- Swami Kriyananda
Infobox Person
name=Swami Kriyananda
dead=dead
birth_date= 19 May 1926
birth_place= Teleajen, Romania
residence=Gurgaon ,India Swami Kriyananda, born J. Donald Walters (born
May 19 1926 ), is a direct disciple of the yogiParamahansa Yogananda and had many hours of personal contact with him during the last four years of Yogananda's life (1948 – 1952).Swami Kriyananda, "Conversations With Yogananda: Stories, Sayings, and Wisdom of Paramhansa Yogananda" Preface. Crystal Clarity Publishers (2004) ISBN 1-56589-202-X] During this time Kriyananda became a minister forSelf-Realization Fellowship , founded by Yogananda. Yogananda also asked him to teachKriya Yoga , which Yogananda called the highest technique ofSelf-Realization .Fact|date=January 2008Kriyananda is the founder of Ananda, a worldwide movement of spiritual intentional communities based on Yogananda's
World Brotherhood Colonies idea. Ananda has meditation centers and study groups throughout the world based on the teachings of Yogananda. [cite web
url = http://www.swamikriyananda.org/
title = Swami Kriyananda
accessdate = August 2007] Kriyananda is also the author of more than 80 books and the composer of over 400 songs. His books and music have sold over three million copies and have been translated into over 24 languages. [cite web
url = http://www.crystalclarity.com/content.php?code=MKCY&type=author
title = Crystal Clarity Publishers website
accessdate = December 2006] In addition to English, he can speak Romanian, Greek, French, and Spanish.Kalra, Ajay, "In the Name of My Guru", Life Positive, April, 2006]Early life
Kriyananda was born in
Romania into an American family. Growing up in Romania, France, and England, Kriyananda (then Donald Walters) returned to America with his family when he was 13 years old to escapeWorld War II . Walters attended an American high school, as well as Haverford College and Brown University, leaving the latter with only a semester left before graduation.Kriyananda, Swami, The Path - One Man's Quest on the Only Path There Is. Crystal Clarity Publishers ISBN 1565897331.]During this time his interest in spiritual matters was steadily intensifying. In his autobiography, he describes a particular night, during a long walk, when, as he says, he came to realize his life's calling: that of seeking God.
:"I realized now that religion is far more than a system of beliefs, and far more than a formalized effort to wheedle a little pity out of God by offering Him pleading, self-condemning prayers and propitiatory rites. If our link with Him lies in the fact that we manifest Him already, "then it is up to us to receive Him ever more perfectly, to express Him ever more fully. And this is what religion is all about! True religion consists of a growing awareness of our deep, spiritual relationship with God!" [cite web
url = http://www.ananda.org/ananda/kriyananda/
title = Annanda online
accessdate = June 2006
coauthors = J. Donald Walters
work = The Path: One Man's Quest On the Only Path There Is
archivedate =]Time with Yogananda
" and traveled to California to become a disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda. In the four years that followed, Walters spent time with Yogananda, learning and practicing his teachings, and taking extensive notes of his many conversations with Yogananda. These conversations are recounted in two books written by Kriyananda, The Essence of Self-RealizationYogananda, Paramhansa, The Essence of Self-Realization (Crystal Clarity Publishers, 2003) ISBN 0-916124-29-0.] and Conversations with Yogananda.
During that time, Yogananda put Walters in charge of the monks of the Self-Realization monastic order, asked him to write articles for the SRF magazine, and had him lecturing at the SRF centers in Southern California. Yogananda also ordained him as a minister, and appointed him to initiate students into Kriya Yoga, acting on Yogananda's behalf. Kriyananda tells many stories of Yogananda's life, and of his own interactions with his Guru, in his autobiography, "The Path".
In 1955, after Yogananda's passing, Walters took the monastic name of "Swami Kriyananda." In 1960, he was made Vice President of
Self-Realization Fellowship (the organization that Yogananda founded), but in 1962 he was expelled from SRF. He eventually pursued the task Yogananda imparted to him of "writing, editing, and lecturing" as well as trying to fulfill his guru's mission of creating "world brotherhood colonies."World Brotherhood Colonies and other Legacies
Yogananda wrote and spoke frequently throughout his life about his dream for
World Brotherhood Colonies , intentional communities founded on a spiritual basis. Yogananda mentioned World Brotherhood Colonies in his autobiography: "... a project I have long considered is beginning to take definite form. In these beautiful surroundings I have started a miniature world colony. Brotherhood is an ideal better understood by example than precept! A small harmonious group here may inspire other ideal communities over the earth."Yogananda, Paramahansa, Autobiography of a Yogi, Crystal Clarity Publishers 2005. ISBN 978-1565892125.] In the last few years of his life especially, he promoted his World Brotherhood Colonies idea.Silva, Kamala, The Flawless Mirror. Crystal Clarity Publishers ISBN 156589054X.] Kriyananda, Swami, A Place Called Ananda, Crystal Clarity Publishers. ISBN 1565891589.] [Yogananda, Paramahansa, The Scientific Art of Living, Self-Realization magazine, September 1950.]Kriyananda established Ananda Village as a World Brotherhood Colony in 1968 on 40 acres of land near Nevada City, California — his portion of a convert|160|acre|km2|1|sing=on parcel acquired with Richard Baker,
