Swami Kriyananda

Swami Kriyananda, born J. Donald Walters, is a direct disciple of the yogi Paramahansa Yogananda, and spent many hours with him during the last three years of Yogananda's life (1948 – 1952). During this time Kriyananda became a minister for Self-Realization Fellowship, an organization set up by Paramahansaji himself and was asked by Yogananda to teach Kriya Yoga, which Yogananda called the highest technique of Self-realization.

World Brotherhood Colonies and other Legacies

World Brotherood Colonies are a lesser-known, yet still important aspect of Yogananda's teaching. Yogananda mentioned these in his autobiography: "'... a project I have long considered is beginning to take definite form. In these beautiful surroundings I have started a miniature world colony. Brotherhood is an ideal better understood by example than precept! A small harmonious group here may inspire other ideal communities over the earth.'" http://wikisource.org/wiki/Autobiography_of_a_Yogi_-_Chapter_48 Up through the end of his life, he often exhorted the values of living in simplicity with others of like mind.

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Ananda Village, the first world brotherhood colony, was founded in 1968 by Swami Kriyananda. Ananda "colonies" or communities have since been established all over the world, and today, over 250 people live at Ananda Village on about 840 acres. http://www.ananda.org/ananda/village/ Although they exist in a spirit of cooperation, these colonies are legally and finanically autonomous. In addition to his work in founding these communities, Kriyananda has also written a book about communities entitled for a Better World.

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Swami Kriyananda also started Crystal Clarity Publishers, and the well known East-West Book shops in Sacramento, Seattle, and Mountain View, California. Based on Yogananda's teachings, he also developed a widely respected system for educating children called Education for Life. Members of Ananda, under the guidance and inspiration of Kriyananda, have also established numerous teaching, retreat and meditation centers. Among these, the best known are The Expanding Light and the Ananda Meditation Retreat.

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