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“America’s First Guru”

America’s First Guru, by director Raja Choudhury, premiered on PBS in May 2024. The film is the compelling story of how a young charismatic Indian monk named Swami Vivekananda came to America for the first World’s Parliament of Religions in 1893 and went on to share...

“Lotus Girl”

From one of the central figures in Buddhism’s introduction to the West and the founder of Tricycle magazine comes Lotus Girl: My Life at the Crossroads of Buddhism and America by Helen Tworkov, a brilliant memoir of forging one’s own path that Pico Iyer calls...

“The Last Ecstatic Days”

Ethan Sisser, a young man with terminal brain cancer started livestreaming his death journey. Thousands joined to celebrate his courage. Honoring Ethan's wish, his doctor Aditi Sethi transported him to the Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville, North Carolina. What...

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Wandering Turtle: A Heartfelt Tribute

Wandering Turtle: A Heartfelt Tribute

Wandering Turtle, a a cherished member of the Choctaw community and beloved member and resident of Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville for the past 25 years, passed on into the Divine Light on May 15, 2024. Turtle, as he was lovingly known, was a dedicated Karma Yogi,...

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Remembering Reverend Saraswati Beth Neumann

Remembering Reverend Saraswati Beth Neumann

Born in 1947, Rev. Saraswati was a graduate of American University in Washington D.C. After graduation she worked in an interior design firm and architectural companies in New York city and in New Jersey and even worked as a professional clown for some time. She...

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In Memoriam: Swami Murugananda, 1942 – 2024

In Memoriam: Swami Murugananda, 1942 – 2024

On Jan. 6, 2024, after some time at the Acute Care Center at the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville, Virginia, our dear brother Swami Murugananda has passed into the Divine Light, embraced by the eternal love of his beloved Sri Gurudev Swami...

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Christmas Message 2023 from Br. David Steindl-Rast, OSB

Christmas Message 2023 from Br. David Steindl-Rast, OSB

+ Dear Family and Friends, The days are growing short. Winter daylight is fading early, as I’m watching the chickadees quickly snatching a few last sunflower seeds from the bird feeder. From my armchair by the window i can enjoy their antics all day long, as i look...

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The Broken Christmas Tree: How Love Saved Its Light

The Broken Christmas Tree: How Love Saved Its Light

My dad ascended the rickety ladder, thus launching our family’s annual quest to decorate our Christmas tree. Ours was no snowy trek to an idyllic woodland. Instead it was an ascension up the world’s oldest wooden ladder to a high and bafflingly small closet where our...

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The Light that Shines Through the Ages

The Light that Shines Through the Ages

We all need teachers in life; not everything can be learned from a book. According to Hindu tradition, there are four main teachers: Mata, Pita, Guru, Deva: Mother, Father, Guru and God. The mother is the baby’s first guru; she is everything to the baby: unconditional...

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The Unchanging Amid the Changing

The Unchanging Amid the Changing

It seems like any birthday that ushers us into a new decade​ brings with it a whole spectrum of feelings, and that is what happened for me recently. Turning 70 gave rise to that culturally influenced feeling​, “OMG​! I’m getting old.” But I’m grateful that I also...

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Br. David Steindl-Rast Honored

Br. David Steindl-Rast Honored

Congratulations to Grateful.org founder, Br. David Steindl-Rast, on both his 97th birthday and for being awarded the Gold Decoration of Honor for Services to the Republic of Austria. The award is given to select individuals by the Austrian government and was presented...

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The World is Like a Movie, a Dream, a Video Game

The World is Like a Movie, a Dream, a Video Game

The celebrated book, Autobiography of a Yogi, by Paramahansa Yogananda, is credited with changing the lives of tech genius Steve Jobs, musicians George Harrison and Elvis Presley, wellness guru Andrew Weill and actress Mariel Hemmingway, among many others. It also...

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