Swami Kriyananda, born
J. Donald Walters (born May 19, 1926), is a direct disciple of the yogi
Paramahansa YoganandaParamahansa Yogananda , born Mukunda Lal Ghosh , was an Indian yogi and guru who introduced many westerners to the teachings of meditation and Kriya Yoga through his book, Autobiography of a...
(1893 – 1952), who made him a minister for
Self-Realization FellowshipSelf-Realization Fellowship / Yogoda Satsanga Society of India is a worldwide spiritual organization founded by Paramahansa Yogananda in 1920 and based in Los Angeles, California....
(SRF), authorized him to teach
Kriya YogaKriya Yoga is described by its practitioners as the ancient Yoga system revived in modern times by Mahavatar Babaji through his disciple Lahiri Mahasaya, c 1861, and brought into widespread public awareness through Paramhansa Yogananda's book Autobiography of a Yogi...
, and made him the SRF head monk. Swami Kriyananda was elected as Vice President of SRF in 1960 and member of the Board of Directors.
He is the founder of Ananda, a worldwide movement of spiritual
intentional communitiesAn intentional community is a planned residential community designed to have a much higher degree of teamwork than other communities. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, religious, or spiritual vision and are often part of the alternative society. They...
based on Yogananda's
World Brotherhood ColoniesWorld Brotherhood Colonies are an idea for cooperative spiritual living first promoted by Paramahansa Yogananda, the Indian yogi and author of Autobiography of a Yogi. Beginning in 1932 , and continuing to the end of his life in 1952, Yogananda urged young people to pool their resources, buy land,...
ideal.
Kriyananda is the author of over 100 books and the composer of over 400 pieces of music. His books and music have sold over three million copies, and are published in 25 languages in 90 countries. He has lectured worldwide. In addition to English, he speaks
ItalianItalian is a Romance language spoken by about 60 million people in Italy, and by a total of around 70 million in the world. In Switzerland, Italian is one of four official languages. It is also the official language of San Marino, as well as the primary language of Vatican City...
,
RomanianRomanian or Daco-Romanian is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova. It has official status in Romania, Republic of Moldova, and the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina in Serbia...
,
GreekGreek , an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, is the language of the Greeks. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. In its ancient form, it is the language of classical...
,
FrenchFrench is a Romance language globally spoken by about 65 million people as a first language , by 50 million as a second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired foreign language, with significant speakers in 57 countries. Most native speakers of the language live in France,...
,
SpanishSpanish or Castilian is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that originated in northern Spain and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile, evolving into the principal language of government and trade in the Iberian peninsula...
,
GermanGerman is a West Germanic language, thus related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. It is one of the world's major languages and the most widely spoken first language in the European Union. Around the world, German is spoken by approximately 105 million native speakers and also by...
,
HindiStandard Hindi, also known as High Hindi, Nagari Hindi or Literary Hindi is a standardised register of Hindi. It is one of the 22 languages with official status in India, and is used, along with English, for administration of the central government.Standard Hindi is a sanskritised register derived...
,
BengaliBengali or Bangla is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit and Sanskrit languages....
, and
IndonesianIndonesian is the official national language of Indonesia. It is based on a version of Classical Malay of the Riau-Johor Sultanate. It was first declared the official language with the declaration of Indonesian independence in 1945, following the 1928 unifying-language declaration in the...
.
Early life
Kriyananda (then Donald Walters) was born in Teleajen,
RomaniaRomania is a country located in Southeastern and Central Europe, North of the Balkan Peninsula, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea. Almost all of the Danube Delta is located within its territory...
, on May 19, 1926, to American parents, Ray P. and Gertrude G. Walters. His father was an oil geologist with the Esso Corporation (since renamed Exxon in the United States), who was then assigned to the Romanian oilfields. He received an international education in Romania, Switzerland, England, and the United States. He attended
Haverford CollegeHaverford College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Haverford, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia.The college was founded in 1833 by area members of the Orthodox Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends to ensure an education grounded in Quaker...
and
Brown UniversityBrown University is a private university located in Providence, Rhode Island, and a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III...
, leaving the latter with only a semester left before graduation to dedicate his life to searching God.
