Sayings of Paramahansa Yogananda [Hardcover]

Paramahansa Yogananda (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1980

This collection of informal vignettes provides intimate glimpses into the mind of one of the great spiritual figures of our time (author of the spiritual classic, Autobiography of a Yogi). In answering the questions of those who turned to him for guidance, Paramahansa Yogananda expressed himself with candor, spontaneity, and penetrating insight. He knew unerringly when to relieve a somber situation with a bright flash of wit, and was able to transform the deepest philosophical truths into simple and unforgettable precepts for every day living. Sayings of Paramahansa Yogananda allows the reader to share in those personal encounters with this great soul, offering a wealth of spiritual inspiration and practical advice for self-improvement. Shining from every page are his compassionate understanding of humanity and his boundless love for God.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Paramahansa Yogananda is a man whose inspiration has been reverently received in all corners of the globe. There is something inexpressibly beautiful in the spiritual teaching which comes out of the East. It is able to heal and change the soul of the West. - --Riders Review, London

About the Author

Hailed as "the father of Yoga in the West", Paramahansa Yogananda - author of the bestselling classic Autobiography of a Yogi - is regarded as one of the great spiritual figures of our time. Born in northern India on January 5, 1893, he devoted his life to helping people of all races and creeds to realize and express more fully in their lives the true beauty, nobility, and divinity of the human spirit. After graduating from Calcutta University in 1915, Yogananda took formal vows as a monk of India's venerable monastic Swami Order. Two years later, he began his life's work with the founding of a how-to-live school since grown to twenty-one educational institutions throughout India where traditional academic subjects were offered together with yoga training and instruction in spiritual ideals. In 1920, he was invited to serve as India's delegate to an International Congress of Religious Liberals in Boston. His address to the Congress and subsequent lectures on the East Coast were enthusiastically received, and in 1924 he embarked on a cross-continental speaking tour. Over the next three decades, Paramahansa Yogananda contributed in far-reaching ways to a greater awareness and appreciation in the West of the spiritual wisdom of the East. In Los Angeles, he established an international headquarters for Self-Realization Fellowship, the nonsectarian religious society he had founded in 1920. Through his writings, extensive lecture tours, and the creation of Self-Realization Fellowship temples and meditation centers, he introduced hundreds of thousands of truth-seekers to the ancient science and philosophy of Yoga and its universally applicable methods of meditation. Today, the spiritual and humanitarian work begun by Paramahansa Yogananda continues under the direction of Sri Daya Mata, one of his earliest and closest disciples and president of Self-Realization Fellowship/Yogoda Satsanga Society of India since 1955. In addition to publishing his writings, lectures and informal talks (including a comprehensive series of Self-Realization Fellowship Lessons for home study), the society also oversees temples, retreats, and centers around the world.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 125 pages
• Publisher: Self Realization Fellowship; 4th edition (December 1, 1980)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0876121156
• ISBN-13: 978-0876121153
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 4.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #954,406 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How the yoga master's personal advice sounded !, January 3, 2004

By 

richardpinneau.com (Colorado) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Sayings of Paramahansa Yogananda (Hardcover)

This title is perhaps somewhat overlooked today because of the immense popularity of the greater length of the more recent "Where There Is Light" - a wonderful collection of inspirationals from the yoga master. "Sayings" does, however, provide a collection of complex and thought-provoking insights that often go still deeper than many in "WTIL". Many quotations in "Sayings" take the form of questions (today we might say FAQs) from students on puzzling aspects of life and yoga's instructions for life.

Just to give you a feel, consider the student who protested that he couldn't be expected to succeed in using yoga to reach heights of physical and spiritual success the way Yogananda had because after all, "...Sir, you are a master!" Yogananda replied, "All souls are equal. The only difference between you and me is that I made the effort..."

Some of my favorite quotations show Yogananda's ever-present humility and desire to turn students' attention away from him and toward the Creator, as when a student asked, "...Dr. Lewis was your first disciple in this country, wasn't he?" Yogananda left the questioner a little aback when he responded, "That's what they say." He then added that he never called students his disciples: "God is the Guru; they are His disciples."

If you found yourself moved by Yogananda's "Autobiography of a Yogi" or have studied his meditation Lessons (still available from Self-Realization Fellowship), you will really appreciate these Sayings. Sometimes A m a z o n seems only to have used copies of this title available, but you can get new copies of both cloth and paperback editions from the educational organization Yogananda founded at yogananda-srf dot org.

3 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars AS GURU SENSED, July 12, 2004

By 

Dudli Dei (Europe) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sayings of Paramahansa Yogananda (Hardcover)

A long time ago the book title was "The Master said", because that phrase initiated Yogananda's responses to queries, and other words he said. His words are not gospel truth, however. His explanations of the Holy Ghost discredit what the Bible tells, and so with his Hindu explanations of God the Father and Christ too.

He thinks God can make the world go backwards. Phycisists today don't think the universe can be reversed, nor do I.

The scheme of the book resembles The Analects of Confucius (Kongzi). A deep servility to the guru runs through the book - that is communicated very, very much, whether he is right or wrong - disciples believe his guidelines are faultless - yes, faultless.

Surely, "leader infallibility" is a great claim to live up to, especially outside cults.