Ananda On New Srf Lessons
. Name: Ananda Church of Self Realization. Founder: Swami Kriyananda (J. Donald Walters).
The Self-Realization Fellowship lessons, an extremely comprehensive and complete course in its field, are sent to interested seekers at a cost that barely covers printing and mailing, and are accompanied by excellent ongoing personal guidance and counseling.
Date of Birth: 1926. Birth Place: Northern California. Year Founded: 1968 (Nevada City, CA).
Sacred or Revered Texts: Bhagavad Gita, The Bible. Cult or Sect: Negative sentiments are typically implied when the concepts 'cult' and 'sect' are employed in popular discourse. Since the Religious Movements Homepage seeks to promote religious tolerance and appreciation of the positive benefits of pluralism and religious diversity in human cultures, we encourage the use of alternative concepts that do not carry implicit negative stereotypes. Size of Group: Approximately 5,000 members Worldwide. History of the Group.The history of the Ananda Church of Self-Realization, founded by J.
Donald Walters in 1968, is heavily rooted in the teachings of and the, which he established. Yogananda, born in 1893 and raised in a well-to-do family, grew up with an immense fascination for spiritualitysize=-1 /size. By 1914, he had graduated from college and taken the necessary vows to become a member of the Swami order. Once a member, he began teaching a small group of individuals the fundamentals of, among other things, Yoga. This group would come to be the nucleus of the Self-Realization Fellowship size=-1 /sizesize=-1 /size.In 1920, Yogananda received the opportunity to bring his teachings of Self-Realization West, to the United States, for a speaking engagement in Bostonsize=-1 /size. He accepted and was very well received, consequently leading to additional speeches.
The following lectures received rave reviews and large crowds came to listen to him. 'The crowds soon united to found the Self-Realization Fellowship, with strong beliefs in mediation and Kriya Yoga practices, which they believe lead to the direct perception of Godsize=-1 /size.' Over the next two decades, Yogananda greatly decreased his amount of speaking engagements and focused rather, on writing books. His most popular work, 'Autobiography of a Yogi' (1946), became internationally recognized and in the process, greatly aided the membership of the Self-Realization Fellowship, most notably acquiring size=-1 /size.After speaking in depth with Yogananda in September of 1948, Walters felt that there was something about the teachings of the SRF and Yogananda in particular, that 'filled his whole being.'
He immediately left for Mount Washington, CA (headquarters for the SRF) to become a monksize=-1 /size. Beliefs of the Group.The basis of the Ananda belief system and overall manner in which they view the world comes from the teachings of Swami Paramahansa Yogananda (made up of a conglomeration of Indian, Christian, and Yoga beliefs from both the East and West)size=-1 /size. All members of the Ananda Church are expected to study his teachings in great detail and additionally study both the Bible and the Bhagavad Gita. The central idea upon which Yogananda based his teachings though was Self-Realization.
'This term in and of itself implies two things: One, that the self is in essence 'non-different' from God and that this fundamental fact of existence can be realized in an experience termed samadhi. Samadhi is a superconscious state 'in which a yogi perceives the identity of individualized soul and Cosmic Spirit;' secondly, Self-Realization implies that there is a means of attaining the state of samadhisize=-1 /size.' The means by which the Ananda Church of Self-Realization achieve this is Kriya Yoga.
Kriya Yoga is a meditative, breath controlling technique, which when practiced properly, is believed to lead to a balanced mind, body, and soul, and to direct, personal experiences with Godsize=-1 /size.' If this is accomplished, the individual utilizing the Yoga is said to be immune to physical and mental disease, as well as to spiritual ignorance.In order for one to achieve Self-Realization through Kriya Yoga, a series of eight steps must be completed.
The entire process can take many years. Each step has been listed and briefly explained below, with the help of the size=-1 /size. size=-11. Yama (Abstentions)- Religious restrictions and standards to live by defined as non-injury, non-lying, non-theft, non-greed and non-sensuality.2. Niyama (Religious Observances)- The observances defined as purification, contentment, austerity, sacred study, and attunement to the Absolute, which are designed to distill, strengthen, and cultivate a person's ability to control psychic energy through the development of the Will as a psychological function.3.
