Preface from The Heart of Service

My life changed forever on a warm Easter Sunday in the spring of 1967—though I didn’t know it at the time.

It was early afternoon when I knocked on the door of Swami Kriyananda’s small apartment in San Francisco. After we introduced ourselves, he said, “I’m working on a project. Would you like to help?”

“Yes, of course,” I replied. Those three words ended up reshaping the whole course of my life.

Kriyananda was preparing a mailing for a series of upcoming classes based on the meditation techniques of Paramhansa Yogananda. Looking back, I can see that within the first five minutes of meeting him, the major themes of my life had already been introduced: service, meditation, and the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda. Not coincidentally, these are also the major themes of this book.

I soon began serving as Swami Kriyananda’s assistant, working with him on many projects. One of the most significant was the founding of Ananda Village, a spiritual community dedicated to meditation, service, and discipleship to Yogananda.

Over the ensuing decades, I’ve held many leadership roles. Today, my wife, Devi, and I serve as the Spiritual Directors of Ananda Sangha, a worldwide organization with nearly a million followers and hundreds of centers and meditation groups.

Swami Kriyananda was a direct disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda, and he infused Ananda with Yogananda’s teachings. Yogananda taught that life has one ultimate purpose: for each one of us to expand our consciousness until we achieve Self-realization, the direct experience of our oneness with God. To reach this lofty goal, we must balance meditation and service, each supporting the other.

Many people wonder: Are spiritual teachings more than just beautiful theories? Can they stand the test of everyday challenges? Ananda is a living laboratory, demonstrating the effectiveness of putting the spiritual search at the forefront of one’s life. From my own experience, and from observing thousands of others over more than fifty years, I can say with certainty: Yes! A life grounded in meditation and service leads to success on all levels. Most importantly, it leads to profound happiness and fulfillment.

This book was born in a moment of inspiration. Four of us, all disciples of Paramhansa Yogananda, had just returned from a visit to Brindaban, the sacred city in northern India where Krishna spent his boyhood. Ananda helps several thousand destitute widows there through the Paramhansa Yogananda Public Charitable Trust. Over breakfast at a small restaurant, we chatted about our visit to Brindaban the previous day. What began as a conversation about practical matters gradually shifted to one about the spiritual aspects of the work. We marveled at the grace that seemed to be supporting our efforts: Miracles had occurred; lives were changing; and even the culture of the city seemed to be benefiting.

A thought soon crystallized in my mind with clarity and power: Surely it must be Krishna who is the source of this amazing grace. After all, Brindaban has been revered for millennia as Krishna’s city. Paramhansa Yogananda revealed that Krishna later incarnated as the deathless master Babaji, who serves as the fountainhead of the Ananda line of gurus. It became clear to me that it is he who is supporting and blessing the work of the Trust. I further realized that Babaji is doing much more than merely playing a supporting role: It is his work. We are simply willing instruments helping manifest his divine plan.

As the conversation deepened, we reflected on the selflessness of the staff who were serving the widows with such love and dedication. Many had been attending classes on meditation, and more than a third—nearly thirty—had recently become disciples of Paramhansa Yogananda.

Then a sudden flash of insight struck me: We had taught them the art and science of meditation, but had offered almost no formal training in how to make service a conscious spiritual practice. That realization was quickly followed by another: For most people, service occupies by far the greatest part of their day. Even the most dedicated meditator spends far more time in outward activity than in the meditation room.

One insight led to the next. Ananda has developed a rich array of resources to teach and support a deep meditation practice. But when it comes to service—which is so central to spiritual development—we have offered little comprehensive guidance. It became immediately clear: We needed a book—and courses—to fill that gap.

Inspired, I moved to a secluded table while the others continued their conversation. A powerful torrent of ideas began to flow. Within fifteen minutes, I had jotted down many of the core principles of this book. Along with the intense flow of ideas came a deep sense of blessing. I felt Babaji himself guiding and approving the endeavor.

The teachings in this book are drawn from the wisdom of Paramhansa Yogananda and Swami Kriyananda. Both were remarkably dynamic channels for a modern expression of ancient yogic truths. As their disciple for more than half a century, I have tried, in my own way, to carry forward their mission: to help usher in this new age of Dwapara Yuga and to show not only how to worship and serve God, but how to live each day in attunement with His will. Throughout this book, I’ll share stories and lessons from my own journey, including my decades-long association with Swami Kriyananda and my discipleship to Paramhansa Yogananda—whom we generally refer to as Swamiji and Master. I refer to these great souls not only because they were my personal guides, but also because their teachings are so universal. If, however, you read something that doesn’t resonate with you, simply ignore it or “put it on a shelf” and return to it later.

My prayer is that this book will help you discover, as I have, the power of joyful service as a pathway to inner freedom. 

--Excerpted from The Heart of Service by Nayaswami Jyotish