Then, brightening visibly, he said, I dont know why Kriyananda left SRFand I dont care! But others in their enthusiasm regarding this pop craze have been less prudent. Nor have I found it necessary to remonstrate with Ananda members for portraying SRF inaccurately. Former secretaries said he was more of a predator than a celibate. (Paramhansa Yogananda said that Mr. Black was second in spiritual stature among his male disciples, after Rajarsi Janakananda.). (The full text of this book may be found online at http://www.ananda.org/aplacecalledananda/.). That was three years ago, and, although the jury ruled in her favor last week, Bertolucci's ordeal is still far from over. Never-the-less Hoffman concludes, From all that, I learned to adapt the value of dreams to my own life.. A fewagain, as expectedbecame the communitys most vocal critics. A simple life will bring you inner freedom. Historically, many Indian gurus and swamis sensed this and moved to the United States. Living at Ananda, I often reflected on SRFs animosity towards us. Many of his followers left in the 90s. She also alleged that J. Donald Walters--known to devotees as Swami Kriyananda--made unwanted sexual advances toward her when she turned to him for help. To put it in a nutshell, I looked to the SRF senior ministers quite literally as channels for divine help, and they never let me down. But cults have a nasty way of getting headlines, through bad behavior and shattered lives. Writing about more recent times, he entertainingly describes the fundamentalist leader Pat Robertsons penchant for quoting Old Testament passages that threaten, blame, and augur terrible vengeancethe religion of lawwhile never quoting the passages proclaiming Gods forgiveness and love, passages that form the core of Christs teachings. Defame? And they have now chosen Ithaca as their newest community, the reporter happily adds. In 1998 Greene also won a $1.6 million jury verdict in Bertolucci v. Ananda against The Church of Self Realization led by Swami Kiyananda in California for fraud, coercion and sexual exploitation. And, in response to my question about how to develop more devotion, he wrote inspiringly, Fathomless depths of love for God lie hidden in the human heart, waiting to be uncovered by the Gurus liberating discipline.. We are disturbed that Masters spirit is being betrayed by SRF leaders who espouse the religion of law, which as Bawer eloquently argues, cannot coexist with the religion of love. Include one or two funny stories; people are more receptive when they can enjoy a good laugh., (The Pathcontains over 300 stories of Paramhansa Yogananda. Trying to reconcile the two sides of SRF that I had experiencedthe profound spiritual blessings, and the incredible narrowness among its highest leadersI could only wonder in awe at the superhuman measure of Gods patient love. Members of the Ananda community operate the Living Wisdom School in Palo Alto, where children are taught values from an early age, in harmony with the guidelines that Paramhansa Yogananda recommended. It was designed to keep the student associated with SRF for as many years as possible. I worked in the communitys publishing house, where I helped to publish a magazine that went out to our members worldwide. But the leader they now call Yoneq lives in luxury, travelling between his homes in France, the United States and South America. I ask the reader, therefore, to hold this image of SRF steadfastly in mind as I describe how my understanding of the organization and its leaders gradually evolved. I laugh, when I compare my memories of the eternally tidySRF monastics with the specter of Ananta McSweeney, the outsized and formidably good-humored former head gardener at Ananda Village, consuming a lunch of baked spaghetti squash seasoned with butter and molasses, in soil-dusted overalls, his long red hairbraided and graced with protruding straws. This is what SRF would destroy, in the name of sectarian jealousy and doctrinal purity. So far, their efforts have been profoundly unsuccessfulthanks, unquestionably, to the protection of our Guru, but thanks also to the immense hard work of Anandas disciples on his behalf. "A lawsuit was really the only way to stop it," said Bertolucci in a 1996 interview. The scenic Crystal Hermitage Gardens and temples are five-minutes away by car. Her reasoning was, as I say, sound. The 5 acre complex has outdoor space for events, a chapel for meditation, a community dining room for shared meals and a pool. Everybody say his own kyrie eleison, Surely the theory of meditation could be learned just as efficiently, if not more so, while practicing it. The Ananda Village marketplace and caf is a 10-minute walk away, as is the new Temple of Light for all religions. Call 503-626-3403 (Ananda Temple) with questions or to arrange a visit. They also have farmhouse style vases