Asana (Postures)- Asanas are the physical postures of yoga which help establish the proper relationship between one's body and mind.4. Pranayama (Science of Prana)- Pranayama is the science of Prana (the life force) and its correlation to the breathing process. Purpose: Pranayama is the control of Prana. Yoga recognizes that Prana follows the path of thought. How we think is what we become. There is a direct relationship between how we breathe and how we think. Through the control of breath we can control the thought process.
By the control of thought we can shape our reality.5. Pratyahara (Sense Withdrawal)- Pratyahara is a series of breathing exercises and techniques geared toward separating consciousness from sensual perception.6. Dharana (Concentration)- Dharana is a series of breathing techniques and exercises, including mantra, designed to develop endurance through conscious effort. This is strenuous and effortful.7. Dhyana (Meditation)- Dhyana is a series of breathing techniques and exercises experienced from a different level of consciousness.
Purpose: Dhyana marks the shift from the effortful work of concentration to the effortless flow state of meditation. Samadhi (Contemplation)- Samadhi is a continuation of the same breathing exercises and techniques experienced as the expansion of consciousness into the causal body. Purpose: Samadhi is when consciousness returns to perfect divine unity. The point of simultaneous observation where one sees themselves as a separate entity, and at the same time, universal. /sizeDespite the immense significance and magnitude of Kriya Yoga within the Ananda Church, Yogananda also taught that the Christian approach when explaining God, in that he conveyed to his followers the idea of the trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), as well as the idea of creationism.
With the belief structure of the Ananda Church now laid out, one might ask what the difference is between Ananda and the Self-Realization Fellowship that Swami Yogananda founded, or if there is indeed any difference at all. Well, despite the fact that both religions are grounded in the same basic principles (so much so that Kriyananda has been known to have his members join the SRF first to properly learn the Yoga techniquessize=-1 /size), there is indeed a fundamental difference between them. Swami Kriyananda took very seriously his master's teachings regarding cooperative colonies and ended up using the idea as one of Ananda's founding principles. Those who remained with the SRF upon Kriyananda's departure did not interpret his teachings in the same manner and subsequently never embraced the idea. Additionally, after the split between the two religions, the relationship that exists between them is rather odd. On one hand, Kriyananda and the members of the Ananda Church maintain the upmost amount of respect for the teachings of Yogananda and for the SRF.
Despite being dismissed from the SRF, Kriyananda harbors no ill feelings toward the group. On the other hand however, the SRF wants little or nothing to do with the Ananda Church of Self-Realization. They do not recognize Kriyananda as a legitimate preacher of Yogananda's teachings and have actually taken Ananada to court saying that, by using Yogananda's books, etc. To teach, they are effectively ignoring the copyright rules the SRF holds on the materials.
Current Issues and Controversies. In recent years, Ananda has found itself in the courtroom much more than they would like for two major reasons. First, as was just mentioned above, there is an ongoing legal dispute between Ananda and the the Self Realization Fellowship. Ananda has been sued for publishing and distributing Yogananda's original 1946 literary work, among other works he has produced. The SRF has always held the rights to Yogananda's works but failed to renew it's copyright of the material.
In neglecting to renew in a timely manner, the SRF feels a bit threatened that they might lose potential new followers of Yogananda's teachings to the Ananda Church of Self Realization. Both sides obviously then have strongly vested interests in this case's outcome, which is why it isn't surprising that the relationship between the groups has greatly deteriorated, and that a few million dollars have been spent on legal fees thus far. There is no clear end to this dispute in sight at this timesize=-1 /size.
