A view across the land, with sacred peepul and jamun trees on left and Shivlik mountain range in the distance
Guru Kripa Forest Hermitage is being built as the fulfillment of Swami Kriyananda’s expressed wish and legacy: to build a monastery for the monks of Ananda Sangha. The hermitage is founded on guidance provided by Kriyananda, a direct disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda. Kriyananda wanted a hermitage where Ananda Sangha monks can live separate from others, even while actively serving. The monks’ seva involves spreading Yogananda’s teachings throughout India and South Asia, both online and in person.
The Hermitage will provide the ideal environment to inspire greater spiritual strength, depth, and inspired seva. Daily life at the hermitage will include group meditation and sadhana, online and office work, some daily gardening and chores, and a life in harmony with God and nature. The Ananda India monks are already living this life to a large degree.
Kriyananda wished his monastery monks to live and serve daily with their brother monks; thus, the Hermitage will not be a place for guests and visitors. It will include kutirs (small cottages) for monks, a temple for daily meditation, offices for online work, and a kitchen and dining hall. Abundant vegetable plots, along with various fruit and native trees, are already in progress as part of working with the land.
Guru Kripa means Guru’s Grace — the name that Kriyananda gave to his first home in India. It also describes the grace-filled filled journey that has led Ananda Sangha India to purchase land, secure legal permissions to build a monastery, and assemble a stellar team of architects, designers, and gardeners.
Learn more about A New Kind of Monastery.
Ananda India monastery monks
“Ananda isn’t a fixed thing or a crystallized form, but an ever-growing movement within the vision of Master, our line of gurus, and of their ray of consciousness
“I couldn’t have done it without their help. It was because I was trying to work in attunement with them that many miracles have happened along the way. God had only to withhold one important miracle for Ananda not to exist anymore. It has taken divine help, and lots of it, but it’s also taken our willingness and dedication.”
— Swami Kriyananda
Latest News
December 27th, 2024
Dear Friends,
2024 has been a transformative year at Guru Kripa Forest Hermitage. The first monks’ residences are rising from the ground. Over one hundred more fruit trees have been planted. The vegetable and landscape gardens continue to grow and thrive — along with our monks and their service all over Asia.
In 2006, Swami Kriyananda said that building a monastery was one of four things left that he still wanted to accomplish in India. His monastery is finally coming to fruition.
A new digital 3D flyover shows the layout of the Hermitage — including our Temple of Light meditation hall, monk’s cottages, and the monastery kitchen/dining room. This gives you a good sense of the building designs, and the beautiful and harmonious site plan.
You can also imagine the many fruit trees and shrubs in and around the buildings, many already growing. Panduranga (J.T. Heater) — the Ananda Village architect who helped design the Temple of Light there — has been meeting with our India architects to translate that design to local building methods and materials..read more
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