that don't scream . They were talking about their activities as Christian devotees. Ironically, the meditation class was to help her with stress reduction, she said. While still a monk in SRF, Swami Kriyananda asked Daya Mata about this idea, and she replied, Frankly, Im not interested. SRFs official position is that the time is not yet ripe for this colony idea. Some yoga students say these common types are simply cults.. One of their most outspoken leaders was a man who had lived at Ananda for twelve years, during which he steadfastly refused to pay rent or participate in community activities, including performing any serviceful work. Noted attorney and anti-cult activist Ford Green of San Anselmo, California has been nominated for a Trial Lawyers for Public Justice Foundations Lawyer of the Year award. At the time, I chalked it up to institutional jealousy. We welcome visitors. Washington, they were answered by a mens or womens correspondent. When Kriyananda was here [in SRF], Brother Turiyananda once remarked sadly to Daya Mata, laughter rang in the halls. The Guru zealously helps his children, using whatever instruments are at hand. Far from being covered up by the communitys leaders, they were circulated openly: how SRF refused to sell us books for sale at Anandas guest retreat. However, there are those reporters who seem to be more interested in presenting a pretty picture for their community, than exposing the truth about cults. Bertolucci said that she threw herself into her work as a computer programmer in San Francisco and visited her therapist regularly to help her come to terms with the ongoing harassment. Why, I wondered with mild exasperation, did the first lesson discuss friendship? by | Dec 17, 2021 | termination letter to employee due to business closure | national board for health and wellness coaching | Dec 17, 2021 | termination letter to employee due to business closure | national board for health and wellness coaching Green was nominated along with three other California attorneys for his work regarding a 22-year legal battle to collect a multi-million dollar personal injury judgement awarded to Lawrence Wollersheim against the Church of Scientology. Walters was also sued by the Fellowship for copyright infringement and lost. Under the guidance and blessing of Swami Kriyananda (1926-2013) and our great guru Yogananda, we have developed communities, schools, businesses, music and the arts, and retreat centers throughout the world where spiritual friendships, meditation, yoga, and selfless service thrive. In fact, it was Swami Kriyananda who persuaded the SRF leadership to accept Turiyananda, even though he was past the accepted age of 30. Increasingly, more and more Americans are engaging in the practice of Yoga. Subsequently, CultNews reported about the connection between OLeary and Sai Baba, January 20, 2003. She stayed on to become a devotee and yoga teacher.. I meditated twice daily with unwavering consistency, and I increasingly felt Paramhansa Yoganandas guidance and inspiration in my life. I have never broken that pledge. Far more likely, he would endorse Jesus statement: He that is not against us, is for us. (Luke 9:50). Imagine a Christian devotee, living in the former communist USSR and unable to communicate with church leaders. Anandas concern is that SRF has placed the organization above the teachingseven, at times, as Swami Kriyananda persuasively argues in A Place Called Ananda, above the Guru. Is thiswhat the Master wanted? But the octogenarian left behind quite a bit of worldly baggage. You will learn about SRFs draconian lawsuit against Ananda in which it attempted to gain sole ownership of the Masters name, writings, and likeness, and how, in the judges own words, they attempted unsuccessfully to put that organization out of business by bankrupting it through protracted litigation. View The Expanding Light Calendar, The Ananda School of Yoga and Meditation (based at The Expanding Light) offers teacher training in yoga, meditation, yoga therapy, and spiritual counseling. Some of the scheduled Ananda events and activities take place in this lovely setting. I personally feel the same in terms of if I feel good and see results does it matter, but it is good to know some more specifics. Since he was kicked out of SRF, he has led hundreds, perhaps thousands of public gatherings. "Some of my friends are still with Ananda. He certainly must have been busy studying the teachings. The swami paid $29,000 in damages. Satchidananda left behind a core group of faithful followers at Yogaville and a few in Manhattan too. These people I am proud beyond measure to call my friends. These stories evoked howls of laughter, because we all knew them to be patently untrue. These writings were deeply inspiringfar more so than most of the pallid, church-sanctioned tracts that are common in the