Ananda House and the Twelve Precepts of Evening Hospice
It was through sharing the Ananda House and the Twelve Precepts of Evening Office with a friend that it dawned on me that I never included the introduction or the preface of the book Transitioning In Grace A Yogis Approach To Death and Dying. I guess this was because my focus is on honouring the book using intuitive art and poetry.
I found in the introduction the Twelve Precepts of Evening Office which resonated with me. During her webinar Nayaswami Nalini did go into detail on how we can incorporate these precepts into our daily lives. Maybe she might do another webinar again this year??
Before I share the The Twelve Precepts with you, I thought I would share with you a bit about Nayaswami Nalini the author and the preface.
Nayaswami Nalin Graeber is a minister, and a lifelong meditator and follower of the deeper teachings of yoga, as taught by the great master of yoga Paramhansa Yogananda (author of the classic Autobiography). For more than forty years Nalini has lived at Ananda Village, a community in Northern California; she is one of the Ananda’s founding members, having joined the community after receiving academic training at Stanford and Columbia Universities. She has helped to bring inspiration to Yogis around the world through her writing and counselling, and through her work in creating and directing the online yogic music station known as “Radio Ananda”. To listen to Radio Ananda “Music for Spiritual Aspiration and a Meaningful Way of Life!” Click Here.
Preface
I looked up, struck by a sign on a wall, proclaiming words from the Forty-Sixth Psalm:
“Be still and know that I am God.”
IT WAS MANY YEARS ago. My high school girlfriend and I were using our Sundays to explore different churches, and this was the first Quaker Meeting I ever attended. Later on, I was drawn to many more. I had been raised in a traditional Christian church, which had more ceremony and structure, but the unaccustomed silence at the Quaker gathering felt alive and refreshing. It seemed to speak to me, and I felt right at home. The silence allowed my concept of spirituality to leap beyond whatever sectarian boundaries I possessed at the time. In the stillness I found it easier to cultivate my own relationship with Spirit, as opposed to merely following or imitating someone else. In retrospect, sitting in the silence gave me my first taste of meditation.
It was several years more before I discovered the path of Self-realization the way of yoga and meditation described by Paramhansa Yogananda in his classic Autobiography of a Yogi. In meditation one strives to still the mind and commune with the Spirit within. But what does that mean?
As my spiritual teacher, Swami Kriyananda, puts it, “It is difficult for anyone to imagine a conscious, infinite Being capable of manifesting the vast universe with its countless billions of galaxies, each one containing hundreds of billions of suns like our own. Add to this immensity the seemingly contradictory, because softening, quality of love, and describe that love as caring for each of us separately and individually, and we have a concept that is vast beyond all the powers of human imagination.
We can only shelve this concept for a time, while we visualize infinity reduced to dimensions comprehensible to our human brains. . . . “To know God is, every great scripture declares, the true goal of life. Our problem lies not in that goal’s distance, but in its very closeness to us. We, ourselves, are that goal! Ultimate Truth embraces everything in existence. It is ineffable bliss.” Paramhansa Yogananda wrote, “Spirit is motionless and vibrationless. It has no dimensions, no relativity. . . . Spirit is nameless and formless. If you try to name Spirit, by that very process you limit it. Although Spirit is not knowable by the mind or understanding, Spirit can be experienced as bliss.” He also wrote, “Bliss is deeper than peace and always new. Once you experience bliss, you will have experienced true spiritual consciousness and nothing else will ever satisfy you.” Over the years my own concept of Spirit or “God” has continued to expand, but still, never enough—not yet to infinitude, nor to my satisfaction. Have you, dear reader, experienced this also? When I suffer or lose my way, it is usually because my mind and heart are too narrow to comprehend the depth of divine compassion.
The little cup of my heart can barely even begin to receive Divine Mother’s oceanic love. As Saint Jean Vianney said: “If you knew how much God loves you, you would die for joy.” I would like to share with you an excerpt from Yogananda’s “Meditation on Silence” from Metaphysical Meditations (1932 edition): My silence spreads like an expanding sphere, directionless, everywhere. My silence spreads like a radio song, above, beneath, left and right, within and without, everywhere.
My silence spreads the wildfire of bliss; the dark thickets of sorrow and the tall oaks of pride are all burning up. My silence, like the ether, passes through everything, carrying the songs of earth, atoms, and stars into the halls of His infinite mansion.
Ananda House and the Twelve Precepts of Evening Hospice
“IN 2006,” HANUMAN BAUGHMAN writes, “Swami Kriyananda wrote the Twelve Precepts of Evening Hospice.” Hanuman and his wife, Mari, are the founders of Ananda House, an assisted-living facility near Portland, Oregon. “When I first read those precepts,” Hanuman goes on, “I was stunned. It was obvious that they were not just something you would want to address at the end of life; they are, in fact, guidelines for living!” In a public letter, Kriyananda explained the concept of Evening Hospice:
The word “hospice” is defined differently in my dictionary from modern usage. It is listed as meaning, “A lodging for travelers, especially one kept by a religious order.” Why “Evening Hospice”? Because alternative words (twilight, sunset) suggest a sense of loss.
“Evening Hospice” will be a place of retirement for elderly people. Every effort will be made to make it for them a true, alternate home.
