lawsuit was a necessary rite of passage for all of Ananda\u2014our tapasya<\/em> for Master\u2019s mission.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Swamiji didn\u2019t have a television, rarely listened to the radio, and only occasionally read the newspaper. He wasn\u2019t out of touch, though. Somehow everything he needed to know always came to him. \u201cAs the leader of a large organization, with many people depending on me, it is my duty to know what is happening in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whenever he traveled, he would visit bookstores in the airports and the cities where he was staying, perusing and buying books in many categories. He subscribed to several economic newsletters, mostly fringe, \u201cFor news you don\u2019t see anywhere else.\u201d He was especially interested in anything relating to Master\u2019s prediction of coming hard times, especially when <\/em>it might happen.<\/p>\n

One of the colony leaders asked about a long-term, building project, concerned that hard times would descend before it was finished. Swamiji replied, \u201cI believe collapse is inevitable, but we can\u2019t live in fear of a future that may never come. We have to act in the present, according to present realities. God is our security.\u201d<\/p>\n

In April, he called a community meeting. \u201cThe mass karma of this planet is very heavy. Too many people are ignoring divine law and disrespecting the earth. The planet is a living entity; it responds to human consciousness. Its rhythms are slow, but when it does respond, there is nothing we can do about it. Some say the next two years will determine our destiny for a long time to come.<\/p>\n

\u201cSpiritually, this is a wonderful time to be alive. When things are peaceful, there is less incentive to meditate. Don\u2019t worry<\/em> about the future, prepare<\/em> for it, in the right way. Attune to God, meditate more, meditate with others.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe future isn\u2019t written in stone. If enough people can be brought to a higher level of consciousness, none of the dire things predicted need happen; or, they will happen in a lesser way. Don\u2019t just think about your own safety or spiritual progress. Be a spiritual warrior, sending out rays of light, love, and peace to all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Swamiji always followed Master\u2019s instruction, \u201cBe practical in your idealism.\u201d So the rest of the meeting was about expanding the farm, saving seeds, stockpiling nonperishable foods, and becoming more self-sufficient in terms of water and energy.<\/p>\n

Many of the prophecies said California would fall into the ocean. \u201cMaster said that, except for India, America has the best karma in the world,\u201d Swamiji said, \u201cand California has the best karma in America, in terms of being forward thinking and upward reaching. The whole point of these hard times is to make the world more spiritual. It seems unlikely that the hub of that new consciousness would be wiped out. But if it happens, we\u2019ll have no choice but to accept it!\u201d<\/p>\n

In America today, Swamiji said, there are four reincarnated groups:<\/p>\n

\u00a0Atlanteans<\/em>: Their scientists took that civilization so far into technology, and so far away from harmony with Nature and divine law, that the whole continent of Atlantis sank. They are doing it again, and the results will again be disastrous.<\/p>\n

Romans<\/em>: Their sensuality and lust for power brought that civilization down. They run the entertainment business, and much of the government.<\/p>\n

American Indians<\/em>: Their land was taken, and their way of life destroyed. They have been born mostly white and wealthy enough to buy back what was stolen from them. They are moving back to the land, living simply, close to Nature as they did before. This group is leading the ecology movement.<\/p>\n

East Indians<\/em>: Even though they are mostly in Western bodies, their souls are more attuned to the East, especially India. They are leading the spiritual revolution.<\/p>\n

The two kinds of Indians are aware of each other. The Romans and Atlanteans each exist in their separate worlds. They can barely see each other, and can\u2019t see the Indians at all. History will repeat itself. Greed, sensuality, abuse of power, and extreme technology will eventually bring this civilization down. When the dust settles, those Atlanteans and Romans who are left will be astonished to see both kinds of Indians emerge from the ashes, and rebuild in an entirely new way.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Swamiji had a recording studio at Crystal Hermitage, but when he explained to the engineers how he wanted to do the audio book of The Rubaiyat, <\/em>they felt they didn\u2019t have the right equipment. So he rented a studio, and its resident engineer, near the Palo Alto community. It was very expensive, which put pressure on him to record as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n

Years earlier, Swamiji had received a melody that perfectly fit the rhythm of the quatrains. For the audio book, he sang each one and read its poetic paraphrase, accompanied by a tamboura. Then the music stopped and he read the rest of the commentary.<\/p>\n

A few of us were in the studio with him for the two and a half days it took to record the book. Swamiji hardly took a break. Hour after hour he sat in front of the microphone, singing, reading, then doing it all again for seventy-five quatrains. \u201cSometimes I felt weak and faint, but I would pray to Master, and he gave me the energy to go on.\u201d<\/p>\n

When he reached the final two quatrains, describing the blissful end of the soul\u2019s long journey back to its home in God, Swamiji was overcome with emotion.<\/p>\n

