Toronto Star/Raheel Raza
RELIGION
Saturday, September 20, 2003
 

Yogi says he needs only telephone calls and airfare says those
who sell spiritual thought, sell their souls

In the Hollywood movie The Guru, Jimmy Mistry plays a young Indian immigrant who mocks America's obsession with exotic teachers of spirituality. As a bogus Indian guru, he discovers people are willing to pay large sums for the mumbo jumbo that he passes off as
spiritual teachings.

Atma Yogi Anand is a real guru and he's dead against making a mockery of religion or turning spirituality into a commercial venture. The spiritual teacher believes "knowledge and spirituality are sacred- you can't sell them on the street or make them commercial - a true teacher is one who practices what he preaches, shares knowledge and takes it to every corner of the world".

Anand does just that. He travels the world, teaching people about spirituality and the meaning of life without charging a penny for his efforts. He recently spent two months in Toronto and is scheduled to return at the end of this month after giving lessons in the United States.

"I do this because I find peace in spreading God's word about the meaning of life."

Anand found his calling under unusual circumstances. Born into a family of spiritual scholars in 1968, Anand spent his childhood on the banks of the Ganges in Ghazipur, India. At the age of 4, he had mastered the Geeta (holy book of the

Hindus) and was conversing fluently in Sanskrit, which he says is not unusual in his family. After completing Grade 8, he left home at 15 and went into the jungles of Bikaner where he lived under the spiritual guidance of various teachers for 10 years.

Why live in a forest? "To learn about life, you first have to know yourself so I left in search of truth and God" says Anand. "In the jungle, you are one with nature, there are no material diversions, so it's the perfect place to find yourself and experience God. God is not a synergy that you can see or hold; you can only experience the supreme power and energy of God."

In the jungle, Anand meditated, learning to become one with nature. He says there's lot to learn in the jungle. "I lived under trees and in caves. At one point my only companion was an unusual snake with long hair, which is rare. The snake would come out of the cave at an exact time every morning and evening; I used to time myself by it's movements." Wild animals inhabit the forests that Anand lived in and he says that apart from a scorpion sting, he was never harmed. "One day I was meditating and breathing deeply when I heard another sound of live breathing. Behind me sat a wild lion breathing in sync with me- simultaneous energy! I wasn't afraid because I knew we were both God's creatures and as long as we meant no harm, the animals went their own way."

During this tenure with nature, Anand learnt to subsist on the bare necessities. "Once a month, I would go to a nearby village and bring back 40 pieces of bread that would last me a month. Water is available in the jungle and there are herbs that squelch your hunger, so our bodies remain healthy." To this day, he wears only two pieces of white unstitched cloth, whatever the weather. "The body has an amazing capacity to adjust to any weather and can develop a barrier against extreme conditions. When you're in deep meditation, it's like being in a coma with awareness, so your physical needs are minimal."

Anand has no fixed address. "I don't need a house; the world is God's home and I move around sharing my experience. I sleep anywhere on the floor and eat only to survive. I have two basic needs: telephone calls because I need to be connected with people all over the world, and airfare to travel. Often people who invite me pay for the air ticket. Sometimes, they offer a first class ticket but I tell them I'll travel economy and they can donate the rest of the money
to my ashram."

Anand runs an ashram (home) for needy kids near Benares where he provides food, clothing, lodging and education to poor children. His travels have taken him all over India, South Africa, Mauritius, England and the U.S., where he spent the past two years.

Anand's teachings transcend barriers of faith. He has lived and taught among Muslims, Hindus, Christians and Sikhs. "A couple of months ago, I was teaching at a Sikh Gurdwara in Las Vegas," he recalls. "When they opened their holy book, they saw that all I had said was inscribed there. My hosts were so thrilled they asked me what they could do for me. I told them I always wanted to go to Canada, so they arranged for me to come here. I've spent valuable time teaching yoga and giving lectures in Toronto."

Anand's teaching are not commercial and stem from a deep understanding of God and the world we live in. "Those who sell spiritual thought, sell their souls," he says. Anand says he's been approached to cash in on his gift. "In America, people offer me TV shows, cars, homes and money. But if I take any of that, my message and my teachings will be corrupted. I have no interest and no need to commercialize my message."

What exactly does Anand teach that makes him a guru? He takes pains to point out it's important for people to know that a guru is a guide, someone who shows the way, and is not God.

"With respect to my teaching, the first thing a human being needs is a healthy body, to think, to pray or even to sin," he says. "From my perspective and experience, there are three things that lead to a healthy mind and body.

"First, is flexibility. If your body is stiff, you are headed towards illness. Second, the insides of your system must be cleansed. We eat too much food, and inhale too much unhealthy stuff. If the insides are not clean, the system does not work. And last, the inner nervous system must be clean to work properly.

"Based on this, I teach 20 exercises for all the organs. For example, the first exercise is for the brain. There are billions of knowledge cells, but we use less than a quarter of these. You have to learn to use them all, or you lose them. If you learn to use all the brain cells, you can even rid yourself of disease. I've taught these exercises to people who have been mentally or physically ill, and they were healed."

How is his teaching different from various types of yoga currently being taught? "Most people who teach yoga commercially have the knowledge but not the experience," explains Anand.

"My guru told me that you have to experience spirituality, which is like wind, water and nature. You have to first live it yourself and only then can you pass it on to others. It's not really tangible so I can't explain or describe it, I can only teach it through the mantras (practices) I've learnt and experienced." In essence what Anand teaches is a form of yoga called Atma Yoga Sadhana or Path of Life. He plans to continue his teachings for another 10 years and then return to the jungle for more enlightenment.

Atma Yogi Anand teaches a 10-day course of 20 exercises for the mind and body. He will be back in Toronto the end of this month and can be reached at any time by leaving a message at: 609-468-1732.

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