Swami Kriyananda

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Swami Kriyananda
Born	19 May 1926 Teleajen, Romania

Swami Kriyananda, born J. Donald Walters, is a direct disciple of the yogi Paramahansa Yogananda and had many hours of personal contact with him during the last four years of Yogananda's life (1948 – 1952).^[1] During this time Kriyananda became a minister for Self-Realization Fellowship, founded by Yogananda. Yogananda also asked him to teach Kriya Yoga, which Yogananda called the highest technique of Self-Realization.

Kriyananda is the founder of Ananda, a worldwide movement of spiritual intentional communities based on Yogananda's World Brotherhood Colonies idea. Ananda has meditation centers and study groups throughout the world based on the teachings of Yogananda. ^[2] Kriyananda is also the author of more than 80 books and the composer of over 400 songs. His books and music have sold over three million copies and have been translated into over 24 languages.^[3] In addition to English, he can speak Romanian, Greek, French, and Spanish.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Time with Yogananda 3 World Brotherhood Colonies and other Legacies 4 Books and Music 5 Controversies 6 Recent years 7 Bibliography 8 References 9 See also 10 External links 10.1 Websites supportive of Ananda 10.2 Websites critical of Ananda 10.3 Other

[edit] Early life

Kriyananda was born in Romania into an American family. Growing up in Romania, France, and England, Kriyananda (then "Donald" Walters) returned to America with his family when he was 13 years old to escape World War II. Walters attended an American high school, as well as Haverford College and Brown University, leaving the latter with only a semester left before graduation.^[4]

During this time his interest in spiritual matters was steadily intensifying. In his autobiography, he describes a particular night, during a long walk, when, as he says, he came to realize his life's calling: that of seeking God.

"I realized now that religion is far more than a system of beliefs, and far more than a formalized effort to wheedle a little pity out of God by offering Him pleading, self-condemning prayers and propitiatory rites. If our link with Him lies in the fact that we manifest Him already, then it is up to us to receive Him ever more perfectly, to express Him ever more fully. And this is what religion is all about! True religion consists of a growing awareness of our deep, spiritual relationship with God!" ^{[4] [5]}

[edit] Time with Yogananda

In 1948, Walters read Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi and traveled to California to become a disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda. In the four years that followed, Walters spent time with Yogananda, learning and practicing his teachings, and taking extensive notes of his many conversations with Yogananda. These conversations are recounted in two books written by Kriyananda, The Essence of Self-Realization^[6] and Conversations with Yogananda.^[7]

During that time, Yogananda put Walters in charge of the monks of the Self-Realization monastic order, asked him to write articles for the SRF magazine, and had him lecturing at the SRF centers in Southern California.^[4] Yogananda also ordained him as a minister, and appointed him to initiate students into Kriya Yoga, acting on Yogananda's behalf.^[4] Kriyananda tells many stories of Yogananda's life, and of his own interactions with his Guru, in his autobiography, The Path.^[4]

In 1955, after Yogananda's passing, Walters took the monastic name of "Swami Kriyananda." In 1960, he was made Vice President of Self-Realization Fellowship (the organization that Yogananda founded), but in 1962 he was expelled from SRF. He eventually pursued the task Yogananda imparted to him of "writing, editing, and lecturing"^[4] as well as trying to fulfill his guru's mission of creating "world brotherhood colonies."

[edit] World Brotherhood Colonies and other Legacies

Yogananda wrote and spoke frequently throughout his life about his dream for World Brotherhood Colonies, intentional communities founded on a spiritual basis. Yogananda mentioned World Brotherhood Colonies in his autobiography: "... a project I have long considered is beginning to take definite form. In these beautiful surroundings I have started a miniature world colony. Brotherhood is an ideal better understood by example than precept! A small harmonious group here may inspire other ideal communities over the earth." ^[8] In the last few years of his life especially, he promoted his World Brotherhood Colonies idea. ^{[9] [10] [11]}

Kriyananda established Ananda Village as a World Brotherhood Colony in 1968 on 40 acres of land near Nevada City, California — his portion of a 160 acre parcel acquired with Richard Baker, Gary Snyder, and Allen Ginsberg. (These others were not involved in the founding of Ananda Village.) This first Ananda World Brotherhood Colony has grown to 840 acres, with over 250 residents, schools, businesses, gardens, and a well known retreat center, The Expanding Light. All adult residents are disciples of Paramhansa Yogananda, practising his Kriya Yoga meditation teachings.

Ananda World Brotherhood Colonies have since been established all over the world. Other colonies are in Palo Alto, Sacramento, and Nevada City, California; Portland, Oregon; Seattle, Washington; and Hopkinton, Rhode Island (USA); and Assisi, Italy. Although they exist in a spirit of cooperation, these colonies are legally and financially autonomous. The satellite colonies send 10 percent of their income to Ananda Village, helping to support Ananda's worldwide mission of spreading Yogananda's teachings — which includes the founding of additional colonies, including one in India. In addition to his work in founding these communities, Kriyananda has also written a book about communities entitled Hope for a Better World.

