Swami Chetanananda

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About Swami Chetanananda

An American meditation master and abbot of Nityananda Institute and Rudrananda Ashram, Swami Chetanananda serves as spiritual teacher, mentor, and beloved guide to students throughout the world. Born and educated in the Midwest, Swami Chetanananda trained under Swami Rudrananda until Rudi passed away in 1973. At Rudi's direction, he founded Nityananda Institute in Bloomington, Indiana in 1971.

Swami Chetanananda was initiated as a swami or "master of oneself" in 1978 in Ganeshpuri, India, with Swami Muktananda presiding. In addition, he has been initiated into the ancient Tibetan Buddhist ritual practices of Phowa and Chöd, as well as others from the Longchen Nyingthig and Padampa Sangye Shi-je (pacification of suffering) tradition.

Swami Chetanananda News

Selections from an interview with Swamiji are featured in the new Art of Chöd DVD. Art of Chöd is an exploration of the art and iconography of this ancient practice and includes footage of Swamiji and Lama Wangdu Rinpoche performing the practice. The DVD is available from Rudra Press.

 

MORE ABOUT SWAMI CHETANANANDA

Swami Chetanananda, called Swamiji by his students, has traveled extensively, exploring the religious practices of many cultures. From 1980 to 1986, he had contact with Swami Laksmanjoo in Srinigar, studying Kashmir Shaivism. In 1983 Swami Chetanananda embraced the ancient Kashmir Shaivite practice of Trika Yoga, the philosophical framework in which the practice of Kundalini Yoga is the vehicle for realization. Trika Yoga embraces every ethnic and lifestyle possibility as equal. It denies that renunciation plays any role in spiritual development, emphasizing rather a commitment to the positive as a means for developing discrimination.

Swami Chetanananda is widely recognized as an authority on Trika Yoga meditation and the philosophy and ancient tantric practices of Kashmir Shaivism. He oversees a translation program for both Sanskrit and Tibetan spiritual texts at Nityananda Institute. He also has expertise in Indian, Tibetan, and Indonesian art, as well as in the history and archaeology of the Far East. He has studied asana practice, cranial osteopathy, homeopathy, and acupuncture. He is the author of several books on spiritual practice, published by Rudra Press, the publishing division of Nityananda Institute. In profoundly simple and direct language, Swamiji makes the ancient wisdom of yoga and the sophisticated understanding of Kashmir Shaivism accessible to modern Westerners.

Just Released on DVD: Contemplating Universal Love: A Guided Meditation

 

In this new guided meditation DVD, Swamiji explains the nature of our subtle energetic system and leads a meditation focusing on the flow of subtle energy, leading to an experience of the unconditional love at the core of our existence. The DVD is a wonderful introduction to the power of Swamiji's presence. It's available from Rudra Press.

Now Available on CD: Meditation: A Guided Practice for Every Day

This guided meditation narrated by Swami Chetanananda is designed to lead the listener to the experience of stillness.

Meditation: A Guided Practice for Every Day consists of two CDs. The first disc leads the listener through a powerful experience of meditation that reveals new insights each time. The second disc contains two talks given at Nityananda Institute. The first is about the purpose and benefits of meditation and the second is an inspirational talk on what may be the most important choice a person has: whether to choose to be happy.

"This exceptional program provides a guided meditation specifically designed to support daily practice. Using simple, effective breathing techniques, the listener is guided to relax the body and quiet the mind. Further instruction enables the listener to sense the subtle energy centers in the body and to experience the body's flow of vital creative energy."--Ingram

The CDs are also available from Rudra Press.

More news about Swami Chetanananda and Nityananda Institute

Site Updated February 16, 2008

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