Swamiji's Week in Palo Alto

Swami Kriyananda finished his stay in the U.S. this year with a West Coast tour, and a final week here with us in Palo Alto. His health has been excellent (relatively speaking), and he’s so full of energy that it felt like our whole extended community was buzzing with it all week.

In fact, we had planned to put on a lovely little event for him to commemorate his discipleship anniversary on the 12th, something he could just sit back and enjoy, in between all his speaking engagements. But Swamiji wasn’t in a sitting-back sort of mood, even for one night, and decided at nearly the last minute to give us all a talk instead. Any evening spent with Swami is blissful, of course, and it was particularly lovely to spend it with our temple full of fellow devotees. (We did still get to perform a new dance to his song “Ram and Sita,” though. You’ll see it if you watch the video of the evening. And the photos are here.)

Also during the week, Swami paid visits to both East West (pictured here with some of the staff) and Living Wisdom School. At the school, all the children made him cards and presented them to him in a large bundle. Instead of simply taking them home to read later, he read each one individually, thanked each child personally, and commented on what their cards and artwork showed about their character. One young boy with strong, bold colors on his card was pronounced “very decisive; he’ll always know what he wants in life,” and so on. Sixty children were held spellbound and attentive just by his magnetism and love. Photos of the two visits are here.



The culmination of the week was Swami’s talk on Sunday. For one of the very few times in Ananda’s history we canceled Sunday service, and the event more than justified the sacrifice. We rented Smithwick Theater at Foothill College, with a capacity of over 900 people, and nearly filled it with not only Ananda family but many, many newcomers. (And look: more photos!)

Swamiji spoke long and enthusiastically, and seemed like he could have carried on all day, joyfully sharing stories about Master and showing us how his qualities could be applied in our own lives. It was particularly sweet afterwards to hear from so many people — many of whom had never seen Swami before — about how “transformative” and “life-changing” his words were. And not just his words, but the power and light behind them that come from a life spent truly living those words. (You can watch this video online, too.)

And so, after an incredible week all-around, Swami Kriyananda has headed back to India (via Paris and Dubai), leaving us with plenty of inspiration to keep us running till the next time.

Krishna's Kirtan

Krishna Janmashtami — Krishna’s birthday — fell on Friday, August 10 this year, and so we celebrated by moving our regular Friday kirtan to the courtyard of the residential community and having a beautifully expanded, Krishna-themed evening of chanting. Yogananda kindly donated his gazebo, which numerous devotees decorated and filled with statues and images of Krishna. We spread out rugs and folding chairs on the lawn for the joyful crowd of souls chanting the sun down into the cool August night.


No recordings, unfortunately (and how do you record bliss anyway?) but there are some lovely photos here.

All Who Receive Them

This Saturday evening we held our annual Guru Day celebration (photos here). This is always one of the highlights of the year, a time of deep, personal communion with each master in our spiritual lineage. Each shrine in the courtyard of our residential community is gloriously decorated by loving devotees, Asha leads the pilgrimage from each one to the next, and as night gradually falls, the devotion only grows brighter.

Sharing and chanting in front of the Lahiri and Babaji shrines.

The theme for the evening was set at the first shrine, with Jesus: “To all who received Him, to them gave He the power to become the sons of God.” It doesn’t matter who we are; our job is simply to be receptive, realizing that God and the masters want to come into our lives every bit as much as we want to have them there. And to that end, it’s worth remembering not only their greatness, power, and glory, but also the ways in which they are so completely personal, loving, and accessible to each one of us.

Babaji, the deathless master with his many miracles, seems to stand out in Autobiography of a Yogi as the epitome of an inaccessible Himalayan master and miracle worker. But think of the example we’re given there of how he cares for his disciple. He watches over Lahiri between lifetimes, and for the first decades of his life, until the time finally comes to draw him back to his guru. And then Babaji carefully orchestrates all the job transfers and chance hiking trips until Lahiri is standing before him once more, remembering, and seeing how his master had so lovingly preserved his meditation cave, his bowl and blanket, for just that moment of his return.

