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Kriyananda
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This article relies on references to primary sources. Please add references to secondary or tertiary sources. (May 2012) Kriyananda (born James Donald Walters; May 19, 1926 April 21, 2013), was a direct disciple of the yogi Paramahansa Yogananda and was the founder of Ananda, a worldwide movement of spiritual intentional communities based on Yogananda's World Brotherhood Colonies ideal. [1] Paramahansa Yogananda made Walters a minister for SelfRealization Fellowship (SRF), Yogananda's organization. He authorized him to teach Kriya Yoga, and appointed him the SRF head monk for Mount Washington monks. [third-party source needed] Walters was given final vows of sannyas in 1955 by then SRF President Daya Mata and given the name Kriyananda. He was not appointed by Yogananda to be on the original SRF Board of Directors but was elected a member and Vice President of the Board in 1960 upon the passing of Dr. M.W. Lewis. In 1962 the SRF Board of Directors voted unanimously to request his resignation. [2][3] Kriyananda is the author of about 100 published books [4][5] and the composer of over 400 pieces of music which altogether
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Kriyananda

Born

J. Donald Walters (James Donald Walters) May 19, 1926

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have sold over three million copies. [citation needed] Some of the books have been published in other languages [6] and some sold in ninety countries. [citation needed] He has lectured in different countries throughout the world. In addition to English, he spoke Italian, Romanian, Greek, French, Spanish, German, Hindi, Bengali, and Indonesian.[7] He established a new Swami order in 2009, the Nayaswami Order. [2]
Contents [hide] 1 Biography 1.1 Early life 1.2 Time with Yogananda 1.3 After Yogananda's passing 1.4 Dismissal from SRF 2 Accomplishments 3 Volunteer work 4 Legal cases

Teleajen, Romania Died Guru April 21, 2013 (aged 86) Assisi, Italy Paramahansa Yogananda

Philosophy Kriya Yoga

4.1 Self-Realization Fellowship Church vs Ananda Church of Self-Realization litigation 4.2 Anne-Marie Bertolucci vs J Donald Walters & Ananda litigation 4.3 Ananda Assisi vs Italian authorities 5 Recent years 6 References 7 External links

Biography
Early life

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Kriyananda, then J. Donald Walters, was born on May 19, 1926 in Teleajen, Romania to American parents, Ray P. and Gertrude G. Walters. His father was an oil geologist with the Esso Corporation (since renamed
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Exxon in the United States), who was then assigned to the Romanian oilfields. He received an international education in Romania, Switzerland, England, and the United States. He attended Haverford College and Brown University, leaving the latter with only a semester left before graduation to dedicate his life to searching for God. [2]

Time with Yogananda

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In September 1948, in New York, Walters read Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi, a book he says transformed his life. By September 12, Walters had already decided to leave his old life behind and had traveled cross-country by bus to southern California to become Yogananda's disciple. In Hollywood, California, Walters first met Yogananda at the Self-Realization Fellowship temple there and was accepted as a disciple. [citation needed] Young Walters, twenty-two years old at this point, took up residence with other SRF monks at Mt. Washington, SRF's mother center headquarters located on top of Mount Washington, Los Angeles. A year later, Yogananda put Walters in charge of the monks at The Mother Center, asked him to write articles for the SRF magazine, had him lecture at various SRF centers, [2] ordained him a minister, and appointed him to initiate students into Kriya Yoga. [2] Kriyananda recounted these experiences in his autobiography, The New Path.[2] In his three and one half years (9/19483/1952) with Yogananda, he took extensive notes of his many conversations with the Master, which he published in The Essence of Self-Realization[8] and Conversations with Yogananda.[9]

After Yogananda's passing

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On March 7, 1952, Paramahansa Yogananda was a speaker at a banquet for the visiting Indian Ambassador to the U.S., Binay Ranjan Sen, and his wife at the Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. While Yogananda was giving his speech, he suddenly dropped to the floor and died, via the transition called mahasamadhi. Walters was present in the hall, and this was a pivotal moment for the young monk and for others present. In 1953, SRF published Walter's book, Stories Of Mukunda,[10] and in 1960 an LP album with him singing Yogananda's Cosmic Chants , called Music for Meditation.[citation needed] In 1955, Walters was given his final vows of sannyas by Daya Mata, SRF president from 1955 until her death in 2010, and took the monastic
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name Kriyananda. [3] He was made the director of the SRF Center Department which guides SRF's meditation groups and centers, and was made a minister of Yogananda's Hollywood temple. [citation needed] He lectured for SRF in the United States, as well as in Canada, Mexico, England, France, Switzerland, Italy, Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and India. [citation needed] In 1958 he toured India with Daya Mata and two others.[3] He was not appointed by Yogananda to be on the original SRF Board of Directors but was elected a member and Vice President of the Board in 1960 upon the passing of Dr. M.W. Lewis.

