Ask Me About Truth: Recent Episodes
Ananda
Swami Kriyananda answers questions about truth and many spiritual subjects, as he learned about them directly from Paramhansa Yogananda.
(These talks were recorded in 2012, one year before Swami Kriyananda's passing.)
Thoughts the mission of Paramhansa Yogananda and its place in the cycles of time called the Yugas.
The best way to pray for others, and times when healing may not be the highest outcome.
Time is an illusion. Time and movement are closely connected. In God time does not pass.
What is the ego? Feel the bliss of Christ within yourself. How to overcome ego consciousness.
“The cosmic dream is what we must rise above.” -Swami Kriyananda. We must unite our consciousness with God. How do we relate to our own dreams?
The main cause of our economic woes is revealed. Swami touches on upcoming difficult times and how to respond.
A true teacher doesn’t want to teacher. God is the guru. How to discern between a true teacher and false one.
In our spiritual lives, how do we discriminate when we should be obedient, and what is right from wrong.
“Faith is more than belief, faith is an experience.”- Swami Kriyananda Knowing God and believing in God are not one in the same. Swami talks about how to deepen our faith in and experience of God.
“God is not huge, he is not distant, he is centered nowhere, he is everywhere. God brings it into manifestation from the center of everything.” Swami Kriyananda explains praying with focus, how to develop focus, and how to draw God’s response in our prayers.
People, groups, even countries are influenced by their environment — we should strive to be free from negative influences, but open to positive ones.
A discussion of art and consciousness, which includes advice on how to create a more uplifting vibration in your own home, including a place that will deepen your meditations.
How can one create uplifting art, with God? Swami Kriyananda shares his experience on the subject, and thoughts on what it is like to work on movie scripts compared to books and music.
Art, Swami Kriyananda says, should be a priesthood, and always try to uplift — the artist as well as his or her audience.
Everything is conscious and connected. Western astrology is more accurate for character and Eastern astrology is more accurate for predicting the future.
An alternative to traditional Western psychology which honors the fact that all of us are at a different place in our spiritual evolution.
Whether on this planet or some other, whether plant, animal, mineral, or human being, merging in God’s bliss is the destiny of every soul.
Jesus accepted the doctrine of reincarnation, as Swami Kriyananda explains. And what of the “lost years” of Jesus, when he is said to have visited India?
Practicing God’s presence means to be aware of Him as a constant reality — Swami Kriyananda describes how to do this and why.
Music has a powerful effect on consciousness, and in recent years, the tendency has been for popular music to lower our consciousness more and more.
A talk about the importance of music in reference to how it effects our consciousness and energy.
Most of us are imitations. It’s only when you go deep within yourself that you can find out who you really are.
Expectations are, to some extent, self-fulfilling. If you hold a positive expectation, in the right way, you will be more likely to have a positive result.
“Whatever comes of itself, let it come”, Swami Kriyananda says, “I think you’ll find great freedom in that.” Feelings tie us to the ego and make us restless. Only when we become calm, but not apathetic, can we perceive truth.
One key way to overcome the ego, Kriyananda explains, is to practice the presence of God.
Spirituality begins when you start thinking: “What is true? How can I discover what life is all about?”
We want to fill children not just with knowledge, says Kriyananda, but with the ability to use that knowledge.
Questions and answers on overcoming fear and about why cooperative communities are very important during times of great hardship.
Mental illness, depression, how to be happy, and the evolution of the soul through many lives as animal and humans.
You can’t change karma that was created in the past, but you can change how that karma affects you.
Swami Kriyananda talks about Yogananda’s mission, his own role in helping to fulfill that mission, and shares advice for how to face any obstacle in life and still come out on top.
Courage is the willingness to accept whatever comes, because the results, the benefits, are worth the difficulty.
Developing self-confidence in lecturing (and in everything), plus many pointers on sharing truths with an audience.
Religion is the form — of rituals and beliefs — and spirituality is your relationship with God, says Swami Kriyananda.
Whatever energy you give out has to come back — that is one way to explain the law of karma.
Intuition is real and can be developed — through meditation and by other means as well.
Life after death is a reality, and it is possible to contact those who have passed away.
To conquer any negative emotion, we must have energy. Meditation techniques can be very helpful as well, and Swami Kriyananda discusses how to meditate as well as the use of mantras.
Listening to rock music is harmful because it emphasizes the ego and lowers your vibration. In order to raise it, listen to soothing music, such as Bach and Mozart.
Swami Kriyananda talks about reality as we perceive it, and how real it really is (and isn’t!), and about dreams. Should we, for example, look to our dreams for guidance?
Emotions are disturbed feelings. “Positive and negative emotions alternate constantly; we have to go beyond emotions”, says Swami Kriyananda.
The music we listen to affects our consciousness very directly. Music, indeed, is an expression of consciousness. Swami Kriyananda offers thoughts on the ramifications of this truth.
Yantras, a type of spiritual design, could be what crop circles are — this is the thought with which Swami Kriyananda starts a fascinating discussion of life on other planets, reincarnation, and where we go after we die.
“Many religious traditions emphasize surrender, which seems rather passive. Is that true?” From the concept of passive vs. active surrender, the discussion ranges to willpower, free will, if we can see our own spiritual progress, and the effect that being a vegetarian has on our consciousness.
“What were Yogananda’s views on education for children?” Swami Kriyananda talks about Yogananda’s interest in education and how the non-sectarian principles he taught have been implemented at Ananda Village.
Attitudes that bring success, and how to face hard times — Swami Kriyananda shares practical tips for the material and spiritual aspects of our lives.
Questions of whether or not we have free will and whether our lives are pre-destined have for centuries kept philosophers awake at night. What is the truth?
As a young man, Swami Kriyananda wanted to create communities, and was desperate to find truth. That search brought him to a guru, but what is a guru? What does that mean? What is a disciple, really?
Swami Kriyananda shares advice on finding work, creating work, attracting money, starting communities, and not only surviving but thriving in a challenging economy.
Moral value is not relative, Swami Kriyananda explains, because our moral choices effect who we are and who we become.
“Throughout my life I’ve wondered about truth. I’ve wondered if it is relative or absolute.” The way to understand truth, Swami Kriyananda explains, is to grow beyond identifying with our little ego.