Lahiri Mahasaya, in his turn, kept his unassuming job as a government accountant all his life, even while training disciples and while quietly working out his wife’s karma to the point that she was able to perceive him in his true glory, with angels and devas bowing down to him. Another woman disciple of his was once late to catch the train to see him, and desperately, inwardly called out to him that she couldn’t bear to wait even a few more hours. When she reached the train, she found it held in place, wheels spinning, engineers baffled, until she boarded and it began to move. When she arrived, Lahiri teased her playfully about her impatience over such a little thing but still, he had been listening, and he did hold the train for her. 

Swami Sri Yukteswar’s stern visage in the photos we have of him reminds us of his strict training and his attitude that his tiger mat was kingdom enough for him, separate from a “vast world interested only in externals.” After looking at his picture that way, however, we would do well to reread Richard Wright’s description of him in the Autobiography, and revel in his “jovial and rollicking laugh which comes from deep in his chest, causing him to shake and quiver throughout his body—very cheerful and sincere.” And of all the gifts that Yogananda brought back to him on his return visit to India, do you remember which was his favorite? It was the umbrella, because Yukteswar knew his little chela had originally bought it for himself, but decided to give it to his guru instead, and that touched his heart. 

And then we come to Paramhansa Yogananda, our own beloved gurudeva, who promised us that he would bring us to God, coming back again and again, “crossing a million crags of suffering, with bleeding feet... if need be, a trillion times,” as long as any one of us remains in need. That is a promise for which we are grateful to him every day of our lives. And yet Swami Kriyananda has also said that Master could be completely and utterly — apparently he could only use the word — cute. He was adorable, Swamiji says, absolutely charming, and able to relate to anyone and make them feel that they had a friend in him. That is the Master we can carry with us in our hearts, even as he does his work as “God’s boatman” behind the scenes.

The evening concluded with a rendition of “O Master” from all the assembled hearts and voices, shining on both the vast and the personal in our relationship with our gurus.

Help us to find in every hour, 

In every thought, in every flower,

A joy that spans eternity,

The truth that makes us ever free.

O Master, may Thy joy fill our days.

O Master, may Thy wisdom guide our ways.

Fourth of July Celebrations

July 4th this year was a shining example of the joy of community living, as our huge Ananda spiritual family gathered at the Mountain View residential community for a delightful day of celebration.

Fueled by veggie barbecues and homemade pies, kids of all ages and sizes joined in a wide array of activities and games, including:

• Water balloon toss. (And catch. And occasionally not-catch.)
• Scavenger hunt.
• Timed obstacle course. (While maintaining an intact water balloon, no less. Some clever kids managed this by storing it carefully in their mouths. We’ll have to use bigger water balloons next time.)
• Ping pong tournament.
• Pool games, including Cannonball Contest. (Raj: “How is it judged?” Craig: “Well, could be different categories: best splash; style points; most pain....”)
• Balloon hats and magic tricks. 
• The “Escape Your Grown-up” game. (Which may have had a better name, but certainly had some good photos.)
• And goodness knows how many more.  

The music (of course there was music) included a touching barbershop rendition of God Bless America and moved on to a 50-kazoo, mass-singalong version of Stars and Stripes Forever. Rita also led a simple dance for everyone to participate in. 

And so, in one way or a hundred, everybody had a marvelously fun time. The photo album just glows with the delight of it all. 

[This post brought to you courtesy of  the Committee for the Preservation of Ananda Family News, as your regular author was unable to attend. Thank you, everybody!]

Free & Clear Luncheon

This Sunday following service we gathered outside in the gorgeous June weather for a catered luncheon in our piazza. We celebrated the fact that over the last year we’ve paid off over half of our million-dollar-plus debt on the church, and then we proceeded to put another sizable dent in that debt to the tune of $37,500 just in the one afternoon. Just feed us a few more times and we’ll be well set to knock out the remaining $475k. Watch for more puzzle pieces getting added to our progress meter soon!

