{"id":942,"date":"2022-10-22T16:42:16","date_gmt":"2022-10-22T16:42:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/?p=942"},"modified":"2022-11-05T15:26:09","modified_gmt":"2022-11-05T15:26:09","slug":"conversations-with-ananda-ch-11-nayaswami-vidura-managing-a-paramhansa-yogananda-world-brotherhood-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/conversations-with-ananda-ch-11-nayaswami-vidura-managing-a-paramhansa-yogananda-world-brotherhood-community\/","title":{"rendered":"Conversations With Ananda — Ch. 11: Nayaswami Vidura: Managing a Paramhansa Yogananda World Brotherhood Community"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Vidura during the first Nayaswami initiation, led by Swami Kriyananda in Assisi, Italy in 2009.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Vidura Smallen<\/strong> comes from a background in construction. At the time of our conversation he served as co\u2011general manager of the Ananda community in Nevada City, California, together with his wife, Durga. Vidura\u2019s boundless energy and dedication to the spiritual values of kindness and service mark him as a \u201cboss who never bosses,\u201d and one who inspires others without seemingly trying to.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> In your position as Ananda\u2019s general manager, what does your work involve?<\/p>\n

Vidura:<\/strong> Swami Kriyananda appointed Jyotish and Devi Novak as the acting spiritual directors, and my wife Durga and me as general managers. We work closely with Jyotish and Devi. I represent the left brain. My department does accounting and fundraising. But Swami Kriyananda counseled me strongly to stay in right\u2011brain mode, because he said we want to keep the practical and the spiritual in balance.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> What\u2019s the danger in not balancing them?<\/p>\n

Vidura:<\/strong> I think the danger is that if you view things too much from the practical side, you can become contractive. You can tie yourself in knots. I don\u2019t believe we\u2019ve ever done that, but at any rate, he was telling me to be expansive and creative.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> When you\u2019re solving a problem and trying to be expansive, what\u2019s that like?<\/p>\n

Vidura:<\/strong> In our meetings with the various departments in the community, we might be tempted to say, \u201cWe don\u2019t have enough money. Work out your own problems.\u201d But we need to help people feel that they\u2019re being heard and supported, and that we\u2019ll do what we say. An obvious way to support them is to make sure we\u2019re willing to push the envelope \u2013 that we\u2019re aggressively but not irresponsibly expansive.<\/p>\n

There are a lots of things we\u2019ve done that didn\u2019t look practical at first. Like the museum we\u2019re building for relics related to the life of Paramhansa Yogananda. At a time when Ananda is facing a big, expensive lawsuit, I feel it\u2019s important for us to put something significant in the ground, so that people can feel that we\u2019re growing. It\u2019s something positive and creative that we can focus on. \u201cHey, look what we did this year, despite the lawsuit.\u201d We\u2019re refusing to pull in our heads. We\u2019re building something positive and serviceful, in a responsible, creative way.<\/p>\n

So it\u2019s aggressive expansion. We aren\u2019t merely sitting here waiting for Divine Mother to roll out the shekels. It\u2019s creative, expansive work, from the right brain. That\u2019s what we mean by \u201cexpansive left\u2011brain\u201d energy.<\/p>\n

Swami has been hammering at me to be creative and expansive. But if I\u2019m not working on a responsible, practical level, who will? Someone has to stand up for that side. So much of our energy goes into compliance with tax regulations, paying lawyers, etc. So we have to be practical, but we can\u2019t let our practicality become stilted and uncreative.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> Jyotish said that you work well together. What kinds of issues come up during those meetings?<\/p>\n

Vidura:<\/strong> We have a basic trust that allows us to be friends. I can talk to him about anything, and I can disagree with him about anything. We\u2019re have an exchange of ideas that\u2019s open and honest.<\/p>\n