Time with Yogananda
In September 1948, in New York, Walters read Yogananda's
Autobiography of a Yogi, a book he says transformed his life. By September 12, Walters had already decided to leave his old life behind and had traveled cross-country by bus to southern California to become Yogananda`s disciple. In Hollywood, California, Walters first met Yogananda at the Self-Realization Fellowship temple there and was quickly accepted as a disciple.
Young Donald Walters, 22 years old at this point, took up residence with other SRF monks at Mt. Washington, SRF`s headquarters located on top of this mountain near downtown Los Angeles. A year later, Yogananda put Kriyananda in charge of the monks of the Self-Realization monastic order, asked him to write articles for the SRF magazine, had him lecture at various SRF centers, ordained him as a minister, and appointed him to initiate students into Kriya Yoga. Kriyananda tells these stories in his autobiography,
The Path. In his nearly four years (1948–1952) with Yogananda, he took extensive notes of his many conversations with the Master, which he published in
The Essence of Self-Realization and
Conversations with Yogananda.
After Yogananda's passing
On March 7, 1952, Paramahansa Yogananda was a speaker at a banquet given at the
Biltmore HotelMillennium Biltmore Hotel is a hotel located in downtown Los Angeles. At its opening in 1923, it was the largest hotel west of Chicago and by 1969 was designated a Historic Cultural Landmark by the City of Los Angeles. The Millennium Biltmore is operated as part of the Millennium & Copthorne Hotels...
in downtown Los Angeles. With Walters present in the hall, while Yogananda was giving his speech, Yogananda suddenly dropped to the floor and was found to be dead. This was a pivotal moment for the young monk.
In 1953 SRF published Kriyananda's (then still called Donald Walters) book "Stories Of Mukunda," and in 1960 a LP album with him singing Yogananda's Cosmic Chants, called "Music for Meditation." In 1955 he took the monastic name of "Swami Kriyananda." He was made the Director of the Center Department, guiding meditation groups and SRF centers, and was made minister of one of Yogananda's main churches, the "Hollywood Church." He lectured for SRF in the US, as well as in Canada, Mexico, England, France, Switzerland, Italy, Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and India. In 1958 he toured India with Daya Mata (the organization's president) and two others. In 1960 he was appointed Vice President of SRF and put on the Board of Directors.
Dismissal from SRF
Swami Kriyananda remained in India, serving SRF until 1962, when he was expelled from the organization for reasons he could never accept as valid: desire for personal power, ulterior motives in his service, and setting himself up as the new guru. SRF gave as a reason "specific actions of his–his basic pattern of behavior." After years of intense suffering, Kriyananda started serving again in California, in the San Francisco "Bay Area". Yogananda had often told him, "You have a great work to do!" Kriyananda eventually pursued the task Yogananda imparted to him of "writing, editing, and lecturing" as well as fulfilling his ideal of creating "World Brotherhood Colonies".
Ananda
Inspired by his guru’s dream of establishing spiritual communities, in 1967 he purchased land for the first of what are now eight Ananda communities worldwide: Ananda Village near Nevada City, California. (The village was actually founded with the signing of the first purchase agreement of a larger parcel of land on 4 July, 1969.) According to Kriyananda, these communities provide a supportive environment of “simple living and high thinking” where 1,000 full-time residents live, work, and worship together. The establishment of
World Brotherhood ColoniesWorld Brotherhood Colonies are an idea for cooperative spiritual living first promoted by Paramahansa Yogananda, the Indian yogi and author of Autobiography of a Yogi. Beginning in 1932 , and continuing to the end of his life in 1952, Yogananda urged young people to pool their resources, buy land,...
was one of Yogananda's central "Aims and Ideals" (published in his "
Autobiography of a YogiIn 1946, Paramahansa Yogananda , published his life story, Autobiography of a Yogi, which introduced many westerners to meditation and yoga...
" until 1958).
Retreat centers
Kriyananda has established various retreat centers: The Expanding Light Yoga and Meditation Retreat and nearby Ananda Meditation Retreat, both located near Nevada City, California, U.S.A.; Ananda Associazione near Assisi, Italy; and Ananda Gurgaon, India.