Ah, Moon of my Delight who know\u2019st no wane,<\/em><\/p>\n

The Moon of Heav\u2019n is rising once again:<\/em><\/p>\n

How oft hereafter rising shall she look<\/em><\/p>\n

Through this same Garden after me\u2014in vain!<\/em><\/p>\n

Then, the final verse:<\/p>\n

And when Thyself with shining Foot shall pass<\/em><\/p>\n

Among the Guests Star-scatter\u2019d on the Grass,<\/em><\/p>\n

And in Thy joyous Errand reach the Spot<\/em><\/p>\n

Where I made one\u2014turn down an empty Glass!<\/em><\/p>\n

When he started singing, \u201cAh, Moon of my Delight\u201d <\/em>his voice began to break. By the time he reached, \u201cThrough this same Garden after me\u2014in vain!<\/em>\u201d tears were streaming down his face. He tried to read the poetic paraphrase, but had to stop repeatedly, in a vain effort to gain mastery over himself.<\/p>\n

Swamiji rarely made an outward display of his feelings. He preferred to keep them between himself and God. Now he had no choice. In front of everyone, he sobbed like a child. Between sobs, he managed to say, \u201cIt is so\u2026 beautiful\u2026 So\u2026 beautiful\u2026 What joy\u2026 what joy\u2026 what joy\u2026 to have been part of\u2026 such a\u2026 a\u2026. great work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eventually he began to record again. He was no longer crying, but you could feel the sobs just behind his voice, trying to break through. It was so different from everything else he had done, we knew it could never be used. It was such a profound moment, though, no one dared interrupt.<\/p>\n

When he finished, Swamiji said humbly, \u201cShall I do that again?\u201d Silently we nodded, yes.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of it?\u201d Swamiji asked. Again we nodded, yes. The moment passed, and he finished the recording.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t express in mere words how deeply inspiring this book is,\u201d Swamiji wrote later to the Ananda members. \u201cIt isn\u2019t enough to describe it as a scripture, which it is; for even in scripture there is little to compare with it, in inspiration, deep teaching, and profound relevance for every human being.<\/p>\n

\u201cThough it was Master who wrote it, and all I did was the mere work of editing, I consider it the most important thing I\u2019ve ever done in my life. If Master had written nothing else, this book would guarantee him a place among the great spiritual teachers of the ages.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Sometime in the spring, a man came from New York City to Ananda Village for the sole purpose of having a private meeting with Swamiji. Most first-time visitors do not meet him, unless he happens to be giving a class. This man was so insistent, though, that finally it was arranged.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve come to tell you about a vision I had,\u201d the man said. Tara Mata had appeared to him. In her relationship to Swamiji, she explained, she had allowed herself to be influenced by a memory she\u2019d carried over from a former lifetime.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany times in the years before she engineered my dismissal,\u201d Swamiji said, \u201cTara said to Daya, \u2018Who knows what karma lies between Kriyananda and me?\u2019 She should have heeded her deeper feelings on the matter; they were a warning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tara and Swamiji had been disciples of Adi Shankaracharya, an ancient sage of great renown who organized the Swami Order in India. It seemed that Shankaracharya was a previous incarnation of Master. In that lifetime, too, Swamiji was the head monk. After Shankaracharya died, Swamiji fell into ego. He left the ashram, taking many disciples with him, and set himself up as a rival teacher.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the past, I was eaten up with doubts,\u201d Swamiji said. \u201cNow I have overcome that tendency, but in that incarnation my doubts might well have led me astray.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many of the other SRF leaders, the man said, were also disciples of Shankaracharya. Tara Mata was Swamiji\u2019s adoring younger brother, but when he left the ashram, she did not go with him. Adoration turned to contempt; now he was the enemy <\/em>of her Guru.<\/p>\n

The experience left such a deep impression that her perception of Swamiji in this life was based entirely on what happened then. She and the other SRF leaders had strong negative feelings against Swamiji; but they didn\u2019t really know why <\/em>they felt that way.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey had a pre-existing belief,\u201d Swamiji said, \u201cwhich they supported by reading dark motives into my actions\u2014motives that were never there.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the vision, the man said, it was clear that Swamiji\u2019s motives now are completely pure, and that Master is very pleased <\/em>with him. Tara Mata now sees how very wrong<\/em> she was about Swamiji, and is filled with remorse. But there is nothing she can do about it\u2014except to send this man to ask Swamiji to forgive her. Could he, the man asked, on Tara\u2019s behalf, embrace him in friendship?<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course,\u201d Swamiji said. After a long embrace, the man said goodbye, and immediately drove to the airport and flew back to New York City. Swamiji was about to give a satsang, but the man didn\u2019t stay; he had come for one purpose, now fulfilled.<\/p>\n

Swamiji meditated and reflected on this experience for almost a year before deciding it could be true, and was worth sharing. \u201cNothing else explains the absolute conviction of the SRF leaders that I am an enemy of Master.\u201d<\/p>\n