Dismissal from SRF

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Kriyananda remained in India, serving SRF until 1962, [11] when the SRF Board of Directors voted unanimously to request his resignation. [2][3] He could never accept the reasons for his expulsion as valid: desire for personal power, ulterior motives in his service, and setting himself up as the new guru. [11] SRF gave as a reason "specific actions of his his basic pattern of behavior.". [12]

Accomplishments

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Kriyananda established Ananda Village as a World Brotherhood Colony in 1968 on 40 acres (160,000 m2) of land near Nevada City, California his portion of a 160-acre (0.6 km2) parcel acquired with Richard Baker, Gary Snyder, and Allen Ginsberg.[13] The village was actually founded with the signing of the first purchase agreement of a larger parcel of land on 4 July 1969. [14] According to Kriyananda, these communities provide a supportive environment of simple living and high thinking where 1,000 full-time residents live, work, and worship together. The establishment of World Brotherhood Colonies was one of Yogananda's central "Aims and Ideals" (published in his "Autobiography of a Yogi" until 1958). Kriyananda founded various retreat centers: The Expanding Light Yoga and Meditation Retreat and nearby Ananda Meditation Retreat, [15] both located near Nevada City, California, U.S.A.; Ananda Associazione near Assisi, Italy; and Ananda Gurgaon, India. There are currently (spring 2009) 125 Ananda Meditation groups in 19 countries, all of which were inspired in one way or another by Kriyananda. Kriyananda stated that at Yogananda's request he devoted his life to teaching. Over the course of sixty years, he lectured on
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four continents in five languages. He gave thousands of lectures and continued lecturing in Asia, Europe, and America until his death. Kriyananda met a number of well-known spiritual teachers: Anandamayi Ma; Sivananda Saraswati and his disciples Chidananda and Satchidananda; Muktananda; Satya Sai Baba; Neem Karoli Baba; the 14th Dalai Lama; A. C. Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada; Ravi Shankar; Vicka Ivankovic, visionary of Medjugorje; and a number of others. [16]

The Expanding Light retreat center in California, founded by Kriyananda

In the early 1960s, one of Kriyananda's inter-religious projects near New Delhi, India, received personal support from Indias Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. He also had personal contact with Indira Gandhi; with Indias Vice President Dr. Radhakrishnan; and, in 2006, with Indias President, Dr. Abdul Kalam.[17] In following his guru's guidance that his task would be "writing, editing, and lecturing", [2] Kriyananda wrote about 100 books, each of which he stated was intended to help individuals expand their awareness. [citation needed] Some of the books have been translated into other languages and are available in 90 countries. [citation needed] By the application of Yogananda's teachings, they expand on such varied topics as marriage, education, leadership and success, spiritual communities, yoga, self-healing, art, architecture, astrology, and philosophy, as well as Yogananda's teachings on the Bible, the Bhagavad Gita, the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, and other scriptures. One of Kriyananda's books is The Path (revised as The New Path in 2009), which among other things contains details of the three and a half years he spent as Yogananda's direct disciple in Los Angeles. In 2010, The New Path received the Eric Hoffer Award in the Self-Help section, given with the statement, in part "... The author begins with a history of his own life, an outstanding, engrossing narrative rich in vivid detail. An American youth with an early, unrelenting desire to find truth in spiritual experience, he eventually discovers his attraction to Eastern yogic science. A growing fascination and ardor culminate in his becoming a dedicated, chosen disciple of Yogananda." [18] Kriyananda started Crystal Clarity Publishers [19] and the East-West book shops in Sacramento and
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Mountain View, California, and Seattle, Washington. Kriyananda's plays include The Peace Treaty , and The Jewel in the Lotus . He wrote his first play at age fifteen and worked and studied with the Dock Street Theater in Charleston, South Carolina, in his early 20s. Rome's famous Teatro Valle (its oldest still-active theater, built in 1726), hosted The Peace Treaty in June 2009. Kriyananda won poetry and essay contest prizes at Haverford College and also studied under the poet W.H. Auden at Bryn Mawr College. [2] In 1973, Kriyananda developed a system for educating children called Education for Life. Education for Life Schools state that they offer character development, strong academics, and development of moral strength. The school curriculum is ecumenical; students of all religious backgrounds may attend. There are schools in Seattle, Washington, Portland, Oregon, and Palo Alto and Nevada City, California (all U.S.A.); in Italy near Assisi; and one was recently (2009) started in Gurgaon, India. Other schools are adopting the curriculum and ideals of Education for Life. Kriyananda's educational ideas also inspired the Ananda College, a yoga university as envisioned by Paramahansa Yognanda, [citation needed] located near Nevada City, California. Kriyananda created Ananda yoga. Yogananda had asked him often to perform the sanas for visiting guests, in his presence. This inspired him to create Ananda Yoga. It is designed to uplift consciousness, and to prepare the student for meditation. Its distinguishing features are the affirmations associated with postures. [20] Kriyananda took over 15,000 photographs, many of which he said captured the consciousness of human beings behind the image. His photos have been used on inspirational posters, on album covers, for slideshows, in film productions, and in books. [citation needed] Kriyananda has created several paintings, which have been used on book covers and on posters. He has also produced films, as follows: Saint Francis of Assisi (narration, music, photography) Mediterranean Magic (narration, music, photography) The Land of Mystery (narration, music, photography)
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The Autobiography of a Yogi (narration, music, photography) Christ Lives! (narration, music, photography) Different Worlds (narration, music, photography)