Meditation groups
There are currently (spring 2009) 125 Ananda Meditation groups in 19 countries, all of which were inspired in one way or another by Swami Kriyananda.
Lecturer and teacher
Swami Kriyananda has stated that at Yogananda`s request he has devoted his life to teaching. Over the course of 60 years, he has lectured on four continents in five languages. He has given thousands of lectures and continues lecturing today (2009) in Asia, Europe and America.
During his extensive travels, he has met well-known spiritual teachers: Sri Anandamayi Ma;
Swami SivanandaSwami Sivananda Saraswati was a Hindu spiritual teacher and a well known proponent of Sivananda Yoga and Vedanta. Sivananda was born Kuppuswami in Pattamadai, in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. He studied medicine and served in Malaya as a physician for several years before taking up...
and his disciples Swami Chidananda and
Swami SatchidanandaSwami Satchidananda was a reputed Indian religious teacher, spiritual master and yoga adept, who gained fame and following in the occidental West, especially in America during his time spent there...
;
Swami MuktanandaSwami Muktananda is the monastic name of an Indian Hindu guru and disciple of Bhagavan Nityananda. Swami Muktananda was the founder of Siddha Yoga...
; Satya Sai Baba;
Neem Karoli BabaShri Neem Karoli Baba or Shri Neeb Karori Baba , also known to followers as Maharaj-ji, was a Hindu guru and devotee of the Hindu deity Hanuman...
; the
14th Dalai LamaJetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso is the 14th Dalai Lama, a spiritual leader revered among the people of Tibet. He is the head of the government-in-exile based in Dharamshala, India...
;
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami PrabhupadaAbhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada was a Vaishnava Hindu teacher and the founder-acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, commonly known as the "Hare Krishna Movement"...
;
Sri Sri Ravi ShankarSri Sri Ravi Shankar is a spiritual and humanitarian leader. He was born on May 13, 1956 in Tamil Nadu, India. He is often referred to by the double-honorific "Sri Sri", Guruji or Gurudeva...
; and a number of others.
In the early 1960s, one of Kriyananda's inter-religious projects received personal support from India’s Prime Minister
Jawaharlal NehruJawaharlal Nehru was an Indian statesman who was the first, and has been the longest-serving prime minister of India to date, having served from 1947 until 1964...
. He also had personal contact with
Indira GandhiIndira Priyadarshini Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi ( Indirā Priyadarśinī Gāndhī; née: Nehru; (19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was the Prime Minister of the Republic of India for three consecutive terms from 1966 to 1977...
; with India’s Vice President Dr. Radhakrishnan; and recently with India’s President, Dr.
Abdul KalamAvul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam , born October 15, 1931, Tamil Nadu, India, usually referred to as Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam^, was the eleventh President of India, serving from 2002 to 2007, he was elected during the rule of the Bharatiya Janata Party, led ruling coalition, under prime minister...
.
Books
In following his guru's guidance that his task would be "writing, editing, and lecturing", Kriyananda has written more than 100 books (see Bibliography), each of which he has stated is intended to help individuals to expand their awareness. These books have been translated into 25 languages and are available in 90 countries. Applying Yogananda's teachings, they expand on such varied topics as marriage, education, leadership and success, spiritual communities, yoga, self-healing, art, architecture, astrology, and philosophy, as well as on Yogananda's teachings on the Bible, the Bhagavad Gita, the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, and other scriptures.
Kriyananda started Crystal Clarity Publishers and the East-West book shops in Sacramento and Mountain View, California, and Seattle, Washington.
Plays
- The Peace Treaty: A Play in Three Acts
- The Jewel in the Lotus: A Play in One Act
Rome's famous
Teatro ValleThe Teatro Valle is a theatre and former opera house in Rome.Commissioned by the Capranica family, the architect Tommaso Morelli designed the theatre which was built in 1726. It was inaugurated with the staging of the tragedy Matilde by Simon Falconio Pratoli...
(its oldest still-active theater, built in 1726), hosted “The Peace Treaty” in June 2009.
Lyrics and poetry
Swami Kriyananda won poetry and essay contest prizes at
Haverford CollegeHaverford College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Haverford, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia.The college was founded in 1833 by area members of the Orthodox Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends to ensure an education grounded in Quaker...
and also studied under the poet W.H. Auden at Bryn Mawr College. He has written numerous poems.
