It’s Complicated. Or Maybe Not.
Our skills are many, which we acquire over time with dedicated study and practice. These are generally useful to us and others, but among the ones we are especially good at, unfortunately, is the setting of traps for ourselves in the judgments we make. The question of how much we like or dislike a person, object, feeling, experience or idea, … Read More
Meeting Saint Francis Through Swami Kriyananda: An Easter Story
On my first pilgrimage to Italy, Nakula and I were not yet married. We were traveling with Swami Kriyananda and other Ananda pilgrims. Many of us on that pilgrimage were directing our attention to Swamiji. We watched his every movement, looked at his eyes, and were fortunate to feel the bliss of his smile and consciousness. It was a happy … Read More
Be The Change
In his book, Aum The Melody of Love, Joseph Bharat Cornell states “Aum is God’s consciousness vibrating throughout creation. It is the bridge that unites Nature and Spirit, human and cosmic consciousness. Holy Aum is the stream of God’s consciousness into which the soul merges to discover its own highest nature.” These thrilling words give us a very clear direction … Read More
Be Thou a Yogi
In the Bhagavad Gita, India’s magnificent scripture, there’s a mystical verse, the meaning of which is not easily understood. Lord Krishna, speaking to his disciple Arjuna, says, “That which is night for the unenlightened is day for the yogi. And that which is day for ordinary people is night for the yogi-seer.” These words present us with a puzzle, and … Read More
The Trumpet Call of Friendship
The greatest joy and growth, pain and sorrows in this world all relate to our connection with others. And the highest form of connection is friendship. True friendship is a spiritual relationship of love, support and respect. Paramhansa Yogananda wrote “Friendship is God’s trumpet call, bidding the soul to destroy the walls which separate it from other souls, and from … Read More
Atomic Resolutions
Entitlement
by Nayaswami Hanuman In Swami Kriyananda’s book Paramhansa Yogananda, A Biography, in the chapter “The Beauty of Devotion” Swami writes “The oppositions of Nature are ineluctable. Everything must be cancelled out eventually,” The only thing to which there is no opposite is inner Bliss. And because divine love is the outward expression of Bliss, there is no opposite to selfless, … Read More
Enthusiasm Be Thy Engine
Rise in Freedom – Welcome!
Dear friends, old and new, near and far, welcome to our new weekly blog from Ananda Portland, entitled Rise in Freedom, to bring joy and inspiration from the path of Self-realization and Kriya Yoga. Our regular and guest authors will cover a wide range of topics from the practical and personal to the esoteric and extraordinary–always with the intention to uplift … Read More
