Autobiography of a Yogi
by Paramahansa Yogananda
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Book Reviews of Autobiography of a Yogi
Book Review: Disappointed
Summary: 2 Stars
Like many other readers, I purchased the book after seeing the large number of outstanding reviews. Admittedly, I began reading with very high expectations. From the start, I found the book's reliance on supernatural phenomena distracting. I read on in anticipation of more depth and insight. Unfortunately, I didn't make it to page 100 before I gave up. There are flashes of inspired writing, but the on the whole the author's genuine spiritual insights are outweighed by unending stories of physical miracles, witnessed or experienced.
In the words of Juan Mascaro,
"Those who rely on physical miracles to prove the truth of spiritual things forget the ever-present miracle of the universe and of our own lives. The lover of the physical miracle is in fact a materialist: instead of making material things spiritual, as the poet or the spiritual man does, he simply makes spiritual things material, and this is the source of all idolatry and superstition.
... as Coleridge says, and the Upanishads suggest, there is the far greater question that in everything spiritual there is an element of beauty which is truth, and which we find in faith, but which is lacking in fanaticism and superstition."
Book Review: The Best Book I've Read to Date!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Paramahansa Yogananda, a beautiful Saint from the soul of the earth (India) captured my attention on page one and had it all the way to the very end. And now I miss him! The timelessness of his words, the rapture of his soul, and the gentleness of his humor poured off of every page. One may wonder and perhaps even dismiss the supernormal miracles that were present in this book as wonderful but fanciful thinking. But consider that an electron (one of the basic building blocks of matter) has no objective existence, and you can see that consciousness is the one, true power and that the consciousness of Aum is the only thing really conscious at all anyway.......well one can see that someone who has transcended object-subject, (i.e. duality) may in fact no longer be subject to boundaries.
As for the actual writing, there is not one college student that I know of today that has the command of the English language that Sri Yogananda had/has. I think they went a little footnote crazy, but in this case, the more information the better. I wish there had been a bit of discussion as to his final exit, even if it was done posthumously from the SRF.
This book was in a word, Godly.
Book Review: This book changed my life ...this time around.
Summary: 4 Stars
I distinctly remember living in D.C. in the 70's and every time I went to any Seminar around town. I would always run into the same guy without fail who would try to give me this book in paperback. Well I resisted for several years til 1979 when I stopped seeing the guy, so I went and bought the sky blue hard back version to see what he had been all about. Well to skip to the most important part ... 3/4 of the way through the book was a chapter entitled : Babaji: Yogi Christ of India. Well this seemed like the cream of the cream of what I had read so far ... so following instructions in the chapter, I called upon this Being with reverence and an open heart and ummediately received a tremendous spiritual blessing and 7 months later I unbelieveably found myself at the feet (and not for the first time I then realized ) of this same Babaji in Haidiyakhan, India and life has never been without direction since. Because of that I recommend to any who are moved by the idea of Babaji or these words, to read "HAIDIYAKHANDI :Path to Happiness" a book regarding the recent (1991-1993) return of Babaji to the physical, found on this website under books about Babaji.Book Review: East meets West
Summary: 5 Stars
What a great book. After years of reading Carlos Castaneda books--I've never read the Bible but plan to someday--I felt my mind open with Yogananda's autobiography.
This is because there is a one sidedness to Shamanism, which may stem from the fact that Native Americans never had a chance to reflect on their religion, and how it contrasts with Western Civilization. Yet Yogananda does just that . . .
In the context of his own life, he relays the stories, and myths, that shape his spiritual progression through life. There are some real mind blowing chapters in this book that force the reader to step back and think. However, it is cleverly interlaced with Western tradition so that any average American could read this book and not be offended.
That is the mission Yogananda's gurus sent him out to accomplish. This book is the product of that goal.
Still, my favorite part of this book is a passage about Alexander the Great. I've only heard the Western Civilization stories about his military conquests. But in this book Yogananda speaks of the one conquest Alexander could not complete, the conquest of India's spirit.
Book Review: I still thrill to each chapter!
Summary: 5 Stars
Reading this book at the age of forty-two was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life. From the beginning chapter, I felt like I had finally come home. This was the life I had always wished was possible but never dreamed it could be!
I just now finished listening to Chapter 23 as I was driving to a restaurant. I've listened to the audiobook version, read by Ben Kingsley, a few times now and it never fails to thrill me. Everything in this book resonates in harmony with who I am and who I wish to be. I was already teaching classes on spirituality by the time I encountered this inspiring book and was amazed at how much deeper it took me in my knowledge and practice.
Yogananda teaches that direct contact with God is possible through the application of scientific yoga principles. After practicing his techniques, which have been handed down for thousands of years by Indian sages, I have reached ever higher levels of peace, happiness and alignment with what Yogananda's beloved guru, Swami Sri Yukteswar, calls "that supreme intelligence which governs everything."
May this magnificent book enrich your spiritual life as it has mine!