Swami Kriyananda - The Path, @Yoga
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PATH THERE
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The Path: One Man's Quest On the Only Path There Is
J. Donald Walters (Swami Kriyananda)
Preface
By John W. White, M.A.T.,Yale University
author, Everything You Want to Know about TM;
editor, The Highest State of Consciousness,
Frontiers of Consciousness, What Is Meditation;
associate editor, New Realities Magazine
When one has been moved to laughter and tears, deep contemplation and joyful insight,
as I have been while immersed in The Path, it is hardly possible to find a word or a
phrase sufficient to encompass the enriching experience. "Deeply inspiring"-though
hardly adequate-is the best way I can find to describe it.
Briefly, The Path is a story of one man's search for God through the path of yoga. It tells
how American-born Donald Walters became universally-born Swami Kriyananda. At the
same time, it serves as a practical manual of instruction for others in search of God-
realization, no matter what tradition or path they follow. As an exceptionally lucid
explanation of yogic philosophy, The Path will also be a valuable resource for those
intellectually curious, but not consciously committed to spiritual growth.
The catalyst in Kriyananda's transformation was his guru, the well-known yogi,
Paramhansa Yogananda, author of Autobiography of a Yogi. In fact, it is accurate to say
that The Path, subtitled "Autobiography of a Western Yogi," is as much about
Yogananda as about Kriyananda. For, in truth, the two are one. That is part of the
inspirational quality of The Path-the selfless devotion to guru which Kriyananda displays
throughout the book. At the same time, he makes clear that Yogananda did not want
devotion for himself. Rather, he would lovingly redirect his disciples' devotion to God.
This brings me to another element of the book which helped produce my feeling of
inspiration-its abundant wisdom. Kriyananda's commentaries on spiritual unfoldment
and his lucid explanations of yogic concepts are profoundly instructional. Moreover, like
a true teacher he blends theoretical presentations and practical advice with personal
anecdotes and illustrative stories in a way that is altogether engaging. Last of all, he
presents us with much previously unpublished conversation from Yogananda, whose
words are always enlightening.
Kriyananda's freedom from sentimentality is still another appealing aspect of his
account. In creating this self-portrait, he speaks frankly about his failings, his ignorant
shortcomings, his periods of doubt and depression, his moments of thralldom to spiritual
pride. He doesn't attempt to romanticize the path he followed nor gloss over the
difficulties he encountered within himself and in relation to others.
I have mentioned devotion, honesty, and wisdom as three characteristics of The Path,
that give it an uplifting quality. There are others just as important-transpersonal love, for
example, and the constant emphasis on attunement to God as the solution to all our
problems. However, it also important to note that The Path is not only spiritual-it is
spiritual literature. The literary style with which Kriyananda reveals himself is worthy of
study by authors as well as spiritual seekers. It is by turns elegant, graceful, supple,
delicate and always clear-a verbal elixir that would work powerfully on the
consciousness of readers even if the theme were profane instead of divine.
The final quality of The Path which I want to note is its planetary vision of society.
Yogananda encouraged his followers-and I quote him here-"to spread a spirit of
brotherhood among all peoples and to aid in establishing, in many countries, self-
sustaining world-brotherhood colonies for plain living and high thinking."
Today, Ananda World Brotherhood Village, established by Kriyananda and dedicated to
human upliftment in accordance with Yogananda's teachings, is part of a growing global
network of spiritual communities from many traditions and teachings which are linking
together ever more intensively to become the seedbed for a new world-rooted in a
vision of humanity's oneness rather than in the warfare and competition that has
characterized this century heretofore.
The Path chronicles the establishment of Ananda. In so doing, it provides useful
instruction in still another dimension that the dedicated spiritual seeker must come to
face-his or her relation to society in general. The solution proposed in the life and
teaching of Paramhansa Yogananda, as carried forward by Swami Kriyananda, is still
another reason why The Path is so worth reading. The integral relation between spiritual
practice and worldly affairs becomes abundantly clear through Kriyananda's words and
deeds.
'No only is The Path inspirational-urging you to "go and do thou likewise"-it also gives
the pragmatic technical instruction needed to put principle into action. Moreover, it does
so with a beauty and simplicity that is the verbal embodiment of the yogic approach to
God-realization. I trust that you will find The Path to be a major resource in your life and
that you will, in accord with yogic tradition, lovingly share it with others as part of your
service to the world. For an inspired work such as this, that is the only proper response.
Cheshire, Connecticut
June 1, 1977
Acknowledgments
Many people, by their suggestions, encouragement, and support, have helped bring this
book to completion. To thank most of them is possible only in silence. I would
particularly like, however, to express my thanks to Marsha Todd, Asha Savage, Fern
Lucki, and Kathleen Stark for their helpful editorial suggestions; to Asha also for
endlessly typing and retyping the manuscript; to Margie Stern for her long labors in
preparing the index; to Robert Fite and Ben Davis for suggesting the title; to Bob and
June Moody for placing their apartment on Hawaii's beautiful Kona Coast at my disposal
for the editing of Part One of the book, and to Paul and Jan Weber and Charlotte
Weber, too, for helping to make my stay there possible.
I would like also to express my deep appreciation to those in Ananda Publications who
worked long and patiently on the production of the book: George Beinhorn,
photography; Alan Gosink, camera work; Janice Hart and Nancy Raynes, design and
layout; Kathy Mohr, typesetting. For their innumerable proofreadings of the manuscript
during its various phases of development, I would also like to thank Peter Altman,
Cynthia Brooks, Carolyn Escobar, Nancy Estep, Anita Miller, Julia Beakley, Pamela
Pardridge, Patricia Ryan, Suzanne Simpson, Sally Smallen, Jim Van Cleave, and Sonia
Wiberg.
Without the help of these many friends the book would have taken years longer to
complete.
Swami Kriyananda
Ananda World Brotherhood Village
April 3, 1977
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