Kriyananda

Swami Kriyananda

Swami Kriyananda , actually James Donald Walters (born May 19, 1926 in Teleajen, Romania, † April 21, 2013 in Assisi , Italy ) is a direct disciple of Yogi Paramahansa Yogananda and has spent a lot of time on his during the last three and a half years of Yogananda's life Page (1948-1952). During this time, Kriyananda became a minister in the Self-Realization Fellowship established by Yogananda. Yogananda also commissioned him to teach Kriya Yoga , which Yogananda described as the highest technique of self-realization.

Kriyananda is the founder of Ananda, the World Brotherhood Colonies (Association of Spiritual Communities / Meditation Centers and Groups), which are based on the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda. He was also the author of more than 80 books and the composer of over 400 songs and pieces of music. His books and music have been translated into around 25 languages. Kriyananda spoke English, Romanian, Italian, French, Spanish, German, Bengali and Hindi, among others.

Life

Kriyananda was born in Romania to American parents. He grew up in Romania, Switzerland and England. His family returned to America with Kriyananda (then Donald Walters) to escape World War II when he was 13 years old. Walters attended an American high school and then Haverford College and Brown University, which he left after just one semester before graduation.

At that time, his interest in spiritual matters steadily increased. In his autobiography, he describes a night when he went for a long walk and came to the realization that the calling of his life was to seek God. “ I realized that religion is much more than just a belief system and much more than a formalized effort to wrest some compassion from God by offering supplications, self-condemning prayers, and conciliatory rites. If our connection with Him is the fact that we are already manifesting Him, then it is up to us to fully embrace Him and express Him fully. And that's what religion is all about! True religion is growing awareness of our deep, spiritual relationship with God! " 

Soon after, in 1948, Walters came across Yogananda's autobiography of a Yogi and immediately traveled to California to become a student of Paramhansa Yogananda. In the following years Walters spent time with Yogananda, immersed himself in his teachings, made many notes and worked on various projects of the organization of his master. In 1955, three years after Yogananda's death, Walters took the spiritual name "Swami Kriyananda".

In 1960 Kriyananda became Vice President in Self-Realization Fellowship (the organization founded by Yogananda), but in 1962 he was banned from SRF. He continued the work assigned to him by Yogananda - "writing, editing and teaching" - and endeavored to fulfill the mission of his guru : the establishment of "world fraternity colonies"

World Fraternity Colonies and Other Legacies

"World Brotherhood Colonies" are a little-known yet important aspect of Yogananda's teaching. Yogananda mentioned her in his autobiography: “... a project that I have thought about for a long time is beginning to take shape. In this beautiful place I founded a miniature world colony. Fraternity is an ideal that is better understood in practice than in theory. The local, small, harmonious group can inspire other ideal communities all over the world. ”Until the end of his life he called for a community life with like-minded people, with high ideals and material simplicity.

Ananda Village, Kriyananda's first world fraternity colony, was established in 1968. Since then, Ananda "colonies" and communities have been established in the United States, Italy, and India. Over 250 people live in Ananda Village on over 320 acres of land. Other colonies are in: Assisi, Italy; near New Delhi, India; in the US states of Oregon, Washington and Rhode Island; as well as in the California cities of Sacramento and Palo Alto, California. The Ananda communities have a total of around 900 residents. There are also numerous meditation groups in the USA and Europe.

Kriyananda also founded the publishing house Crystal Clarity Publishers, developed the "Education for Life" system for educating children and schools in America and a branch of Hatha Yoga called "Ananda Yoga for a higher consciousness". The best known Ananda Retreat Centers are The Expanding Light in Ananda Village, California; as well as the Italian Ananda Center near Assisi, Italy: "Il Rifugio" with its Temple of Light.

Books and music

Kriyananda has emphasized that his calling is to put the teachings of Yogananda into practice. As a result, he has published books on a wide range of subjects: "Marriage, Education, Management and Success, Spiritual Communities, Yoga, Self-Healing, Art, Architecture, Astrology, and Philosophy, and editions of and about Yogananda's teachings and interpretations of the Bible, Bhagavad Gita and other writings. ”Kriyananda's compositions include spiritual chants, instrumental music and choral music, including poetic lyrics. Kriyananda jokingly calls his music lyric a "painless philosophy" - i. h .: the teaching and energy of his guru can be better understood through songs.

Controversy

• Swami Kriyananda was banned from the Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) in 1962. In his book The Path (dt. Abbreviated: "The search for meaning") he describes the cause of a conflict with the SRF Board of Directors. Later on, Kriyananda mainly saw a conflict with Tara Mata and Daya Mata, two female members of the SRF Board of Directors.