Volunteer work

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19482013: As a renunciant or as a householder, Kriyananda dedicated his life in service to others. Copyrights to his books and music were placed in a trust. Royalties were directed toward the work of sharing Yoganandas teachings with the public. For many years in his later life, he received no salary or stipend, and depended on donations for all his needs, including food, housing, and medical care. 1997: After the massive earthquakes that damaged large areas around Assisi, Italy, including the Basilica of St. Francis, Kriyananda raised funds to help rebuild homes in the area, in a campaign called Hope and Homes for Italy. He encouraged the use of wood instead of stone building materials, to minimize future earthquake fatalities.

Legal cases

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Self-Realization Fellowship Church vs Ananda Church of Self-Realization litigation [edit]

Self-Realization Fellowship filed suit against Kriyananda and Ananda regarding Ananda changing its name to Church of Self-Realization and on specific issues regarding writings and recordings of Paramahansa Yogananda. The litigation lasted for around thirteen years (1990-2002). [21] SRF claimed Yogananda wanted SRF to maintain the copyrights to his works and to publish them. SRF also claimed exclusive and sole right (trademark and service mark) to the name Self-Realization Fellowship, Self-Realization Fellowship Church, "Paramahansa Yogananda", all images of Yogananda and the term "SelfRealization". [22][third-party source needed] SRF prevailed on its insistence that Yogananda repeatedly stated his intentions for SRF to maintain copyrights to his works and to publish them. [21][23] Both SRF and Ananda had wins and losses. SRF won the service marks Self-Realization Fellowship and Self-Realization Fellowship Church. SRF lost its service marks to the name "Paramahansa Yogananda" and "Self-realization"; its claim of Unfair
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Competition; its claim to own copyrights on ten photos of Yogananda. [third-party source needed] Ananda submitted the following counterclaim and lost all four claims: (1) Violation of the Sherman Act, (2) Libel, (3) Slander, and (4) Unfair Business Practices. In 1992, the Court dismissed the second and third counterclaims on 1st Amendment grounds, and Ananda subsequently withdrew the other two counterclaims. [22][third-party source needed] At a jury trial in 2002, SRF's won the claim that Ananda violated SRF's copyrights to magazine articles written by Yogananda. [21][23]Another issue on which the jury found in SRF's favor was its claim that Ananda violated SRF copyrights to sound recordings of Yogananda's voice. [21][23] In mid-litigation Ananda began publication of Yogananda's 1946, first edition of Autobiography of a Yogi.[24] In 2002 the long litigation was completed with a jury verdict. As reported in The Union, a newspaper located in Grass Valley, California, on October 30, 2002: The case hinged on the writings and recordings of Paramahansa Yogananda, a native of India who founded Self-Realization Fellowship in the late 1920s. He died in 1952. Walters became a member in 1948 but was "thrown out" in 1962, said Stillman's legal partner, Michael Flynn. Walters, known as Swami Kriyananda, later started Ananda Village in Nevada County. It became home to hundreds of followers who also revered Yogananda and his words. The group republished his articles and sold his recordings, according to Stillman and Flynn. Jurors ultimately agreed with Self-Realization Fellowship's argument that Yogananda had repeatedly made his intentions clear before dying - he wanted the fellowship to maintain copyrights to his works. [21]