Compositions
Swami Kriyananda has composed 400 pieces of music for voice and instrumentals to, in his words, "uplift consciousness", both in the listener and the performer. Many of his students are also musicians and experience the performance of this music as an integral part of their spiritual practice.
Notable compositions include the
Christ Lives! oratorio;
Mystic Harp I and II, solo harp CDs performed by
Derek BellDerek Bell, MBE was an Irish harpist and composer.-As classical composer:Bell was born George Derek Fleetwood Bell in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Because he had been misdiagnosed at an early age as having a disease that would lead to blindness, his parents gave him a musical upbringing...
, member of the Grammy award-winning Irish group
The ChieftainsThe Chieftains are a Grammy-winning Irish musical group founded in 1962, best known for being one of the first bands to make Irish traditional music popular around the world.-Name:...
; and
Life Mantra.
Vocal soloist
As a soloist Swami Kriyananda has appeared on various albums, including:
I’ve Passed My Life as a Stranger,
Windows On The World,
Soul Songs,
Memories,
Mantra, and
Cosí Canta il Mio Cuore.
Education for Life
In 1973 Swami Kriyananda developed a system for educating children called Education for Life. Education for Life Schools offer character development, strong academics, and development of moral strength. The school curriculum is ecumenical; students of all religious backgrounds may attend. There are schools in Seattle, Washington, Portland, Oregon, and Palo Alto and Nevada City, California (all U.S.A.); in Italy near Assisi; and one has been started in Gurgaon, India. Other schools are adopting the curriculum and ideals of Education for Life. Kriyananda educational ideas also inspired the Ananda College, a yoga university as envisioned by Paramhansa Yogananda, located near Nevada City, California.
Ananda Yoga For Higher Awareness
Swami Kriyananda created a unique and uplifting style of yoga practice called
Ananda YogaAnanda Yoga , or its full name, Ananda Yoga for Higher Awareness, comes from the tradition of Paramhansa Yogananda. Swami Kriyananda, a direct disciple of Yogananda, frequently demonstrated Yogananda's hatha yoga approach to the public...
. Yogananda had asked him often to perform the asanas for visiting guests, in his presence. Ananda Yoga arose from this practice with the Master. It is designed to uplift consciousness, and to prepare the student for meditation. Its distinguishing feature are the affirmations associated with postures.
Artist and photographer
As a photographer, Swami Kriyananda has taken over 15,000 photographs, many of which he states endeavor to capture the consciousness of human beings behind the image. His photos have been used on inspirational posters, on album covers, for slideshows, in film productions, and in books.
As an "occasional artist with a brush" Swami Kriyananda has created several paintings. which have been used on book covers and on posters.
Film production
- Saint Francis of Assisi
Saint Francis of Assisi was a Catholic deacon and the founder of the Order of Friars Minor, more commonly known as the Franciscans....
(narration, music, photography)
- Mediterranean Magic (narration, music, photography)
- The Land of Mystery (narration, music, photography)
- The Autobiography of a Yogi
In 1946, Paramahansa Yogananda , published his life story, Autobiography of a Yogi, which introduced many westerners to meditation and yoga...
(narration, music, photography)
- Christ Lives! (narration, music, photography)
- Different Worlds (narration, music, photography)
Volunteer work
- 1948-present: As a renunciate, Swami Kriyananda dedicated his life to service to others. Copyrights to his books and music have been placed in a trust. Royalties are directed toward the work of sharing Yogananda’s teachings with the public. For many years now, he has received no salary or stipend, and depends on donations for all his needs, including food, housing, and medical care.
- 1997: After the massive earthquakes that damaged large areas around Assisi
Assisi is a town of Italy in province of Perugia, in the Umbria region and on the western flank of Monte Subasio.It was the birthplace of St. Francis, who founded the Franciscan religious order in the town in 1208, and St. Clare , the founder of the Poor Clares...
, ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
, including the Basilica of St. Francis, Swami Kriyananda raised funds to help rebuild homes in the area, in a campaign called “Hope and Homes for Italy.” He encouraged the use of wood instead of stone building materials, to minimize future earthquake fatalities.
