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Kriyananda

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Kriyananda
Personal life
Born
J. Donald Walters (James Donald Walters)

(1926-05-19)May 19, 1926
Azuga, Romania
DiedApril 21, 2013(2013-04-21) (aged 86)
Assisi, Italy
Religious life
ReligionHinduism
PhilosophyKriya Yoga
Religious career
GuruParamahansa Yogananda
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Kriyananda (born James Donald Walters; May 19, 1926 – April 21, 2013) was an American Hindu religious leader, yoga guru,[1][2] meditation teacher, musician, and author. He was a direct disciple of Paramahansa Yogananda[1] and founder of the spiritual movement named "Ananda".[1][3] He wrote numerous songs and dozens of books. According to the LA Times, the main themes of his work were compassion and humility, but he was a controversial figure.[4] Kriyananda and Ananda were sued for copyright issues,[5][4][6] sexual-harassment,[7][8] and later, for alleged fraud and labor-law violations.[9]

Walters met Yogananda at the age of 22, became his disciple. After the latter's passing in 1952, he continued serving in the Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) ashram. In 1955, Walters was given the vows of sannyas and was ordained as a Brother of the SRF Order, along with Sarolananda, Bimalananda and Bhaktananda, by Daya Mata, then SRF President, and was given the name Kriyananda.[10]

In 1960, upon the passing of M.W. Lewis, the SRF Board of Directors elected Kriyananda to the Board of Directors and eventually to the position of vice president. In 1962, the Board of Directors voted unanimously to expel him from SRF and requested his resignation.[11][12]

Kriyananda founded Ananda, a worldwide movement of religious and communal organizations based on Yogananda's World Brotherhood Colonies ideal.[3]

Biography

Early life

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 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 in his senior year. He then moved to South Carolina to study stagecraft.[11][1]

After moving to South Carolina, Walters read the Bhagavad Gita, and later, Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi.[1] According to Walters, he found the Autobiography in a New York City bookstore, and it changed his life.[11] He became a vegetarian, and in 1948 he traveled cross-country by bus to southern California to become one of Yogananda's disciples.[1][11]

Service in Yogananda's organization

In 1948, upon arriving in Los Angeles, California, Walters met Yogananda and took vows of discipleship and renunciation, according to Walters' autobiography.[11] Walters soon attained a leadership position in Yogananda's organization, Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF), and served as a lecturer.[1]

On March 7, 1952, Paramahansa Yogananda was a speaker at a banquet for the visiting Indian Ambassador to the United States Binay Ranjan Sen and his wife at the Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. While giving his speech, Yogananda suddenly dropped to the floor and died.[13] Walters was present in the hall.[14] In 1953, the SRF published Walter's book, Stories of Mukunda.[15][16]

In 1955, Walters became the main minister at SRF's Hollywood center. At this time, he took further vows of renunciation and the monastic name Kriyananda.[1] According to SRF's magazine, he was given his final vows of sannyas into the swami order of Shankaracharya by Daya Mata, SRF's president from 1955 until her death in 2010.[17] Regarding this order, Yogananda stated in his Autobiography of a Yogi:

Every swami belongs to the ancient monastic order which was organized in its present form by Shankara. Because it is a formal order, with an unbroken line of saintly representatives serving as active leaders, no man can give himself the title of swami. He rightfully receives it only from another swami; all monks thus trace their spiritual lineage to one common guru, Lord Shankara. By vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience to the spiritual teacher, many Catholic Christian monastic orders resemble the Order of Swamis.[18]

In 1960, upon the death of SRF Board member and Vice President M. W. Lewis, the SRF Board of Directors, who were direct disciples appointed to the board by Yogananda, elected Kriyananda as a member and vice president of the Board. He served in that capacity until dismissed in 1962.[1][17]

Dismissal

Kriyananda remained in India, serving SRF until 1962, when its board of directors voted unanimously to request his resignation.[17] According to Phillip Goldberg, SRF won't say exactly why except that he was self-serving.[19] Kriyananda felt that being dismissed from SRF was unjust.[20]

Ananda established

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.[21]

The Expanding Light retreat center in California, founded by Kriyananda

Kriyananda founded various retreat centers: The Expanding Light Yoga and Meditation Retreat and the nearby Ananda Meditation Retreat, both located near Nevada City, California; Ananda Associazione near Assisi, Italy; and Ananda Gurgaon, India.[3]

On March 8, 1989, Kriyananda's World Brotherhood Choir from California sang at the Vatican during Pope John Paul II's public audience with 10,000 people in attendance.[22][23][non-primary source needed]

Even though he was controversial and contradictory, he wrote many songs and dozens of books unified by themes such as compassion and humility. One of his books was honored at the 2010 USA Book News Awards.[4] He lectured in different countries throughout the world. In addition to English, he spoke Italian, Romanian, Greek, French, Spanish, German, Hindi, Bengali, and Indonesian, and taught in several of these languages.[24]

Kriyananda, 84, has composed numerous spiritual songs and chants and written dozens of books, including one honored at this year’s USA Book News Awards. Although the unifying themes of his work are compassion and humility, he remains a contradictory, controversial figure.

