Walters, J. Donald 1926-

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WALTERS, J. Donald 1926-

(Kriyananda, S. Kriyananda, Sri Kriyananda, Swami Kriyananda)

PERSONAL:

Born May 19, 1926, in Teleajen, Romania; son of Ray P. (a petroleum geologist) and Gertrude Walters; married Rosanna Golia, September 23, 1985. Education: Attended Haverford College, 1943-45, and Brown University, 1945-47; monastic disciple of Paramahansa Yogananda 1948-85. Hobbies and other interests: Photography, the arts, history, archaeology, economics.

ADDRESSES:

Home and office—Ananda World Brotherhood Village, 14618 Tyler Foote Rd., Nevada City, CA 95959.

CAREER:

Self-Realization Fellowship, Los Angeles, CA, minister and lecturer, 1949-62, vice president, 1960-62, teacher of yoga, 1949—; Ananda World Brotherhood Village, Nevada City, CA, founder and spiritual director of communities in the United States and abroad, 1967—. Centro della Gioia, Assisi, Italy, director of music activities, 1983; World-Brotherhood Choir, founder and director.

WRITINGS:

(Under name Kriyananda) Yoga Postures for Self-Awareness, Ananda (Nevada City, CA), 1967.

(Under name Kriyananda) Songs for the Seeker, Ananda (Nevada City, CA), 1967.

(Under name Kriyananda) The Singer and the Nightingale: A Tale of Awakening, illustrated by Nancy Capy, Ananda Records and Publications (Nevada City, CA), 1968.

(Under name Kriyananda) Cooperative Communities: How to Start Them, and Why, 3rd edition, Ananda (Nevada City, CA), 1969, revised edition published under name J. Donald Walters as Intentional Communities: How to Start Them, and Why, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 1988.

(Under name Swami Kriyananda) Yours—the Universe, 2nd enlarged edition, Ananda (Nevada City, CA), 1970.

(Under name Swami Kriyananda) Your Sun Sign as a Spiritual Guide, Ananda (Nevada City, CA), 1971.

(Under name Sri Kriyananda) Yoga Postures for Higher Awareness, 2nd enlarged edition, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 1971.

(Under name Kriyananda) Letters to Truth Seekers, Ananda (Nevada City, CA), 1973.

(Under name Swami Kriyananda) Eastern Thoughts, Western Thoughts, Ananda (Nevada City, CA), 1973.

(Under name Swami Kriyananda) Letters from India, Ananda (Nevada City, CA), 1973, 2nd edition published as A Visit to the Saints of India, 1975.

(Under name Swami Kriyananda; editor and author of commentary) The Road Ahead: World Prophecies by the Great Master, Paramahansa Yogananda, Ananda (Nevada City, CA), 1973.

Tales for the Journey: With an Essay on Meaning in the Arts, Ananda (Nevada City, CA), 1975.

(Under name Sri Kriyananda) Stories of Mukunda, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 1976.

(Under name Swami Kriyananda) The Path: Autobiography of a Western Yogi, preface by John W. White, Ananda (Nevada City, CA), 1977, published under name J. Donald Walters as The Path: A Spiritual Autobiography, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 1989, revised edition published as The Path: One Man's Quest on the Only Path There Is, 1996.

(Under name S. Kriyananda) Winging on the Wind: Songs and Poems, Ananda (Nevada City, CA), 1977.

(Under name Sri Kriyananda) Fourteen Steps to Higher Awareness, 2nd revised edition, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 1979.

(Under name Sri Kriyananda) How to Spiritualize Your Marriage, 2nd enlarged edition, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 1982, reprinted under name S. Kriyananda, 1992.

The Story of Crystal Hermitage, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 1986.

Education for Life, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 1986, revised edition, 1997.

Affirmations and Prayers, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 1987.

The Art of Supportive Leadership: A Practical Handbook for People in Positions of Responsibility, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 1987.

Cities of Light: What Communities Can Accomplish, and the Need for Them in Our Times, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 1987, reprinted under name Swami Kriyananda, 2004.

How to Be a Channel, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 1987.

The Land of Golden Sunshine, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 1987.

On Wings of Joy (poetry), Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 1987.

Rays of the Same Light: Parallel Passages, with Commentary from the Bible and the Bhagavad Gita, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), Volume I, 1987, Volume II, 1988, Volume III, 1989.

Crises in Modern Thought: Solutions to the Problem of Meaninglessness, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 1988.

The Artist as a Channel, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 1988.

The Search: A Young Person's Quest for Understanding (selections from The Path), Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 1988.

Ring, Bluebell, Ring!, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 1989.

Secrets of Inner Peace, 1989, published as Secrets of Inner Peace: One for Each Day of the Month, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 1993.

Secrets of Meditation, 1989, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 1997.

(Under name Kriyananda) The Essence of Self-Realization, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 1990.

Secrets for Men, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 1993.

Secrets for Women, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 1993.

Secrets of Friendship: One for Each Day of the Month, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 1993.

Secrets of Happiness: One for Each Day of the Month, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 1993.

Secrets of Leadership, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 1993.

Secrets of Bringing Peace on Earth, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 1993.