In explaining the story later, he added the intriguing comment that the karma of betrayal had to be balanced in some lifetime, so he saved the karma until this incarnation, when it could serve a useful purpose. In order to accomplish what Master asked of him, Swamiji had to be freed from SRF. \u201cHe knew I was so loyal, nothing less drastic would have worked.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

One of Swamiji\u2019s lesser known, but still beautiful, songs is I Wonder<\/em>. It is written from a child\u2019s point of view. Observing his parents and baby brother, the child wonders about life. Here is one verse:<\/p>\n

Daddy sits in his study, and hums with his reading<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0The tune of his favorite song.<\/em><\/p>\n

He tells me his \u2018homework\u2019 seems nicer and lighter<\/em><\/p>\n

With music to lift it along.<\/em><\/p>\n

And I sit by my window and wonder<\/em><\/p>\n

Why a book has no song of its own;<\/em><\/p>\n

Why the world doesn\u2019t flood us with music \u2014<\/em><\/p>\n

And why people must sing all alone.<\/em><\/p>\n

Apparently Swamiji, too, wondered why a book has no song of its own, and decided that at least some of his books could have one. He was putting all the Secrets <\/em>together in one volume for Warner, when he thought of writing music that would enhance the impact of the words. \u201cIt came to me in meditation that it should be like a symphony. The first track would be called Life is an Adventure in Self-Awakening<\/em>. It begins with Nature sounds, then the instruments come in one by one, as if different forms of life are awakening.\u201d<\/p>\n

Swamiji planned, at different points in the music, to read appropriate secrets. \u201cI tried to put into melody what the words say. Music is a different language, but no less precise. Some musical phrases, beautiful in themselves, didn\u2019t fit, because they changed the meaning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eventually Swamiji decided the two languages didn\u2019t work together, and issued the CD with the same title as the book, but without any words. The names of the twelve tracks are intriguing, in terms of the message each melody conveys, like Success is Self-Perfection, Friendship is Acting in Freedom, <\/em>and Prosperity is a State of Mind.<\/em><\/p>\n

In the same style, like a symphony, he wrote Life is a Quest for Joy, <\/em>based on a melody he had written years earlier for his slide show, Different Worlds\u2014<\/em>photographs of people showing how different states of consciousness are revealed in the eyes, the physical features, and the habitual attitude of a person.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor that show, I wanted one melody that would somehow capture the entire human condition\u2014all the love, hope, disappointment, and pain that human beings experience in their eternal quest for joy, which they feel intuitively to be their true destiny. When I had clearly in mind the consciousness I wanted to express, I prayed, and the melody was there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Later he wrote I, Omar, <\/em>also in the symphonic style, as the melody for The Rubaiyat. <\/em>\u201cListening to the music while reading the book,\u201d he said, \u201cwill give you a more intuitive understanding of that beautiful scripture.\u201d<\/p>\n

This musical period culminated with a choral piece, Life Mantra. <\/em>\u201cGregorian chanting helped create the Christian church by setting a vibration that kept them all in tune. I was listening to Gregorian chanting, when suddenly this song came to me. This is a new age and Divine Mother is giving us new music to express it.\u201d<\/p>\n

At first Swamiji called it Chant of the Angels<\/em>, for that is how he experienced it. The chords were so complex, he didn\u2019t know what they were. He just found the notes and wrote them down as the angels sang it to him.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

In May, for the first time, SRF issued a printed statement about the controversy with \u201ca group called Ananda.\u201d In the eight-page letter sent to a few of their members, there was no theological musing, no weighing of the issues, no consideration of both sides. Everything was based on a single premise, powerful because of the absolute conviction of those who wrote it: \u201cWe were with Master. We know what he wants.\u201d<\/p>\n

Decisive court actions were presented as tentative; clear issues of law as still open to debate; Judge Garcia as regretting the necessity to rule against SRF. Only on the last page did SRF hint at the true situation: \u201cThe bond with Gurudev will endure whatever conclusions the court may draw.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the same time, we learned that SRF was rushing into print their version of The Rubaiyat, <\/em>to arrive in bookstores just weeks before ours. Theirs was a full color coffee table book, filled with original artwork, priced at half the going rate. Mrinalini\u2019s editing was comparable in scope to what Swamiji had done, but SRF made no mention of an editor, calling their book the pure teachings written by Paramhansa Yogananda.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought they might do something like this,\u201d Swamiji said, \u201cthat\u2019s why I have driven myself so hard this last year to get the book done.\u201d<\/p>\n

He wrote to Daya Mata, which started a brief flurry of correspondence between them\u2014most unusual, since she rarely answered his letters. One of the few remaining issues in the lawsuit was SRF\u2019s claim of \u201cpassing off\u201d\u2014that Ananda deliberately gave the impression of being the same as SRF, or at least affiliated with it. Daya Mata now made it clear that the problem was not implied affiliation, it was that we \u201cpassed ourselves off\u201d as being a legitimate expression of Master\u2019s work.<\/p>\n

