Swami Kriyananda: As We Have Known Him [Paperback]

Asha Praver (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 13, 2006

The greatness of a spiritual teacher is only partially revealed by the work of his own hands. The rest of the story is one he cannot tell for himself. It is the influence of his consciousness on those who come in contact with him. Here, in some two hundred stories spanning more than forty years, personal reminiscences and private moments with this master teacher become universal life lessons for us all.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

The first time I saw Swami Kriyananda was in a tent set up behind the Beta Chi fraternity house on the campus of Stanford University, in Palo Alto, California. It was late November 1969. He was in his early forties. I was twenty-two years old.

Usually the tent served as an expanded venue for the parties for which the fraternity was famous. It was the '60s, though, and everything was changing. Someone thought it would be interesting to invite a swami to speak.

I had attended Stanford University, but had dropped out after only one year. I had hoped to find teachers there who were not only knowledgeable, but also wise. It soon became apparent to me that my professors, though brilliant in their own fields, were groping in the dark for happiness even as I was. So I left.

Soon after, I discovered the Bhagavad Gita and the teachings of Sri Ramakrishna. Even as a child, I had the feeling that something far more important was going on in life than most people were aware of. At fi rst, I thought the adults around me were all in on the secret and were just holding it back from me as a kind of elaborate practical joke. "Soon," I thought, "they will reveal it to me." Only slowly did I come to know that this was not the case. My parents and teachers were good people, intelligent, honorable, and kind. For the most part, though, they accepted life as it appeared to be and expected me to do the same.

> >Once I discovered Eastern religion, at least I had a name for what I was seeking: Self-realization. Still, I had no idea how to turn these high ideals into an actual way of life. I read about the saints of many religious traditions, hoping to find in their example a way to bridge the gap between theory and practice.

> >Their stories were deeply inspiring and I devoured book after book. The circumstances of their lives, though, were so different from my own. Catholic monasteries, Indian ashrams, Himalayan caves, leper colonies in the middle of the jungle--their example proved to be of little practical value. My life was becoming one of quiet desperation.

Then Swamiji walked into that tent and everything changed.

From the Inside Flap

> For many years, Swami Kriyananda has signed his letters to friends and students, "In divine friendship." What does friendship look like when it is expressed in the highest divine way? > > Imagine someone who never judges, who loves you despirte your faults, who sees you in terms of your highest spiritual potential, and is totally committed to helping you realize that potential. > > This begins to describe Swami Kriyananda, as seen through the letters

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Product Details

• Paperback: 452 pages
• Publisher: Crystal Clarity Publishers (November 13, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565892208
• ISBN-13: 978-1565892200
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,279,642 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What is our human potential?, July 15, 2007

By 

M. Cornell - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Swami Kriyananda: As We Have Known Him (Paperback)

What does it mean to grow spiritually? To be a spiritual teacher? This book offers the example of a man who, through devotion to God and through selfless service and love of others, is a living testimony to our human potential. Through sharing her own experiences of Swami Kriyananda and those of dozens of others who know/knew him, the author gives a picture of a man of generosity, unending kindness and compassion, contagious joy and humor, wisdom, poise, and the deepest devotion to God. This book will be valuable for any serious spiritual aspirant. Students of Yogananda will find it especially meaningful, since Swami Kriyananda has dedicated his life to serving Yogananda. The writing style is completely captivating--once you pick start reading it, you'll find it hard to put down!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth Reading Daily, July 14, 2007

By 

Wayne Palmer - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Swami Kriyananda: As We Have Known Him (Paperback)

This book is fabulous. We use it all the time in our meditation group and for personal sadhanas. Many mornings I will read one of the inspiring passages from the life of this modern sage. Here is one who is applying what he learned from his master to real life situations we all face. Some days I use short readings from this new collection, and alternate days I read from his guru Yogananda's Whispers from Eternity, Metaphysical Meditations or Essence of Self Realization. The power of his simple book was amply demonstrated to me when, while reading the first fifteen pages, I was brought to tears three times! That may be a personal record.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In the Company of a Living Saint, July 14, 2007

By 

Helen Purcell (Palo Alto, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Swami Kriyananda: As We Have Known Him (Paperback)

This book should fly out the door once the word gets out. Stories of Swami Kriyananda by those who know him will help thousands realize their deepest aspirations, for they are the stories of a living saint. Account after account witnesses to the depth and breadth of a life lived in tune with the ancient and universal teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda. This book is transformative. If you want to spirtualize your life in a very practical way according to the wisdom and experience of a living example, then read it now!