West, where official religious instruction is freely available. If the blueprint for Masters work has been sewn in the ether, as he said, we can only assume that the essence of that blueprint, as of his teachings, is love. Swami Kriyananda asked several members of the staff to meet with him to discuss the marketing of one of his books. Yoga Movement.com under choosing a yoga style, Cult compound once the home of Charles Meade is for sale. My longing was fed by the ministers transparent spirituality. Contact the Meditation Retreat at 530-478-7557 or email mailto: meditationretreat@ananda.org. Lacking experience, her approach was based on another theory altogether. Ananda is a worldwide movement to help you realize the joy of your own higher Self. Ananda Meditation Retreat offers Personal Retreat and Mentored Personal Retreat stays, as well as Silent Group Retreats, Women's Retreats and more! A 1976 fire burned almost the entire fledgling Ananda community to a crisp. Before moving to Ananda, I had an interview with Brother Dharmananda, to discuss whether I should apply to enter the SRF monastic order, or if I should move to Ananda Village. But Ornish himself is a long-time follower of IYI and its recently deceased Swami Satchidananda. Suffice it to say that I was amazed by the actions and attitudes to which the leaders of SRF and their supporters showed themselves willing to stoop. Instead readers are regaled with how happy the little boy is at his new school, which teaches from text originated by L. Ron Hubbard, Scientologys founder. This Sydney Morning Herald reporter tells us the story of Hindu boy named Raja who found happiness at the Athena School in Sydney run by Scientologists. So it seems that there may be more to the diet doctors regime than meets the eye. However, the facts dont support such an arrogant conclusion. In such puffery reporters largely let the cult tell the story, without asking anything really tough, or follow-up questions. A flurry of increasingly urgent letters from the Mother Center only exhorted me to keep up my tithes. I think I speak for others when I say that I entered this path full of joyful expectationthat God can be known as the joyful Spirit residing in each one of us. The one thing God cannot abide is intolerance. Forced by SRFs ruthless legal harassment to defend ourselves, Ananda was now standing up for the right of devotees everywhere, and in all future ages, to read Yoganandas books, use his photographs, listen to his spoken words, and spread his teachings through their own organizations, free of SRFs sectarian tyranny. Some yoga groups and teachers are essentially interested in proselytizing. Harmony with nature will give you a happiness known to few city dwellers. Ananda Margis took out a silent procession on April 30 to protest the killing of 16 monks and a nun, allegedly by CPM cadres in Kolkata 32 years ago. Brother Dharmananda began the interview by asking me some questionsthat were clearly intended to test my spiritual mettle. Now you can learn the true story in the words of the Ananda members themselves that reveal their sincere dedication, and their devotion to serving the Gurus work creatively, free from top-down, micromanaging, Kali Yuga centralized control. When Brother Anandamoy violently criticized Swami Kriyananda to a group of Ananda members, for example, Swami Kriyananda wrote him a letter in which he said (I am paraphrasing): I thank you for your criticisms, because they impel me to bless you even more than ever. As for mocking the SRF organization, the truth is, SRFs own statements and behavior made invention superfluous, even if we had been so inclined. And if they fall, they can be assured that, far from judging them, I will hold them up to Gods light, and pray that He help and bless them. Did I need help getting to the nearest center to attend services? The saintslie? In its ten-year legal barrage against Ananda, SRFs behavior is hardly reflective of the courageous dedication to truth that Yogananda espoused. I knew with intuitive certainty that he was inspired by God. But I find little joy in the thought of going backward in time, toward authoritarian religious institutionalism. Then, holding that meditative calmness, think about what you intend to say. Readers interested in comparing SRFs legal attacks with Anandas restrained and dharmic replies are referred to the case files: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, Case Number: Civ. Therefore, the discussion or mention of a group, organization or person on this page, is not necessarily meant pejoratively. If only they would send one of their directors here for a week, I thought, they would see what Ananda is really like. Surely, if they would exert the simple integrity to study us before they judged us, then all might be well. 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