I find that he\u2019s very flexible. I also find that he\u2019s creatively \u201cway out there.\u201d You\u2019ll get lots of misses when his ideas aren\u2019t grounded, but sometimes you\u2019ll make breakthroughs. I find that we\u2019re able to arrive at solutions that we might not, if we were defensive of our positions. For example, if I stood up for the left brain all the time, \u201cLet\u2019s not get into that airy\u2011fairy stuff, because we\u2019ll run into problems.\u201d But we don\u2019t talk like that. It\u2019s been a harmonious interchange, and I greatly value his advice and insight.<\/p>\n

When Jyotish worked at the Expanding Light, he loved to do budgets. He would use his computer to figure out all these details, and we would laugh at him. But for him, it was an exercise in understanding what was going on, so it was very practical. But that aspect of his nature also makes it easy for us to communicate. He can flip between the practical and the super\u2011expansive.<\/p>\n

In terms of how we manage Ananda, I can bounce anything off of Jyotish. For example, here in the community there\u2019s lots of pressure on people\u2019s finances, and it\u2019s not just a matter of whether people are getting enough money. There are philosophical issues, too. For example, what does \u201csimple living\u201d mean? And are you going to pay a person based on their \u201cperceived need?\u201d And how does \u201cperceived need\u201d relate to \u201creal need?\u201d Do we compensate people based on trying to make them comfortable, so that they don\u2019t need to worry about financial concerns? And if we begin to get lots of money, do we start compensating people in a generous way, so they\u2019ll have money to take a vacation in Hawaii?<\/p>\n

Salaries are a very complex issue at Ananda, because there are different levels of compensation. A single person with a child gets paid a different rate than a couple who both work and have two children, and so on. We\u2019re trying to come up with a plan that\u2019s fair but easy to administer, and that makes sense. For example, there may be some people who\u2019ve got an inheritance and don\u2019t need a big salary, and they\u2019ll be paid below the average.<\/p>\n

A person may come here owing child support for a kid who\u2019s living in Oregon. Maybe they see the child only once a year, but they still have that obligation. Or some people may have extraordinary medical needs. And because our compensation tends to run near break\u2011even for most people, we need to realize when people are going through emotional stresses, so that we can decide whether to give them a higher salary for a while, to help them avoid going deeply into debt.<\/p>\n

Our system needs a degree of flex. When I look at a salary, I\u2019d like to have the feeling that it\u2019s been decided in the context of the guidelines we\u2019ve set out, but also in recognition of the unique needs of the individuals or families. The policy doesn\u2019t have to be exactly on target, but there has to be a commonly shared rationale that allows the salary to be what it needs to be.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s just one issue among many. It\u2019s an ongoing process, because there will always be individual needs that have to be worked out. You\u2019re in a monastic order, getting a salary, and you factor children into it, and then there\u2019s housing. So it\u2019s a complex situation.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> You\u2019re involved in that issue, and at the same time you\u2019re obligated to dive into many other issues, such as building a new office complex.<\/p>\n

Vidura:<\/strong> It\u2019s taken me quite a while to grow into the ability to go deeply into many, many issues. And one way I\u2019ve been able to do that is by delegating to others. At one point, Latika Parojinog and I were basically doing it all. She managed the general fund, and I did the general manager\u2019s job. Now I\u2019ve brought many other people on, and as soon I get overwhelmed in one area, it generally means it\u2019s time to pass along some of the work to someone who can give it a more focused energy.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> It sounds as if there are some high\u2011pressure jobs in management here. Can you talk about how people keep their heads above water?<\/p>\n

Vidura:<\/strong> Swami Kriyananda has said many times that Ananda\u2019s biggest test will be its prosperity. I think we\u2019ve entered that test now, because we are prosperous. And at least part of our prosperity has come because we\u2019ve become engaged in \u201cthe real world\u201d through our businesses. Of course, we also operate in the real world through many of our internal departments. For example, the accounting department complies 100% with the tax regulations. So we have to jump through all the hoops that a normal corporation would. We also operate businesses in the outside environment. Mountain Song has to compete with the other creative boutiques in Nevada City, and Earth Song is located in a competitive area for restaurants. [Mountain Song and Earth Song were a women\u2019s clothing and gift store and a health food store and restaurant that Ananda formerly owned in Nevada City.]<\/p>\n