• Self-Realization Fellowship sued Kriyananda in a 12-year lawsuit that cost millions of dollars (Ananda estimates 50 million). They charged Kriyananda and Ananda with various copyright and trademark issues. This also included SRF's claim to retain all rights to the use of terms such as 'Paramahansa Yogananda' and 'Self-realization'. Many Hindu, yoga and meditation groups, on the other hand, supported Ananda's position with documents.

• SRF lost on almost all counts, including the right to use the name Paramahansa Yogananda; the demand for sole rights to publish 'Paramahansa Yogananda'; their demand for exclusive copyright on certain photos of Yogananda; their attempt to win 'Self-Realization' as a brand name and v. a. m. The court agreed with SRF on only one point: Ananda had broken the SRF copyright by playing recordings of Yogananda's voice.

• As a result of the court rulings, Ananda began publishing the first edition of Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi. See Ananda's report on the process and SRF's report.

• A former Ananda resident sued Ananda, Ananda Minister Danny Levin and Swami Kriyananda, in a 1997-98 trial. In the course of the trial, eight women testify that Kriyananda abused his power as the leader of Ananda to obtain sexual favors from them. The jury found the church organization (Ananda) and Kriyananda guilty of the planned fraud ("constructive fraud"), as well as the church (Ananda), Kriyananda and Ananda minister Daniel Levin of the deliberate infliction of emotional distress ("intentional infliction of emotional distress") ), combined with malice and abhorrent behavior (“despicable conduc”) for a church. The church was convicted as liable for negligent supervision ("negligent supervision") of Kriyananda, as well as malice and fraud ("malice and fraud") on the part of the church. The jury also found that Levin had made unwelcome sexual advances. The Self-Realization Fellowship had the following influence in this process: The woman suing Ananda had previously met with Daya Mata (President of SRF) and the SRF Directors' Assembly; an SRF member took over the prosecution (the same lawyer who represented SRF in their unsuccessful copyright lawsuit against Ananda); SRF members also served as trial assistants against Ananda. Further details can be found in “Does SRF Have Unclean Hands?”.

• In March 2004, police raided the Ananda community near Assisi, Italy. This was based on the indictment of a former resident who accused Ananda of fraud, usury and the violation of labor law. Nine residents of Ananda were briefly detained. There was also an arrest warrant for Kriyananda, but it was in India at the time. However, no charges were brought after this incident.

The last few decades

Kriyananda married in 1981. At his second marriage in 1985, he publicly renounced his monastic vows. He was later divorced and officially reverted to his monastic order and name in 1995.

From 1996 on, Swami Kriyananda lived mainly in the Ananda Assisi center. Since 2004, he has lived in India, where another Ananda Center is being built near New Delhi. His television program appears daily on Aastha TV, an Indian cable television company that can be received in Asia, Europe and the USA in addition to all of India. Ananda teachers are now also giving classes in meditation and Kriya Yoga in many major cities in India.

Because of his commitment to the spiritual future of mankind, Swami Kriyananda was recognized as a “Creative Member” of the famous Budapest Club in 2006 , alongside world famous figures such as the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, Mikhail Gorbachev and Jane Goodall.

Bibliography (selection)

• 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
• 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
• 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
• 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
• 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

Web links

Ananda friendly sites

• Official biographical website of Swami Kriyananda
• Ananda's primary website

Critical websites about Ananda

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

Other

• The "ANCIENT KEY Training" with Ulrich Bührle based on the teachings of Swami Kriyananda
• 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.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ www.examiner.com: Swami Kriyananda, 1926-2013: Spiritual leader of Ananda Worldwide passes on , April 21, 2013. Accessed April 22, 2013.
2. ↑ Ananda online . Retrieved June 2006.
3. ^ Crystal Clarity Publishers website . Accessed December 2006.
4. ↑ ^{a b c} Swami Kriyananda: The Path - One Man's Quest on the Only Path There Is . Crystal Clarity Publishers, ISBN 1565897331 .
5. ↑ Ananda online . In: The Path: One Man's Quest On the Only Path There Is . Retrieved June 2006.
6. ↑ Autobiography of a Yogi in the English-language Wikisource
7. ^ Crystal Clarity Publishers
8. ↑ The Expanding Light Yoga and Meditation Retreat
   Ananda Meditation Retreat
9. ↑ Ananda Assisi
10. ↑ A Place Called Ananda: The Trial by Fire that Forged One of the Most Successful Cooperative Communities in the World Today ( Memento of the original from June 7, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . 
11. ↑ Self Realization v. Ananda Church (court document) in the English-language Wikisource
12. ↑ "Ananda Wins More Than 95% of a 12-Year Lawsuit Filed by Self-Realization Fellowship." ( Memento of the original from June 7, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
13. ↑ "Copyright Lawsuit."
14. ↑ lawsuit ( Memento of the original from August 4, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on rickross.com 
15. ↑ Does SRF Have Unclean Hands?
16. ↑ rickross.com ( Memento of the original from May 1, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
17. ^ Ananda Italy