Part 6

Part VI

CHICAGO

As readers of Six Lighted Windows will know, I spent one afternoon in 1945 with Swami Vishwananda, second Head of the Chicago Center, about which I have written. He lived at that time in a rented apartment. I never met Swami Gnaneswarananda, but I have had the privilege of knowing five of his disciples and heard much of him from them.
The story of American monks in Chicago begins and continues with John Sienna (Swami Kalikananda), disciple of Swami Viswananda, and sole monastic survivor of that era when the Swami left his body and Swami Bhashyananda came to succeed him. It was the latter who made John a member of the Order, after his long years of being simply attached to the Center as chief attendant and helper of the Swami. I reached Chicago Center only in 1975. In the meantime the house Swami Vishwananda had purchased was sold, and the one in Hyde Park was bought. Then the house next to it, and the one two lots away. In all these matters, as well as in remodeling of the first house etc., Western monastics and laypersons played their parts and moved on. When I came on the scene the Michigan property at Ganges had been acquired about seven years before, and had its own history (q.v.) Kalikananda played the role of manager through that period, and was then returned to Chicago. The men recruited by Swami Bhashyananda worked at many things, including the giving of talks, throughout their stay with him. Of those made members of the Order, the remaining are Atmarupananda of San Diego and Sat Chaitanya of Sacramento. Swamis Tapasananda and Atmalokananda remain sannyasins, but outside the Order. Swami Anamananda of Trabuco spent a year or two with us in Chicago (during which he was sent to Atlanta), and Swami Sarveshananda transferred to Chicago Center in about 1979, later making the enormous contribution of organizing the Centenary of the Parliament of Religions in 1993. In spite of physical handicaps he lived an active life at the center until his passing.
Soon after arriving I was sent to Ganges, and from there in 1981 to Atlanta, where I spent three years with the group, trying to build up the work. I was brought back to Chicago in 1983 or -4, and spent about eight months, doing the worship and a share of the cooking and housework. It was at this time that Six Lighted Windows was written. Kalikananda was the fixed point, monastically speaking, round which have whirled all the changes of personnel and events.