So our jobs tend to involve the same responsibilities that everyone is facing \u201cout in the world.\u201d They aren\u2019t airy\u2011fairy toned\u2011down jobs especially created for devotees. They have real bottom-line accountability. And if we don\u2019t pull our end together, we won\u2019t be able to keep offering Paramhansa Yogananda\u2019s teachings, and the community won\u2019t work. So it\u2019s a big responsibility.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> If a single business failed, could it drag the whole community backward?<\/p>\n

Vidura:<\/strong> It could drag our whole community backward. But I think that the effort to live a balanced life without succumbing to the pressures is a fantastic opportunity to test the truth of our teachings. We\u2019re out here in \u201cthe cold light of day,\u201d as Sister Gyanamata put it. [Sister Gyanamata was Paramhansa Yogananda\u2019s most spiritually advanced woman disciple. She said, \u201cYour spirituality is tested in the cold light of day.\u201d]<\/p>\n

And, while we do have the support of these teachings, we also have, in some cases, difficult assignments.<\/p>\n

Then, too, we\u2019re aware that the world will be looking to us for an example of how to handle these difficult jobs as devotees. How can you handle the stresses and still be a devotee? It\u2019s a challenge. I think it\u2019s a school for realizing that God is the doer. There\u2019s nothing fancy about it. It\u2019s a situation where we can experiment and prove that the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda and Swami Kriyananda give us the clarity we need to make our lives work, however difficult they may be. And for all the intensity and seriousness that I\u2019m giving it right now, we\u2019ve still got to remain light in our consciousness.<\/p>\n

Just three days ago there was a big earthquake in Southern California, and who knows, our businesses may be gone next week. So I think we have to remember the cosmic perspective. I think that what enables us to do it is by living close to the source of sure and true guidance. I keep Yogananda\u2019s picture on the wall, and I never go by it without trying to get my mind back to that vibration. I don\u2019t have a meeting but that someone is sitting under Yogananda\u2019s picture, and I have to look at Master while I\u2019m talking to them. I do lots of things like that, to keep reminding myself.<\/p>\n

If I see that one of the people I work with is getting \u201coff\u201d a little spiritually, I\u2019ll ask them not to come to work in the morning until they\u2019ve meditated for an hour. Because we have to put that first. And that\u2019s the balance.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> Does it work? Are people doing their jobs well, and are they balanced and happy?<\/p>\n

Vidura:<\/strong> I think that people are very successful at their jobs. But I will say this. I think we are approaching a major adjustment at Ananda. I think we\u2019ve pushed it to the limit in terms of putting ourselves in stressful situations, and creating new jobs that have too much stress built in. We\u2019ve created family and housing situations that are too pressurized. And I think we\u2019re entering a time now when it will be appropriate to go back to our roots, and once again raise the flag for \u201cplain living and high thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n

[Paramhansa Yogananda urged people to create communities such as Ananda where people could gather together with others of like mind and practice \u201cplain living and high thinking.\u201d]<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll need to rediscover ways to cooperate, ways to cut down on the need for such pressurized lifestyles. Because I see a danger in that. I see lots of people having a hard time handling the pressures they\u2019re facing in living here, and in their jobs.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> Do you also find that people get relief when they need it? Or do they simply crash and burn? Does the community go through cycles of pressure and easing\u2011off?<\/p>\n