Controversies
Swami Kriyananda was forced out of Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) in 1962 and started Ananda in 1968. Being successful, he became a rival: Self-Realization Fellowship spent twelve years (1990–2002) and million of dollars suing Kriyananda and Ananda over various copyright and trademark issues. SRF, among other charges, claimed exclusive and sole right (trademark and service mark) to the name "Paramahansa Yogananda" and all images of Yogananda, and the term "Self-realization". Many Hindu, yoga, and meditation groups filed papers supporting Ananda.
SRF lost nearly every issue in court, including: their claim to own the trademark to the name "Paramahansa Yogananda"; their claim to sole publicity rights to "Paramahansa Yogananda"; their attempted trademark on the term "Self-realization", which the court ruled is a generic religious term used for hundreds of years; their claim that Ananda was trying to "pass itself off" as SRF; their claim that Yogananda's writings were "work for hire" done as an employee of SRF, and done as part of the SRF "corporate body", as opposed to Yogananda writing them himself; their claim to own copyrights on certain photos of Yogananda; their claim that Ananda violated SRF's copyrights to magazine articles written by Yogananda (the court ruled that Ananda's use of the articles was "fair use").
The only issue on which the court ruled in SRF's favor was their claim that Ananda violated SRF copyrights to sound recordings of Yogananda's voice. As a result of the lawsuit, Ananda began publishing the first edition of Yogananda's
Autobiography of a Yogi.
In 1997—98, a former resident of Ananda filed suit against Ananda, an Ananda minister, and Swami Kriyananda. In the course of the trial, eight women testified under oath that Kriyananda had used his power as the leader of Ananda to obtain sexual gratification from them when they were in their 20s. Kriyananda admitted sexual contacts with most of the women but denied it constituted sexual abuse. The jury found the church (Ananda), and Kriyananda liable for "
constructive fraudConstructive fraud is a legal fiction used in the law to describe a situation where a person or entity gained an unfair advantage over another by deceitful, or unfair, methods. Intent does not need to be shown as in the case of actual fraud...
", with a finding of "malice and fraudulent conduct". The church, Kriyananda and the Ananda minister were found liable for "intentional infliction of emotional distress" with a finding of "malice" and a finding of "despicable conduct" against the church. The church was found liable for "negligent supervision" of Kriyananda, with a finding of "malice and fraud" on the part of the church. Swami Kriyananda was judged to have misrepresented himself as a monk and to have caused emotional trauma, and was ordered to pay $285,000 in compensatory damages, and another $1 million in punitive damages (the punitive damages were reduced to $400,000 on appeal). The jury also found that the Ananda minister had made "unwelcome sexual advances". The Ananda Church responded to the million-plus-dollar judgment by filing for protection under Chapter 11 of the federal bankruptcy code. That allowed Ananda to settle the lawsuit by paying $1.8 million dollars to Bertolucci and her attorneys. Ananda views this second lawsuit a continuation of SRF’s first lawsuit, in an effort to stop Kriyananda and Ananda: its main lawyer was an SRF lawyer, and nearly all of the women making accusations against Kriyananda were associated with SRF, either as members or followers. They presented, according to Kriyananda, “lies and complete distortions of the truth.” Kriyananda’s attorneys, however, were not allowed to cross-examine any of his accusers on the sexual allegations.
In March, 2004, Italian authorities raided the Ananda colony in Assisi, responding to allegations of a disgruntled former resident who accused Ananda Assisi of fraud, usury and labor law violations. Nine Ananda residents were detained for questioning. They also had a warrant for Kriyananda's detention, but Kriyananda was in India. A five-year long investigation followed. In March 2009 the judge ruled that the case was "non luogo a procedere perché il fatto non sussiste" (not to be continued as the matter is without substance).
Recent years; recognitions
Kriyananda married in 1981, and publicly renounced his monastic vows on the occasion of his second marriage in 1985. He was later divorced. In 1995, he officially resumed his monastic vows and title.
From 1996, Swami Kriyananda lived and taught for seven years at the Ananda Italy center, near
AssisiAssisi is a town of Italy in province of Perugia, in the Umbria region and on the western flank of Monte Subasio.It was the birthplace of St. Francis, who founded the Franciscan religious order in the town in 1208, and St. Clare , the founder of the Poor Clares...
