Richard Skillman, Ananda member and filmmaker from Vashon Island, has embarked on an archival project to record the testimonies and stories of Ananda members in their experiences with Swami Kriyananda (Ananda’s founder and direct disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda) and in living in the Ananda Communities. Other interviews are focused in what we call the “joyful arts.”

Here is a sampling of his interviews. “Rick” has interviewed dozens of Ananda members at Ananda Village, California and Swami Kriyananda. If you would like to see more of these, go to anandajoyfularts.com.

Niyaswami Hriman talks about Joy and its importance on the spiritual path

Richard Skillman, Ananda member and filmmaker from Vashon Island, has embarked on an archival project to record the testimonies and stories of Ananda members in their experiences with Swami Kriyananda (Ananda’s founder and direct disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda) and in living in the Ananda Communities. Other interviews are focused in what we call the “joyful arts.”

Here is a sampling of his interviews. “Rick” has interviewed dozens of Ananda members at Ananda Village, California and Swami Kriyananda. If you would like to see more of these, go to anandajoyfularts.com.

Facing and Preparing for Swami Kriyananda’s Departure

Richard Skillman, Ananda member and filmmaker from Vashon Island, has embarked on an archival project to record the testimonies and stories of Ananda members in their experiences with Swami Kriyananda (Ananda’s founder and direct disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda) and in living in the Ananda Communities. Other interviews are focused in what we call the “joyful arts.”

Here is a sampling of his interviews. “Rick” has interviewed dozens of Ananda members at Ananda Village, California and Swami Kriyananda. If you would like to see more of these, go to anandajoyfularts.com.

Meeting Swami Kriyananda

Your work with Swamiji

Richard Skillman, Ananda member and filmmaker from Vashon Island, has embarked on an archival project to record the testimonies and stories of Ananda members in their experiences with Swami Kriyananda (Ananda’s founder and direct disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda) and in living in the Ananda Communities. Other interviews are focused in what we call the “joyful arts.”

Here is a sampling of his interviews. “Rick” has interviewed dozens of Ananda members at Ananda Village, California and Swami Kriyananda. If you would like to see more of these, go to anandajoyfularts.com.

When did you, Hriman, first meet Nayaswami Kriyananda?

Finding Ananda and Padma

Wouldn’t you like to be happy all the time? Who wouldn’t? The fact is, it’s possible. But, ah, like so many things, there’s a trick. The trick is that happiness does not come from things. “Oh, I know I’ll be happy if I can just get ________ (you fill this in): that promotion, a new car, win the lottery… oh, the list is endless! Those who have learned this secret of happiness attest that happiness is an attitude; it is a conscious choice; it is a deliberate act of will.

There’s a fun little book by Paramhansa Yogananda (author of the well known classic, “Autobiography of a Yogi”) and it’s titled How to Be Happy all the Time. The author writes, “To seek happiness outside ourselves is like trying to lasso a cloud. Happiness is not a thing: It is a state of mind. It must be lived. Neither worldly power nor money can ever capture happiness.”

One who discovers that true happiness is within lives like a king, whether in the sunshine of success or under the clouds of conflict. Some of the key points the author makes in the book include separating needs from wants; living within your means; sharing what you have with others, having a clear conscience; learning proper behavior and attitude; and much more! Happiness can be learned by the calm, steady, day-by-day practice of simple attitudes, affirmations, and techniques.

Larry Rider teaches classes on this subject (and others) at the Ananda Meditation Temple, 23305 Bothell Everett Highway in Bothell, down the street (north) from Country Village. Upcoming classes include How to Have Courage, Calmness & Confidence.  Call 425-806-3700 or visit www.AnandaBothell.org for more information.

Dear Friends,

We do, indeed, live in “interesting times” as the oft-quoted Chinese blessing suggests. We have much to celebrate in this holy season, but celebrating only the good things of life which are, by their nature, evanescent, is not enough to satisfy our soul’s state of joy. The challenges of our lives and our times, while not cause for celebration, are necessary to remind us that “joy is within you.” “Joy is within you” is the Ananda motto that goes with the Joy symbol Ananda logo. Jesus Christ, long ago, put it this way: “The kingdom of heaven is within you.”