Vidura:<\/strong> Yes, I think we do go through those cycles. But I think it may be important to consider some basic changes that will relieve those pressures. The warning bells go off when ten percent of the population are experiencing extreme difficulties. I think there will always be a certain number of people who are on an \u201cup\u201d or a \u201cdown\u201d cycle. But when the proportion begins to shift out of a certain normal range, those warning bells start telling me that we\u2019d better look at the system. Because in that case, it\u2019s not just the person \u201cexperiencing their stuff.\u201d And we need to adjust the system.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> There, again, the spiritual principles of expansion come in, don\u2019t they \u2013 thinking of people\u2019s needs?<\/p>\n

Vidura:<\/strong> Yes. We haven\u2019t talked about that. But it\u2019s a guideline that I try to live by, to look at the individual\u2019s needs first. That doesn\u2019t mean that a person who\u2019s having a hard time and driving everybody nuts is the only one whose needs need to be looked at. Because the needs of the person who\u2019s trying to manage or counsel them also have to be considered. So there\u2019s a balance.<\/p>\n

We have the Ananda motto, \u201cPeople are more important than things.\u201d But it\u2019s not as easy as walking in the door and championing the underdog and smacking the managers around because they\u2019ve \u201cmistreated\u201d these people. It\u2019s not that simplistic at all. Usually, it\u2019s very much more complex. But the principle still holds that we pick it up first from the perspective of the individual, and not the organization.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> Do you receive guidance in your meditations and prayers?<\/p>\n

Vidura:<\/strong> I find that if I take the time to be calm and listen, then I do get good guidance. I would say that when I do that, my guidance is exceptionally clear. In fact, I feel that I hardly ever make a mistake, if I can first get calm enough to listen to my intuition.<\/p>\n

God gives real good guidance, if you take the time to listen to it. My experience is that it\u2019s pretty close to infallible. I don\u2019t have visions; it\u2019s just that if I\u2019m moving in the wrong direction, I\u2019ll feel it as a nervousness in my heart. I know that I can always go inside and feel if it\u2019s right or wrong.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> God seems to push us sometimes for no other reason than to force us to call on Him\u00a0and develop that relationship. With the pressures you\u2019ve been talking about, do you think that maybe they exist for that reason?<\/p>\n

Vidura:<\/strong> I think we generally need to get hit over the head before we\u2019re prepared to listen. Our egos need to get pretty well devastated before we\u2019ll soften up enough to be willing to really listen to Divine Mother. Look around you. It happens a lot, to good people. We\u2019re living in a community where it\u2019s very easy to pass judgment on one another, because we can so easily see the mistakes the other people are making. But where are you going to find people who are willing to lay their lives out in front of others like that? I come from a background of being a strong, silent type, male, completely self\u2011contained.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> I met your dad once. He was very much like that.<\/p>\n

Vidura:<\/strong> Yes, very much like that. Not needing anyone. \u201cI can take care of myself.\u201d And I was appalled at first, at people\u2019s ability here in the community to have a very messy, emotional divorce, for example. A divorce with accusations and love\u2011triangles, all of this stuff, that would take place right in the middle of our home here. This happens, we\u2019ve all seen it \u2013 and then for the husband and wife to be able to both stay here, both remain in the community, and let the other one get married. You know, they both remain here and stay committed to the work and keep going. That\u2019s been extremely impressive, because my inner instinct would be to say \u201cMy God, if something like that were to happen to me, I\u2019d be gone. I\u2019d be right out the door.\u201d I wouldn\u2019t leave Master, but I couldn\u2019t possibly do something like that in front of all my brothers and sisters. And then, as I think about it, my hat goes off to people who can go through that and hold theire heads high and smile and go on.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> I remember praying to God once as the Divine Mother, and getting an intuitive reply: \u201cI am not interested in your faults. I am interested only in your continual improvement.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vidura:<\/strong> Yes. And seeing Swami\u2019s unbelievable ability to look at every person in terms of their highest potential. Someone will be mentioned for a job, or Swami will bring up someone\u2019s name for a project, and I\u2019ll think, \u201cOh my God, they\u2019ve just ruined that department!\u201d Or they\u2019ve just gotten a divorce, or they\u2019ve made a wreck of their personal lives, or their finances are shot. But he doesn\u2019t see it like that at all. He looks at that soul as a potential, with no judgment on the past. Like you were saying about Divine Mother\u2019s response. He\u2019s such an example in that\u00a0way. He says, \u201cLook at this one! Just look at his potential. Look at these attributes. Look at what he could do!\u201d<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> It\u2019s astounding.<\/p>\n

