"Group Karma" (Ask Me About Truth # 20 With Swami Kriyananda)

ABOUT SWAMI KRIYANANDA
In 1948 at the age of twenty-two, Swami Kriyananda (J. Donald Walters) became a disciple of the Indian yoga master, Paramhansa Yogananda. Yogananda is best known for his spiritual classic, *Autobiography of a Yogi*. In his book he recalls his experiences growing up in India and his life in America. He writes of meeting the great spiritual master Babaji, and how Babaji reintroduced the life changing meditation technique of Kriya Yoga. He tells of his life with his guru, Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri, of his guru Lahiri Lahiri Mahasaya, and his meeting with Anandamoy Ma. He tells about his experience in cosmic consciousness (samadhi) and his trips to see many of the saints in India and his trip to the Kali temple.
Yogananda moved to America and developed the energization exercises and taught the meditation techniques of Hatha Yoga and especially Kriya Yoga. He founded Self Realization Fellowship and spoke often of the need for world brotherhood colonies.
At Yogananda’s request, Swami Kriyananda devoted his life to lecturing and writing, helping others to experience the living presence of God within. He taught on four continents in seven languages over the course of 65 years. His talks, his music, and his many books have touched the lives of millions. An advocate of simple living and high thinking, his more than 150 books emphasize the need to live wisely by one’s own experience of life, and not by abstract theories or dogmas. A composer since 1964, Walters has written over 400 musical works. His music is inspiring, soothing, and uplifting.
He taught meditation to thousands and has initiated many into the life changing technique of Kriya Yoga. His books and teachings on spiritualizing nearly every field of human endeavor include business life, leadership, education, the arts, community, and science. He wrote extensive commentaries on the Bible and the Bhagavad Gita, both based on the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda. He is known as the “father of the intentional communities movement,” which began in the United States in the late 1960s, fulfilling Yogananda's dream.
He founded the first of what are now 10 Ananda communities worldwide in 1967 near Nevada City, California. Other Ananda communities have developed over the years to include Ananda Palo Alto, Ananda Sacramento, Ananda Portland, Ananda Seattle, Ananda Los Angeles, Ananda Assisi in Italy, and Ananda India near Delhi and Pune. Each community has a spiritual focus (a teaching center and temple) and a community (homes where members live). More than 1,000 people live in these intentional spiritual communities. Swami Kriyananda’s example of inspired leadership was the reason for Ananda’s success. He uplifted and encouraged people through personal example, spiritual counseling, writing, lecturing, music, and prayer. He trained the current Ananda leaders in much the same way: free from egoic motivation, always placing the spiritual needs of others foremost in all decisions. He was a patient and sensitive teacher, allowing people to learn by experience, and never placing institutional needs ahead of the needs of an individual. “People are more important than things” is one of the foremost guiding principles of Ananda. And “Where there is adherence to dharma [right action], there is victory,” is another.
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ABOUT PARAMHANSA YOGANANDA
Paramhansa Yogananda, born in 1893, was the first yoga master of India to take up permanent residence in the West. Yogananda arrived in America in 1920, and proceeded to travel throughout the United States on what he called his “spiritual campaigns.” Hundreds of thousands filled the largest halls in major American cities to see the yoga master from India. Yogananda continued to lecture and write up to his passing in 1952. Paramhansa Yogananda’s initial impact on the western culture was truly impressive. But his lasting spiritual legacy has been even greater. His *Autobiography of a Yogi*, first published in 1946, helped launch a spiritual revolution in the West. Translated into more than a dozen languages, it remains a best-selling spiritual classic to this day. [Read free at ananda.org/aut....] The path of Kriya Yoga, which combines the practice of advanced yogic techniques with spirituality in daily life, can be learned at ananda.org/kri....
ABOUT ANANDA
Ananda is a worldwide movement to help individuals realize the joy of their own higher Self.
Ananda is based on the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda and was founded by his direct disciple Swami Kriyananda in 1968. Learn more at: ananda.org/
Subscribe to our KZbin channel: / anandaworldwide
Like on Facebook: / ananda.org
Download the FREE Ananda Meditation app at www.ananda.org...

[@iaadotlk1]

HARI OM!!!

[@boardsandstuff5008]

Beautiful, compassion can alleviate others karma. Love is the cure.

[@rajagopalan5672]

Very powerful talk--thank you, Swamiji and Master!

[@kksharma5391]

Wow wonderful...

[@whiteshoshanim]

I went to Germany about 5 years ago at winter time. Like Swami said, there was dark cloud over that country. It was not because I went there at the winter time, it was rather beautiful to see the snow and the nature. It was spiritually still dark. Interesting because my another friend who traveled to Germany about 15 years ago said the same thing.

[@AnandaWorldwide]

Interesting, thanks for sharing!

[@Bhasbuto]

Hello! Swamiji's name is misspelled in the description! Could that be fixed? :)

[@acow605]

I'm dead confused about this "Group karma" Yogananda ji said in his book "Karma and Reincarnation" "Every circumstance in our lives, every characteristic, every habit, however much we now repudiate it, was something we ourselves created, whether recently or in the distant past." but in "group karma" an innocent may also suffer because of group's wrong action which is not matching with the above words that one is suffering bcz of his own action! isn't plzzz explain it🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

[@AnandaWorldwide]

Hi Sampad, that is a good question. Both are correct. If we suffer from the group karma it means our own energy & good karma isn't strong enough to not be influenced by the group karma - and that is dependent also on our individual karma. It's up to us to raise our energy and consciousness (with God's help), which will make us less influenced by the mass consciousness and group karma.

[@acow605]

@@AnandaWorldwide I am extremely grateful for this reply! it was sorely needed. ok so Is it just his good karma that wasn't enough to protect him from the mass bad karma? but then also it contrary to this- "Every circumstance in our lives, every characteristic.. was something we ourselves created" because at the first place A hazard shouldn't come to me if I haven't sow a cause for it! whether I have gathered enough strength to face it or not is secondary(having enough Good karma to not get effected)!!

[@AnandaWorldwide]

@@acow605 Hi Sampad, good points. The law of karma is very complex, especially the interaction between individual and group karma, and really only the Masters understand it completely for each person. As far as I understand, whatever happens to us is, in the end, our own individual karma. So we have caused it in one way or the other in the past. So when the group karma overtakes us it might just work as an instrument for that ... for example maybe we didn't use an earlier chance to become stronger and more attuned which would have protected us. Or we didn't use our energy in the right way, which weakened us. In the end God's grace and love is stronger than any karma and it would be good to tune into that, while doing the best we can. Interestingly enough, Yogananda shared many techniques to strengthen ones aura (like the energisation exercises), also suggested astrological bangles and wrote about astrological gems which his guru Sri Yukteswar prescribed (in the chapter "Outwitting the Stars" in Autobiography of a Yogi). There are many ways we can overcome our karma and limitations.

[@acow605]

@@AnandaWorldwide thanks a lot for all these wise responses! The law of karma definitely causes me to reduce the burden that I have been carrying all the years.. thanks again and I wish if I can contact Ananda in future regarding queries through email or something.

[@AnandaWorldwide]

@@acow605You are very welcome to contact us anytime through ananda.org or anandaindia.org. Many blessings!

[@AllEyesOnMedia]

As much as America has done to African Americans and this guy says that it has good karma. Ok I’m done.

[@AnandaWorldwide]

America's good karma outweighs the bad karma it has created, Yogananda said