Gary Snyder , andAllen Ginsberg . [Suiter 2002, "Poets on the Peaks", Counterpoint, ISBN 1582431485; ISBN 1-58243-294-5 (pbk) pg. 251] (These others were not involved in the founding of Ananda Village.) This first Ananda World Brotherhood Colony has grown to convert|840|acre|km2|1, with over 250 residents, schools, businesses, gardens, and a well known retreat center, The Expanding Light. All adult residents are disciples of Paramhansa Yogananda, practising his Kriya Yoga meditation teachings.Ananda World Brotherhood Colonies have since been established all over the world. Other colonies are in Palo Alto, Sacramento, and Nevada City, California; Portland, Oregon; Seattle, Washington; and Hopkinton, Rhode Island (USA); and Assisi, Italy. Although they exist in a spirit of cooperation, these colonies are legally and financially autonomous. The satellite colonies send 10 percent of their income to Ananda Village, helping to support Ananda's worldwide mission of spreading Yogananda's teachings — which includes the founding of additional colonies, including one in India. In addition to his work in founding these communities, Kriyananda has also written a book about communities entitled "Hope for a Better World". [ [http://www.ananda.org/inspiration/books/hope/index.html Hope for a Better World, by J. Donald Walters ] ]
Kriyananda also started Crystal Clarity Publishers,cite web |url=http://www.crystalclarity.com/ |title=Crystal Clarity: Resources to Relax, Uplift and Inspire - From Paramhansa Yogananda, Swami Kriyananda (J. Donald Walters), and more |accessdate=2008-01-21 |format= |work=] and the East-West Book shops in Sacramento, Seattle, and Mountain View, California. He developed a system for educating children called "Education for Life". Members of Ananda, under the guidance and inspiration of Kriyananda, have also established numerous teaching, retreat and meditation centers. Among these, the best known are "The Expanding Light Yoga and Meditation Retreat" at Ananda Villagecite web |url=http://www.expandinglight.org/ |title=The Expanding Light – A California Spiritual Retreat with yoga retreats, meditation, and teacher training |accessdate=2008-01-21 |format= |work=] and the nearby "Ananda Meditation Retreat".cite web |url=http://www.meditationretreat.org/ |title=Ananda Meditation Retreat |accessdate=2008-01-21 |format= |work=]
Books and Music
In following his Guru's advice to spend his life "writing, editing, and lecturing", Kriyananda has said that he felt this meant in part to help bring Yogananda's teachings into practical application. To this end has written on such varied topics as marriage, education, leadership and success, spiritual communities, yoga, self-healing, art, architecture, astrology, and philosophy, as well as editions of Yogananda's teachings and writings on the Bible, the Bhagavad Gita, and other scriptures.
In music, Kriyananda has written devotional chants as well as the music and lyrics for instrumental and choral pieces, including the "Christ Lives!" oratorio. He also composed the music for "Mystic Harp 2", a solo harp CD performed by Derek Bell, member of the Grammy award-winning Irish group
The Chieftains . Kriyananda humorously calls his lyrical music "painless philosophy" – that is, the teachings (and vibrations) of his guru made more accessible through song.Controversies
Swami Kriyananda was forced out of Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) in 1962. In his book, "The Path", he attributed his removal to a conflict with the SRF Board of Directors. Later in his life, Kriyananda outlined the 1962 conflict as one in particular with Tara Mata and Daya Mata, two members of the SRF Board of Directors. Kriyananda tells the story of his removal in the online book "A Place Called Ananda: The Trial by Fire that Forged One of the Most Successful Cooperative Communities in the World Today". [ [http://www.ananda.org/inspiration/books/place/index.html "A Place Called Ananda: The Trial by Fire that Forged One of the Most Successful Cooperative Communities in the World Today'] ]
Self-Realization Fellowship spent twelve years, and millions of dollars, suing Kriyananda and Ananda over various copyright and trademark issues. SRF, among other charges, claimed exclusive and sole right (trademark and service mark) to the name 'Paramahansa Yogananda' and all images of Yogananda, and the term 'self-realization'. Many Hindu, yoga, and meditation groups filed papers supporting Ananda.Novak, Devi, "Faith is My Armor: The Life of Swami Kriyananda". Crystal Clarity Publishers (2006) ISBN 978-1565892132.]
SRF lost nearly every issue in court, including: their claim to own the trademark to the name 'Paramahansa Yogananda'; their claim to sole publicity rights to 'Paramahansa Yogananda'; their attempted trademark on the term 'Self-Realization', which the court ruled is a generic religious term used for hundreds of years; their claim that Ananda was trying to 'pass itself off' as SRF; their claim that Yogananda's writings were 'work for hire' done as an employee of SRF, and done as part of the SRF 'corporate body', as opposed to Yogananda writing them himself; their claim to own copyrights on certain photos of Yogananda; their claim that Ananda violated SRF's copyrights to magazine articles written by Yogananda (the court ruled that Ananda's use of the articles was 'fair use').Novak, Devi, "Faith is My Armor: The Life of Swami Kriyananda". Crystal Clarity Publishers (2006) ISBN 978-1565892132.]
The court ruled in SRF's favor on only one issue - their claim that Ananda violated SRF copyrights to sound recordings of Yogananda's voice. As a result of the lawsuit, Ananda began publishing the first edition of Yogananda's "".cite web |url=http://www.ananda.org/news/self-realization_fellowship.html |title=Self-Realization Fellowship vs. Ananda: Ananda Wins.... |accessdate=2008-01-21 |format= |work=] cite web |url=http://www.yogananda.org/srf_news/2002lawsuit.html |title=Copyright Lawsuit |accessdate=2008-01-21 |format= |work=]
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