Look for a navigation element on the left sidebar that’s called “Network Settings,” or some derivative of the phrase depending on your exact router model, and click that.Scroll to the bottom of the “Network Settings” page, and you’ll see a small table representing the systems to which your router has dynamically assigned an IP address. And a few of these might simply say, “UNKNOWN.”To find out the exact identity of these devices, as well as their owners, you could write down the listed MAC addresses and ask all your guests to hand over their wireless devices for a comparison — an effective but party-pooping technique. Other than that, you don’t have much recourse for matching the exact identity of a MAC address with a person. A few of these entries might give you some kind of description in the “Hostname” field, like “Android” for a smartphone or the actual name you or a guest has assigned his or her system. Unknown computer in my network.
The second major issue that the church has had to deal with of late is the scattering of sexual misconduct cases that have been brought against both Swami Kriyananda, as well as the church. Most notably of these cases was the 1997 sex scandal involving Ann Marie Bertalucci, a 31 year old senior Ananda official from Palo Alto, CA, and 6 other women devotees who charged Kriyananda with persuading them to perform regular sexual acts upon the supposedly celibate Swami as part of their spiritual advancement. The jury found in the womens' favor, giving them a large settlement, and roughly one year late, Kriyananda stepped down as their spiritual leader. Kriyananda currently resides in the Ananda community of Assisi, Italy but does still play a major role in the churchsize=-1 /size. Links to Ananda Church of Self-Realization Web Sites.This is the official worldwide site for the Ananda Church of Self-Realization. Specific information on World Brotherhood Colonies and Kriya Yoga can be found on this site.Official Site of the Ananda community centered in Seattle, Washington.
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Biographical and historical information can be found, and has been utilized, from this site.Official Site of the Ananda community centered in Assisi. This site offers information about beliefs as well as more detailed information about Yoga.Official Site of the Ananda community centered in Palo Alto, California. It provides background information on the Ananda religion, as well as some information on the religion's beliefs.This page helps explain Kriya Yoga in much more detail than the other SRF related sites on the web. In addition, a fair amount of background information can be found on the movement here, as well as numerous links to other reputable resources on the web.7/1/99 article outlining the issue of Yogananda's potential reburial, as well as his biographical sketch and the current legal battles surrounding the SRF and Ananda.Site outlining the eight stages involved in achieving Self-Realization through Kriya Yoga and giving specific information relating to all stages. I first came to know the Ananda church about 5 years ago when I first started studying yoga.
There was a woman in the class that would pass out pamphlets and such. We would have conversations about spirituality, and oneness.
And what she said was very pleasing to hear. However, she then said something that turned my pleasant taste, to sorrow. 'We can know the will of god by his words.' Perhaps it is just my Taoist and Zen influence, but for a practice that intends to know god.
Why they would accept man made wordage as a god made concept is beyond me. But of course, that is just my opinion based on my 'self realization' if you will. But I am but an imperfect ego, who am I to say?
The Philosophy of AUMAUM is an aspect of God — it is the divine creative vibration of the whole universe. Everything in creation is vibrating with God’s power. AUM is the sound made by the vibration of God’s presence within us and all around us. Where there is vibration, there is sound, and if there is sound, we can train ourselves to perceive it, to “hear” it, and to attune ourselves to it, thus actually heightening our own vibrations — changing ourselves from material, ego-centered beings, into superconscious, free souls.
The AUM technique offers a scientific way to listen and commune with the sound of AUM.Traditionally in India, AUM is the third aspect of the three-fold nature of God or Satchidananda (Sat, ever-existing; Chid, ever-conscious; Ananda, ever-new joy). This three-fold nature is called as Sat, Tat, and AUM. Sat represents the God beyond creation, uninvolved and unknowable through ordinary human consciousness. Sat is universal, timeless, formless, omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipresent.When God (Sat) manifested the universe, the only “building blocks” available were movement, since before that, there was only oneness or perfect stillness.
Thus that one, unmoving Presence “moved” or vibrated and thus creating Maya, or opposites, such as left and right; up and down; in and out, darkness and light, and so on. This movement or vibration among opposites is called AUM or sometimes called the Divine Mother. Through the Divine Mother (AUM) was born the second aspect called Tat, the Son of God or Christ Consciousness, which represents the presence of God within all creation. Sat: God beyond creation. Tat: God within creation. AUM: The cosmic vibration, making it all possibleTo go from the knowable to the unknowable, to merge into oneness with God — this is our divine destiny.