Self-Realization Fellowship Church v. Ananda Church of Self-Realization and James Walters litigation

In 1990, Self-Realization Fellowship, filed suit against Ananda Church of Self-Realization and James Walters (Kriyananda) claiming trademark violation against using the term "Self-Realization" in their recent name change, and for exclusive rights on specific writings, photographs and recordings of Paramahansa Yogananda. The litigation ended with a jury judgement in 2002.[6] The main outcomes of court findings and jury judgement were:

  • According to Carolyn Edy of the Yoga Journal, the court determined that SRF did not have sole rights for the term self-realization nor to the name and likeness of Paramahansa Yogananda.[4][6] The judge suggested that Ananda keep Ananda as part of the name of their church - Church of Self-Realization and they agreed.[6]
  • According to Doug Mattson of The Union, "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."[5][25]
  • The defendants had infringed upon certain copyrights of Yogananda that had been passed on to SRF. This included Yogananda's 7 articles in SRF magazine, his writings on the Bhagavad Gita and the Bible, and 6 of his sound recordings.[non-primary source needed]
  • The court said that since Ananda's usage of the works in question were used for educational and religious purposes, no damages needed to be paid. However, Ananda was ordered to pay damages in the amount of $29,000 to SRF for the sound recordings in question.[6]

Anne-Marie Bertolucci v. J Donald Walters & Ananda litigation

In 1994, the attorney Ford Greene, the lawyer for Anne-Marie Bertolucci, a former resident of Ananda, filed suit against Ananda, Ananda minister Danny Levin, and J. Donald Walters (Kriyananda).[26][7] Journalist Vicky Anning wrote that "Walters was sued for sexual harassment and fraud by former Ananda member Anne-Marie Bertolucci, whose lawyers claimed Walters fraudulently used his title of swami, implying he was celibate."[8][7]

According to Vicky Anning of Palo Alto Weekly, in 1997-98 Kriyananda aka Donald Walters was found guilty in a court of law, "fraudulently representing himself as a celibate religious leader or swami although he had sex with several of his devotees during 30 years at the helm of Ananda."[8][27][26]

At the end of trial in 1998 the jury found the church (Ananda) and Kriyananda guilty. During the trial, six women testified under oath that Kriyananda had taken sexual advantage of them when they were impressionable twentysomethings in search of spiritual advancement. Walters blamed the women who accused him of sexual abuse, saying they thrust their company on him and interrupted his meditations by taking advantage of his sexual weaknesses. Court depositions came from many different women from different areas over a twenty-year period whose only point of contact had been the Ananda church. The church was found liable for "negligent supervision" of Kriyananda, with a finding of "malice and fraud" on the part of the church.[8][26]

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".[27] 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.[26] That allowed Ananda to settle the lawsuit by paying $1.8 million to Bertolucci and her attorneys. 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 many women alleging sexual misconduct against Kriyananda.[26]

Ananda Assisi vs Italian authorities

In March 2004, Italian authorities raided the Ananda colony in Assisi, responding to allegations of a former resident who accused Ananda Assisi of fraud, usury and labor law violations. Nine residents were detained for questioning. They also had a warrant for Kriyananda's detention, but he was in India. A seven-year-long investigation followed.[29] In March 2009, the judge ruled that the case was "non luogo a procedere perché il fatto non sussiste" (not to be continued as the matter is without substance).[30]

Recent years

In 1983 Kriyananda let go of his monastic sannyas vows in the Shankaracharya order, which includes his vow to celibacy. He began using his birth name, James Donald Walters and married in 1985 but then divorced.[1] In 1994 he was sued by a former member for sexual harassment and lost.[26] In 1995, on his own, he resumed his monastic name and vows.[1]

In 2003, he moved to India, where he began an Ananda center in Gurgaon, near Delhi.[non-primary source needed] For five years (until May 1, 2009) he appeared on Sadhna TV and Aastha TV, television channels that were broadcast throughout India, Asia, Europe, and the United States.[non-primary source needed] Since his 2003 move to India, Ananda teachers have been giving classes on meditation and Kriyā Yoga in many major Indian cities.[non-primary source needed] In 2009, at age 83, he moved to Pune to start a new community.[citation needed][non-primary source needed]

In 2009, he established a new swami order, different from Yogananda's lineage in the Giri branch of the Swami Order of Shankara.[18] According to Kriyananda, he believed that in this new age (Dvapara Yuga) not all old patterns remained valid, some reformation was necessary. Some of the features of the newly formed Nayaswami order are: (1) Nayaswamis can be single or married. (2) They can be freely creative, if the purpose is to serve others. (3) A new Nayaswami is named not by one Nayaswami (which had been the tradition), but by three. (4) A Nayaswami of this new order is called "Nayaswami", with "naya" meaning "new". Hence, he initiated himself and gave himself the title Nayaswami.[31]