She conceded that \u201cJudge Garcia has denied Master\u2019s wishes,\u201d but emphatically stated, \u201cThat doesn\u2019t change the validity of Master\u2019s intentions.\u201d From her tone it was clear that she was making one last effort to persuade Swamiji that \u201cI was with Master; I know what he wants.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Click image to view book page at Crystal Clarity Publishers.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The question of The Rubaiyat<\/em>, Swamiji took to the book trade and the interested public. With great enthusiasm he announced the release of two edited versions <\/em>of Paramhansa Yogananda\u2019s commentary on this little known, even less understood, but nonetheless great <\/em>scripture. Both books were edited by direct disciples appointed and trained to do this work by the Guru himself. Readers will want to buy both of them. He generated so much interest, SRF was forced to acknowledge Mrinalini\u2019s role.<\/p>\n

Given the intensity of Swamiji\u2019s disagreement with Daya Mata and the frank way he expressed it, many were puzzled by his repeated statements of love for her, and for all his SRF gurubhais<\/em>. \u201cI\u2019m unusual,\u201d Swamiji said, \u201cin that my feelings for someone are not affected by their feelings toward me. Once I give my love I never take it back. My behavior<\/em> may change, in response to theirs, but not my love. Were I to stop loving, I, myself, would suffer more than it would be worth to me. Were I to allow myself to be angry, or to hate, I would cheapen my own self.\u201d<\/p>\n

The fact that people fall into delusion is the given<\/em>, not a reason to withdraw one\u2019s loving support. The greater the delusion, the greater the need for that support. That he was the focal point for their delusion was an impersonal fact. He didn\u2019t enjoy it, but it was a reality that had to be faced.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo matter what happens, I keep trying to see that they are really good and saintly people. No matter what happens, they keep trying to see that I am bad!\u201d Then, shaking his head at the absurdity of it all, he said, \u201cWe really aren\u2019t so different, one from another, are we? My hope is that, even at this late stage of her life, Daya Mata may recognize her mistake, and change.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Warner Books launched Secrets of Life <\/em>in a big way. At the end of September, they sent Swamiji on a month-long, eleven-city tour. In each place, their agent met him at the airport and escorted him through a program of book signings, media engagements, talks, and sometimes a conference. In order to start the tour well-rested, in August Swamiji had gone alone on a cruise through the fjords of Norway; then spent several weeks in seclusion in Italy.<\/p>\n

Ever since the incident in Florence, his heart trouble had been getting worse\u2014low energy, shortness of breath, extreme irregularity in his heartbeat. At the end of the book tour, he arrived back at the Village, utterly spent. Still, in the few days he had at home before leaving for one last event in Los Angeles, he finished revising his book, Expansive Marriage. <\/em>After Los Angeles, though, the situation became dire. His heart was racing all the time. The doctor decided to insert a pacemaker, a relatively simple procedure, set for December 9.<\/p>\n

The day before Thanksgiving, November 22, he wrote a letter to Ananda members worldwide. \u201cEvery night when I go to bed I give back to God everything I\u2019ve created and everything I am. Many people in this life have praised me: Shall I thank God for their praise? Praise can become a trap, unless I see clearly that nothing I do is by my power. Divine Mother alone is the doer.<\/p>\n

\u201cAgain, many people in this life have heaped blame on me. Shall I curse them for it? Certainly not. Rather, I extend my heart\u2019s feelings to them in blessing. Well then, shall I allow their criticisms to affect me? Only if I find truth in the criticism, something I can change in myself or in my work. In this case, I am grateful for their advice, and tell them so.<\/p>\n

\u201cSRF\u2019s lawsuit against Ananda continues. The longer they pursue it, the more they stand to lose. I am sorry for the image it creates of our Guru\u2019s mission, but there is nothing any of us at Ananda can do about it, except stand firm by what we believe, and give blessings and love in return.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese blessings and this love are no posturing to impress others. They well up spontaneously in the hearts of the most generous-natured group of people it has ever been my blessing to be associated with.<\/p>\n

\u201cI told our legal team months ago, \u2018What can they do, in the face of their losses? My guess is: persecution, the route so many religions have taken.\u2019 If so, I accept it as Divine Mother\u2019s gift to me. This imperfect world will never give us everything we want. It is a mixture of sand and sugar in equal proportions. Such, quite simply, is the law of maya. <\/em>For every plus, there must always be a minus; for every up, a down. Let us be equally<\/em> grateful for both.\u201d<\/p>\n

Two days later, Swamiji was served with another set of legal papers. Anne-Marie Bertolucci was suing \u201cR\u201d, a married man with whom she had had a brief, consensual affair. Ananda and Swamiji were also named defendants. Because R was an ordained minister, the lawsuit claimed the church and its leader were responsible for his behavior. SRF\u2019s name was nowhere on the documents, but when Swamiji saw the papers he said, \u201cThis has nothing to do with R. This is SRF trying to destroy me.\u201d<\/p>\n