Secrets of Love, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 1993.

Secrets of Prosperity, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 1993.

Secrets of Self-Acceptance, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 1993.

Secrets of Winning People, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 1993.

Secrets of Life, Warner Books (New York, NY), 1994.

Life's Little Secrets: They'll Dazzel [sic] Your Heart Each Day of the Month Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 1994.

Little Secrets of Friendship: They'll Dazzel [sic] Your Heart Each Day of the Month, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 1994.

Little Secrets of Happiness: They'll Dazzel [sic] Your Heart Each Day of the Month, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 1994.

Expansive Marriage: A Way to Self-Realization, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 1995.

Secrets of Emotional Healing, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 1995.

Secrets of Radiant Health and Well-Being, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 1995.

(Editor) Paramhansa Yogananda, Moments of Truth, Volume 1: Excerpts from the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam Explained, Volume 2: Excerpts fromAutography of a Yogi, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 1995–97.

Meditation for Starters, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 1996.

A Place Called Ananda, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 1996, revised edition published as A Place Called Ananda: The Trial by Fire that Forged One of the Most Successful Cooperative Communities in the World Today, 2001.

Superconsciousness: A Guide to Meditation, Warner Books (New York, NY), 1996.

Art as a Hidden Message: A Guide to Self-Realization, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 1997.

Rays of the One Light: Weekly Commentaries of the Bible and the Bhagavad Gita, revised edition, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 1997.

(Under name Swami Kriyananda) The Hindu Way of Awakening: Its Revelation, Its Symbol, an Essential View of Religion, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 1998, published as The Hindu Way of Awakening: Its Revelation, Its Symbols, Jaico Publishing House (New Delhi, India), 1999.

The Light of Superconsciousness: How to Benefit from Emerging Spiritual Trends, edited by Devi Novak, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 1999.

Awaken to Super-Consciousness: Meditations for Inner Peace, Intuitive Guidance, and Greater Awareness, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 2000.

The Art of Supportive Leadership: A Practical Handbook for People in Positions of Responsibility, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 2000.

Money Magnetism: How to Attract What You Need When You Need It, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 2000.

The Promise of Immortality: The True Teaching of the Bible and the Bhagavad Gita, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 2001.

(Under name Swami Kriyananda) The Art and Science of Raja Yoga: Fourteen Steps to Higher Awareness; Based on the Teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda, with compact disc, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 2001.

The Art of Leadership, MJF Books (New York, NY), 2001.

Out of the Labyrinth: For Those Who Want to Believe, but Can't, 3rd edition, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 2001.

Hope for a Better World! The Small Communities Solution, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 2002.

Intuition for Starters: How to Know and Trust Your Inner Guidance, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 2002.

God Is for Everyone: Inspired by Paramhansa Yogananda; As Taught to and Understood by His Disciple, J. Donald Walters, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 2003.

Also author of The Beatitudes: Their Inner Meaning, 1989, Secrets of Success, 1989, and Secrets of Overcoming Harmful Emotions, 1990. Shorter works include "The Jewel in the Lotus" (one-act play), Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 1993. Composer of more than 300 musical works, including Mystic Harp, Mystic Harp 2, and the oratorio Christ Lives. Composer, poet, and producer of musical recordings and videos, including the sound recordings released by Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA): All the World Is My Friend, c. 2002, Ah, Moon of My Delight, Who Know'st No Wane, c. 2002, Conversations with Yogananda, 2004, Secrets of Life, Life Is a Quest for Joy, and I, Omar. Author of pamphlets.

Walters's writings and recordings have been translated into more than twenty languages.

SIDELIGHTS:

J. Donald Walters once told CA that his intention is "to demonstrate that meaningful, lasting success in any field requires the application of universal spiritual principles." His books explain "how to make the search for success in any field into an instrument for personal growth and fulfillment in life generally. The approach is practical and nonsectarian, drawing on a background in yoga, which emphasizes what is common to the central teachings of all great spiritual traditions."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Swami Kriyananda, The Path: Autobiography of a Western Yogi, Ananda, 1977, published under name J. Donald Walters as The Path: A Spiritual Autobiography, Crystal Clarity Publishers (Nevada City, CA), 1989, revised edition published as The Path: One Man's Quest on the Only Path There Is, 1996.

PERIODICALS

Bookwatch, July, 1998, review of Art as a Hidden Message: A Guide to Self-Realization, p. 10; July, 2001, review of Awaken to Superconsciousness: Meditations for Inner Peace, Intuitive Guidance, and Greater Awareness, p. 11.

Library Journal, October 1, 2001, review of The Promise of Immortality: The True Teaching of the Bible and the Bhagavad Gita, p. 104.

Publishers Weekly, February 10, 1992, review of Money Magnetism: How to Attract What You Need When You Need It, p. 78; August 30, 1999, review of The Light of Superconsciousness: How to Benefit from Emerging Spiritual Trends, p. 75; May 27, 2002, review of The Art and Science of Raja Yoga: Fourteen Steps to Higher Awareness; Based on the Teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda, p. 57.

Rapport: Modern Guide to Books, Music, and More, April, 1994, review of Secrets of Life, p. 35.