In the Bhagavad Gita, a frequently repeated theme is the importance of preparing for death: the “final exam” in each person’s life. In old age especially, people should be readied for their final exit into what can be a better world, a better future—including, if possible, liberation (moksha) from all earthly ties.
Counseling should be given to [residents], both in groups and as individuals, with a view to helping them in the following ways:
They should be helped to face, and accept even-mindedly, whatever has happened to them in the past. They can be helped also to
relinquish emotional attachments;
accept past errors, viewing them not with regret but as simple facts. They should be helped to see that, always, it was God, through their imperfect understanding, [W]ho dreamed their lives;
release the grip ego-consciousness exerts on them;
release every desire and attachment, one by one, into infinity and into Supreme Bliss;
offer every regret into God’s love and Infinite Consciousness;
forgive (and release the thought of) any past hurts and betrayals;
give out universal love to all, even to so-called or self-styled enemies;
see that everyone’s motivation, however misguided, is basically the same: a soul-craving for Satchidananda;
keep mind and heart focused on infinity;
practice active devotion;
learn to overcome fear by realizing that we are not this body.
Monks and nuns could take on this work as a form of self-support and of divine seva, or service.
Someone might be present as often as feasible in the chapel or prayer room, singing Hindi, Bengali, or English chants with the harmonium.
An atmosphere of love should be cultivated. Beautiful paintings, decor, and furnishings should be present. A recreation room could be provided, but not emphasized as a place to congregate. Music played in the background should be calm and uplifting.
When any resident expresses grief or fear, he should be helped to relax calmly into the Self, seeing death as a great adventure [:] a release from physical bondage and mental limitations. Every effort should be made to help the residents . . . keep their minds and hearts focused on beauty, hope, and harmony; kindness and love; good will and inner joy.
Inspired and energized by Swami Kriyananda’s vision of Evening Hospice, the Baughmans created Ananda House to meet this end-of-life need. Ananda House provides a conscious way of living, enabling individuals to work with the precepts in a supportive environment.
Ananda House—A Dream Realized
“DURING THE SUMMER OF 2010,” writes Hanuman, “my wife Mari and I were living at the Portland Ananda Community; Ananda had just acquired a campus in the Laurelwood Valley. Many weekends were filled volunteering to spruce up the buildings and prepare the campus to become a retreat facility and college. It was an inspired time brimming over with start-up energy. “On one such day a friend pointed out a house across the street from the campus that was available for adult-care living. . . . As I was gazing at this house, an old dream of mine rushed through my brain. In the dream I was sitting in a chair on a hill where just such a house stood.
From my vantage point I could see young adults, seniors, and even children. I felt a deep sense of peace, joy, and harmony. Now, looking at this home, the words came to me, ‘This is your work to do; and if you don’t do it, you will be making a spiritual mistake.’ And thus the project began. “Without any advance planning we were able to secure this ‘fixer-upper’ home, featuring five bedrooms plus a ‘bonus room,’ all within thirty days. For more than forty years I had had available to me a Veterans Loan benefit which I had never used, so we had instant financing. I continued to work full time as a hospice supervisor by day and a general handyman by night.
“On our second-year anniversary, Swami Kriyananda came to bless the Ananda House with his presence. He was so radiant in his aura, so kind in his demeanor! He was clearly very pleased to see his ideas being put into action. “As a religious order we pray and meditate daily, attempting to commune with our highest potential in God. Using Kriyananda’s precepts, we address our lives and the lives of our residents as consciously and as compassionately as we can. Living consciously can be a challenge as well as a blessing, for you become more aware of how you react to others. Those living and working together in an ashram setting have plenty of opportunities to ‘rub off the rough spots’ in their own understanding. From my experience it is the greatest way to live, if you wish to make spiritual progress. “It is not, however,” added Hanuman, “an easy way to live. It takes strength and courage, as Sister Gyanamata (Yogananda’s disciple) suggested, to ‘see yourself in the cold light of day.’ And then one must commit to the internal work necessary to find God.
“That is what makes this work a ministry. Evening Hospice isn’t only about caring for our elders. It also means supporting our elders and ourselves in the work of transformation that has been given each of us to do. Living in community is a time-tested way to help us learn the lessons needed to help us commune with the image of God that abides within each one of us.”
I thought I would also share with you a prayer by Nayaswami Hanuman which he carries with him and repeats daily, that was inspired by Swami Kriyananda’s 12 Precepts of Evening Hospice from the Ananda House Website, the website address is below for anyone who is interested in learning more http://www.anandahouse.org. I love this prayer so much that I have included it in the Ananda Spiritual Principles as a reminder and for good working practice.
May I have the courage and wisdom to face the past;
May I offer every regret into God’s Love and Infinite Consciousness;
May I accept past errors as simple facts, trying to see that it was God, through my imperfect understanding, who did it all;
May I relinquish all attachments;
May I release the grip of ego-consciousness;
May I release, one by one, every desire and attachment into the Supreme Bliss;
May I forgive past hurts and betrayals;
May I give universal love to everyone, even to so-called enemies;
May I see that everyone is motivated, however misguidedly, by the same soul-craving for Satchitananda (Ever Existing, Ever Conscious, Ever New Bliss);
May I concentrate on Infinity, practice devotion, and learn to overcome fear by realizing that I am not this body or personality, but a unique aspect of the divine, finding my way home.
Aum, peace, amen.