R had been part of Ananda for many years. He lived at the Village with his wife and young daughter. He was ordained, but had no ministerial duties; he worked as a salesman for Crystal Clarity Publishers. At the beginning on 1992, Anne-Marie started taking classes at Ananda Palo Alto. About a year later, she separated from her husband and moved to the Village. She took a job at Crystal Clarity. There she met R and soon started a consensual affair with him. His daughter had just been diagnosed autistic; the stress on his marriage made him vulnerable.<\/p>\n

The affair was short-lived. R soon made the honorable choice to stay with his family. When Anne-Marie went to Swamiji for counseling, he urged her to support R in what she must know in her heart was the right moral decision. Anne-Marie made it clear that she intended to marry R, despite his own resolution to the contrary. \u201cI would be a good mother to his daughter!\u201d she vehemently declared.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t allow you to stay here and break up that marriage,\u201d Swamiji said. \u201cYou have to leave the Village and go live at another Ananda community.\u201d Later he said, \u201cIn that moment, I intuitively knew that this righteous act on my part would bring on a great trial. Still, I didn\u2019t hesitate.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

In the decades since its founding, many thousands of people have passed through Ananda. For most of them, Ananda is a happy memory, an interesting interlude, or simply passes out of their minds altogether. There are a few, however, who can neither stay, nor leave it behind, but must constantly justify their departure by making Ananda wrong\u2014horribly wrong. \u201cSuch people lurk in the shadows of all spiritual organizations,\u201d Swamiji said. \u201cWe have ours; SRF no doubt has theirs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Almost all such people who leave Ananda eventually join SRF, where they are welcomed with open arms\u2014once they prove their loyalty to Master by denouncing Swamiji. A negative, firsthand account of life at Ananda opens many doors in SRF that remain closed to those with nothing comparable to offer.<\/p>\n

No SRF Board member, monk, nun, or lay representative has ever set foot on Ananda property, what to speak of making an official visit; so all their information<\/em> comes from these accounts, which must, by definition, be negative, or the person would never get a hearing.<\/p>\n

This has been the situation since Ananda\u2019s founding, building on itself year after year\u2014a vicious circle we have never found a way to break.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Swamiji wanted Anne-Marie to move far away\u2014to Ananda Assisi, or at least Seattle\u2014but she insisted on coming back to the Palo Alto community. We did our best to help her, but she stayed only a short time. She started going to SRF where she met one of Ananda\u2019s shadow men. This one had so ingratiated himself with SRF that he was in direct contact with Daya Mata and other members of the Board, regularly sending them reports. When SRF filed its lawsuit, their lawyers consulted him as an \u201cexpert on Ananda.\u201d<\/p>\n

This shadow man took Anne-Marie to Mount Washington, where she met with the Board of Directors, had lunch with Daya Mata, and was allowed to meditate in Master\u2019s room, even though it was closed for repairs and no one else was allowed in.<\/p>\n

Undoubtedly, SRF\u2019s lawyers had told them about tarnishment <\/em>as their last hope for regaining exclusive rights. To them, Anne-Marie seemed a gift from God. They embraced her as an innocent victim, conveniently forgetting the old adage, \u201cHell hath no fury like a woman scorned!\u201d Shortly after her visit to Mount Washington, she sued R, Swamiji, and Ananda. Lawsuits are expensive. We knew Anne-Marie had no money, nor did the shadow man who sponsored her. SRF had to be footing the bill.<\/p>\n

The lawyer she hired proudly called himself a \u201ccult buster.\u201d He had sued other spiritual groups\u2014\u201ccults,\u201d he called them\u2014and had a boilerplate lawsuit he always used. For Anne-Marie, he changed a few details, putting \u201cAnanda\u201d and \u201cSwami Kriyananda\u201d where other names had been before. Sex, money, power\u2014every possible abuse was described in lurid detail.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Ananda members celebrate the publication of Swami Kriyananda\u2019s book <\/em>The New Path: My Life With Paramhansa Yogananda, 1976.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

He called Ananda a \u201csham organization,\u201d set up only to provide \u201ca harem for the swami and his minions.\u201d Swamiji was the same as Jim Jones, who ordered his followers to commit suicide; and David Koresh, who led his people in a violent, tragic standoff with the government. There was no logical connection, just guilt by association. At the start of a lawsuit, these are \u201callegations;\u201d facts don\u2019t matter. Proof\u2014or lack of it\u2014doesn\u2019t become an issue until much later in the process.<\/p>\n

Included were several declarations from women who claimed to have had sexual relations with Swamiji\u2014coerced, not consensual. The most recent incident was twelve years earlier; the most distant, thirty years ago.<\/p>\n

A declaration in a lawsuit is not written by the person who signs it. It is carefully crafted by a lawyer to support specific claims. We were familiar with the process. Many of us filed declarations in the SRF suit, about how we related to SRF, how we used Master\u2019s teachings, etc. Our declarations were scrupulously honest; these were not.<\/p>\n

