Yogananda's Selfishness Guidelines

• Confusing Selfishness Guidelines
• The Selfishness Cavalcade of Yogananda Teachings
• Lessons from the Ten Commandments

Confusing Selfishness Guidelines

The goal of life is higher selfishness. [Yogananda]

"Yogananda in Encinitas" - remodelling based on a black-and-white photo

First Yogananda advocated "stepping up selfishness" in a fit way into "Be divinely selfish". Then he swerved from his original teachings and said "Be unselfish" and condemned selfishness (documentation below). He ought to have clarified his concepts and stopped talking against his former self.

And what is more, the fellowship the guru founded, Self-Realization Fellowship, should stop fostering the nasty, faulty attitude in members that Yogananda's guidelines are faultless when they clearly are not. [EVIDENCE].

A more proficient attitude is "Yogananda is unreliable." First he says this, then something against it, and also, "We do not really know what is right or real . . . we are often incorrect in our judgements." [Ak 414].

On this page you find an extensive example of how confusing the world of Yogananda is at times. His fellowship supports the idea that his guidelines are infallible, and the guru speaks against himself. That is a problem. At the back of it some of his obvious self-contradictions seem to be attempts at gaining approval from the US public, which was predominantly Christian. He adapted to his public by awkward double-dealings, to be frank.

To clarify things functions well for solid ones, especially if concepts previously used, are murky and inadequate.

Both the master and SRF dropped much of his early output as time went by, and SRF says his wisdom is flawless and they do not find fault with his guidelines - in a letter. But the goading guru also stood for dictatorship at forty, and his fellowship today keeps very silent about it . . . Watch out for cult tricks: duping is just one of many. - Tormod Kinnes

Considerate Teachings or Plots?

"From considerate selfishness God-Realization comes." This is well implied in the guru's old, misty teachings. Are mishmash teachings easy to follow? What is below is from the originator of the SRF mishmash Lessons, Yogananda. He published an article in the November-December issue of the magazine East West in 1929, and we give you an unabridged main part of it; followed by poem-like excerpts. Here and there emphasis has been added, and a few errors of spelling corrected. - TK

Capsules - Words of Yogananda

Visions of India's Life-Giving Philosophy

Yogananda:

"Once I had a great controversy with a European who repeatedly and blindly affirmed that the goal of life was service, while I maintained that it was higher selfishness. I asked him again and again for his reasons in believing in "service", but instead of satisfying my discrimination, he kept on reiterating, "Service is the goal of life. It is blasphemous to doubt that."

Finding him so dogmatic, I asked him, "Is service the goal of life because the Scriptures have declared it?"

"Yes," he vehemently replied.

"Do you believe everything literally in Scripture?" I questioned him. "Do you think Jonah was swallowed by a whale and came out alive after a few days? How do you account for it?"

"No. I do not understand how he could do that" . . .

In order to really know the truth contained in Scriptural stories, and in order to understand what is erroneous, or right, literal or metaphorical, in Scriptural writings, one must use his own reason, discrimination and power of intuitional verification developed thru meditation.

Scriptures Not Always Infallible

Many people think that what is printed in black and white is right. Above all, most people believe that anything wearing the robe of Scriptural authority is absolutely beyond question. But putting on an outward garb cannot make one infallible. Writers of Scriptures can also make mistakes. In order to know the truth of a doctrine, we must live it and find out if it works or not - give it the acid test of experience. Let us get out into the world and compare our religious beliefs with the religious experiences of true teachers. Let us be iconoclastic of our own errors that need to be destroyed within us. We must not harbor an undigested mass of theology and thus suffer from chronic theological indigestion.

Service a Form of Selfishness

The law of service to others is secondary to, and born out of the law of self-interest and self-preservation and selfishness. Man never in his sane mind does anything without a reason. All religious doctrines and instructions are based either on blind superstition or on real religious experience. The real reason behind the Scriptural injunctions to "Serve thy fellow-men", and "Love thy neighbor as thyself" is that the law of service to others is to be obeyed by all devotees who would, thru others, expand the limits of their own self.

No action is performed without reference to a direct or indirect thought of selfishness. Giving service is indispensable to receiving service. To serve others by financial, mental, or moral help is to find self-satisfaction. Besides, if any one knew beyond doubt that by service to others, his own soul would be lost, would he serve? If Jesus knew that by sacrificing his life on the altar of ignorance, He would displease God or lose His favor, would He have acted as he did? No, He knew that though he had to lose the body, He was gaining His Father's favor and His own Soul. Such immortal sons of God and all the martyrs and saints, make a good investment - they spend the little mortal body to gain immortal life.

There is nothing worth-while gained without paying a price. Thus even the most self-sacrificing act of service to others can be shown to be done not without any thought of self. It is logical, therefore, to say that the higher selfishness, or the good of the Higher Self, is the motive of life instead of service to others without thought of self.

