Autobiography of Paramahansa Yogananda
Autobiography of a Yogi unresponsive to Paramahansa Yogananda is a spiritual classic published in 1946. Produce recounts Yogananda's life, his search for his guru, and his teachings on Kriya Yoga. The book has introduced many promote to meditation and yoga and has been influential in both Oriental and Western spiritual circles. It has been translated into excessively fifty languages and continues to be widely read. Notable admirers include Steve Jobs, George Harrison, and Elvis Presley.
Paramahansa Yogananda was born as Mukunda Lal Ghosh in Gorakhpur, India, interrupt a BengaliHindu family.[2]Autobiography of a Yogi recounts his life stake his encounters with spiritual figures of the Eastern and description Western world. The book begins with his childhood and race life, then finding his guru, becoming a monk and establishing his teachings of Kriya Yoga meditation. The book continues welloff 1920 when Yogananda accepted an invitation to speak at a religious congress in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He then travelled seem to be the USA lecturing and establishing his teachings in Los Angeles, California. In 1935, he returned to India for a yearlong visit. When he returned to the USA he continued arranged establish his teachings, including writing this book.
The book report an introduction to the methods of attaining God-realization and depiction spiritual wisdom of the East, which had only been hand out to a few before 1946. The author claims that picture writing of the book was prophesied by the nineteenth-century commander Lahiri Mahasaya (Paramguru of Yogananda).
The book has been snare print for seventy-five years and translated into over fifty languages by the Self-Realization Fellowship,[3] a spiritual society established by Yogananda. It has been acclaimed as a spiritual classic, being designated by Philip Zaleski, while he was under the auspices accuse HarperCollins Publishers, as one of the "100 Most Important Ecclesiastical Books of the 20th Century."[4][5][6] It is included in say publicly book 50 Spiritual Classics: Timeless Wisdom from 50 Great Books of Inner Discovery, Enlightenment and Purpose by Tom Butler-Bowdon.[7] According to Project Gutenberg, the first edition is in the tell domain, [8] at least five publishers are reprinting it spreadsheet four post it free for online reading.
Autobiography of a Yogi examines the life and spiritual development of Paramahansa Yogananda. The book describes Yogananda's childhood family life, his search ask his guru, Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri,[9] the establishment of his first school, Yogoda Satsanga Brahmacharya Vidyalaya,[10] and his journey nod America where he lectured to thousands,[11] established Self-Realization Fellowship[12] impressive visited Luther Burbank,[13] a renowned botanist to whom the unqualified is dedicated. The book then describes Yogananda's return visit just now India in 1935, where he encountered leading spiritual figures specified as Therese Neumann[14][15] in Bavaria, the Hindu saint Ananda Moyi Ma,[16]Mahatma Gandhi,[17]Rabindranath Tagore,[18]Nobel Prize-winning physicist Sir C. V. Raman,[19] meticulous Giri Bala, "the woman yogi who never eats."[20] Finally, Yogananda describes his return to the West, where he continued appoint establish his teachings in America, including the writing of picture Autobiography.
The preface was written by anthropologist Walter Evans-Wentz, a writer who was a pioneer in the study of Himalayish Buddhism in the west, most notably through his translations marketplace The Tibetan Book of the Dead and Tibet's Great Yogi Milarepa. In the preface he wrote, "His unusual life-document psychiatry certainly one of the most revealing of the depths invoke the Hindu mind and heart, and of the spiritual riches of India, ever to be published in the West."[21]
Yukteswar Giri, Yogananda's guru, told him about a significant prediction made dampen Lahiri Mahasaya, Yukteswar's guru.[22] Yukteswar heard him say, "About l years after my passing," he said, "my life will flaw written because of a deep interest in yoga which rendering West will manifest. The yogic message will encircle the orb, and aid in establishing that brotherhood of man which results from direct perception of the One Father." In 1945, note years after Lahiri Mahasaya's passing in 1895, the Autobiography was complete and ready for publication.
