Book reviews from Upstate

How To Be Happy All the Time

by Paramhansa Yogananda

Let us have a little exercise in guided imagery here. You are to become a great spiritual figure of our time and are told that it is your destiny to travel to a foreign land, establish a world-wide organization, write many books, and help countless people. In time, you arrive in America, start your organization and spend many long hours authoring books - one which ultimately becomes a best seller and is used in hundreds of university comparative religion classes. This autobiography of yours is a jewel and eventually becomes a classic! In it, you write personal things about your family history, the long and extensive training you've had with your spiritual teacher, the great saints and historical figures you've met, and your experiences in America. You also spend countless hours creating, composing, and disseminating a very lengthy series of lessons to help others on their path, and you hand pick board members to carry on the work of your organization when you are gone. The road traveled has not always been easy, money has at times been lacking....but ultimately forthcoming. There have been a few betrayals. However, you are very determined and very devoted to God. You accept a man into your organization from Romania, by the name of J. Donald Walters, and he spends only three years with you before you die. After your death, Walters travels to India and does stuff that almost gets your whole organization expelled from the country. He also goes against rules (already established involving the proper conduct of your members) because.....well, he just can't keep his pants zipped and continually breaks his monastic vows. Your board is left with having to tell this guy to take a hike. However, he doesn't just leave, but has absconded your extensive writings, pictures, songs, etc., taking MUCH with him when he goes. He starts his own church and publishing company and begins to make money off of YOUR autobiography (calls it the `original') and continues to sell your works, and the LESSONS that you learned and formulated from your training and which your official organization still publishes to this day! Your singularly authored `to be published' tomes? Yep, he has gotten a jump on `em! Although, they're never as good as the one's published by your organization. A tiny consolation, though. You, Dear Reader: Meet Swami Kriyananda founder of Ananda, The Expanding Light, and Crystal Clarity Publishers. To make matters worse, he touts himself as your `direct disciple' from the three years spent on and off with you in order to give some weight to YOUR writings that he is selling. He continues to live off of your good name and has members constantly trashing your organization all over the internet. To conclude this little visual exercise, I don't know how you would feel if all this happened to you, but if it did.....personally speaking, I think the guy would have one hell of a nerve to put your photo on any of his Crystal Clarity books, his website, or anywhere else for that matter!J. Donald Walters, aka Swami Kriyananda's claim of being the "foremost disciple" would be hilarious, if not so ridiculous, delusional, and tragic all at the same time.