.
In 2003, he moved to India, where he began an Ananda center in
GurgaonGurgaon is the sixth largest city in the Indian state of Haryana. Gurgaon is the industrial and financial center of Haryana. An important town in ancient Hindu mythology, Gurgaon is one of Delhi's four major satellite cities and is part of the National Capital Region of India. Over the past 10...
, near Delhi. For five years (until May 1, 2009) he appeared daily on
Aastha TVAastha TV is India’s No. 1 socio-spiritual-cultural channel. Its programs feature spiritual discourses, socio-cultural ceremonies and religious events, accompanied by meditation techniques and devotional music...
, a cable station that is broadcast throughout India, Asia, Europe, and the U.S. Since Kriyananda`s 2003 move to India, Ananda teachers have been giving classes on meditation and Kriya Yoga in many major Indian cities. In 2009, at age 82, Kriyananda moved to
PunePune , formerly known as Punawadi or Punya-Nagari or Poona, is the eighth largest city in India, and the second largest in the state of Maharashtra, after Mumbai...
, India, to start a new community.
Recognitions:
- In 1989: The Presidential Cup, second prize at the 1st Annual Modial Mariano, Colle di Fuori, Rome, Italy for the Oratorio: “Christ Lives”
- In 1990: Adelaide Ristori
Adelaide Ristori was a distinguished Italian tragedienne, who was often referred to as the Marquise.-Biography:...
Award, Italy, for the Oratorio: “Christ Lives”
- In 1991: First prize at the National Festival of World Peace in Italy for the Oratorio: “Christ Lives”
- In 1992: Nominated for the Templeton Prize
The Templeton Prize is an annual award presented by the Templeton Foundation. Established in 1972, it is awarded to a living person who, in the estimation of the judges, "has made an exceptional contribution to affirming life's spiritual dimension, whether through insight, discovery, or practical...
- In 1995: Lifetime Achievement Award, Unity in Yoga Conference, Snowmass, Colorado
- Recipient in 2004 of the International Award for Goodness by the “International Committee of Third Millennium” on nomination of Tara Gandhi Bhattacharjee, granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was the pre-eminent political and spiritual leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
. Previous recipients include the Dalai Lama.
- In 2006, Swami Kriyananda was nominated and accepted as a Creative Member of the Club of Budapest
The Club of Budapest is an international organization founded in 1993 by Ervin Laszlo to expand beyond the exclusively scientific purpose of The General Evolution Research Group to try to mobilize the full cultural resources of humanity to meet the challenges we face.-Club's mission:“The Club of...
., which counts as its members persons like the 14th Dalai LamaJetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso is the 14th Dalai Lama, a spiritual leader revered among the people of Tibet. He is the head of the government-in-exile based in Dharamshala, India...
and Mikhail GorbachevMikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev was the second-to-last General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, serving from 1985 until 1991, and the last head of state of the USSR, serving from 1988 until its collapse in 1991...
, and Archbishop Desmond TutuDesmond Mpilo Tutu is a South African cleric and activist who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid. In 1984, Tutu became the second South African to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize...
.
- Invitation in April 2006 by India's President Dr. Abdul Kalam
Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam , born October 15, 1931, Tamil Nadu, India, usually referred to as Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam^, was the eleventh President of India, serving from 2002 to 2007, he was elected during the rule of the Bharatiya Janata Party, led ruling coalition, under prime minister...
into the Rashtrapati BhavanRashtrapati Bhavan is the official residence of the President of India, located in New Delhi, Delhi, India. Until 1950 it was known as "Viceroy's House" and served as the residence of the Viceroy of India. It is at the heart of an area known as Lutyens' Delhi...
("President of the Country's Home").
- Recipient in Italy, in May 2007, in the prestigious Campidoglio, of the “Medaglia Giulio Cesare” (Julius Caesar Medal), a bronze medallion of limited coinage which symbolically represents “The Keys to the City of Rome.”
- Recipient in Italy, in 2007, of the “Premio Ponte” of the “Consorzio Per i Libri” (the Bridge Award of the Consortium for Books), as recognition for his role as a major spokesman for unity and promoter of dialogue between cultures, and the meeting between East and West.
