India's spiritual Ambassador
Known worldwide as the author of Autobiography of a Yogi, and revered as India’s “spiritual ambassador to the West,” Paramhansa Yogananda brought the ancient teachings of Sanatan Dharma into the modern age as the “Science of Self-realization.”
Born Mukunda Lal Ghosh in Gorakhpur, U.P. on January 5, 1893, Yogananda was the first Indian yogi to make his home in the West. A blazing spiritual light to millions of truth-seekers across the globe, Yogananda’s message of the unity of all religions and the path of Kriya yoga continues to be heard and appreciated by those who are keen to realize truth in their modern-day lives, regardless of age, religion or ethnicity.
Yogananda himself was helped in fulfilling his world mission by his spiritual predecessors, a story which he enchantingly tells in his spiritual classic, Autobiography of Yogi. Upon their request, he came to the Western world to help hundreds of thousands of people in their spiritual search. He gave these teachings impartially to people of all religions and philosophical persuasions, including atheists.
A gift from Paramhansa Yogananda
What Yogananda taught in the West was not religion, but practical spirituality. The techniques he taught are useful in all fields of human activity. They are based on methods of Self-awareness and Self-discovery which have been used by spiritual seekers for millennia. These practices include techniques for increasing the flow of vital energy into the body; for harmonizing body and mind with soul and spirit, and for entering higher states of spiritual awareness, which he called ‘superconsciousness’.
Yogananda left his beloved India to come to Boston in 1920 as India’s representative to the Congress of Religious Liberals, where he presented a talk entitled, ‘The Science of Religion’. He established his first center in Boston and began to give conferences and classes in Self-realization throughout the United States. His lectures were very well received, often attended by thousands of people in some of the largest halls in America.
In 1925 he established his headquarters in Los Angeles and continued to lecture in many other cities. He wrote many books, most notably his autobiography and his commentaries on the original teachings of Jesus Christ (The Second Coming of Christ), and of Lord Krishna (The Bhagavad Gita). By the time of his passing in 1952, he had hundreds of thousands of students and had established temples, centers and meditation groups throughout the country.
Rare Video Footage
Unique among spiritual masters who possess the gift of healing, Yogananda rarely displayed his spiritual powers, preferring instead to help others learn to become their own healers. During his early years in America, he often focused his lectures on healing-related topics, such as “Scientific Spiritual Healing,” and “Magnetic Healing.” His written lessons gave practical advice on such topics as “The Divine Magnetic Diet,” “How to Convert the Hands into Healing Batteries of Life Force,” and “Amazing Health Recipes for Healing and Prolonging Life.” As a regular feature of his monthly magazines, he wrote “Health, Intellectual and Spiritual Recipes,” practical advice for creating harmony between body, mind, and soul.
Through his writings and the exemplary lives of those who live and teach his methods, Yogananda continues to influence and uplift people all over the world, by showing them the way to a happier, healthier, and more deeply fulfilling life.
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