The Ananda Meditation Retreat was where the worldwide Ananda movement had it’s humble beginning. The books and videos below tell some of the deeply inspirational as well as the truly hilarious stories of how a small group of truth-seekers lived and served together to create Ananda as it is today.
Videos
Founding members of Ananda speak about how Ananda got started and the first few years at the Meditation Retreat.
Each speaker, who arrived at Ananda during its earliest years, shares stories and thoughts that illuminate what Ananda was like in those days. Some of them are very funny.
This brief look at the life, atmosphere, buildings, business, recreation, families, and spiritual practices of Ananda’s early members is one of the best ways to get a feeling for what it was like to live at Ananda Village in the years before the fire of 1976.
Founding members of Ananda answer questions about life during Ananda’s early years.
Books
Many Hands Make a Miracle
by Sadhana Devi Helin
An inspiring, informative, and entertaining book about the “early days” of Ananda by one of its founding members. It recounts the dreams and struggles of the fledgling Ananda community.
Stories of Swamiji
by Richard Salva
This is the story of a young man who, in the midst of a spiritual quest, had the good fortune to encounter a great man of God.
