a Ananda Sangha Meditation Yoga Spiritual Community 2171 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, CA www.anandapaloalto.org (650) 323-3363 Monthly news March & April, 2008 Introducing: Divine Mother Paramhansa Yogananda I will behold God Himself bestowing on me His divine love through the hearts of all. Paramhansa Yogananda Swami Kriyananda Dear Friends: On one of my first visits to Ananda about 1970, I overheard a conversation between two of the original residents, Binay and Satya that I ve never forgotten. Conditions were quite primitive at that time. Binay lived in a teepee, Satya lived in what amounted to a plywood box 8 x 8 x 16. Anything that could keep one relatively warm and dry was considered a prize structure. Sometime before Ananda bought that first piece of land, someone had driven an old bread van onto the property and abandoned it in the woods. Binay was using the van as a workshop for his fledgling business of jewelry made from wild flowers and manzanita wood. In an effort to clean up the neighborhood, however, another resident had taken the van to the dump, not realizing he was also dumping Binay s business. The conversation I overheard was Binay s effort to make sense of what had happened. Mother Is In Charge I thought Mother wanted me to do this business, Binay said earnestly. But I guess She has other plans She hasn t told me about. I was a newbie and naturally thought he was talking about his earthly mother. Inwardly I was critical. What kind of a mother would take his business to the dump? I wondered. And why is a grown man waiting around for his mother to tell him what to do? As the conversation continued, I realized he was talking about someone (rather Someone) he called Divine Mother. That didn t make it any better. His attitude was incomprehensible to me. Later, when I moved to the community, I went to work in the Retreat Kitchen. I was willing, but utterly unskilled. On the first day, when the woman in charge asked me to make scalloped potatoes, I told her I had no idea how to do it. Apparently I was the last in a long series of unqualified assistants. In extreme exasperation, she turned her eyes toward heaven and exclaimed, Divine Mother, why do you keep sending me people who can t cook? Divine Mother seemed to be a powerful, but not a particularly competent force at Ananda!
My last introduction to Divine Mother came through Swami Kriyananda. I had sought his advice about a dilemma I faced. After listening to my tale of woe, he said, Just give the problem to Divine Mother. Let Her solve it. I was several months into my sojourn at Ananda, so by then I knew of Whom he was speaking. Not that it helped much. I remained silent, but inwardly I was pleading for some useful advice. But none was forthcoming. Transformation Fast-forward a few years. One of the guests at our retreat seeks me out for counsel. At the end of her tale of woe, I say with complete sincerity, Just give the problem to Divine Mother. Let her solve it. Her bewildered expression was such a perfect mirror of my own from years before that I nearly burst out laughing. In fact, my own words had surprised me. When had I shifted from observer to participant? When had Divine Mother become my own? I was never able to pin down the exact moment when everything shifted. I just knew beyond any doubt, that God is personally concerned for every one of us. That Infinite Compassion is a conscious force, ever eager, like a loving Mother to help us. Not necessarily in the way the ego wants, but in ways that nurture the soul. Happiness comes from relying more on God and less on the ego to resolve our dilemmas. Truth Is Simple So many of the principles I have learned from Swamiji are simple to express: Live in the spine. Rest in the heart. Give your problems to Divine Mother. Aum Guru. Aum Guru. Aum Guru. Many times I would have preferred answers as complicated as my questions. But as Swamiji writes in a recent essay, Religion in the New Age, According to every saint who has experienced this sublime awakening, God is simple: it is man, with his intellectual justifications, who is complex. Or, as Jesus put it, Be ye therefore as little children, for of such is the Kingdom of God. Heart and Mind In no way, of course, is this an invitation to put our intellects on the shelf. Swamiji s 80 books make it obvious that deep, intuitive, clear thinking is a tremendous asset, in fact a requirement, for success on the spiritual path. The key word here is intuitive. Intellect alone is not enough. Intelligence must be guided by the calm feeling of the heart. I am so grateful that from the beginning Swamiji trusted us enough to tell us the truth: Love God. Give your problems to Divine Mother. Aum Guru. At first I didn t understand. If Swamiji had given me another option, some intellectual conundrum to puzzle over, I would never have faced the far greater challenge of opening my heart to Divine Love. I would have chewed the dry philosophical bone forever. Well, maybe not forever. For without Divine Love, nothing satisfies. The greatness of true spiritual teaching is that it explains but not too much. Rather than reducing Truth to something the ego can comfortably embrace, it challenges us to meet Truth on its own level. It is not a question of heart or mind. It is both/and. Spiritual growth is like water on a stone slowly carving into the rough surface of ego a smooth receptacle for God s love. Blessings and joy, Asha/David
