Yogananda Wanting to Recruit Many Others

How many of the world's million are healthy? Only 5%. [Yogananda, in "World Appeal for Recruiting a Spiritual Army", East West]

We must have Spiritual Military Schools for all-round human training . . . in every city of the globe. [Yogananda, in "World Appeal for Recruiting a Spiritual Army", East West]

Bathe your body in the bacteria-killing sunshine every day. Now that winter and its healthful outdoor sports are here, take time to go skating, skiing and walking. Breathe the fresh, crisp, invigorating air of winter. By these means, methods of physical and mental healing will be unnecessary. [Yogananda, "Health Recipe", in his magazine East West 2-1 November - December 1926.]

Nuggets

There may be too little winter sunshine for taking sun-baths out-of-doors or going hatless and in sandals in the winter snow too. [Hatless in sandals in the winter snow]. And if those who enrolled in Yogananda's Spiritual Military Schools - if they ever came to be -were allowed to have sex as they wanted, think twice. [More on that]

Yogananda said there is a Divine Mother. Less than one percent of Americans do not believe that God is a She, according to several polls. You should also consider whether anyone you know has succeeded in drawing forth the Divine Mother by great crying, day and night. Other outcomes of such crying may be far more likely, and ordaining it may seem a heartless thing to do. And there are many other funny, almost twisted sides to the guru's Mother appearance too. [Crying like a fool for Divine Mother].

Every year, on the day before Christmas, the disciples would gather with Yogananda at the headquarters for meditation. The session would usually last all day and into the evening hours. During the Christmas meditation in 1948 the Divine Mother appeared to Yogananda, and the awed disciples heard him speaking to Her. Many times he exclaimed, with a deep sigh: "Oh, you are so beautiful!"

Suddenly he cried: "Don't go! You say the subconscious material desires of these people are driving You away? Oh, come back! Come back!" [Yogananda during a Christmas meditation at the SRF headquarters in 1948. In Spa 74-75. Retold]

So what if she appears and shows that she does not feel comfortable enough being near you? It happened to many of Yogananda's close monastics at that time. If such a thing should happen to you, are you able to cope with getting disheartened after many years on begging instead of developing yourself in proper meditation, for example? [Compare].

Not all "Yogananda things" necessarily involve self-torture, but how can you be sure?

They also use "Jesus-Christianity" as a facade for Hindu ways. Well, facade-following of Jesus and clowning is rather common anyway. I suggest you mind your own business - tend to that, rather.

And be selective when it comes to gurus to put your dear faith in, for once given, it may not be given back, and there are many other faith dangers in the world too.

[More Yogananda stuff]

Spa: Yogananda, Paramahansa. Sayings of Paramahansa Yogananda. 4th ed. Los Angeles: Self-Realization Fellowship, 1980.