Swami Kriyananda

Swami Kriyananda

Kriyananda (born James Donald Walters; May 19, 1926 – April 21, 2013), was a direct disciple of the yogi Paramahansa Yogananda and was the founder of Ananda, a worldwide movement of spiritual intentional communities based on Yogananda's World Brotherhood Colonies ideal. Paramahansa Yogananda made him a minister for Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF), Yogananda's organization. He authorized him to teach Kriya Yoga, and appointed him the SRF head monk for Mount Washington monks. Kriyananda was given final vows of sannyas in 1955 by then SRF President Daya Mata. He was not appointed by Yogananda to be on the original SRF Board of Directors but was elected a member and Vice President of the Board in 1960 upon the passing of Dr. M.W. Lewis. In 1962 the SRF Board of Directors voted unanimously to request his resignation.

Kriyananda is the author of about 100 published books and the composer of over 400 pieces of music which altogether have sold over three million copies. Some of the books have been published in other languages and some sold in ninety countries. He has lectured in different countries throughout the world. In addition to English, he spoke Italian, Romanian, Greek, French, Spanish, German, Hindi, Bengali, and Indonesian. He established a new Swami order in 2009, the Nayaswami Order.