Synopses & Reviews
"...an eyewitness recountal of the extraordinary lives and powers of modern Hindu saints, the book has importance both timely and timeless. Yogananda's unusual life-document is certainly one of the most revealing of the Hindu mind and heart, and of the most revealing of the Hindu mind and heart, and of the spiritual wealth of India, ever to be published in the West". -- W.Y. Evans-Weltz, M.A., D.Litt., D.Sc., Jesus College, Oxford; Author of The Tibetan Book of the Dead
Followers of many religious traditions have come to recognize this book as a masterpiece of spiritual literature. Paramhansa Yogananda was the first yoga master of India whose mission it was to live and teach in the West. In the 1920's, as he criss-crossed the United States on what he called his "spiritual campaigns" his enthusiastic audiences filled the largest halls in America. His first-hand account of his life experiences includes childhood revelations, his visits to saints and masters of India, the years of training he received in the ashram of his guru, and long-secret teachings of Self-realization that he made available to the Western reader.
This is a verbatim reprinting of the original 1946 edition. Although subsequent reprintings, reflecting revisions made after the author's death in 1952, have sold over a million copies and have been translated into more than 19 languages, the few thousand of the original have long since disappeared into the hands of collectors. Now the 1946 edition is again available, with all its inherent power, just as the great master of yoga first presented it. A treasure for truthseekers!
"In the original edition, coming from that period of Yogananda's life, one is more in contactwith Yogananda himself. It is prior to his institutionalization that often follows many great personalitites once they have passed on. The following is a good example of how Yogananda's original statement differs from later editions in a way that appears to limit the teachings of his lineage to those of a particular organization (changes noted in underline):
"Original (1946) edition: 'The actual technique (of Kriya Yoga) must be learned from a Kriyaban or Kriya Yogi; here a broad reference must suffice.'
"1981 edition: 'The actual technique (of Kriya Yoga) should be learned from an authorized Kriyaban (Kriya Yogi) of Self-Realization Fellowship (Yogoda Satsanga Society of India). Here a broad reference must suffice.'
"Yogananda had many disciples of his own, and there were also many disciples of Kriya Yoga from other teachers in his lineage, apart from any single organization or institution. While Yogananda founded centers and organizations, his concern was more with guiding individuals to direct communion with Divinity rather than with promoting any one church as opposed to another. This spirit is easier to grasp in the original edition of this great spiritual and yogic classic". -- Dr. David Frawley, author of Ayurvedic Healing, Director, American Institute of Vedic Studies
Synopsis
Designated One of the 100 Most Important Spiritual Books of the 20th century, here is a verbatim reprinting of the 1946 first edition, with all its inherent power intact.Read about real-life saints and masters, how yogis perform miracles, the science of kriya yoga, and much more.