World Brotherhood Colonies

Paramhansa Yogananda

Autobiography of a Yogi online

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World Brotherhood Colonies

"This day marks the birth of a new era. My spoken words are registered in the ether, in the Spirit of God, and they shall move the West.... Self-Realization has come to unite all religions.... We must go on ó not only those who are here, but thousands of youths must go North, South, East and West to cover the earth with little colonies, demonstrating that simplicity of living plus high thinking lead to the greatest happiness!"

ó Paramhansa Yogananda, from The Path. The photo above was taken on the occasion of this talk.

The establishment of world brotherhood colonies was a long time dream of Yogananda. He spoke enthusiastically up until the very end of his life about this dream. In his Autobiography of a Yogi he exclaimed, "An urgent need on this war-torn earth is the founding, on a spiritual basis, of numerous world-brotherhood colonies." (Note: These words were edited out in the late 1950s.)

One of the Aims and Ideals of his organization, while he was alive, was "To spread a spirit of world brotherhood among all peoples and to aid in the establishment, in many countries, of self-sustaining world brotherhood colonies for plain living and high thinking." He spoke of this dream just a few months before his passing to a disciple, Kamala Silva (see link to the passage from Kamala's book below).

Ananda is the fulfillment of Yogananda's dream of establishing world brotherhood colonies, where spiritual seekers could gather together and practice "plain living and high thinking". These colonies were envisioned by Yogananda many years before the community movement began in America. During his lifetime, Yogananda tried to fulfill his dream, but the world at that time wasn't ready for such an unusual approach to life.

Swami Kriyananda, a direct disciple of Yogananda, was inspired by Yogananda's ideal, and began the first colony outside Nevada City, California in 1968. He named it Ananda, which is the Sanskrit word for Divine Joy.

Since then, Ananda has grown into a worldwide network of spiritual communities that includes thriving world brotherhood colonies in:

• Nevada City, California
• Palo Alto, California
• Sacramento, California
• Seattle, Washington
• Portland, Oregon
• Assisi, Italy
• Hopkinton, Rhode Island

For links to Ananda colonies and centers, see Ananda Worldwide Resources. Each Ananda colony has between 60 and 300 residents, including children. Residents practice Yogananda's techniques of meditation and Kriya Yoga.

World Brotherhood Colony Links and Resources

A Place Called Ananda: The Trial by Fire That Forged One of the Most Successful Cooperative Communities in the World Today
Read the entire book online. The complete story of how Ananda was founded, beginning with Kriyananda's training under Yogananda.

Excerpt on World Brotherhood Colonies from The Path: Autobiography of a Western Yogi, by Swami Kriyananda.

Article on World Brotherhood Colonies, by Paramhansa Yogananda

Autobiography of a Yogi Chapter 48
In the first edition of Autobiography of a Yogi, Yogananda speaks at length about world brotherhood colonies. Read Chapter 48, from the online Autobiography of a Yogi, to see what he says.

Yogananda on World Brotherhood Colonies, from The Flawless Mirror, by Kamala Silva.

©2007 Ananda Sangha