NEWS of Swamiji In early January, Swamiji left India to go to his home in Assisi, Italy for a month. He left right after the second of a series of eight chemotherapy treatments that had been prescribed by his doctors in New Delhi. The plan was for Miriam, his nurse, to give continue administering the therapy. When Swamiji arrived in Italy, he met with a local oncologist. It was a good idea to have a doctor closer than New Delhi who was familiar with his case. S w a m i j i, however, was already having doubts about the wisdom of going on with the treatments. They were taking away my mental clarity, he said. The tradeoff for him simply wasn t worth it. A longer life was of no value to him if he couldn t continue in the same way his service to Master. The Italian doctor supported S w a m i j i s thought that the c h e m o t h e r a p y might not be warranted (given the degree of cancer) and that the cost in quality of life might not be worth it. So soon after he arrived in Italy, Swamiji decided to stop the chemotherapy. The effect of two treatments, plus the operation a few months before, left Swamiji quite debilitated. As his designated month in Swami Kriyananda Italy drew to a close it was obvious that travel was going to be a challenge. And he was scheduled to return to Italy in early April. Even though Swamiji was expected for the Mahasamadhi and Kriya events in India in March, he made the decision to stay in Italy instead. One of the reasons he had to return to Italy in April, was for the launch of the Italian edition of his Revelations of Christ as Proclaimed by Paramhansa Yogananda. Last Spring, in a huge public event, Swamiji had launched the Italian edition of The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita. On that occasion Swamiji was presented by the government of Rome with an award usually given only to heads of state, the equivalent of the Keys to the City. Rome is the obvious place to launch this book, as well, being the historical center of Christianity, or perhaps more accurately, Churchianity. Not surprisingly, this book is already proving to be c o n t r o v e r s i a l. Swamiji is delighted. He wrote it in order to stir up controversy! The arguments in Christianity right now are about the historical Jesus vs. Jesus of the Gospels. Alternate theories proposed by scholars and novelists about the fundamental facts even of Jesus life threaten to undermine the very basis of the Christian faith. In this book, speaking for his guru
Paramhansa Yogananda, Swamiji asserts (without pulling any punches!) that the true custodians of religion are not churches, priests, scholars, or novelists, but the word of those who have shared in the divine consciousness of Christ. A wonderful message for Dwapara Yugs. But not a popular concept with the Vatican! Although not fully in seclusion (he is not in silence, nor is he always alone), Swamiji has lived in semiretreat ever since he arrived in Italy. He has held a few satsangs for the residents there, but mostly he has spent his time writing. He is just finishing a book of essays on a wide variety of themes ranging from Why I Left College, to How to Develop Self- Confidence, to Why I Love My Guru. The heart of the book is a revised version of an essay he wrote fifteen years ago called Religion in the New Age. The book should be published later this year. Of his three homes, the one in Assisi is the most isolated. In India, he shares his house with six other people; in Assisi he lives alone. Although every day Lila cooks for him, Miriam checks his health, and At a tea in the Ananda community in his Lakshman provides whatever secretarial help is honor, Swamiji, escorted by David Praver, needed, and Kirtani, Anand and other of the leaders walks among the tables greeting people. in Assisi visit him often, most of the time, he is by himself. Swamiji has this time of quiet and relative solitude to prepare himself for the launche set for April 19th. He says, This may be the most important talk of my life. He is fluent in Italian and will lecture in that language, so there will be no language barrier between him and his audience. The program will begin a half hour of music from the Oratorio Swamiji has written, Christ Lives. There will be a full choir as well as solos and instrumentals. Some of the singing will be in English, but many of the songs have been translated into Italian. The natural thought is that if people can first feel the presence of Christ in their hearts through the music they will be more receptive to the message that follows. As it happens, Todd Billingsley, from our community, will be going to Italy to play the keyboard for that event. Fortuitously for him, the Italian musician who usually plays is unavailable that night. As it also happens, David and Asha will be going to Rome for the occasion, leaving here on April 15 and returning May 3. Asha will certainly keep you all informed through her letters. Long-time great friends...david and Swamiji sharing a laugh.