The piazza itself, as a location for a fundraiser, is such a vibrant example of what we can all accomplish when we combine our energies. Many people present could remember what that area looked like when we bought the church, which had nothing but an ugly gray parking lot next to it. The sunny, welcoming space we have now is a testament to everyone’s donations, not just of money, but of time, energy, prayers, and all the ways people contribute.

Our vegetarian lunch (courtesy of Garden Fresh, with customized fortune cookies by Joycee) was naturally accompanied by music. The choir’s first song was “May We Serve You,” because that is, of course, what we’re actually trying to do here when you zoom out far enough. We’re buying a church, yes, but only to better serve God and Guru. The second song was “Many Hands Make a Miracle,” which is how we go about doing it. (We also got an instrumental reprise of Many Hands, of the mandolin, guitar, and whistling variety.)

One other announcement of note: Our friends Paru and Ritu will be moving to Chicago in a couple of weeks, and intend to start an Ananda meditation group there. And so we all had an opportunity to offer them all our blessings in this new phase of their service.

(More photos of the day are here.)

Communal Blessings

One of the most incredible benefits of living in spiritual community is the way everyone comes together to bless and support each other, not just at the obvious celebratory times, but in any situation life brings to us.

One of those situations, happening today, is a kidney transplant between our dear friends Rosalva and Nirmoha. Rosalva has been on dialysis and in need of a new kidney for a long time, and, against what are apparently pretty long odds, Nirmoha passed the required tests for being a compatible donor. This morning they are in SFU Medical Hospital having the operation. They are in good hands and all is expected to go very smoothly.

Last night we held a blessing ceremony for them in Chela Bhavan, with dozens of friends and family gathered to share their love and be channels for God’s grace. We chanted, meditated, performed Master’s Divine Mother healing prayer, and each took turns offering our own blessings to Nirmoha and Rosalva.

The atmosphere was charged with powerful feelings of love, courage, and a calm joy, and everyone present was deeply moved, whether as channels or recipients of the blessings. It was a perfect example of how we should meet our challenges and tests in life with uplifted energy, a positive attitude, and a spiritual focus. Because in the long run, this isn’t really about the kidney, or even the body it’s in. It’s the souls of everyone involved that will remember this experience and grow from it, long after all of these bodies have worn out and left us.

Nirmoha and Rosalva will have a few days in the hospital and then several weeks of recovery time at home. Shanti is coordinating food and care packages, so they should be well looked after. On their behalf, thank you to everyone for your love and prayers. (More photos of the blessings here.)

Re-Landscaping at the Temple

One recent Saturday, 17 souls from the “Sadhaka Excel” Monday night satsang group swept like a swarm of avenging landscapers over the front gardens of the Ananda Sangha temple on El Camino Real. The gardens which once served to frame our lovely church building were last reworked 13 years ago, and have more recently begun instead to hide the beautiful old mission-style building from motorists passing by. And hiding isnʼt something an organization with a worldwide message wants to do.

So, after morning snacks and an opening prayer, the Sadhaka group went to work. Under Sahadevʼs able guidance, they cut, hacked, dug, and took the old vegetation right down to the roots. Some of the old bushes had grown over 6 feet tall, completely blocking the view of what was behind them. A few of the best old plants were saved to use around the edge of the parking lot and the piazza, filling in gaps where older trees had passed on into the arboreal astral world. Climbing ladders, the sadhakas tore the old vines off the walls, allowing the original arches to show themselves off again. The trees along the sidewalk were pruned of drooping branches.

Thanks to a day of joyful devotion and energy, passersby can again see what a wonderful shape our temple has. New flowers are already planted to give instant color to the front garden until the next major revision is mapped out. This workday is envisioned as the first of many more steps yet to come in restoring the exterior of our temple site to all its former glory, and more!

(More photos here.)