The women were all former Ananda members, now part of SRF. We knew them; we had lived and worked together. The Ananda and the Swami they described bore no resemblance to the experience we had shared at the time. Accusations like this come down to \u201che said, she said,\u201d but when everything else in a declaration is false, it casts grave doubt on the little bit that is left.<\/p>\n

The claims of these women were too old to litigate; their value was as publicity<\/em>. Allegations in a lawsuit are exempt from the libel laws. These were written to be as crude and shocking as possible. Merely to accuse<\/em> a spiritual leader\u2014especially in such quotable terms\u2014is enough to destroy his reputation. Winning in court is extra.<\/p>\n

Minutes after the papers were filed and served, they were delivered to the newspapers in Nevada County, Sacramento, and Palo Alto. By the next morning, news of the Bertolucci lawsuit was on the front page.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

To have some claim of her own against Swamiji, and to make his private life an issue in the lawsuit, Anne-Marie accused him of fraud. The whole time she was part of Ananda, Swamiji was married. Even though Rosanna was often in Italy, everyone at Ananda, including Anne-Marie, knew he was married. He wore a wedding ring; for formal occasions he dressed in white or lavender, never orange, the color swamis wear. Anne-Marie had been to India; she knew the tradition.<\/p>\n

At Crystal Clarity, where she worked, the question of his name\u2014and therefore, his marital status\u2014was often discussed, since they were careful to use \u201cSri\u201d rather than \u201cSwami\u201d as his title.<\/p>\n

But we still called him \u201cSwamiji.\u201d On that basis, Anne-Marie now claimed, she thought he was a celibate monk, and that Ananda was \u201csafe.\u201d Swamiji, she said, was guilty of fraud for encouraging her in what she now claimed were false beliefs.<\/p>\n

The issue, of course, was not celibacy,<\/em> but abuse. <\/em>\u201cI am incapable of imposing my will on another person, for any <\/em>reason,\u201d Swamiji said. \u201cAhimsa\u2014<\/em>harmlessness\u2014is a principle to which I have always <\/em>adhered.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you try to do a good work, inevitably people will try to stop you. You are not doing it to please other people, only to please God. As long as you love, you have nothing to fear; just continue humbly on your way. Master said the best way to deal with karma is to meet it pleasantly.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything Divine Mother gives me, I welcome with joy. I don\u2019t know why, but I feel a great blessing in this lawsuit.\u201d<\/p>\n

On November 25, Swamiji wrote to Ananda members worldwide. \u201cSomething has come up that, while disagreeable, must be faced. And I have to ask you, regretfully, to face it with me. It concerns an attack on Ananda Church, on one of the Ananda ministers, and on me as the spiritual leader of Ananda.\u201d He explained that another lawsuit had been filed. \u201cWe have strong evidence of SRF involvement and view it, therefore, as an extension of their lawsuit against us.\u201d<\/p>\n

He told in detail the story of R and Anne-Marie, including the part he played in trying to keep R\u2019s family together. The lawsuit claimed that Swamiji wanted the affair kept secret to protect the reputation of Ananda. He did ask them not to talk about it, but it was to protect R\u2019s wife and child. The wife was a very private person; if others knew about the affair it would have been especially difficult for her.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Farm apprentices pray before lunch, Ananda Village, 1976.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Keeping it private was also to help Anne-Marie. In matters like this, sympathy tends to go to the wife rather than to the \u201cother woman,\u201d especially when a young child with special needs is involved. Ananda is a charitable community, but it would be easier for Anne-Marie to heal without the negative thoughts that would have come her way if others had known.<\/p>\n

Swamiji then went on to the bigger issues\u2014for Master\u2019s work, and for the whole yoga scene. \u201cI welcome this charge as an important opportunity to clear the air, not only for myself, but for many other spiritual teachers in America who have faced similar charges in recent years.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the letter, he introduced a subject he explored in greater depth in a pamphlet he wrote next, called Gurus, Celibacy, and Spiritual Authority. <\/em>\u201cPeople nowadays, hearing that one needs a living guru, say, as children do, \u2018I want one, too!\u2019 It is God, however, not man, who decides these things.<\/p>\n

\u201cA living example of perfection is not what most people are ready for. Therefore, it is not what they presently need. What they need, rather, is contact with sincere seekers, more advanced perhaps than themselves, but people who, like themselves, are reaching toward the Eternal Light.<\/p>\n