Events and happenings over the past month... Mahasamadhi Retreat Rajasi Janakananda On the Saturday between Master s Mahasamadhi, March 7, and Sri Yukteswar s, March 9, we had a retreat day at the Sangha. We listened to Swamiji reading the chapter from The Path in which he describes Master s last moments on earth. ParamhansaYogananda No matter how many times one reads or hears that story it always makes a deep impression to realize what divine power was set in motion by the life of Paramhansa Yogananda. Whenever Swamiji speaks about Master s passing, above all he wants us to understand that Master s mission did not end the day he died: on that day it began. Master consciousness is not limited by time, space, or physical condition. He is as much alive now as he has ever been. As the Bible says, to all who receive him, to them he gives the power to become one with God. Swamiji once asked him, Will you be as much with us after you are gone as you are now. Master replied, To those who think me near, I will be near. The obvious next question is, How can I receive him? How can I think him near? As part of that retreat, Asha read excerpts from one of the essays Swamiji has written on the subject of attunement. How can I attune myself to Master? is a question Swami Kriyananda often asked, Swamiji writes. The answer Master himself gave was, first, to gaze deeply into a photograph of Master, especially concentrating on his eyes. Then visualize those eyes, as you meditate, and call to him mentally, Reveal thyself! Reveal thyself! Then try, next, to feel his response in your heart. The answer, when it comes, will bring a distinct awareness of his presence and vibrations. To help you with this practice, you ll find here several photographs of Master, with enlarged pictures of his eyes. Also you ll find one of Rajarsi Janakananda, Master s spiritual heir and also one of Swamiji. ParamhansaYogananda ParamhansaYogananda Gaze into these eyes. They are doorways to the Infinite.
EASTER DAY FUN A Perfect Day Recently a book was published which contained memoirs both of famous writers and ordinary people. The unusual feature of these memoirs is that each one is only six words long. The editors explained that the idea for the book came from Ernest Hemingway. Someone bet him that he couldn t write a story in just six words. Of course he did, and because it was Hemingway, it was bittersweet: For sale. Baby shoes. Never worn. The editors thought maybe a whole lifetime could be summed up in the same way and began by soliciting six word memoirs from writers, and then from anyone who cared to contribute. A few memorable examples: Not born a redhead. Changed that. Lightbearers offer the little light that is in us into Thy blazing light of Infinity. Fifteen years since last professional haircut. And from the author of the bestselling Eat. Pray. Love, Me see world. Me write stories. And more poignantly, Found true love. Married someone else. The choir leads the Sangha in chanting, Nothing on Earth can hold me. Rise O my Soul in Freedom.
A ray of Your light flashed out from the heart of Infinity, burst downward through night skies of consciousness, and was born on earth for the redemption of mankind in human form. Clare and other choir members demonstrate the movements to the song we are about to sing.
On Easter Sunday, after a glorious service and a delicious brunch we decided to try something similar. Instead of a whole life, we limited ourselves to describing a perfect day. (Sometime in the future, we ll ask for a whole memoir, if you want to start practicing!) Many described the kind of day we were having right then. Perfect day living in the ray. Glory of God fills my heart. Ananda service. Whole day with Gurubhais. Sunny and warm. East West is closed. (Wonder who wrote that one?) Then as an alternative, the same person wrote: Sunny and warm. East West is open. Others spoke of days they could imagine. Happy is me. Spirit is free. I sing. I revere. I rebirth. Some decided to be more down to earth about it. Woke up. Sun s out. Stayed awake! Sun rises. Coffee drips. God s blessing. Done with taxes. Went on vacation. House clean. Kids fed. Paid help. And, our favorite description of a perfect day: I wake up thirty pounds lighter. Singing together Children of God we express our deep aspiration through words, melody, and graceful movements.