The joy of the Christmas season re-affirms the primacy of universal spiritual values and states of consciousness over material comforts. Whether our “stocks” are up or whether they are down, the important things in life are friendship, compassion, self-giving, a joyful attitude, a positive attitude, and faith and devotion to God. The path of meditation teaches us to seek inner communion with the living Christ, the only reflection (or “son”) of God which is to be found within ourselves and in every atom of creation. This is our highest duty and our greatest reward, for as Jesus counseled us, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and its righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” Thus God, in the form of the Christ intelligence, lives in this world at the still center of all things and in our own heart.

For this purpose was Paramhansa Yogananda born and sent to the West. It was Jesus himself, Yogananda proclaimed, who came to the peerless master, Babaji, in the Himalaya, to ask that Babaji send to the west a messenger to bring the science of meditation and kriya yoga to resurrect the living Christ in all true hearts from the tomb of sectarian dogmas, creeds, and religious rivalries.

We mustn’t succumb to discouragement or cynicism when see our ideals so oft trampled upon by the ignorance or greed of people in power. This world, created by God, operates through the law of “maya,” a confusing and ever-changing blend of positive and negative qualities and consciousness. We see the spring shoots of democracy in other lands even as we fear our democratic values are being eroded bit by bit in the name of security, or slowly sinking in a miasma of partisan politics. Ordinary Americans are beginning to wake up to why other nations have equated our form of democracy with exploitation of their resources. We have seen that in our country, too, “the rich get richer” as scandal after scandal reveals greed, corruption, and complicity in high places.

We yearn to “occupy” once again our own nation and re-affirm the ideals upon which it was founded. For now we find confusing, even disturbing, how a totalitarian nation rises in wealth, power, and influence as our democratic one appears to diminish. We of goodwill must pledge to adopt sustainable lifestyles of body, mind, and spirit that the changes so desperately needed may sweep the globe by example rather than by force, legislation, or economic sanctions.

It is right for each of us to be part of solutions and the impetus for positive changes. But we must strive to do so with peace in our hearts and nonattachment to the results in our souls. For this world is His, not ours alone!

Thus it is that we should heed the soul’s call to go within. For in God can we find the strength and courage to affirm hope for a better world. We believe that the years to come may be challenging for our nation and for many nations of the world. The divine purpose of this period of testing will be to use the karma of the past actions of nations to purify and uplift the consciousness of humanity. The devotee’s response to challenge must be one of faith in God’s wisdom, goodness, and love. For those who will unite in heart and hands to serve a higher ideal and the divine Will, it is a great opportunity for spiritual growth.

Let us therefore take the message of Christmas — that the divine Light resides in all hearts— into our prayers and meditations, and into our daily life. Let every day in the New Year be a celebration of our Oneness in God.

Joy to you,

Nayaswamis Hriman and Padma McGilloway

Raja yoga is not a sectarian practice, nor yet a specialized form of yoga. Raja yoga refers to the entire body of psycho-physiological practices which relax and purify the body (tissues, organs and nervous system), calm the mind, and awaken us to our higher nature. These practices have come to us from ancient times, indeed from a higher age in which the subtleties of both nature and of consciousness were more easily perceived by humans and which have, down through the ages, been perfected by great rishis (sages).

In his now famous life story, “Autobiography of a Yogi,” Paramhansa Yogananda describes raja yoga as “a method for restraining the natural turbulence of thoughts, which otherwise impartially prevent all men, of all lands, from glimpsing their true nature of Spirit. [Raja] Yoga cannot know a barrier of East and West any more than does the healing and equitable light of the sun. So long as man possesses a mind with its restless thoughts, so long will there be a universal need for yoga or control.”

In the popular course at Ananda (also offered at East West Bookshop in Seattle) known as the Raja Yoga Intensive, we study the text, “Art and Science of Raja Yoga,” which has become a classic and is based on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. It was written by Ananda’s founder, Swami Kriyananda, who is a direct disciple of Yogananda. The content of the course has its roots in the material Yogananda used in the public classes he gave in cities throughout the United States many years ago.

