Yogananda's initial impact was truly impressive. But his lasting impact has been even greater. Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi,
first published in 1946, helped launch a spiritual revolution in the
West. His message was nonsectarian and universal. Yogananda’s teacher
sent him to the West with the admonition, “The West is high in material
attainments, but lacking in spiritual understanding. It is God’s
will that you play a role in teaching mankind the value of balancing
the material with an inner, spiritual life.”
The Path of Self-Realization
“The
true basis of religion is not belief, but intuitive experience.
Intuition is the soul’s power of knowing God. To know what religion is
really all about, one must know God.” — Paramhansa Yogananda from The
Essence of Self-Realization
Yogananda
brought to the West the path of Self-Realization. He said that
“Self-Realization is the knowing in all parts of body, mind, and soul
that you are now in possession of the kingdom of God; that you do not
have to pray that it come to you; that God’s omnipresence is your
omnipresence; and that all that you need to do is improve your
knowing.” The path of Kriya Yoga, which
Yogananda called the ‘jet-airplane’ route to God, consists of ancient
yoga techniques to hasten the spiritual evolution of the student.
Yogananda's techniques can be learned through the Ananda Kriya Ministry.
Ananda: Fulfilling Yogananda’s Vision
Swami
Kriyananda, a direct disciple of Yogananda, founded Ananda Village in
1968 to fulfill Yogananda’s vision of "World Brotherhood Colonies," or
spiritual cooperative communities. Yogananda envisioned a place where
all people, not just monastics, could devote themselves to living a
divine life, dedicated to practicing the teachings of yoga in every
aspect of their daily life.
Ananda Village has over 300 adult
members and children. Ananda Worldwide now includes World Brotherhood
Colonies in four American cities, and in Assisi, Italy. All residents
practice Yogananda’s teachings of meditation and apply his principles
to all facets of life in this world: business, schools, relationships,
healing, and much more. Ananda’s Expanding Light Retreat in Nevada City, CA has been sharing these principles for over 25 years, as well as at our more recent East Coast Ananda Retreat in Rhode Island.