Kriyananda also started Crystal Clarity Publishers, and the well known East-West Book shops in Sacramento, Seattle, and Mountain View, California. He developed a system for educating children called "Education for Life". Members of Ananda, under the guidance and inspiration of Kriyananda, have also established numerous teaching, retreat and meditation centers. Among these, the best known are The Expanding Light Yoga and Meditation Retreat at Ananda Village and the nearby Ananda Meditation Retreat.

[edit] Books and Music

In following his Guru's advice to spend his life "writing, editing, and lecturing",^[4] Kriyananda has said that he felt this meant in part to help bring Yogananda's teachings into practical application. To this end has written on such varied topics as marriage, education, leadership and success, spiritual communities, yoga, self-healing, art, architecture, astrology, and philosophy, as well as editions of Yogananda's teachings and writings on the Bible, the Bhagavad Gita, and other scriptures.

In music, Kriyananda has written devotional chants as well as the music and lyrics for instrumental and choral pieces, including the Christ Lives! oratorio. He also composed the music for Mystic Harp 2, a solo harp CD performed by Derek Bell, member of the Grammy award-winning Irish group The Chieftains. Kriyananda humorously calls his lyrical music "painless philosophy" – that is, the teachings (and vibrations) of his guru made more accessible through song.

[edit] Controversies

• Swami Kriyananda was forced out of Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) in 1962. In his book, The Path, he attributed his removal to a conflict with the SRF Board of Directors. Later in his life, Kriyananda outlined the 1962 conflict as one in particular with Tara Mata and Daya Mata, two members of the SRF Board of Directors. Kriyananda tells the story of his removal in the online book A Place Called Ananda: The Trial by Fire that Forged One of the Most Successful Cooperative Communities in the World Today.

• Self-Realization Fellowship spent twelve years, and millions of dollars (estimated by Ananda to be around $50 million), suing Kriyananda and Ananda over various copyright and trademark issues. SRF, among other charges, claimed exclusive and sole right (trademark and service mark) to the name 'Paramahansa Yogananda' and all images of Yogananda, and the term 'self-realization'. Many Hindu, yoga, and meditation groups filed papers supporting Ananda.
  
  SRF lost nearly every issue in court, including: their claim to own the trademark to the name 'Paramahansa Yogananda'; their claim to sole publicity rights to 'Paramahansa Yogananda'; their attempted trademark on the term 'Self-Realization', which the court ruled is a generic religious term used for hundreds of years; their claim that Ananda was trying to 'pass itself off' as SRF; their claim that Yogananda's writings were 'work for hire' done as an employee of SRF, and done as part of the SRF 'corporate body', as opposed to Yogananda writing them himself [1]; their claim to own copyrights on certain photos of Yogananda; their claim that Ananda violated SRF's copyrights to magazine articles written by Yogananda (the court ruled that Ananda's use was 'fair use').
  
  The court ruled in SRF's favor on only one issue - their claim that Ananda violated SRF copyrights to sound recordings of Yogananda's voice. As a result of the lawsuit, Ananda began publishing the first edition of Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi. Read Ananda's report on the lawsuit: "Ananda Wins More Than 95% of a 12-Year Lawsuit Filed by Self-Realization Fellowship." Read SRF's report: "Copyright Lawsuit."

• In 1997-98 lawsuit, a former resident of Ananda filed suit against Ananda, Ananda minister Danny Levin, and Swami Kriyananda. In the course of the trial, eight women testified that Kriyananda had used his power as the leader of Ananda to obtain sexual gratification from them. The jury found the church (Ananda), and Kriyananda liable for "constructive fraud", with a finding of "malice and fraudulent conduct". The church, Kriyananda and Ananda minister Daniel Levin were found liable for "intentional infliction of emotional distress" with a finding of "malice" and a finding of "despicable conduct" against the church. The church was found liable for "negligent supervision" of Kriyananda, with a finding of "malice and fraud" on the part of the church. The jury also found that Levin had made "unwelcome sexual advances". Self-Realization Fellowship's involvement in this lawsuit includes the following: the woman who filed suit against Ananda met with Daya Mata (President of SRF) and SRF Board of Directors before filing the lawsuit; an SRF member served as lead attorney (the same attorney also advised SRF on their copyright lawsuit against Ananda); SRF members served as legal aides. All this is detailed in the article "Does SRF Have Unclean Hands?"

