Swami Kriyananda
[A] man of wisdom and compassion in action, truly one
of the leading lights in the spiritual world today. His
work and life of selfless service are an inspiration to
us all.
—Lama Surya Das, Dzogchen Center; author of Awakening
the Buddha Within: Eight Steps to Enlightenment and Letting
Go of the Person You Used to Be
Prolific author, accomplished composer, playwright, and
artist, and world-renowned spiritual teacher, Swami Kriyananda
refers to himself simply as "a humble disciple"
of the great God-realised master Paramhansa Yogananda.
From youth, J. Donald Walters (his family name) questioned
life's meaning and society's values. During intense inner
reflection at age 22, he discovered Yoganandaji's autobiography.
The next day he traveled 3,000 miles from New York to California
to meet the Master, who in a rare move accepted him at once
as a monastic disciple.
They were together for most of the last 4 years of Yogananda's
life. The Master appointed his young charge head of the
monastery and authorised him to teach in his name and give
initiation into Kriya Yoga. He also entrusted Kriyananda
with 2 life missions: one instructional—writing, editing,
and lecturing—the other, founding "world brotherhood
colonies".
For 60 years, Kriyananda has dedicated his life to spread
his guru's teachings. Conversant in 9 languages, lecturing
in 5, he has lived and traveled around the world, writing
some 90 widely translated books and composing some 400 musical
pieces.
Swami Kriyananda is often called the "father of the
modern spiritual communities movement" in the USA.
He founded the first Ananda world brotherhood colony in
1968 in California, the model for later Ananda residential
communities around the globe. He also established several
schools for grades K–12 and inspired a college-level
institute.
In his 78th year, Swami Kriyananda moved to India to found
a work to disseminate Yogananda's teachings in his homeland.
Among the most popular of Swamiji's many books are The
New Path: My Life with Parmhansa Yogananda, Superconsciousness—A
Guide to Meditation and Conversations with Yogananda.
Very popular too are several books of Yogananda's teachings,
including The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita and
The Essence of Self-Realization. Ananda
Sangha Publications in India also has published the
original unedited 1946 version of Yoganandaji's The
Autobiography of a Yogi.
The New
Path: My Life with Paramhansa Yoganananda, by Swami
Kriyananda, the complete online edition
The New Path is often considered a companion to Yoganandaji's
Autobiography of a Yogi. Continuing Yoganandaji's story
beyond the years covered in his own autobiography, Kriyanandaji
gives an inspiring first-hand account of life and training
with his guru through the eyes of a disciple who lived and
worked with him during the last four years of his life.
Kriyanandaji presents Yoganandaji as a true spiritual sage
and master, indeed an avatar, whose work in the West created
a revolution in the way people perceive themselves and their
purpose in life. He tells over 400 stories about the great
master, including rare anecdotes of times at his desert
retreat and his mahasamadhi.
Streaming Video
and Audio Talks by Swami Kriyananda
Enjoy these talks recorded in America and India, including
recent talks.
Articles by
Swami Kriyananda
Articles on many different subjects relating to the spiritual
path, and application of spiritual principles to daily life.
Swami Kriyananda.org
A website dedicated to Swami Kriyananda: his life, and his
works.
Related
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Paramhansa Yogananda
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