ananda village controversy

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." Ironically, the meditation class was to help her with stress reduction, she said. She said last week that she probably would not have had the strength to continue with her case if she had been the only one. Welcome to Ananda Village A Spiritual Cooperative Community in the Tradition of Paramhansa Yogananda For 50 years Ananda Village has exemplified the spiritual ideals of Paramhansa Yogananda's "World Brotherhood Colonies". Those from every walk of life found shelter under the masters omnipresent wings. Not for a moment did I feel that by leaving the organizationhe had founded, I had offended him, or that I had been expelled from his spiritual family. Thank you so much for your detailed journey. But the background history of some YA board members is rather disturbing. I immediately moved to Mountain View, on the San Francisco peninsula, and began working at Runners World as an assistant editor and staff photographer. It is total disinformation. According to her attorney Mike Flynn, Bertolucci, then 28, was one of the church's most enthusiastic devotees. No. Asha Praver, one of Anandas main teachers, attended a public legal hearing in Los Angeles, where she was confronted by Brother Brahmananda, one of SRFs most virulent anti-Ananda monastics. That IYI student was only at the ashram for two weeks before marrying one of its swamis she had never met, who was old enough to be her father. 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. But what has made it worthwhile, she said, was the message the jury's verdict sent to other women. Not only can we meditate and pray together, but we also share the same unspoken understandings about many things. A simple life will bring you inner freedom. Working to serve God and Guru, I never felt the frustrating sense of meaninglessness that can accompany work in companies that are run strictly for profit. Satchidananda accumulated prime real estate in Manhattan, which provides space for an Integral Yoga International (IYI) school and a vegetarian grocery store. Part of the problem with the lessons was their arrangement. A devotee answered evasively, "You won't lose your mind and be brainwashed." Fiddle with your rosaries I live in a community where, every day, I learn from the example of others more advanced on the path than I amif not in every respect, then most assuredly in some aspect, such as kindness, compassion, or insight. Workers in Anandas churches, book stores, and restaurants became used to receiving phone calls from individuals who claimed to be interested in the teachings of our path, and who would ask after a brief initial discussion, Arent you part of Self-Realization Fellowship? Or, Ive heard that Yogananda started an organization in Los Angeles. I found the book deeply, unexpectedly inspiring. Browsing there on a Saturday evening in 1974, I picked up a copy of Swami Kriyanandas book, Cooperative CommunitiesHow to Start Them, and Why. Therefore, it stands to reason that we speak for the Master. But can anyone honestly believe that Paramhansa Yogananda would countenance the destruction of an entire community of deeply sincere devotees, or the forced subjection of thousands to SRFs doctrinal control? Was I doing all right? I recall a conversation with Brother Turiyananda, following a Sunday service at the SRF Lake Shrine. Genuflect, genuflect, genuflect. There was also urgency in his plea. View Upcoming Teacher Training Calendar. 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. 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. Take a Program Online Online with Ananda Decentralization, not strong central control, is the spirit of this age. One of SRFs own European center leaders, Renata Arlini, once scolded a visiting SRF monk: You people are trying to create another Catholic church, with Daya Mata as its pope. The monastic, not at all aware of the irony in her voice, replied excitedly, Oh, yes! The community welcomes visitors and is open to the public. In Autobiography of a Yogi, he writes: A significant feature of Lahiri Mahasayas life was his gift of Kriya initiation to those of every faith. ABP Ananda LIVE. The Guru zealously helps his children, using whatever instruments are at hand. Discover Yogananda Through His Out-of-Print Works. Why dont they even bother to visit us? we wondered, amazed by SRFs lack of concern for the truth of their claims. Yet, when Ananda showed itself unwilling to meekly turn over everything it had won, SRFs loving advances abruptly ceased, as it resumed its ruthless legal campaign, intent as ever on destroying Ananda and regaining sole ownership of Yoganandas work. He told me the story of his meeting with the great Indian saint, Swami Ramdas. 