December Marks the 60th Anniversary of Autobiography of a Yogi

In December of 2006, the original publishing of Paramahansa Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi turns 60! I just wanted to share this, and the special site about the book that SRF has put up. This is my favourite book, and for all who haven't read it, please do. And for those who have (and those who haven't), check out this site:

http://www.yogananda-srf.org/special_ancmnts/ayanniversary/intro.html



"Finally, in 1945, came the jubilant day of the book's completion. Paramahansaji wrote the last words, 'Lord, Thou hast given this monk a large family'; then laid down his pen and joyously exclaimed:
"'All done; it is finished. This book will change the lives of millions. It will be my messenger when I am gone.'"

Enjoy!

 

Nicole, thanks for posting this date and the link...Yogananda was one of the greatest.


AOY was my first introduction to Indian philosophy, circa 1969.

 

Excellente, great man indeed, I read an article by him in the book "Art of happiness", he talks of how one should just depend on God, it was very interesting.

 

Yes - it really is a great book.

Also regarding anniversaries - isn't this year 40 years since Srila Prabhupada arrived in the USA?

 

Prabhupada arrrived in Boston by ship on Nov. 17, 1965 and ISKCON was incorporated in mid-1966...I don't know the date offhand.

SP and Yogananda were about the same age and both attended Scottish Churches College in Calcutta.

 

That's an interesting coincidence...I guess it probably helped prepare them both for their respective missions here in the west.

I'm surprised that the 40th anniversary of SP's arrival didn't provoke more publicity last year.

 

Scottish Churches gave both of them a good background in English...SP and Yogananda were well-educated Brahmin-caste disciples of their respective gurus, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati and Sri Yukteswar.

SP and Yogananda were both personally instructed by their gurus to got to the west and preach.

Regarding SP's arrival anniversary...I agree, there's been little on that, and I stay in touch with the local temple and check out Hare Krishna websites all the time.

 

Lol.. I googled art happiness and got this link:http://theartofhappiness.com/

Here is a funny quote:
"Happy people, in contrast, are generally found to be more sociable, flexible, creative, more successful in mating, better parents, and are able to tolerate life's daily frustrations more easily than unhappy people. And, most important, they are found to be more loving and forgiving than unhappy people. "
It's almost like he credits people's happiness with the good things in their life, instead of crediting a good life with the persons happiness. Backwards, isn't it?

 

This quote from Yogananda:
"Essentially, conditions are neither good nor bad; they are always neutral, seeming to be either depressing or encouraging because of the sad or bright attitude of the mind of the individual concerned with them."

Reminds me of people who say that hell can't be awesome.

Anyway, I don't necessarilly agree with Yogananda in this case. Someone with leprousy that has someone yelling at them about something, someone else suing them for everything they "own", just got gang raped by 150 ugly men who weigh more than 250 pounds, and knows they will have to live with these men for the next 10 years is probably not going to be happy if they were previously a rich movie star with lot's of beautiful entertaining companions- but it would be funny if they were.

 

Well,the exact title may not have been "art of happiness", but it has to do with "happiness" though, its a chinmayananda mission's book...

 

I disagree, According to the buddhist book you "posted" :art of happiness, the buddhists believe that happiness is a state of mind and people can be happy regardless of the circumstances. So the someone with a disease can be happy, a person who just got raped, can also be happy, its hard and due to our karma we go through some things, but they can be happy at the end, they just need to find their strength.

 

'The Art of Happiness' is not by Yogananda, but HH the Dalai Lama with Howard Cutler.

 

That's what they say. They are wrong. Go beat a child in front of their mother. Better yet, beat the child in front of a buddhist. If the buddhist remains happy.

I don't doubt that people (even the mom and the buddhist) can be happy at the end, and even laugh about you beating the child in front of them, but I seriously doubt they would feel happy while you beat the child.

There are some circumstances which negate happiness. Then again, if some buddhist can attain nirvana (Autism) then they might be able to remain happy while someone beats children in front of them. I know I could.

 

I didn't say it was by Yogananda. The website is pretty clear about who wrote the book. Jedi just mentioned the book had an article written in it by Yogananda so I looked it up and saw that silly quote- then I had to tell you guys.

 

yea well Karakov I am wrong, the book I read was from Chinmayananda mission and not from Dalai Lama. Anyway, about the buddhist not being happy when he sees the child getting beaten, yes the buddhist feels pain, but that does not mean he is not happy. What is happy? - according to buddhism , it is to transcend those pesky desires that create suffering. A buddhist monk may not watch a child get hit, he might come in the middle of the child and his attacker and get hurt, but his pain is different, because he is aloof to it. Similarly, if he watches the child get hurt, yes he feels compassion, he wants to make that pain go away for the child, but he himself does not suffer because of it, because he is aloof to it. Happiness and pain here are two seperate things , do you understand?

 

Wow....this thread def. went off topic...heheh

 

No.

 

Like many others....but actually, 'The Art of Happiness' is quite good. The message is very positive, and it's not in any sense a narrow Buddhist type book - it's universal in its message. The Dalai Lama is a very positive spiritual presence I've always felt (even if I don't fully agree with Buddhist philosophy).

But in effect what he says in this book is that one of the main ways we can become truly happy is through self-giving, in the sense of doing good for others. It's saying that it is imposssible in the final analysis for any one person to be fully happy whilst others are in misery and distress, quite contrary to the modernist capitalist myth of 'individualism'. It is in our own enlightened self-interest to actively seek to do good where we can, and to promote happiness for all.
In a way, it echo's the old adage 'it is more blessed to give than to recieve'. And maybe that is the direction in which our true happiness can be found, rather than in the remorseless pursuit of money and sensory enjoyment..

 

::nods:: I have read bits of it...and I do agree that the Dalai Lama is a great presence in the world...and I only wish that there were more on the world stage like him now-a-days...

 

Listening to the radio the other day there was an item about the Dalai Lama getting an award from a good frieind of his, and another great spiritual man, Archbishop Desmond Tutu. There are some good peole out there.....I agree it's a shame there aren't more such inspirational figures who get media attention.

Actually Nicole, I can picture those two sitting down to a very amicable lunch with Yogananda