33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
And the greatest of these is Love..., November 27, 2002
This review is from: The Divine Romance (Hardcover)
If it contained only his opening essay from 1943, "How to Cultivate Divine Love", this volume would more than warrant the cover price: it is persuasive, revelatory, show-stopping. Everyone talks about love. Everyone is moved by an unconscious yearning for this intangible indispensible. After lifetimes of pursuing and then achieving the Source of Love, in this seventeen-page essay Yogananda offers a timeless explanation of this elusive be-all and end-all of our existence. For those that confuse Love with sex or who cannot imagine that any love can surpass their feelings for their child or their beloved, these words are probably wasted. But for those who have been graced by even a whiff of the Creator's love or have intuitively felt that behind the temporary world of human ecstasies must lie a Divine Source and Experience, these words will ring as truth: this author has tasted The Whole Loaf, not just enjoyed wafting aromas. No matter how often it is distorted and dimmed in its human expressions, the irresistable pull of Divine Love keep working on us, because, as Yogananda explains...
"If you could feel even a particle of divine love, so great would be your joy -- so overpowering -- you could not contain it." It is from connection with that Divine that the faces of long-silent, meditating yogis of India beam with unrepentant Joy, that the whirling Sufi dervish tirelessly dances without apparent partner. With unblinking insight and full compassion, Yogananda reflects on the varied places and degrees of human success in finding lasting love, because "...by investigating human love, we can learn something of divine love, for in human love we have glimpses of that love of God's."
As devotional as he is, Yogananda goes far beyond gushing. He provides useful anaysis of the ways human beings are "clever in their ignorance" and avoid achieving the very End they so desperately crave. Near the end of "How to Cultivate..." he brings us back on track to the systematic, selfless practices of ecumenical meditation upon the Source of our being, the Source of all love:
... "If you meditate deeply, a love will come over you such as no human tongue can describe; you will know (Divine Love), and you will be able to give that pure love to others." Yogananda's pronouncements ring with the unmistakable authority of someone who KNOWS, who has been there, who has practiced and seen the results. Throughout this volume's forty-seven chapters we learn about the universality of spirituality across all religions and all ages, and we hear from someone with a cosmic, ages-long perspective about the path we have been climbing (often unconsciously) and about means for speeding our ascent. As he both explains and exemplifies, Yogananda insists that even though the path requires periods of dedicated solitude, it is not solitary: single-pointed love for God also means serving children of the Divine.
When you read "Divine Romance" you will probably identify some chapters as 'the best.' My own experience suggests this is just a function of what the reader needs at the time. They are all jewels, sparkling with special appeal when they are shedding light on areas of particular darkness of particular days. That being said, I'll still highlight some special essays:
"The Mind: Repository of Infinite Power" - Wisdom from the ancient-and-modern science of yoga on how to harness that wildest of human organs, the mind. This chapter includes a blessed reminder for anyone who has studied the full three years of Yogananda's "SRF Lessons" on meditation and spiritual development. So luxurious with methods and skills to practice are his teachings that students with perfectionist leanings sometimes feel close to giving up because of the impossibility of mastering ALL the practices described. Reassuringly, the yoga master promises, "If you practice one millionth of the things that I tell you (in these teachings) you will reach God."
"Personal and Impersonal God" - This powerful talk resolves the apparent contradiction of God being able to be both personal and impersonal. Yogananda explains the important value in taking either perspective in our pursuit of The Divine. He also explains the role of Christ and other personal manifestations of divinity in varied religious paths to The Transcendent.
"How to Find a Way to Victory" - A brilliant essay that puts to shame all the shallow get-rich-quick books on 'success.' He always keeps us conscious of how multi-faceted our striving must be -- even when it concerns particularly worldly outcomes. As one who achieved these ends before attempting to teach others how to do so, Yogananda explains that outer victories always require inner victories first: "He who becomes master of himself is a real conqueror." ... "And in this inner victory, I find the whole world at my command. ...all things are made clear in the great light of God."
Throughout the talks and essays of Divine Romance, Yogananda keeps returning us to our search for the Ultimate Kingdom of love and wisdom: "To gain this wisdom of God is the only purpose for which you were sent here; and if you seek anything else intead, you are going to punish yourself." Gospel-like, n'est-ce pas? Always ringing with Truth because here is someone who has walked the walk. Enjoy! --rp
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The road to God directed by a Realised Master., November 7, 2001
This review is from: The Divine Romance (Hardcover)
This book changed the way I look at life, and my way of thinking.
It is a must for people on the Spiritual path.
Thank you for this book Yogananda!
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