Raja yoga is a lifestyle because it embraces attitudes and precepts as well as specific daily disciplines. A complete regiment is given for health of the body, concentration of the mind, intuition of the heart, and the awakening of the soul’s bliss nature. Raja yoga is thus life transforming.

Vegetarianism is encouraged but not required; the yoga postures (hatha yoga) are part of the Intensive and considered very helpful for both physical and mental health and as a preparation meditation. Recipes for vegetarian dishes are included as are ways to use specific yoga postures for healing purposes.

Meditation is at the center of raja yoga. While the precepts of both Shankhya and Vedanta philosophy are intertwined with the practice of raja yoga, there is no precondition or expectation of belief or affiliation needed to gain the benefits of the raja yoga practices.* The daily practice of yoga is “sufficient unto the day” to reveal to us the intuitive promptings of our own higher Self.

Yoga is for everyone! To learn more, visit http://anandaseattle.org/raja, or stop by or call us at (425) 806-3700.

Blessings to you, Nayaswami Hriman

* Shankhya is that body of wisdom which describes how the outer forms of creation veil their underlying and unifying reality of energy and consciousness. Vedanta describes the ultimate Reality of God as transcendent Bliss, beyond the dualities and unceasing flux of creation.

Narada James M. Agee
January 9, 1943 – April 26, 2011

Narada has lived at the Ananda Community in Lynnwood, WA since moving here from Ananda Village, CA in the Fall of 2005. Narada came to Ananda Village in 1975. His career work was that of a master electrician but he was known and loved for much more than his talents and ability to create or repair just about anything.

Narada’s love and respect for everyone he met, his vitality, creativity, and dedication to the spiritual path and to spiritual community was infectious. No one ever said to “No” to Narada’s request for help on service projects for the simple reason that he never said “No” to anyone else’s need!

Narada had a special gift and love for children and young adults. He enjoyed helping others to learn new skills, especially when offered in divine service. His smile will be long remembered for its power to open one’s heart to unconditional love he embodied.

His passing was sudden and completely unexpected. He had a long list of new projects and ongoing service needs and indeed was returning from an evening shopping at a building supplies store sale in Everett when Divine Mother took him from this earth. His departure leaves a gaping hole in service opportunities and in loving friendship to all here at Ananda in Seattle.

Rebecca Davis of the Ananda Community here in Lynnwood has compiled and edited stories and biographical facts about Narada from members and friends throughout the Ananda Communities around the world. You can read those stories at www.anandaseattle.org/narada.

Narada is survived by his wife, Dakshina Agee, who is office manager for Ananda Sangha at the Meditation Temple in Bothell.

An Astral Ascension Service was held at the Meditation Temple in Bothell the night following his departure and was attended by an overflow crowd. You can view the video here.

Blessings,

From Ananda Sangha of greater Seattle

In an age where complexity is growing exponentially, sensitive and aware souls cry out for simplicity. Not necessarily the simplicity of camping or farming (neither of which are really simple at all), but, in reality, a simplicity of heart and a state of inner peace.

Don’t you find that, as I am doing right now, sitting at the computer, using a cell phone, driving, working over a spreadsheet to be a bit unnerving especially day after day? There is in our modern, electromagnetic lifestyle a tangible visceral feeling of being edgy, slightly nervous, and a tad bit anxious.

Few of us are in a position to join the Luddites and banish all electronic devices from our lives, nor do most of us even want to. Fortunately there is a simpler solution and, as you might have guessed, it’s INSIDE you!

I have had the privilege and blessing to have known Swami Kriyananda, a direct disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda. Now here’s a man who actually likes the latest gadget. Read the rest of this entry »

Nayaswami Hriman McGilloway

Religion is all too often a source of conflict, division, and judgment between the adherents of different faiths. It doesn’t help that religion is inextricably linked with cultural and national identifies with their numerous biases, prejudices, language, dress, and traditions.

It is experienced spirituality that unites hearts. And not the superficial spirituality born of intellectual speculation or passing sentimentality but the realized spirituality that fosters action, forgiveness, and self-sacrifice.

I remember as a boy, growing up Catholic, Read the rest of this entry »