Anne-Marie Bertolucci vs J Donald Walters & Ananda litigation

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In 199798, Anne-Marie Bertolucci, a former resident of Ananda filed suit against Ananda, Ananda minister Danny Levin, and J. Donald Walters (Kriyananda). Kriyananda admitted sexual contacts with most of the women but with full consent but denied it constituted sexual abuse. [third-party source needed] The jury found the church (Ananda), and Kriyananda liable for "constructive fraud", with a finding of "malice and fraudulent conduct". The church, Kriyananda and Levin were found liable for "intentional infliction of
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emotional distress" with a finding of "malice" and a finding of "despicable conduct" against the church. The church was found liable for "negligent supervision" of Kriyananda, with a finding of "malice and fraud" on the part of the church.[25] Kriyananda was judged to have misrepresented himself as a monk and to have caused emotional trauma, and was ordered to pay $685,000 in compensatory damages, and another $1 million in punitive damages. The jury also found that Levin had made "unwelcome sexual advances". [26] The punitive damages were reduced by $400,000 on appeal. The Ananda Church responded to the million-plus-dollar judgment by filing for protection under Chapter 11 of the federal bankruptcy code. [27] That allowed Ananda to settle the lawsuit by paying $1.8 million dollars to Bertolucci and her attorneys. They presented, according to Kriyananda, "lies and complete distortions of the truth." [third-party source needed] Ananda hired a private investigator who was caught rummaging in the trash of opposing counsel. [28] The judge's sanctions of Ananda included disallowing the questioning of the women alleging sexual misconduct. [27]

Ananda Assisi vs Italian authorities

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In March, 2004, Italian authorities raided the Ananda colony in Assisi, responding to allegations of a disgruntled former resident who accused Ananda Assisi of fraud, usury and labor law violations. Nine Ananda residents were detained for questioning. They also had a warrant for Kriyananda's detention, but Kriyananda was in India. A seven-year long investigation followed. [29] In March 2009 the judge ruled that the case was "non luogo a procedere perch il fatto non sussiste" (not to be continued as the matter is without substance).

Recent years

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Kriyananda married in 1981, and publicly renounced his monastic vows on the occasion of his second marriage in 1985 and then returned to using his birth name, J. Donald Walters. He was later divorced. In 1995, on his own, he officially resumed his monastic vows and title. According to Yogananda in his first edition of his Autobiography in reference to the ancient swami order, because it is a formal order no one can give himself the title of swami.[30] From 1996, Kriyananda lived and taught for seven years at the Ananda Italy center, near
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Assisi.[citation needed] In 2003, he moved to India, where he began an Ananda center in Gurgaon, near Delhi. For five years (until May 1, 2009) he appeared on Sadhna TV and Aastha TV, TV channels that are broadcast throughout India, Asia, Europe, and the U.S. Since Kriyananda's 2003 move to India, Ananda teachers have been giving classes on meditation and Kriy Yoga in many major Indian cities. [31] In 2009, at age 83, Kriynanda moved to Pune, India, to start a new community. In 2009 Kriyananda established a new Swami order, which is different from the Giri branch of the ancient Swami Order of Shankara, Yogananda's lineage. [30] According to Kriyananda, in this new age (Dwapara Yuga) not all old patterns remain valid. Some reformation is necessary. Some of the features of the newly formed Swami order are: (1) Swamis can be single or married. (2) They can be freely creative, if the purpose is to serve others. (3) A new Swami is named not by one Swami (which has been the tradition), but by three. (4) A Swami of this new order is called "Nayaswami", with "naya" meaning "new". [citation needed] On April 21, 2013 in his home in Assisi, Italy, Kriyananda passed away. [32]

References
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. Retrieved August 2007.