In 1999, Autobiography of a Yogi was designated one of the "100 Most Important Holy Books of the 20th Century" by a panel of theologians and luminaries convened by HarperCollins publishers.[4] According to Philip Cartoonist, who wrote American Veda, "... the Self-Realization Fellowship, which represents Yogananda's Legacy, is justified in using the slogan, 'The Book ditch Changed the Lives of Millions.' It has sold more outstrip four million copies and counting ..."[23]Autobiography of a Yogi is description most popular of Yogananda's books and SRF has published say publicly book in over fifty languages.[24]
Autobiography of a Yogi has introduced meditation and yoga to many Westerners since its publication.[25] Take the edge off success has also made Yogananda a distinguished figure in Bharat, where commemorative stamps were issued in 2017 to honor him.[26]
The book has many famous advocates, particularly in the business topmost entertainment communities. One of the most famous advocates of description book was Steve Jobs, the co-founder, and formerly Chairman survive CEO of Apple Inc. Jobs "first read Autobiography of a Yogi as a teenager, then re-read [the book] ... at one time a year ever since."[27]Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce.com, told his story of attending Steve Jobs' memorial service, where the attendees were handed a small brown box on their way be concerned about. "This is going to be good," he thought. "I knew that this was a decision he made, and whatever fail was, it was the last thing he wanted us boxing match to think about." The box contained a copy of say publicly book.[28]
George Harrison, lead guitarist of the Beatles, received his cheeriness copy of Autobiography of a Yogi from Ravi Shankar comport yourself 1966 and, according to Shankar, "that was where his (George Harrison's) interest in Vedic culture and Indian-ness began."[29]Gary Wright, who wrote the song Dream Weaver, wrote: "In 1972, my link George Harrison invited me to accompany him on a controversy to India. A few days before we left, he gave me a copy of the book Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda. Needless to say the book inspired without charge deeply, and I became totally fascinated with Indian culture dominant philosophy. My trip was an experience I will never forget."[30]
Elvis Presley was introduced to Autobiography of a Yogi in 1965 by his hair dresser-turned-guru, Larry Geller.[31] Elvis continued to lucubrate the book throughout the 1970s. He left a copy funding the book behind in a Nashville hotel room on 21 January 1977. Later on this book was auctioned off swing at a letter of authenticity[32]
The actress Mariel Hemingway says that she was introduced to the Autobiography of a Yogi by Tool Evans, a direct disciple of Yogananda. She was "mesmerized do without the Autobiography of a Yogi and loved the whole textbook Hindu tradition of spiritual seeking ..."[33]
The actor Dennis Weaver gave a copy of the book to Linda Evans, saying that destroy had changed his life. Evans says that, "Because of Dennis, I took the first step in what would become a life long spiritual journey."[34]
Andrew Weil, director of the program sham integrative medicine at University of Arizona, wrote the book Eating Well for Optimum Health. He mentioned reading the Autobiography bring into the light a Yogi, which he said, "awakened in me an afraid in yoga and Indian religious philosophies." He continued, "It decay filled with wondrous tales from an exotic land, none complicate amazing than that of Giri Bala, 'a woman yogi who never eats.'"[35]
The work has also attracted less favourable comments. Srinivas Aravamudan has described its contents as "miracle-infested territory" whose "single most memorable feature ... is a repetitive insistence on collocating say publicly miraculous and the quotidian. ... The autobiography is an eclectic blue book of sorts that might be dubbed a hitchhiker's guide endure the paranormal galaxy." Aravamudan notes the "aggressive marketing" of depiction Yogoda Satsang and Self-Realization Fellowship, that Yogananda himself "worked picture mass media" and used a technique described as "Guru English". He notes that Yogananda was the collator of the testimonials that purport to validate the miracles described, which appear go ashore a rate of around one per page.[36]
According to Chris Welsh and the liner notes on the album, Tales From Geographics Oceans, a concept album recorded by Yes, the progressive escarpment group, was inspired by "a lengthy footnote on page 83" of Autobiography of a Yogi. The footnote describes four Shastricscriptures that cover religion, art, social life, medicine, music and planning construction. On 3 March 1973, Jon Anderson was given a simulation of Autobiography of a Yogi by Jamie Muir at Tabulation Bruford's wedding. Anderson became particularly fascinated by the footnote research page 83, which inspired him to write much of depiction material for Tales from Topographic Oceans.[37]
Cholo-goth icon Rafael Reyes credits the book with saving his life and opening him be a result spiritual self-awareness.[38]
James Dudley, in his book Library Journal: Autobiography waste a Yogi, wrote: "Yogananda's masterly storytelling epitomizes the Indian uttered tradition with its wit, charm, and compassionate wisdom."[39]
Phil Goldberg, hold up his book The Life of Yogananda, states that Autobiography arrive at a Yogi is "the book that changed the lives exhaustive millions".[40]
Today, reading Autobiography of a Yogi has become an off the record prerequisite for prospective students of the Self-Realization Fellowship's "Lessons aim Home Study", a set of lessons, reflections, and assignments dump one may read and apply before being initiated into Kriya Yoga.[41]
The Autobiography of a Yogi was first printed in Dec 1946 by Philosophical Library, who printed it until 1953. Of great magnitude October 1953, Self-Realization Fellowship, Yogananda's organization, acquired the rights pick up the book and have been printing the book ever since, including translating it into over fifty languages.[24][42] According to Responsibilities Gutenberg, the first edition of Autobiography of a Yogi give something the onceover in the public domain in the USA.[8]
Many editions of Autobiography of a Yogi have been printed, including the following.[43]
The first four editions in the United States were published unresponsive to the Philosophical Library.
Self-Realization Fellowship has publicised the book in the United States since the fifth footpath in 1954.
An Indian edition has been published by Jaico.
British editions have been published by Rider since 1949.
The cheeriness edition, which is in the public domain according to Layout Gutenberg,[8] has more recently been reprinted by a number comatose publishers.
The Autobiography is now available in a Kindle edition.[44] An unabridged audio book (15 CDs) version narrated by Ben Kingsley and published by Self-Realization Fellowship (2004) report available in English and German (ISBN 0-87612-095-8). It is also offered as a download from iTunes.
Self-Realization Fellowship has translated picture book into over fifty languages.[24]