Who is posting anti-Ananda information
on the web?

I’ve seen negative things about Ananda on the internet. Are they true?

The short answer is—no, they are not true. Why then, you might ask, would anyone say such shocking things? The complete story is long and complex. Here, we’ll briefly share the main facts and provide website links to more detailed discussions. Most of the facts are a matter of public record and differ dramatically from what is presented on the anti-Ananda website.

In the end, however, it is impossible to answer every conceivable question in this format. If you would like more information, we encourage you to contact us. Your questions, even on what may seem to be sensitive issues, will be well-received and fully answered.  We also encourage you to visit Ananda Village or one of the Ananda colonies. Your own personal experience of Ananda and its people is the best way to know for certain what’s true and what isn’t.

Who is posting this negative information about Ananda?

As far as we know, it is being posted by people who are members of Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF), the organization founded by Paramhansa Yogananda (1893-1952) in 1925. Ananda’s founder, Swami Kriyananda, was a high-ranking member of SRF until his ouster in 1962. It was after that, in 1968, that Kriyananda founded Ananda. Both SRF and Ananda members consider Yogananda their spiritual teacher or guru. 

Why would Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) members be critical of Ananda?

History is full of examples of conflicts between religious organizations. Often, the ones that are most alike seem to have the most difficulty getting along. In this case, SRF’s position is that it should have exclusive control over Yogananda’s mission—a monopoly, in other words. SRF advocates this position openly in its publications and in discussions and talks with its members and followers. For some SRF members, being critical of Ananda is an important aspect of being loyal to SRF.

There are differences between Ananda and SRF in their approach to Yogananda's teachings. For example, SRF has significantly edited Yogananda's writings since his passing in 1952. They have altered his mission statement to omit all mention of world brotherhood colonies. You may learn about these and other changes at www.yoganandarediscovered.org.

Why did Self-Realization Fellowship sue Ananda?

In 1990, SRF initiated a lawsuit in federal court against Ananda to obtain court support for its view that SRF had exclusive rights to Yogananda’s teachings, name, likeness, voice, and to the term “Self-realization.”

Although SRF’s lawsuit dealt mainly with trademark and copyright issues, it was, in essence, an attempt to destroy or seriously cripple Ananda—either by defeating Ananda in court and severely limiting its ability to spread Yogananda’s teachings, or by bankrupting Ananda with the costs of aggressive litigation. Early in the case, the federal court judge commented that if SRF prevailed on its claims, the likely effect would be to put Ananda out of business.

SRF’s position went against a millennia-long tradition in India of disciples freely sharing their guru’s teachings with others. It also went against Yogananda’s direct request to Kriyananda, that he devote his life to teaching and writing in service to his guru.

How did the SRF lawsuit against Ananda end?

The lawsuit finally ended in 2002. After 12 years of litigation, two appeals by SRF, including one to the U.S. Supreme Court, and a month-long trial, Ananda prevailed, winning more than 95 % of the lawsuit.

The Court rulings:

1) SRF’s trademark in the phrase “Self-realization” was ruled invalid. “Self-realization” is a commonly used phrase to describe the goal of religious practice in the Hindu-Yoga tradition. Ananda presented statements from 35 Hindu-Yoga organization sin America, thousands of pages of documents showing generic use of “Self-realization,” and expert testimony.

2) SRF’s trademark in “Paramahansa* Yogananda” was ruled invalid. Although Ananda’s lawyers made religious freedom arguments, the court’s ruling was based on trademark law. 

3) SRF does not own Yogananda’s “publicity rights.” This claim was based on a California law that gives heirs of celebrities control over their name, likeness, voice, and signature. It was another attempt by SRF to prevent Ananda (or any other organization) from identifying itself publicly as a Yogananda organization.

4) SRF’s claims of unfair competition and trademark tarnishment were dismissed.

5) Yogananda’s magazine articles and lessons published before 1943 were declared in the public domain. Students and devotees now have access to the original versions, which are noticeably different from the versions edited by SRF after Yogananda’s passing.

6) All books by Yogananda published before his passing in 1952 are in the public domain. SRF has made many changes to the editions published after Yogananda’s death.

7) The original edition of Yogananda’s spiritual classic, Autobiography of a Yogi, is in the public domain. There have been thousands of changes to this book in the editions published by SRF after Yogananda’s death.

8) SRF’s copyrights in numerous photos of Yogananda were declared invalid. These photos are now in the public domain.

9) Jury verdict that Ananda’s reproduction of certain of Yogananda’s writings for religious and educational purposes was a “fair use.” This was in essence a finding that Ananda was “not guilty” of copyright violations.

10) Jury verdict requiring Ananda to pay $29,000 to compensate SRF for loss of sales on several audiotapes of Yogananda’s voice. Compared to the 30 million dollars in damages that SRF had asked the jury to award, this was only a nominal victory for SRF.

For more information about the SRF lawsuit, see www.yoganandarediscovered.org.

For the appeals court decisions, see Self-Realization Fellowship Church v. Ananda Church of Self-Realization, 59 F.3d 902 (9th Cir. 1995) and Self-Realization Fellowship Church v. Ananda Church of Self-Realization, 206 F.3d 1322 (9th Cir. 2000).

Swami Kriyananda was once part of SRF, is that true?

Swami Kriyananda became a disciple of Yogananda in 1948 and lived with Yogananda until his death in 1952. Kriyananda served in SRF for 14 years as head of the monks, director of SRF center activities, senior minister, and SRF’s principal lecturer. He traveled extensively, sharing Yogananda’s message with SRF students worldwide. In 1960 he was appointed to SRF’s Board of Directors and made Vice President of the Board.  In 1962, Kriyananda was abruptly dismissed from SRF in what he describes as one of the most painful experiences of his life.  Kriyananda talks about this experience in detail in My Separation from SRF.

Return to FAQ

* After Yogananda’s death, SRF added an extra “a” to Paramhansa, spelling it Paramahansa

Updated: February 20, 2005
www.anandaanswers.com/pages/Who.html