\u201cBetter still is contact with living instruments for the great masters. The disciples of great masters receive the power to transmit those blessings in the name of those masters; never by their own power. Indeed, no true master will ever act in his own name. My own Guru used to say: \u2018I have no disciples. They are God\u2019s disciples\u2019; and again, \u2018I am not your Guru: God is the Guru.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Swamiji went on, \u201cThere are two sides to this question. The first is the difficulty of renunciates who want sincerely to live by principles in which they deeply believe, even when, occasionally, they make mistakes. The second is that of a public that demands a level of perfection toward which few people even aspire in their own lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow often I have seen audiences trying to force us \u2018teachers\u2019 into an artificial mode: \u2018heads of organizations,\u2019 \u2018gurus,\u2019 \u2018perfected masters,\u2019 \u2018spiritually superior.\u2019 Sometimes, I regret to say, I have seen a few of the \u2018teachers\u2019 themselves accepting the roles into which their public cast them.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany of them sincerely want to serve, but don\u2019t know themselves\u2014since most are from India\u2014what image to hold up to this culture, alien as it is to most of the things a swami is supposed to represent. I myself am perhaps unusual in that I am American, and am happy, besides, to let people think of me whatever they want.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I do want to say to people, \u2018Please, treat spiritual teachers as human beings. That\u2019s what we are. We do know something worthwhile, and are eager and happy to share it with you. But for God\u2019s sake don\u2019t treat us as gods. You haven\u2019t the cultural background even to understand what that means.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then he spoke of true renunciation. \u201cCelibacy is an important aspect of renunciation. So also are other aspects, such as simplicity, non-attachment, harmlessness, truthfulness, and a refusal to view the ego and egoic desires as causative factors in life. Nor do these define the whole of what it means. The essence of renunciation is to reach the realization that man himself is nothing; God is everything.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf a person is doing his best, that is all God Himself could possibly ask of him. It is not being hypocritical. It is struggling, with all the strength and ability at his command, to rise toward the Truth, and to leave error behind forever.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it is time people involved in the spiritual scene in the West, particularly those who practice yoga, become more real in their assessments. For there are many teachers who have much to give, if we don\u2019t ask the impossible of them. If they are sincere, they are not merchants trying to get people to buy their wares. They are fellow human beings who understand that the less importance they give to themselves, the more good happens through them.<\/p>\n

\u201cSelf-transformation is a process. It is not the sudden consequence of a mere resolution to change. Values at every level of society should be taken out of the rusty enclosure of absolute definition, and viewed in terms of directional development. We are all working to become better. That \u2018better\u2019 may someday become our personal \u2018best.\u2019 But it certainly won\u2019t become so in a day, a year, or perhaps even in one incarnation.\u201d<\/p>\n

The greatest tragedy falls not on those who strive, but fail to achieve, their high ideals; but on those who judge others for failing. <\/em>Whatever you judge in others, you must eventually experience yourself\u2014in order to learn compassion. When the inevitable karmic reckoning comes, not only will the judgmental soul face the crushing disappointment of his failure; he will also be subject to his own self-condemnation\u2014<\/em>since that is his habitual response when weakness is exposed. The failing is vastly more difficult now to overcome, because of the lack of ability to forgive oneself.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

The first weekend in December we were having our annual Christmas concert in Palo Alto. There was no chance that Swamiji could sing\u2014his heart was too compromised\u2014so he came to listen. The Bertolucci lawsuit was a regular item now in the local papers. \u201cI need to be out in public with all of you,\u201d Swamiji said, \u201cso people will see that I am not afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n

The first half of the program was the premiere\u2014later Swamiji said it should have been called \u201cthe world<\/em> premiere\u201d\u2014of the violin, cello, and keyboard section of Life Is a Quest for Joy, <\/em>followed by a full choir performance of Life Mantra.<\/em> I was sitting next to Swamiji. When the music started, he closed his eyes and didn\u2019t move until the last note sounded. Then I heard him murmur, \u201cThrilling. Just thrilling. <\/em>Everything I hoped it would be.\u201d<\/p>\n

The second half was the Oratorio. Again, Swamiji sat motionless, eyes closed. At the end he whispered, \u201cBeautiful. Beautiful. Beautiful.<\/em>\u201d Slowly, with great effort, he brought himself back to outward consciousness.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

The SRF lawsuit was about the future of Master\u2019s work. This one was a personal attack on Swamiji. \u201cLegally, we have to answer,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd those of you who know me and have been with me all these years may want to speak up on my behalf, but I won\u2019t direct anyone to do that. I am not willing to affirm \u2018Kriyananda\u2019 even to that extent. I am here to overcome the ego, not to defend it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The whole legal team was in Palo Alto for the concert, so we decided to have a meeting\u2014just us, not the lawyers. Swamiji chose not to attend. \u201cThis is your lawsuit,\u201d he said. Later, when the meeting was over, but we were still sitting together in the living room, Swamiji joined us. We gave him a brief summary of what we had decided. He was surprised that we had no plans to answer what was in the newspapers or to generate positive publicity of our own.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the SRF lawsuit I have always felt we should make a strong positive statement of who we are,\u201d he said. \u201cThe lawyers, however, say it isn\u2019t pertinent. In this one, we can finally do it, because who we are <\/em>is the whole case.\u201d<\/p>\n

