This book is my favourite book...it was the book that made me cirtain that the spiritual path is one for me. THe beauty of Paramahansa Yogananda's words is inspirational, no matter what path you may follow. Autobiography of a Yogi Paramahansa Yogananda as depicted on the cover of Autobiography of a Yogi In 1946, Paramahansa Yogananda (January 5, 1893 – March 7, 1952), published his life story, Autobiography of a Yogi, which was instrumental in introducing Vedic philosophy to the West. It has since been translated into eighteen languages and remains a bestseller. It includes Yogananda's and Sri Yukteswar's explanations of various verses and events of the Bible such as the Garden of Eden story. Further, it provides descriptions of Yogananda's encounters with leading spiritual figures such as Therese Neumann, the Hindu saint Sri Anandamoyi Ma, Mohandas Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore,Nobel Prize winning physicist Sir C. V. Raman, and noted American plant scientist Luther Burbank,to whom it is dedicated. Since its first publication in 1946 "Autobiography of a Yogi" is still the most well known and widely distributed of all of Yogananda’s writings. The impact it has had in the West regarding traditional Western conceptions of Yoga and our understanding of the religious heritage of India is considerable. It has been adopted for course use in more than 200 colleges and universities and is considered to be one of the 100 best spiritual books of the 20th century. One of the most remarkable aspects of Yogananda’s life story ,chronicled in chapters 3 to 9, is how very young he was at the time he met and was welcomed into the homes of many of India’s greatest sages. The book "Mejda" written by his younger brother Sananda Lal Ghosh sheds much light on the depth of his spiritual attainment well before his graduation from high school and his training with his guru, Sri Yuketeswar. Written with insightful wit and candor, Yogananda takes the reader on a personal journey most would have thought to be possible only in India's ancient past. An authoritative text on the spiritual science of yoga (not merely the Hatha Yoga postures so familiar in the West) the book is not so much a year by year chronicle of Yogananda's life, as it is a tribute to Yoga, India and all of the saints who had a profound influence on his life. And this year is the 50th Anniversary! So you should def. check it out! “Giving love to all, feeling the love of God, seeing His presence in everyone . . . . that is the way to live in this world.”- Paramahansa Yogananda
AOY is a great book. For anyone who is seeking a good intro to Indian spirituality, it's about the best book I can think of. It certainly helped me to get a better perspective, and I know there are many others on these forums whose lives have been touched by Yogananda's writings.
Paramahansaji was a beautiful light in our world, and has been a source of deep inspiration for me personally. I have a copy of this book that was printed in 1954 and is still in excellent condition. A must for anyone interested in Yogic teachings.
I was livin in 24 travel trailer behind the Barn/House on small organic produce farm. I read this book and realized that I needed to learn TM. So a few hundred miles and 500 dollars later I was TM'ing. She was a graduate of the institute in Iowa. It was worth it.
This is a really good book. I thought it started out kinda slow but by the time it was over I was so disappointed that it was already over. It was really a road map on the beginnings of my spiritual quest. hugs Delfynasa
This is one that inspired me. I first read Autobiography of Paramahansa in 1970. Reading it changed my entire not so cool direction during the 60's 70's. Actually the book gave me a direction when I had none.
I read Autobiography of a Yogi three Summers ago.I found a worn paperback copy of it in a psychiatric ward where I was staying.I helped me get through a lot of issues I was facing on the ward and the book made a deep impression on me.It touches on "Raj" yoga, which is supposedly the highest form of yoga,which is third eye meditation and Kundalini.This is where I think you activate the pineal gland,you release the "honey" there, and you can have blissful cosmic experiences.I had these experiences quite a few times in my early twenties but can't get there now,my mind has a accumulated too much junk.
I hear you fairlight, dumping the junk is everyones priority, youve just joined the crowd lol. Many times its necessary to deal with the junk before its possible to dump. When I finally actually knew what my junk was and where it came from, it all became more manageable. I started making less mistakes and the personal Karma mellowed. Glad your Here Fairlight , This forum is better off with you around.
managed to find another copy at a used book store a couple days ago! Copies seem to come and go with me. Bro thinks I bought it just 'cause I like saying the title. It does sound cool, but that certainly isn't the reason! peace Delfynasa
