Making Assumptions - Part 2 (and final)

This week in the podcast section we continue exploring how we make assumptions, especially in terms of religious dogmas and spiritual routines. See how Guru Nanak taught both Muslims and Hindus the true meaning of worship, and how a bumbling little tailor triumphed over a fierce samurai once he learned how to control his imagination... among several stories. Tune in to the Hariharananda Mission West's Wisdom Tales podcast section. Happy listening!
Love and blessings,
Swamiji

Mahabharata Pilgrimage Photo Album

The photo album of the Mahabharata Pilgrimage (which took place in India last September 2006) is up! 1192 photos, arranged in 71 categories, encapsulate the highlights of "the journey of a lifetime"...
Thanks to all participants who have contributed their photos. God bless you all.

In related news: the next two storytelling pilgrimages are already under preparation:
1) Following the Inca (and pre-Inca) Trails, from Lake Titicaca to Macchu Picchu... culminating with a one-week yoga camp in Urubamba, the "Valley of the Gods" near Macchu Picchu. Duration: three weeks (August 19 - September 8, 2007)
2) The Santiago de Compostela trail. This pilgrimage will follow the end of the famous Santiago de Compostela trail in Galicia (Spain's northern coast). Duration: 9 days (July 7 - 15, 2008).
Please remember to book early, as places are limited.
Love and blessings always,
Swamiji

The Storytelling Monk's Podcast now on iTunes

You can now listen (and subscribe) to the Storytelling Monk's Podcast through iTunes by following this link.
All podcasts are free, and you do not need an iTunes account to listen to or download them (although you do need the iTunes software installed on your computer, available for free here).
Happy listening!
Love always,
Swamiji

Making assumptions - Part 1

This week in the podcast section we go back to some basics: making assumptions -- how our mind constantly engages in a guessing game about the significance of any given event. Sometimes fairly correctly, but most of the times dead wrong. Which leads to conflicts, wars, misery... and a good number of comical situations!
You will find this podcast in the Hariharananda Mission West's Wisdom Tales podcast section. Happy listening!
Love and blessings,
Swamiji

Do You Want the Truth? - Part 2 (and final)

Aaaah, the fascinating ways we ignore, bend, or "clarify" the Truth. A subject which never goes out of style. And yet there are ways to remain truthful in a world of falsehood...
I have just posted the second podcast on Truth in the Hariharananda Mission West's Wisdom Tales podcast section. Go have a listen about how Mahatma Gandhi, the Prophet Mohammad, and an ancient sage called Satyavrata grappled with these issues. Happy listening!
Love and blessings,
Swamiji

The Baba Stories

Paramahamsa Hariharananda, known affectionately as Baba (meaning "father" in Sanskrit), was a divine mystery, a fountain of chaotic beauty and bliss. As Baba himself once said, "If anyone tried to know who is Baba, he would go mad"... Coming to his touch, even for a fleeting moment, could change a destiny. It certainly changed mine.
Never in my existence had I met a master so audacious, so unconventional, and so caring that he would risk EVERYTHING to pull out his disciples from their own self-created darkness.
Baba left us on December 3, 2002, but his teachings live on through his beautiful flowers (as he would endearingly refer to his disciples).
I have posted a few Baba stories, a faint echo of the immense love that visited us for 95 blessed years. The history of Kriya Yoga was changed for ever.
If you have some Baba stories to share, please leave a comment.
In love with all flowers,
Swamiji

First podcast available - Do You Want the Truth?

To start the New Year with a challenging new question... and a few wise, intriguing, and humorous ways to look at it, I have posted a first podcast on Truth!
You can find it in the Hariharananda Mission West's Wisdom Tales podcast section.


I will post a new podcast every week.
Happy listening!
Love and blessings,
Swamiji

Welcome!

This is your friendly storytelling monk welcoming you to his latest edition—the blog. Here we will explore the practical aspects of spirituality, as taught by the lineage of Kriya Yoga masters and my own guru, Paramahamsa Hariharananda (1907-2002).
Here is a space to discuss how people in various ages, places, religions, and cultures have always dealt with various issues by relying on the strength of their faith and devotion, the development of their intuition through prayer and meditation, the guidance of sages and scriptures, and the grace of God.
All religions are treated with the same respect, but only their more practical and open-minded aspects will be presented—religious controversies, sectarian disputes, and fanatic views are not entertained. As Jonathan Swift once said, We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another.
Now more than ever is the time to build and share an all-encompassing love, for a change! This is the philosophy of the Hariharananda Mission West's and the Ark of Love's philosophy.
We hope you will join us in this adventure.
Blessings,
Swamiji