The path to bliss
Paramhansa Yogananda’s disciple Swami Kriyananda (J. Donald Walters) and his American devotees teach yoga and meditation to Indians at Ananda Sangha in Gurgaon, writes Sunit Dhawan

Swami Kriyananda feels there are thousands of receptive souls in India Photos: Sayeed Ahmed

Truth, they say, is stranger than fiction. From a spiritual perspective, this seems to be part of some divine plan. An Indian yogi goes to the USA to propagate yoga and meditation in the West. He passes away in 1952, but his influence continues to grow, and his teachings reverberate.

In 1968, Paramhansa Yogananda’s disciple Swami Kriyananda (J.Donald Walters) forms Ananda in the USA to support people in search of spiritual growth. Gradually, the movement spread across 16 countries in six continents.

Thirtyfive years after the formation of Ananda, Swami Kriyananda decided to dedicate his remaining life to make his guru’s teachings better known in the land of his birth and moved to India along with a small international group of Ananda devotees.

Since then, these devotees, primarily from the USA, have been teaching yoga and meditation to Indians at Ananda Sangha in Gurgaon.

Ananda Sangha – fellowship of divine joy – is now a worldwide group of individuals who share the search for higher consciousness and the ideal of service to others by following the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda.

Kriya yoga is taught for the benefit of those searching for salvation

These teachings emphasise self-realisation as direct inner experience of God.`A0`A0

Non-sectarian, they are based on India’s ancient, yet timeless universal wisdom and offer practical solutions to the challenges of modern life. It can be described as a subtle, yet effective spiritual revolution.

Like the Autobiography of a Yogi penned by Paramhansa Yogananda, the movement also continues to transform the lives of millions the world over. The basic premise of a group of westerners teaching yoga and meditation techniques to Indians does sound curious, but the trainers as well as the trainees assert that there are no boundaries in the spiritual world.

"The questions like the purpose of life, meaningful existence and quest for bliss are universal in nature," maintains US national John Helin – now Nayaswami Jaya Helin – who has been looking after the Gurgaon centre as well as the kriya yoga community in Pune.

At Ananda Sangha, kriya yoga is taught for the benefit of those searching for salvation. In Autobiography of a Yogi, Paramhansa Yogananda has revealed how the long-lost kriya yoga had been rediscovered in 1861. Kriya yoga focusses on spiritual growth through kriya-kundalini pranayama, which combines deep breathing and meditation.

Questioned on the mad quest for material gains, Helin points out that the modern educational system is more job or career-oriented and does not care much about inculcating good moral values or enriching students with their glorious heritage, history and culture.

"As a result, the students grow up and get jobs, but continue to feel they do not know the real purpose of their life," he observes.

At the same time, Helin clarifies that they do not abhor progress in material terms, but just guide the individuals to deal with real-life situations with more positivity and pragmatism, so that they don’t end up getting stressed out, irritable, angry, jealous or paranoid.

But how does meditation help one achieve this sort of "spiritual immunity" to outside influences? To this, he asserts that practising meditation with proper techniques not only helps us in healing and realising ourselves, but in attaining unconditional happiness as well. As we turn our senses inwards, the outside factors do not influence us as much as before. This also helps us in remaining in control of our reactions to a given situation and leads to better adjustability.

On the secret of getting along with the Indian students so well, Helin asserts: "We do not teach, but share what we have been able to imbibe during our long association with Ananda Sangha." Explaining their lineage, Helin underlines that it dates back to Mahavatar Babaji, who is believed to be a reincarnation of Krishna, and a param guru of Paramhansa Yogananda. It is also believed that Jesus Christ approached Krishna and urged him to send a yogi to the West.

"It was following such divine intervention that Paramhansa Yogananda went to the West," he maintains. As of now, Ananda propounds teachings of the holy Gita as well as the Bible among the followers, though its basic premise has roots in the Sanatan Dharma.

"Besides yoga and meditation, Ananda lays emphasis on group prayers, spiritual healing techniques, readings of the Gita, energisation exercises and devotional songs," says Nayaswami Dhyana, basically an African-American resident, who coordinates the functioning of the Gurgaon centre.

Canadian national Michael Taylor (now Keshav) and his wife and fellow-teacher Diana (now Daya) also look after their responsibilities at Ananda as divine assignments.`A0`A0`A0

Swami Kriyananda has stated that there are so many receptive souls in India that in time, the work here will dwarf everything else Ananda is doing. His words ring true as one sees Ananda spread its wings in New Delhi, Noida, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Pune.

Putting her experience at Ananda beautifully, Sangeeta, a devotee, observes: "Life becomes a heavenly experience when we surrender ourselves before the Almighty and consider everything in our life is happening according to His will."