A prolific author, accomplished composer, playwright and artist, and a world-renowned spiritual teacher, Swami Kriyananda refers to himself simply as "a humble disciple" of the great God-realized master, Paramhansa Yogananda. He met his guru at the young age of twenty-two, and served him during the last four years of the Master's life. And he continued to do so ever since. 

“If you want to do one good thing in the world, the best thing you can do is give other people joy.”

—Swami Kriyananda

During a period of intense inward reflection, Kriyananda (aka "Swamiji"), discovered Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi, and immediately travelled three thousand miles from New York to California to Yogananda, who accepted him as a monastic disciple. Yogananda appointed him as the head of the monastery, authorized him to teach in his name and to give initiation into Kriya Yoga, and entrusted him with the missions of writing and developing spiritual communities for cooperative, simple living according to the yoga teachings.

"Swami Kriyananda is a man of wisdom and compassion in action, truly one of the leading lights in the spiritual world today." —Lama Surya Das, Dzoogchen Center, author of Awakening the Buddha Within