Say Yes to Life! : Spiritual Adventure and Discipleship in the Building of Ananda

My life with Ananda began in the summer of 1971. It was at this time that I first read Autobiography of a Yogi, took a meditation class series, heard about Ananda, and visited the Ananda Meditation Retreat. It was love at first sight. I had been seeking meaning in my life for several years. I knew this meaning would need to be spiritual in nature, as I was not at all attracted to politics, social causes, or seeking wealth. When I found Ananda and Swami Kriyananda, I knew I had found what I had been looking for. I felt I had come home. From the first time I visited Ananda, heard Swami Kriyananda speak about the spiritual teachings, and met some of the people living in the community, I felt the same vibration and consciousness that I had felt in reading Autobiography of a Yogi. I felt that Paramhansa Yogananda's book had found living expression in Swami Kriyananda and Ananda. As the years have gone by, and as I have engaged deeply and regularly in meditation and the practice of Kriya Yoga, my life has become increasingly about joy. The spiritual teachings and broad scope of understanding of the meaning of life offered to me by Yogananda and Swami Kriyananda, have brought increasing understanding, expansion of awareness, and joy. I have felt inspired, and even compelled, to write about my more than 50 years with Ananda - as a disciple, as a Kriya Yogi, and as a lover of God - to share with others the incredible spiritual adventure I have experienced in this lifetime. It has been a life dedicated to the practice of the teachings of Self-realization, to living in a spiritual community dedicated to finding God, and to making the ongoing personal effort needed to bring about an ever-deepening experience of fulfillment and joy in God. As the Ananda community grew, I saw that Swami Kriyananda's first priority was not about buildings but on developing individuals spiritually. He supported each of us in increasing our own energy, spiritual strength, and understanding, and invited us to be part of the creation of Ananda. He held out to us our own greatest potential, and then let us fulfill that potential in the highest way we were capable of. There are really no words to adequately express my deep and profound gratitude to Swami Kriyananda for all that he has given me--

Author: Nayaswami Parvati Hansen

Publisher: Crystal Clarity Publishers

Publication Date: Sep 01, 2024

Number of Pages: NA pages

Language: English

Binding: Paperback

ISBN-10: 1565891651

ISBN-13: 9781565891654