|
 |
|
Resources
If you are interested in
spiritual communities as expressed by Ananda, there are three books by our
founder, J. Donald Walters (Swami Kriyananda) that will help you
understand our basic principles and goals. It's good to remember that all
of these have been written not from theory, but experience. For within the
overall communities movement, Ananda is the greatest success story.
-
The first (and most recently
written) book we recommend is
Hope for a Better World: The Small
Communities Solution. This book (which you can read
online)
examines the many approaches to social organization that have been tried
(and which have generally failed) in the past, including the principles of
Machiavelli, Adam Smith, Darwin, Marx, Hegel, Plato, and Freud (the "big
guns" of Western civilization, to say the least!). The book concludes with
a presentation of small, intentional communities as the most practical and
common-sense way of life that can also inspire people to fulfill their own
highest potential. In this there truly is real hope!
-
The second recommendation is
Cities of Light: A New Vision of the Future in which Walters describes
the application of spiritual principles (or "crystal clarity") to the
questions of business, work, family life, relationships, government, the
arts, and education. Cities of Light was originally written for
Ananda's 20th anniversary in 1988 and is currently in the process of being
reprinted.
-
The third title is
Intentional Communities: How to Start Them and Why, Walters' original
book on the subject first published in the mid-1960s and extensively
revised in the years since. It is considered one of the most down-to-earth
guidebooks for starting intentional communities of any kind. This book is
also in the process of being reprinted; used copies are available through
various retailers.
You might also be interested in
the full story of Ananda's origins in A Place Called Ananda,
available to read (and listen to)
online.
There is also a book of
interviews with long-time Ananda residents:
Reflections on Living 30 Years in a Spiritual Community, by Sara
Cryer.
Most of all, we welcome you to
visit our community and mandir here in Portland for first-hand experience!
(contact information)
|