1. ^ "Kriyananda - Official Website"

2. ^ Swami Kriyananda, The New Path - My Life with Paramhansa Yogananda. (Crystal Clarity Publishers, 2009). ISBN 978-1-56589-242-2. 3. ^ a b c d Self-Realization Magazine. Los Angeles, CA: Self-Realization Fellowship. 1949-1960. ISSN 00371564 . 4. ^ "Library of Congress" . Retrieved April 2013. 5. ^ "World Cat (OCLC)" . Retrieved April 2013. 6. ^ "Language List of Books - Crystal Clarity Publishers" . Retrieved October 2012. 7. ^ Kalra, Ajay, In the Name of My Guru, Life Positive, April, 2006 8. ^ Kriyananda, The Essence of Self-Realization (Crystal Clarity Publishers, 2003) ISBN 0-916124-29-0. 9. ^ Kriyananda, Conversations With Yogananda: Stories, Sayings, and Wisdom of Paramhansa Yogananda Crystal Clarity Publishers (2004) ISBN 1-56589-202-X 10. ^ See Autobiography of a Yogi, 1955 6th edition, page 498, 11. ^ a b Walters, J. Donald, A Place Called Ananda

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12. ^ Self-Realization Fellowship November 1995 Open Letter. Self-Realization Fellowship. 13. ^ Suiter, John. Poets on the Peaks (2002) Counterpoint. ISBN 1-58243-148-5; ISBN 1-58243-294-5 (pbk) pg. 251 14. ^ Helin, Sadhana Devi Many Hands Make a Miracle 15. ^ "Ananda Meditation Retreat" . Retrieved 2008-01-21. 16. ^ Visit to Saints of India, Ananda Sangha Publications, ISBN 978-81-89430-24-5 17. 18. 19. 20. ^ "SwamiKriyananda.org News" . April 19, 2006. Retrieved January 2, 2010.[dead link] ^ Eric Hoffer Award - Book Award Winners, in Self-Help category , Retrieved 6-11-2010 ^ "Crystal Clarity Publishers" . Retrieved 2008-01-21. ^ "Ananda Yoga" . Retrieved 2012-11-25.

21. ^ a b c d e Doug Mattson (October 30, 2002). "Jury: Copyrights violated by church". The Union (Grass Valley, CA). 22. ^ a b Novak, Devi, Faith is My Armor: The Life of Swami Kriyananda. Crystal Clarity Publishers (2006). ISBN 978-1-56589-213-2. 23. ^ a b c Beverley, James, Nelson's Illustrated Guide to Religions: A Comprehensive Introduction to the religions of the world. Thomas Nelson, Inc. (2009) ISBN 13 9780785244912. 24. ^ Library of Congress Catalog Record 25. ^ Vicky Anning (February 11, 1998). "COURT: Jury stings Ananda Church and its leaders " . Palo Alto Weekly (Palo Alto, CA). 26. ^ "$1 million judgment against swami " . Palo Alto Weekly (Palo Alto, CA). February 27, 1998. 27. ^ a b Goa, Helen, Sex and the Singular Swami, The San Francisco Weekly, March 10, 1999. Available online 28. ^ Wayne Wilson (November 2, 1997). "Church-financed trash raid disrupts sex-abuse lawsuit". The Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, CA). 29. ^ Bate, Jamie, Swami clear in Italy case: Ananda founder safe from arrest, supporters say, The Union, March 27, 2004 [dead link] 30. ^ a b Yogananda, Paramhansa, Autobiography of a Yogi(Crystal Clarity Publishers, Nevada City, CA 1995) 1946 Reprint, ISBN 1565891082 Wikisource, Chapter 24 31. ^ "Ananda India" . Retrieved August 2007. 32. ^ Times of India:Swami Kriyananda passes away in Italy , on: April 21, 2013; Retrieved: April 22, 2013

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External links
Kriyananda
V T E Philosophies Exponents

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at Speaking Tree blog

Kriya Yoga
Vedanta Lahiri Mahasaya Yuktesw ar Giri Sw ami Shivananda Paramahansa Yogananda Satyananda Giri Hariharananda Giri Ganesh Baba Kriyananda Panchanan Bhattacharya VIAF: 93266436 [hide]

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Categories: 1926 births 2013 deaths American Hindus Converts to Hinduism Devotee from Paramahansa Yogananda Hindu religious figures Kriya yogis New religious movements

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