An efficient way to approach God-realization is through the agency of sound (listening for the AUM vibration).Interestingly enough, sound is one of the eight aspects of God mentioned in the path of yoga (love, joy, peace, wisdom, calmness, power, light, and sound) and actually is said to be the best and most effective way of all the eight to reach God. Thus we re-trace our steps back to oneness with God, first through perceiving God’s vibration within ourselves and all nature (AUM), to God’s actual presence in ourselves and everything (Tat), to the final liberation and oneness to God, both within and beyond creation (Sat). Why We Meditate on AUMThe meditation technique called the AUM technique is a tremendously powerful tool of God realization. Through absorption in AUM, we soon come to realize that the AUM is the bridge between human consciousness and Cosmic Consciousness.There are many names in many spiritual traditions for the AUM, such as the Comforter, the Faithful Witness, the Amen or Amin, the sound of many waters, and the music of the spheres. It has also been called: “The loveliest sound in the universe.” Everything in the universe vibrates with AUM! The sound of AUM may also form itself into words to guide us intuitively, increase our creativity, and to help us continue to deepen our attunement with God.
Ananda On New Srf Lessons 2017
It is truly a powerful meditation technique and will bring great blessings to those who practice it regularly and faithfully.To put the AUM technique into the context of Paramhansa Yogananda’s path of, the AUM Technique as taught by Paramhansa Yogananda is the third technique in the path of Kriya Yoga. The first and second are the and the. Once you have learned and practiced these first two techniques for about six months, it will be time for you to learn and add in this sacred technique to the first two techniques.The Energization Exercises teach us to be aware of prana or conscious cosmic energy, to bring more of it into our bodies and to consciously direct as a powerful flow of life-force it to wherever it is needed. Meditation is not passive — it takes a great deal of energy!But great amounts of energy are not helpful if they are too scattered or unfocused. Therefore we have the Hong-Sau Technique of Concentration, which takes the gathered up energy and helps to further direct and focus it on calming the breath and the mind.
Thus learning to deeply concentrate and calm the restless mind, we need something upon which to concentrate it, for we become that upon which we concentrate.And so we come to the AUM technique, which gives us a specific attribute of our own divine nature on which to concentrate, which eventually allows us to merge into this aspect of God called the sound of AUM. How and Where Can One Learn ItThe AUM technique is not a difficult meditation technique to learn and practice daily. Great calmness and joy will come through the AUM technique, along with an increasing sense of oneness with God.At Ananda we ask that you learn the AUM technique in conjunction with taking Discipleship Initiation. The reason for this, as Swami Kriyananda has explained, is that for many spiritual teachers in India, the AUM technique is taught as the highest and most powerful techniques of meditation (inner communion).In Yogananda’s path, Kriya Yoga Initiation and the Kriya technique is the most important technique and is also given only through initiation rather than just taught in a class or a book — to give it the sacredness and emphasis it deserves. But the AUM too is very holy and very, very important to the Kriya Yoga practice.When it is time for you to learn and add the AUM technique to your Energization and Hong-Sau practices, you will then begin to practice all three of these techniques and continue them all for at least six months more to be eligible for Kriya Yoga Initiation.Practicing all these techniques will also deepen your devotion to God and Gurus and prepare your nervous system for the powerful practices of Kriya Yoga.
They will give you plenty to do during your meditation sessions, keeping you still and focused, getting you used to longer and longer times of silence and stillness which are so necessary to deep, effective meditation.To learn the AUM Technique and all the techniques of Paramhansa Yogananda’s path of Kriya Yoga mentioned above, please or visit our section. We will help you to learn and establish a strong, daily practice of the AUM technique.May you be blessed to achieve oneness with God quickly and in this lifetime!