- In August, 2007, Swami Kriyananda was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the National InterFaith Council at the Wadsworth Theater in Los Angeles.
- In June 2009, Rome, at the Teatro Valle
The Teatro Valle is a theatre and former opera house in Rome.Commissioned by the Capranica family, the architect Tommaso Morelli designed the theatre which was built in 1726. It was inaugurated with the staging of the tragedy Matilde by Simon Falconio Pratoli...
, the Byakko Shinko Kai, an international organization dedicated to global peace, headquartered on Mount Fuji in Japan, presented the “Living Peace Pole” to Swami Kriyananda. Such poles have been presented as symbols of peace to various eminent world organizations, notably the United Nations and its various agencies, UNESCO, ASEAN, The Arab League, The African League, IAEA, The International Red Cross, The World Bank, and The Rotary Club.
- At that same occasion, the “Associazione Umanista Mondo senza guerre” (Humanistic Association World Without War) conferred to Kriyananda the recognition of being a “Builder of Peace and Non-Violence.”
Discography
Swami Kriyananda’s recordings include choir albums, instrumental albums, vocal albums, and chanting albums.
Choir albums
- Christ Lives: An Oratorio
- Life Mantra (Chant of The Angels)
- Philosophy in Song 1
- Philosophy in Song 2
Vocal albums
- Windows On The World
- An Evening in Italy (Così Cant ail mio Cuore)
- I’ve Passed My Life as a Stranger
- Metaphysical Meditations
- AUM: Mantra of Eternity
- Mantra: Gayatri Mantra
The Gayatri Mantra is a highly revered Sanskrit mantra with origins in the Vedas. It is a verse in the vedic Gayatri metre , consting of 24 syllables, taken from a hymn of the Rigveda . Its recitation is always preceded by and the formula , known as the ...
, Mahamrityunjaya MantraMahamrityunjaya Mantra , also called the Tryambakam Mantra, is a verse of the Yajurveda addressed to Tryambakam "the three-eyed", identified with the Hindu deity Shiva. Its literal translation is the Great Death-Conquering mantra...
- Autobiography of a Yogi
In 1946, Paramahansa Yogananda , published his life story, Autobiography of a Yogi, which introduced many westerners to meditation and yoga...
Reminiscences
- Come Gather Round
- Mediterranean Magic
- Memories
- Rumanian Memories
- More Power To You
- Music from Ananda
- Music of Divine Joy
- Say 'Yes' to Life
- Songs of India
- Songs of St. Francis
Saint Francis of Assisi was a Catholic deacon and the founder of the Order of Friars Minor, more commonly known as the Franciscans....
- Songs of Shakespeare
- Songs of the Soul
- Soul Songs
- Ah, Moon of My Delight (Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam
Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam is the title that Edward FitzGerald gave to his translation of a selection of poems, originally written in the Persian language and of which there are about a thousand, attributed to Omar Khayyám , a Persian poet, mathematician and astronomer...
)
- I Came from Joy: Inspirational Music for Children
Instrumental
- Secrets of Love
- The Mystic Harp 1, recorded by Derek Bell
Derek Bell, MBE was an Irish harpist and composer.-As classical composer:Bell was born George Derek Fleetwood Bell in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Because he had been misdiagnosed at an early age as having a disease that would lead to blindness, his parents gave him a musical upbringing...
, featuring also Alasdair FraserAlasdair Fraser is a Scottish fiddler.Fraser operates Culburnie Records, and is also one of the leading artists featured on the label. He has founded three summer fiddling programs - the fiddle camp in California , a week-long course on the Isle of Skye and the more recent in California...
- The Mystic Harp 2 , recorded by Derek Bell
- I, Omar
- Life Is the Quest for Joy
- Rainbows & Waterfalls
- Relax: Meditations for Flue and Cello
- Relax: Meditations for Piano
- Ananda Strings (String Quartet)
- Music to Awaken Superconsciousness
- Surrender: Mystical Music for Yoga
- Egyptian Suite
Chanting
- Kriyananda Chants Yogananda
- Music for Meditation
- Awake Into Light
- I Am Thine
- O God Beautiful
External links