• In March, 2004, Italian authorities raided the Ananda colony in Assisi, responding to allegations of a disgruntled former resident who accused Ananda Assisi of fraud, usury and labor law violations. Nine Ananda residents were detained for questioning. They also had a warrant for Kriyananda's detention, but Kriyananda was in India. No charges were ever filed and by mid-year 2006, the local controversy seemed to have died down. [2]

[edit] Recent years

Kriyananda married in 1981 and publicly renounced his monastic vows on the occasion of his second marriage in 1985. He was later divorced. In 1995, he officially resumed his monastic vows and title.

In 1996, Swami Kriyananda began to spend most of his time at the Ananda Italy center. In 2004, he moved to India, where he began an Ananda center in Gurgaon, near Delhi, where he currently resides. He appears daily on Aastha TV, a cable station that shows throughout India, Asia, Europe, and now in the U.S. He also appears daily on the Sadhna channel, an Indian cable station. Ananda teachers are now giving classes on meditation and Kriya Yoga in many major Indian cities. [3]

In 2006, because of his service to the spiritual future of humanity, Swami Kriyananda was nominated and accepted as a Creative Member of the prestigious Club of Budapest, joining such world-renowned figures as the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, Mikhail Gorbachev, and Jane Goodall among others. [4]

[edit] Bibliography

• Art as a Hidden Message: A Guide to Self-Realization
• Awaken to Superconsciousness: How to Use Meditation for Inner Peace, Intuitive Guidance, and Greater Awareness
• Affirmations for Self-Healing
• The Art of Supportive Leadership: A Practical Guide for People in Positions of Responsibility
• The Art & Science of Raja Yoga
• Ananda Yoga for Higher Awareness
• The Beatitudes: Their Inner Meaning
• Cities of Light: What Communities Can Accomplish in the New Age
• Conversations with Yogananda: Stories, Sayings, and Wisdom of Paramhansa Yogananda
• Do It Now
• The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita: Explained by Paramhansa Yogananda
• As Remembered by His Disciple, Swami Kriyananda
• Education for Life: Preparing the Children to Meet the Challenges
• Expansive Marriage: A Way to Self-Realization
• The Essence of Self-Realization: The Wisdom of Paramhansa Yogananda
• God is For Everyone: Inspired by Paramhansa Yogananda
• How to Be a True Channel
• Hope for a Better World: The Small Communities Solution
• The Hindu Way of Awakening: Its Revelation, Its Symbols: An Essential View of Religion
• Intuition for Starters: How to Know and Trust Your Inner Guidance
• The Land of Golden Sunshine: An Allegory of Soul-Yearning
• Life's Little Secrets
• Little Secrets of Friendship
• Little Secrets of Happiness
• Little Secrets of Success
• Money Magnetism: How to Attract What You Need When You Need It
• Meditation for Starters
• Meditation for Starters (Book & CD Set)
• Out of the Labyrinth: For Those Who Want to Believe, But Can't
• A Place Called Ananda: The Trial by Fire That Forged One of the Most Successful Cooperative * * * * Communities in the World Today
• The Promise of Immortality: The True Teaching of the Bible and Bhagavad Gita
• The Path: One Man's Quest on the Only Path There Is
• The Peace Treaty: A Play in Three Acts
• Rays of the One Light: Weekly Commentaries on the Bible & Bhagavad Gita
• Rays of the Same Light: Volume 1
• Rays of the Same Light: Volume 2
• Rays of the Same Light: Volume 3
• Sadhu Beware!: A New Approach to Renunciation
• Secrets of Bringing Peace on Earth
• The Story Behind The Story: My Life of Service Through Writing
• Secrets of Comfort and Joy
• Secrets of Emotional Healing
• Secrets of Friendship
• Secrets of Happiness
• Secrets of Inner Peace
• Secrets of Leadership
• Space, Light, and Harmony: The Story of Crystal Hermitage
• Secrets of Love
• Secrets of Meditation
• Secrets for Men
• The Singer & The Nightingale
• Secrets of Prosperity
• Secrets of Radiant Health
• Secrets of Success
• Secrets of Self-Acceptance
• Secrets for Women
• Secrets of Winning People
• Your Sun Sign as a Spiritual Guide

[edit] References

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] Websites supportive of Ananda

• Official biographical website of Swami Kriyananda
• Ananda's primary website
• Website of Ananda's publishing house
• Ananda India
• Website by friends of Ananda outlining changes made to Yogananda's teachings by SRF
• Website by friends of Ananda responding to the claims of Ananda's critics regarding the lawsuits against Ananda

[edit] Websites critical of Ananda

• Ananda Awareness Network - trial deposition transcripts, etc.
• Another site written by former members of Ananda

[edit] Other

• Recent Interview with Swami Kriyananda, May 12, 2006
• Article on the Bertolucci Lawsuit.
• This page contains articles collected by Rick Ross Institute on Swami Kriyananda and Ananda.
• Ananda Organization