We explained our reasoning. Our critics love a forum. We know from experience that any effort to defend ourselves in the media, or even to present Ananda in a positive light, will trigger an avalanche of insulting responses\u2014the kind newspapers love to print. Better to be silent and let the whole thing blow over.<\/p>\n

For a long moment, Swamiji said nothing; just stared at the floor. Then he stood up from his chair and said quietly, \u201cThis is your battle to fight, not mine.\u201d Silently, he went back upstairs to his room.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

On December 9, Swamiji checked into Mercy Hospital in Sacramento to have a pacemaker inserted. A series of tests, though, showed the problem was different from what the doctor expected. A pacemaker was not the solution. Swamiji\u2019s heart was greatly enlarged; one valve was seriously damaged, and a major artery was sixty percent blocked. He was a prime candidate for a fatal heart attack. In fact, the doctor was amazed it hadn\u2019t already happened. He wanted Swamiji to stay in the hospital and have surgery as soon as possible.<\/p>\n

Swamiji had promised, however, to tape a cable television show in Palo Alto on December\u00a013. He hadn\u2019t expected it to be a problem; inserting the pacemaker was supposed to be simple. When the doctor objected, Swamiji said, \u201cI gave my word.\u201d Then added, \u201cI have been this way for many months. I don\u2019t think three days is going to matter.\u201d It was agreed that he would stay in the hospital until December 12, when they would check his condition and decide if he could do the recording. On the 12th, he was no worse, so he came to Palo Alto and did a beautiful show about The Rubaiyat, <\/em>even singing some of the quatrains. \u201cI <\/em>couldn\u2019t do it,\u201d he said, \u201cbut God could do it through me.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the way back to the hospital, Swamiji said, \u201cI feel so free and happy. After the operation, I\u2019ll either be better or I will die. Either is fine with me.\u201d The surgery went well, but afterward his heart went into arrhythmia again. The doctor decided a pacemaker was needed after all. After it was inserted, his heartbeat returned to normal.<\/p>\n

At the end of December, Swamiji wrote to the community, \u201cDespite the pain of recovering from the operation, which was to be expected, I feel wonderful\u2014better, in one important respect, than I have in many years. They did put in a pacemaker\u2014peace<\/em>maker, I call it. My heart is now beating regularly, much more efficiently, and feels as though it will finally be my friend. \u2018Blessed are the peacemakers.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cThe cardiologist told me, \u2018I have to say frankly that once your heart went back into arrhythmia after surgery, your chances of coming out it this well were zero<\/em>.\u2019 This is comparable to saying it was a miracle. Still, in the short run, it is rather like being run over by a truck!<\/p>\n

\u201cThis has been my fourth major surgery in less than seven years. Each of the other times has brought me a release of energy for a more constructive and energetic life. I\u2019ve every reason to think the results will be the same this time. In fact, the very day following the surgery I edited the preface for my new book, Expansive Marriage.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

On Christmas Eve, both in a letter and a satsang with the community, Swamiji shared an experience he had while still in the hospital.<\/p>\n

\u201cI became aware of an actual dark force trying to bring Master\u2019s work down, to keep him small, nothing more than a loving \u2018saintlet,\u2019 the \u2018beloved founder\u2019 of an organization.<\/p>\n

\u201cFighting against that darkness, I felt a powerful, expansive force of Light that wants to use Master\u2019s life and teachings to usher in a new age of Dwapara, <\/em>to change, inspire, and guide all of humanity.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe present legal battle is not between two organizations, but between two entirely different concepts<\/em> of Master\u2019s mission. It is the material expression of a war of ideas happening on the causal plane.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI was just recovering from surgery, but I stayed up until well past 1:00 a.m., praying deeply, trying to attune myself to the expansive forces of Light. I felt that force as entirely impersonal, caring not at all for forms, persons, positions, or dogmas. Anyone<\/em> who tunes into that power, no matter what their spiritual path or position in life, can be an instrument for a great wave of Divine Light sweeping over the planet.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the welfare of this world, for the good of humanity, for the fulfillment of Master\u2019s cosmic mission, the expansive force must <\/em>win. No one organization, person, or statement of beliefs can ever, even remotely, define what Master brought. His is a glorious work\u2014so important, so great, that we, as individuals, count for nothing, except as we offer our lives in service to Divine Light and Divine Love.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cNow that SRF has lost everything in court, is there anything they can do to regain their monopoly?\u201d Swamiji addressed this important question to our attorney, Jon. \u201cYes, there is one thing,\u201d Jon said, \u201ca legal principle called tarnishment. If SRF can prove that Ananda is, for example, morally reprehensible, and any association in the … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-289","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n1994: SRF Opens a New Front in Its Lawsuit Against Ananda - Swami Kriyananda: Lightbearer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A 52-year disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda tells how SRF opened a new front in its legal attack on Ananda.\" \/>\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\/1994-srf-opens-a-new-front\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta 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