The first time I saw Swami Kriyananda was in a tent set up behind the Beta Chi fraternity house on the campus of Stanford University, in Palo Alto, California. It was late November 1969. He was in his early forties. I was twenty-two years old. Usually the tent served as an expanded venue for the parties for which the fraternity was famous. It was the '60s, though, and everything was changing. Someone thought it would be interesting to invite a swami to speak.
I had attended Stanford University, but had dropped out after only one year. I had hoped to find teachers there who were not only knowledgeable, but also wise. It soon became apparent to me that my professors, though brilliant in their own fields, were groping in the dark for happiness even as I was. So I left.
Soon after, I discovered the Bhagavad Gita and the teachings of Sri Ramakrishna. Even as a child, I had the feeling that something far more important was going on in life than most people were aware of. At fi rst, I thought the adults around me were all in on the secret and were just holding it back from me as a kind of elaborate practical joke. "Soon," I thought, "they will reveal it to me." Only slowly did I come to know that this was not the case. My parents and teachers were good people, intelligent, honorable, and kind. For the most part, though, they accepted life as it appeared to be and expected me to do the same.
> >Once I discovered Eastern religion, at least I had a name for what I was seeking: Self-realization. Still, I had no idea how to turn these high ideals into an actual way of life. I read about the saints of many religious traditions, hoping to find in their example a way to bridge the gap between theory and practice.
> >Their stories were deeply inspiring and I devoured book after book. The circumstances of their lives, though, were so different from my own. Catholic monasteries, Indian ashrams, Himalayan caves, leper colonies in the middle of the jungle--their example proved to be of little practical value. My life was becoming one of quiet desperation.
Then Swamiji walked into that tent and everything changed.
From the Back Cover
> This extraordinary book of nearly 250 letters, written over a 30-year period by Swami Kriyananda, responds to practically any concern a spiritual seeker might have, such as: > > Strengthening one's faith > > Accelerating spiritual progress > > Standing up for truth > > Meditating more deeply > > Resonding to illness > > Raising children > > Overcoming negative self-judgements > > Responding to world upheavals > > Connecting all of these letters is the love, compassion, and wisdom of Swami Kriyananda, one of the leading spiritual figures of our times. > > The letters describe in detail his efforts to fulfill his Guru's commission to establish spiritual communities and offer invaluable advice to leaders everywhere on how to avoid the temptations of materialism, selfishness, and pride. A spiritual treasure that speaks to spiritual seekers at all levels. > >
About the Author
> Swami Kriyananda (J. Donald Walters) , a direct disciple of the great master, Paramhansa Yogananda, is an internationally known author, lecturer, and composer. Widely recognized as one of the world's foremost authorities on meditation and yoga, he has taught these principles and techniques to hundreds of thousands of students around the world. > > > > In 1968, Kriyananda founded Ananda Village in Nevada City, California, dedicated to spreading the spirit of friendship, service, and community throughout the world. Ananda is recognized as one of the most successful intentional communities in the world; over 1,000 people reside in several Ananda communities in the US, India, and Italy. The European retreat and community located in Assisi, Italy, also serves Ananda meditation groups in Europe, Croatia, and Russia.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
> God's love will never change | 1 April 5, 1995 > > > > Dear ---: > > > > If we feel God's love in someone's love for us, then that is right and good. I remember once in India telling the woman saint, Anandamoyi Ma, how much I and others in America loved her. Her reply was, "There is no love except God's love." > > > > The worldly ego might take her reply as a put-down, but I understood it as a reminder that we can truly love others only to the degree that we do so consciously as instruments of God's love. > > > > It is easy to feel love for those who are kind and good, and easier still if they love us. But the test of godly love is to be able to feel it also for those who hate us. And especially for those who are determined to destroy us. God says to us, "They are My children, too." In other words, "If you love Me, you must love them also, for they too are Mine." We must love not only them, but all the tests that God sends us. > > > > Ultimately, the only important thing you can do in life is love God. The only fact that truly matters in life is that God loves you. > > > > It is a simple fact that the more we try to do good, the more enemies we will have-along with those who sincerely love, appreciate, and support us. But even were everyone to turn against us, the supremely important fact of God's love will never change. The tests we face, therefore, are always blessings. If nothing else, they inspire us to keep that one divine priority fixed ever before our gaze. Everything else passes. Our relationship with God is eternal. He is our own, as no one else ever will or ever can be. The solution to our worries is love, and more love-divine love, not egoic love (the ego's love is rooted in likes and dislikes). As the Bible says, "Perfect love casteth out fear." > > > > "Blessed are the pure at heart, for they shall see God." When your love for Him is effortless and complete, you will have Him. > > > > In divine friendship, > >
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
I meant well, but I was too immature to handle the assignment. Eventually I had to admit defeat and go back to Ananda Village. I felt like a complete failure. Soon after I returned, Swamiji had a party at his home, Crystal Hermitage. I was in such turmoil I didn't feel like being with people, so I stayed just long enough to greet Swamiji. Then I slipped out the door unnoticed and went up the hill to meditate in the chapel. Everyone else was at the party so I had it all to myself.
My mind was churning. "Where did I go wrong? What could I have done differently?" After about an hour, I felt a presence beside me. When I opened my eyes, Swamiji was sitting there. I don't know how he even found me.
Part of my turmoil was the thought that I had let Swamiji down. He had trusted me to make the situation better; instead I had made it worse. He reached over and touched me consolingly on the hand. Then he looked deeply into my eyes and offered a few simple words of advice. "Don't take it inside, just let it go. These things happen."
I felt a ray of hope penetrating the grim interior of my mind where I had been wrestling for days with my failure. In his eyes, there was neither judgment nor disappointment, just compassion for my suffering and the promise of his unconditional friendship.
~ From Sudarshan ~