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. Have a Question about Online with Ananda Programs? It gives me comfort to get more involved with the Ananda community. Ive been on the path for 35 years. It's far from traditional, and it has a long history of controversy. At the time, there was a small new-age bookstore in Palo Alto that was run by a Sufi group. The award is given to the lawyer or lawyers who make the greatest contribution to the public interest by trying or settling a precedent-setting case, reports the Alameda Times-Star. I treasure the blessings I received from Brothers Bhaktananda, Dharmananda, and Turiyananda, as well as from Daya Mata. Yogananda stressed the joys of simple, natural living and God thinking a way of life that, he said, would bring people happiness and freedom. But his message went beyond simply presenting people with an attractive idea. Ananda was only 10 years old and a schoolboy in Switzerland when he succeeded his uncle, King Prajadhipok, in 1935. (The full text of this book may be found online at http://www.ananda.org/aplacecalledananda/.). Ms. Roberts doesnt appear to do much research before listing yoga teachers? But the leader they now call Yoneq lives in luxury, travelling between his homes in France, the United States and South America. 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 news page is about groups, organizations or movements, which may have been called "cults" and/or "cult-like" in some way, shape or form. Again, the overwhelming majority of yoga schools and classes are benign, healthy and likely to be beneficial to their students. The Gnostics, meanwhile, practiced their methods of inward communion quietly and in secret. There is one other ray of light at the end of the tunnel for Bertolucci: she is hoping to get back together with the husband she left in 1992 to join Ananda. American showman P.T. When I saw the exhibit, I nearly expired with laughter. In the Ananda communities, children are never more than five minutes from an Ananda member who is well acquainted with the child and knows its parents as fellow devotees. A group with a hidden agenda can use meditation to download its program. While reading books written by other Indian saints, I would wonder at the relatively pale expression of Yoganandas thoughts, as edited by SRF. Hidden gem of a flower shop. The stories of SRFs behavior were legion. She idolized its leaders, he said, which made it all the more difficult when things began to go wrong. Attachment makes them slaves. Are you affiliated with them?, Despite twenty years of clear evidence to the contrary, SRF was still trying to prove the old myth that Ananda was trading on its good name. And then there is the lucrative faith healing business, which supports apparent posers such as the popular Benny Hinn. Satchidananda left behind a core group of faithful followers at Yogaville and a few in Manhattan too. I recall, for example, sitting transfixed in the audience at a talk by Brother Anandamoy, during an SRF annual convocation. For 50 years Ananda Village has exemplified the spiritual ideals of Paramhansa Yoganandas World Brotherhood Colonies. Did I need help getting to the nearest center to attend services? And that government felt he was important enough to publish a book about his group titled, Ananda Marga: Soiling the Saffron Robe. I stumbled upon Ananda websites, and only feel goodness from mission as I understand it. 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. What a shame, I felt, that generations of disciples would be deprived of knowing Yoganandas teachings in all their original power and earthiness, simply because the organization over-valued its image. Of the jury's decision to award her $625,000 in compensation, she said that the financial reward was not worth all that she had been through. The blessed role of Kriya Yoga in the West . If I were to return in a hundred years I doubt if I would even recognize it.. SRFs policies, if carried to their logical and ridiculous extreme, would dictate that disciples of Paramhansa Yogananda who were forced to live under similar circumstances could never be recognized as disciples, since they would be unable to receive his teachings from SRF. http://www.ananda.org/aplacecalledananda/, My Position in Yoganandas Work and Legacy, Further Important Changes, and Recreating Masters Image. Yogi Bhajan of 3HO is perhaps the most controversial figure listed by Roberts. This is an incalculable blessing. ananda village controversy. Does America need a crack down? In 1998, The Union reported the church's legal costs alone approached $4 million between both legal battles, forcing Ananda to file for bankruptcy. Ananda has never been exclusively concerned with its own self-preservation, for even if SRF succeeded in destroying us, we would rise again like the green grass in spring. The time is short, he repeatedly told his audiences. But who it depicts and the time during which it was erected here has ignited new firestorms of emotion. Download a free 101-page collection of Yoganandas out-of-print writings. 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. , travelling between his homes in France, the overwhelming majority of yoga schools classes... Presenting people with an attractive idea voice, replied excitedly, Oh, yes Yoneq in! 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