I've been blessed to see some of his sermons while he was living. Knowing him personally must have been a blessing due to exceptionally good previous karma
It sounds like you have met him. Meeting someone, as you and I have, is quite a bit different than knowing them. I would say he knew me. But I really didn’t know him. I know him better now. It is strange you know. But there were monks and nuns from various orders I’ve met and just like people you meet; some you warm up to, and others you don’t. How do you explain such a phenomena accept that is karmic and you have been with some of them in previous lives, while others, you may have not been. But I felt comfortable around Bhaktananda, more so than Yogananda, when I see him in videos. That is an honest statement. And perhaps, also a recognition of my own lack of understanding and experience with what my relationship should be with who I consider to be my guru. Yogananda has done things for me that no other human has done. To give you an example; my blood pressure was sometimes 160 over 104. A dangerous situation without medication. I took my blood pressure yesterday. It was 106 over 63, and I take no medication anymore. Who wouldn’t be awed by such a miracle? That was completely Paramahansa Yogananda’s miracle on me. It happened at his burial tomb. There is no doubt, not even a small one in mind about it. Nothing I did ever changed this health problem. And I tried for years to change it. It was the grace of the guru. There are situations and circumstances that cannot be changed. They must be endured. Amma spoke of this type of karma and continuously reminded us to ask for grace. So I never forgot this; the guru can change these situations.
I will never forget Brother Turiyananda’s response to me when I asked him how he got on the path of being a monk. He answered that he was lost in the Swiss Alps and it was getting dark. He could clearly see that because of how cold 🥶 it gets there at night…. That he was going to die that night. He told me he prayed to God, and said; “Lord if there is anything you want me to do this lifetime you’re going to have to help me.” He felt a large push on his back and followed the direction of that motion and found his way out. Tell me, who is really responsible for our life and it’s direction? Do we really know what’s even best for ourselves?
You seem to have connected with Anandamoy. We may feel in tune with people in different activities but not so in others. For instance, we seem to have some of the same political views. Whereas Eric and I clash many times on such issues. But curiously enough I feel very comfortable with him in conversations on the phone. I’m being honest here at the risk of offending others. But I do feel there are various levels of roles we have played with people that make us respond to them very differently and in different situations.
Paramahansa Yogananda has said that if you have a friend. I mean a real friend that stays around a lifetime. He said that you have worked on that friendship for many lifetimes. It isn’t so easy to keep friends. So therefore, I do not mind exercising patience in all my dealings with others. I have found that a friend in need is a friend indeed. So Yogananda, Bhaktananda and friends here at the portal are true friends. We always need to look past occasional differences. This last comment is for all who have been kind enough to return here to support an effort that is not limited by time and even by this life.