Vidura:<\/strong> It\u2019s astounding, yes. And I\u2019ve seen it over and over. I see it as an example for all of us to try to emulate. I\u2019m in a position where I\u2019m hiring and firing all the time, moving people from here to there. So over the years I\u2019ve really watched how Swami Kriyananda works with people. And he sets truly a great example.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> Do you find that you\u2019re learning the same tolerance for people\u2019s faults?<\/p>\n

Vidura:<\/strong> Yes, because I\u2019ve been seriously trying to. For a long time, I used to read the leadership book once a week. [The Art of Supportive Leadership<\/em>, published under Swami Kriyananda\u2019s American name, J. Donald Walters.]<\/p>\n

We\u2019re here as disciples. We\u2019re trying to learn. And wherever we\u2019ve been placed, we need to realize that it\u2019s an opportunity to grow, if we\u2019ll only take it. And we can then thank Master for the opportunities we\u2019ve been given. I see my position as an opportunity for growth. I see what I might have done, if I hadn\u2019t had the good karma to be able to say \u201cyes\u201d often enough to Swami \u2013 to have sufficient willingness to say \u201cyes\u201d to some of the things that I assumed at first were way, way beyond my capabilities.<\/p>\n

No way would I ever have perceived myself being able to do some of the things I\u2019ve been asked to do. Fortunately, I\u2019ve been able to do most of them with some degree of success. But that wasn\u2019t the measure \u2013 whether the project was successful. It was more a measure of my willingness to put myself on the line. If you say yes to God\u2019s will for you, I don\u2019t know if the outcome will always be successful. You might have to accept that God\u2019s will may be for you to get your hands slapped. But the fact that you\u2019re willing to say yes and give it your all is the most important thing. And then, let the fruits of it fall into His hands. And then to be able to accept that.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> That\u00a0has brought growth for you?<\/p>\n

Vidura:<\/strong> Oh, yes. Beyond any desire on my part to grow at that rate. [Vidura laughs uproariously.] Because obviously, to go through the pain that that rate of growth produces \u2013 I wouldn\u2019t mind taking four or five years and just sitting on a beach in Hawaii. Once in awhile, that thought comes to my mind. But I feel that we\u2019re here to live a life that can make a difference, for our spiritual growth, and because we\u2019re serving a work that can serve millions all over the world. And when you step back and look at it, what more could you ask?<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> Do you look back and see that it has been a joy, to scramble around doing God\u2019s will?<\/p>\n

Vidura:<\/strong> Yes. I have no bad thoughts, looking back. I think about that sometimes. When I was going through it, sometimes all I could see was the hard times and the stresses. But, boy, I look back at these twenty years and I say, \u201cGod, what a blessing, and what a joy it\u2019s been!\u201d I wouldn\u2019t do any of it differently, in hindsight. I would only try to do it better.<\/p>\n

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

Vidura Smallen comes from a background in construction. At the time of our conversation he served as co\u2011general manager of the Ananda community in Nevada City, California, together with his wife, Durga. Vidura\u2019s boundless energy and dedication to the spiritual values of kindness and service mark him as a \u201cboss who never bosses,\u201d and one … 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-942","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nConversations With Ananda — Ch. 11: Nayaswami Vidura: Managing a Paramhansa Yogananda World Brotherhood Community - Swami Kriyananda: Lightbearer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda reveals basic principles of operating a spiritual community.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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