Faith is My Armor: The Life of Swami Kriyananda
It was a quiet fall evening in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Northern California. The stars were beginning to appear in the night sky. A cool breeze moved through the surrounding pine trees standing firm and tall, silent reminders of man's need for strength and aspiration.Several hundred people had gathered together in the temple of a spiritual community called Ananda to honor one of the few remaining direct disciples of the great Indian master, Paramhansa Yogananda. The date was September 12, 2002-the fifty-fourth anniversary of the day when Swami Kriyananda stood before his Guru and, from the depths of his heart, uttered the words, "I want to be your disciple."On this particular evening, after a period of meditation, Swami Kriyananda began to address those of us who were present: "As I was meditating, with every breath I thought of God, and I felt all of your spirits uplifted in Him. This is the meaning of my life, if it has any meaning. The things that I've done-I don't think they're very important except to the extent that they may have helped people individually in their love for God. That's all that matters."These humble, inspiring words were spoken by a man who has dedicated his life to spreading his guru's mission. In this service, he has accomplished more than most people could imagine doing in one lifetime. "Your life will be one of intense activity, and meditation," Yogananda told Kriyananda in 1950 when they were together at the Master's desert retreat.His monastic name, "Kriyananda," reflects his guru's words to him. For "Kriya" has two meanings: action, and also Kriya Yoga, an advanced technique of meditation. "Ananda" means divine bliss. Thus, "Kriyananda" means bliss through action, and through the practice of the meditative science of Kriya Yoga.