On April 21, 2013, he died in his home in Assisi.[32] His remains were brought back to Ananda Village in May 2013.[non-primary source needed]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Jones, Constance A.; Ryan, James D. (2007). "Swami Kriyananda". Encyclopedia of Hinduism. Encyclopedia of World Religions. J. Gordon Melton, Series Editor. New York: Facts On File. pp. 247–248. ISBN 978-0-8160-5458-9. Archived from the original on October 20, 2022. Retrieved January 22, 2021.{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  2. ^ "Kriyananda: An American yoga guru who loved India (Tribute)". Business Standard. April 22, 2013. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Jones, Constance A.; Ryan, James D. (2007). "Ananda movement". Encyclopedia of Hinduism. Encyclopedia of World Religions. J. Gordon Melton, Series Editor. New York: Facts On File. pp. 33–34. ISBN 978-0-8160-5458-9. Archived from the original on October 20, 2022. Retrieved January 22, 2021.{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. ^ a b c d Sahagun, Louis. "Devotees of Paramahansa Yogananda hope film will help close a divide". LA Times.
  5. ^ a b Doug Mattson (October 30, 2002). "Jury: Copyrights violated by church". The Union. Grass Valley, California.
  6. ^ a b c d e Edy, Carolyn (June 2003). "Who Owns Yogananda?". Yoga Journal (174): 26 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ a b c Espe, Erik. "The search for truth at Ananda". Palo Alto Online.
  8. ^ a b c d Vicky Anning (February 11, 1998). "COURT: Jury stings Ananda Church and its leaders". Palo Alto Weekly. Palo Alto, California.
  9. ^ "Ananda faces charges in Italy". The Union.
  10. ^ "Self-Realization Magazine". Los Angeles, California: Self-Realization Fellowship. September 1955. ISSN 0037-1564. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  11. ^ a b c d e Swami Kriyananda, The New Path - My Life with Paramhansa Yogananda. (Crystal Clarity Publishers, 2009). ISBN 978-1-56589-242-2.
  12. ^ Beverley, James A (2009). Nelson's illustrated guide to religions: a comprehensive introduction to the religions of the world. Thomas Nelson Inc. pp. 178–79, 199. ISBN 978-0785244912.
  13. ^ "Guru's Exit – TIME". Time. August 4, 1952. Archived from the original on February 12, 2008. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  14. ^ Awake: The Life of Yogananda (documentary). Los Angeles, CA: Self-Realization Fellowship. 2014.
  15. ^ Walters, James Donald Erzieher Stories of Mukunda Los Angeles: Self-Realization Fellowship (1953) OCLC 633537040
  16. ^ See Autobiography of a Yogi, (1955) 6th ed., OCLC 546634 p. 498
  17. ^ a b c "Self-Realization". Self-Realization Magazine. Los Angeles, California: Self-Realization Fellowship. 1949–1960. ISSN 0037-1564.
  18. ^ a b Yogananda, Paramhansa, Autobiography of a Yogi Nevada City, California:Crystal Clarity Publishers (1995 [1946]) ISBN 1565891082 Wikisource, Chapter 24
  19. ^ Goldberg, Phillip (2013). American Veda: From Emerson and the Beatles to Yoga and Meditation How Indian Spirituality Changed the West. Harmony.
  20. ^ Beverley, James (2009). Nelson's Illustrated Guide to Religions. Thomas Nelson, Inc.
  21. ^ Suiter, John. Poets on the Peaks (2002) Counterpoint. ISBN 1-58243-148-5; ISBN 1-58243-294-5 (pbk) pg. 251
  22. ^ Ananda World Brotherhood Choir - Encounters with Pope John Paul II Highlights 8 3 89., retrieved January 19, 2023
  23. ^ "8 marzo 1989 | Giovanni Paolo II". www.vatican.va. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
  24. ^ Kalra, Ajay, In the Name of My Guru, Life Positive, 1 April 2006
  25. ^ Beverley, James (2009). Nelson's illustrated guide to religions: a comprehensive introduction to the religions of the world. Thomas Nelson. ISBN 9780785244912.
  26. ^ a b c d e f Goa, Helen (March 10, 1999). "Sex and the Singular Swami". San Francisco Weekly.
  27. ^ a b "$1 million judgment against swami". Palo Alto Weekly. Palo Alto, California. February 27, 1998.
  28. ^ Wayne Wilson (November 2, 1997). "Church-financed trash raid disrupts sex-abuse lawsuit". The Sacramento Bee. Sacramento, California.
  29. ^ Jamie Bate (March 27, 2004). "Swami clear in Italy case: Ananda founder safe from arrest, supporters say". The Union. Archived from the original on February 8, 2012. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
  30. ^ "Nel cuore di Ananda a 17 anni dall'incubo". La Nazione (in Italian). July 9, 2021. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  31. ^ Sonal Srivastava (October 24, 2011). "The naya swami". The Times of India. India.
  32. ^ Ian (April 21, 2013). "Swami Kriyananda passes away in Italy". The Times of India. India. Archived from the original on June 15, 2013.
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