Light in a Dark Age: The Story of Francesco and Chiara of Assisi A child once said that Easter was his favorite holiday because he loved the story of Jesus. He went on to explain that when Jesus died they put him a big hole in the ground. Then they rolled a huge rock over the opening. Jesus stayed down in that hole for six weeks. And when he came out, he saw his shadow! In other words, we can teach children all we want, but sometimes we aren t quite sure what they receive. St. Francis preaches a sermon to the birds who are nest in a garden of flowers, Charlotte, Kelsey, and Elizabeth. To help children not miss the point, our Living Wisdom School every year puts on a full-length play of the life of some great spiritual figure. The plays are specifically written by Helen Purcell, the director of the school, or other of the teachers, to explain in ways the children can understand the events and some of the teachings of these great souls. This year the play was about St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi. The play is part of an integrated curriculum, so since the beginning of the year, in a way appropriate for their grade levels, the children have been learning about the time period, the country, the culture, and the language of Francesco and Chiara. By acting the parts themselves, and hearing their peers say these lines (over and over in rehearsal and performance) the children take deeply into themselves the spirit and consciousness of those they are studying. Through the years we have been delighted to see how deep is the children s appreciation and understanding. The angels came and gave St. Francesco the marks of Christ on his own body. Here Sophia comes to a praying Haze.
Once two students of our school were having a mild disagreement. One asserted, St. Joan of Arc and Moses were exactly the same. The other student disagreed. How can you say that? he asked. One was a young girl, the other an old man. One followed Christ, the other lived long before Christ was even born. Yes, the first student said, But they both listened only to God. Those students who participate year after year in these plays, come to know from first-hand experience, The paths are many, but Truth is one. Hadley, here in the role of Mother Chiara, graduates this year. We will miss her superb acting, singing, and dancing. The parts of Chiara and Francesco were played by several different actors during the course of the play. Here Alex is St. Francesco talking to one of his monks, played by Lucas. At a critical moment in the life of St. Francesco, he was praying in front of a crucifix and Jesus spoke to him. This is a copy of that very crucifix.
Swamiji has written a beautiful melody to the old Italian version of the Canticle of the Creatures. For the performance, Patrick Mahoney (Irish tenor who often sings at Sunday service) was the voice of St. Francesco singing. The student Haze was the face and form. Young Francesco went to war, was imprisoned, and when released began deeply to question the meaning of life and to pray to God for an answer. Francesco here is played, appropriately, by a student of the same name. On the night that Chiara left her home to join St. Francesco, the Town Crier, played by Hyun, announced the midnight hour and All is well.
Before St. Chiara renounced the world to join St. Francis she lived in one of the wealthiest homes in Assisi. Here they celebrate Christmas with a dance. St. Chiara saves the town of Assisi from a Saracen invasion by holding in front of her the sanctified communion wafer. One of the props was an authentic monstrance, the place where the wafers are stored. Here Sahana examines it carefully. The Pope played an important role in this play, blessing the work of St. Francesco and St. Chiara. Zachary enjoyed being, for a time, the leader of the Catholic Church.
Living Wisdom School has made a slide show of: Light in a Dark Age: The Story of Francesco and Chiara of Assisi Check out http://www.livingwisdomschool.org/theater/stfrancis.html A young nun, played by Shuba, contemplates the great mysteries of life. First time performer, kindergarten student Aiden, delights in the first dress rehearsal. Jason relaxes during his off-stage time at the dress rehearsal.
Between the scenes of the play the children recited devotional poetry from many different authors. Here Rishi has his moment. The actors playing Chiara and Francesco each wore a big gold cross. Here Shenelly as Chiara. All fifty-seven students in Living Wisdom School are included in the play. Here they celebrate the end of a great performance.