Logo

Swami Abhayanada was born Stan Trout in Indianapolis, Indiana on August 14, 1938. After service in the Navy, he settled in northern California, where he pursued his studies in philosophy and literature. In June of 1966 he became acquainted with the philosophy of mysticism, and experienced a strong desire to realize God. Abandoning all other pursuits, he retired to a solitary life in a secluded cabin in the mountain forests near Santa Cruz, California; and, in November of that same year became enlightened by the grace of God. He spent four more years in his isolated cabin, and subsequently met Swami Muktananda who visited Santa Cruz in 1970. Shortly thereafter, he joined and worked in Muktananda's Oakland, California ashram, where, in 1977, he translated the song of The Avadhut. In May of 1978, he returned to India and was initiated by his master into the ancient Saraswati order of monks, and was given the monastic name of Swami Abhayananda, "The bliss of fealessness." For the next few years he taught meditation in variuos cities throughout the U.S., but in 1981, unwilling to condone what he saw as abuses of power, Abhayananda left Muktananda's organization, and went into retreat once again, this time for seven years, in upstate New York, where he whole a number of other books. At present, Swami Abhayananda resides in the Olympia area of western Washington state, where he continues to teach, write, and publish his work on the knowledge of the Self.