Who We Are?

Ananda Marga Canada (AMC) is a charitable organization incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation in 1973 and now has members in most of Canada’s major cities. It is part of an organization called Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha (AMPS), often called Ananda Marga. Ananda is a Sanskrit word that means “Bliss,” and Marga means Path. Ananda Marga is, therefore, The Path of Bliss. 

            Ananda Marga is a global spiritual and social service organization founded in 1955 by Shrii Shrii Anandamurti (also known as Shrii Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar.) The mission of Ananda Marga is self-realization and service to humanity: the fulfillment of all people’s physical, mental, and spiritual needs. Self-realization is achieved by meditating on the Supreme Consciousness. Rendering selfless service to the needy purifies the mind of the spiritual aspirant. It paves the way for all-round progress, providing positive environs to our fellow humans, animals, plants, and non-living creations.

            Ananda Marga Canada offers yoga as a comprehensive spiritual lifestyle, including meditation, ásanas (yoga postures), vegetarianism, social service, and a holistic approach to life. Ananda Marga is a comprehensive philosophy and practice. The spiritual practices are based on the ancient Tantra tradition that Lord Shiva gave practical shape around 7,000 years ago and was later revived by Lord Krsna. Shrii Shrii Anandamurti modified those practices for our present day, revived those that were lost, and created some new ones. The new form is called Ananda Marga yoga and meditation.

            Human life has three primary strata, physical, mental, and spiritual. Having a human body is the basic requirement for spiritual practice and does not depend on gender, race, religion, nationality, or other relative factors. 

            The teachers in Ananda Marga are called Acaryas. They are monks and nuns; the monks are called Dadas (brothers), and the nuns Didis (sisters.) They have all taken training at one of the global training centers in Sweden, the Philippines, and India. They are qualified to teach meditation, give personal guidance in living a yogic lifestyle, offer regular classes, and render social service. 

Ananda Kanak Master Unit is a sustainable living project in Quebec where we hold retreats and seminars and grow organic vegetables during the summer.