Roy Eugene Davis is the director of Center for
Spiritual Awareness with world headquarters in Lakemont, Georgia.
He has been teaching 
meditation and spiritual growth
processes for more than fifty years in North and South America,
Japan, Europe, West Africa, and India. His books are published
in ten languages and in eleven countries. His most recent book
is Parmahansas Yogananda As I Knew him, published by CSA Press.
Mr. Davis studied with Paramahansa Yogananda and was ordained
by him in 1951.
Visit Roy at www.csa-davis.org.
PageOneLit.com: Where did you grow up, and
have reading and writing always been a part of your life? What
type of books did you like to read when you were a young boy?
Roy Eugene Davis: I grew up in a farm community
near Warren, Ohio, approximately 40 miles south of Cleveland.
I borrowed books on religion and philosophy from the County Library
System.
PageOneLit.com: I understand that you were
accepted for monastic discipleship training when you were 18
years old. Tell us about this experience.
Roy Eugene Davis:After I read Parmahansa
Yogananda's book Autobiography of a Yogi, I traveled to Los Angeles,
California to meet him. I was eighteen years of age.
PageOneLit.com: Who was Paramahansa Yogananda
and what were his teachings?
Roy Eugene Davis:Paramahansa Yogananda came
to America from India in 1920. He lectured to thousands of people
in the 1920s and 30s, and established the Self-Realization Fellowship
in Los Angeles as the international headquarters for his teachings.
PageOneLit.com: What inspired you to write
the book "Paramahansa Yogananda As I Knew Him?"
Roy Eugene Davis:I wrote it to inform interested
readers about my guru (spiritual teacher) and to share some of
my personal experiences with him.
PageOneLit.com: Paramahansa Yogananda emphasized
"Kriya Yoga." Is this any different from the yoga people
practice today?
Roy Eugene Davis:Kriya means "action"
­ what one does to live a well-ordered life and grow spiritually.
Meditation practice is emphasized.
PageOneLit.com: What are the benefits of
Kriya Yoga? And what is the best way to learn how to practice
it?
Roy Eugene Davis:Right thinking and living,
and right spiritual practice contributes to rational thinking
and clarification of awareness. The best to learn kriya yoga
is to have a teacher who is already proficient in its practices.
PageOneLit.com: What are the benefits of
meditation and how does one learn how to meditate?
Roy Eugene Davis:Millions of people are
meditating to manage stress, strengthen the body's immune system,
calm the mind, and be more alert. One can learn to meditate from
a meditation teacher or from published literature.
PageOneLit.com: I'm sure that you could
never begin to tell us in this short interview EVERYTHING you
learned from Paramahansa Yogananda. But will you tell us a few
of the most important things you learned from him?
Roy Eugene Davis:One of the most important
things I learned was to aspire to be all I could be and do my
best to experience excellence in all aspects of my life.
PageOneLit.com: What do you hope readers
walk away with after reading "Paramahansa Yogananda As I
Knew Him?"
Roy Eugene Davis:I hope they will be inspired
to live a positive, wholesome life, cultivate their spiritual
qualities, and be kind to others.
PageOneLit.com: Please tell us about the
Center for Spiritual Awareness and your work as a spiritual director.
How did the Center for Spiritual Awareness come to be?
Roy Eugene Davis:I founded Center for Spiritual
Awareness in 1973 to share helpful information with others through
my writings, lectures, seminars, and the meditation retreats
we offer at our headquarters in northeast Georgia.
PageOneLit.com: Are you a daily disciplined
writer? Do you have certain tricks you use so that you don't
stray from your writing? How are you inspired?
Roy Eugene Davis:I like to meet deadlines.
I usually write three to five pages a day, either for a book
or for our magazines and newsletters.
PageOneLit.com: Of your numerous books you've
written, is one most special to you?
Roy Eugene Davis:Paramahansa Yogananda As
I Knew Him is special. A helpful and popular book is A Master
Guide to Meditation.
PageOneLit.com: What's next? Any plans for
another book?
Roy Eugene Davis:I have no plans for another
book soon. I am currently working with my publishers in India
and other countries to have more of my books translated and published
internationally. Forty different editions of some of my books
are presently published in eleven countries.
PageOneLit.com: Who are your favorite authors,
and why do they inspire you?
Roy Eugene Davis:I enjoy reading books and
magazines on science and health.
PageOneLit.com: When you're not working,
what are your favorite ways to relax?
Roy Eugene Davis:I maintain a regular schedule
of exercise: walking, light weights, and swimming.
PageOneLit.com: Do you have any final thoughts
to share with us?
Roy Eugene Davis:I wish everyone well and
hope for them their highest good.
Interview Date: September 2, 2005