Must be Given Because Received

In giving service to others, a man knows also that otherwise he cannot rightly receive service from them. If the farmers give up agricultural work, and the business men give up their business of transportation and distribution, then how could even the renunciate maintain himself? Nowadays, with increased population and wealth, even forests are divided off and owned by big landowners, who placard the trees with signs warning the trespasser that he will be prosecuted for coming into another man's property. So the renunciate cannot logically say, "I will not work or earn my living - I will live on the wild fruits of the forest". Hence, services given and received have reference to the goal of a lower or higher selfishness.

Three Kinds - Evil, Good and Sacred Selfishness

We must, however, clearly distinguish between the three kinds of evil, good and sacred selfishness. The evil kind is that which actuates a man to seek his own comfort by destroying the comforts of others. To be rich at the cost of others' loss is sin, and against the interests of the higher individual self of the person who does it. To delight in hurting others' feelings by carping criticism is evil selfishness. This malignant pleasure is not conducive to any lasting good. True and good selfishness is the kind which makes a man seek his own comfort, prosperity and happiness by also making others more prosperous and happy. Evil selfishness hides its many-destructive teeth of suffering beneath the apparently innocent looks of comfort-assurances. Evil selfishness shuts one in a small circle and shuts all humanity out beyond it. Good selfishness takes everybody, including one's own self, into the circle of brotherhood. Good selfishness brings many harvests - return services from others, self-expansion, divine sympathy, lasting happiness and self-realization.
      Good selfishness should be followed by the business man, who, by sincere, honest, wholesome, constructive actions and labors, enables himself to look after his own and his family's needs. Such a business man is far superior to the business man who thinks and acts only for himself, thinking neither of the ones he serves or of those dependent on him for support. He is then acting against his own best selfish interests, for he will suffer in time. Many misers die, leaving their wealth to relatives who often squander it on wrong self-indulgences. Such selfishness helps neither the giver nor the receiver, in the end.

To avoid the pitfalls of evil selfishness, one should first follow and establish himself in the good forms of selfishness, where one thinks of his family and those whom he serves, as part of himself. From that attainment, one can then advance to a practice of the sacred selfishness, (or unselfishness, as ordinary understanding would term it), where one sees all the universe as himself.

Being Sacredly Selfish

Feeling the sorrows of others in order to make them free from further suffering, seeking happiness in the joy of others, and constantly trying to remove the wants of bigger and bigger groups of people is being sacredly selfish. The man of sacred selfishness counts all his earthly losses as deliberately brought about by himself for others' good, and for his own great and ultimate gain. He lives to love his brethren, for he knows they are all children of the one God. His entire selfishness is sacred, for whenever he thinks of himself, he thinks, not of the small body and mind of ordinary understanding, but of the needs of all bodies and minds (within the range of his acquaintanceor influence). His "self" then becomes the Self of all. He becomes the mind and feeling of all creatures. So when he does anything for himself, he can only do that which is good for all. He who considers himself as the one whose body and limbs consists of all humanity and all creatures - certainly finds the Universal, All-Pervading Spirit as Himself.

Act Without Expectation

He does not act with expectation but, with his best judgment and intuition, goes on helping himself as the many, with health, food, work, success and spiritual emancipation.

Working with good selfishness and sacred selfishness brings one in touch with God, resting on the altar of all-expanding goodness. One who realizes this, works conscientiously only to please the ever-directing God-peace within.

Essence of the Above

You find the capsules in the unabridged Yogananda article above. Errors of spelling have been corrected there.

To really know the truth contained in Scriptural stories . . . to understand what is erroneous, or right, literal or metaphorical . . . one must use his own reason, discrimination and power of intuitional verification. [Yogananda]

To know the truth of a doctrine, we must live it and find out if it works. [Yogananda]

Service to others is secondary to, and born out . . . self-interest and self-preservation and selfishness. [Yogananda]

Service to others is to be obeyed by all devotees who would, through others, expand the limits of their own self. [Yogananda]

No action is performed without reference to a direct or indirect thought of selfishness. [Yogananda]

Make a good investment . . . to gain immortal life. [Yogananda]

The higher selfishness, or the good of the Higher Self, is the motive of life instead of service to others without thought of self. [Yogananda]

Distinguish between the three kinds of evil, good and sacred selfishness. The evil kind is that which actuates a man to seek his own comfort by destroying the comforts of others [but] is not conducive to any lasting good. True and good selfishness is the kind which makes a man seek his own comfort, prosperity and happiness by also making others more prosperous and happy . . .

Good selfishness takes everybody, including one's own self, into the circle of brotherhood. Good selfishness brings many harvests - return services from others, self-expansion, divine sympathy, lasting happiness and self-realization.
      Good selfishness should be followed by the business man, who, by sincere, honest, wholesome, constructive actions and labors, enables himself to look after his own and his family's needs . . .

One should first follow and establish himself in the good forms of selfishness, where one thinks of his family and those whom he serves, as part of himself. From that attainment, one can then advance to a practice of the sacred selfishness, (or unselfishness, as ordinary understanding would term it), where one sees all the universe as himself. [Yogananda]

[One is to be] sacredly selfish . . . for his own great and ultimate gain [On such a fellow:] His entire selfishness is sacred, for whenever he thinks of himself, he thinks, not of the small body and mind of ordinary understanding, but of the needs of all bodies and minds (within the range of his acquaintance or influence). His "self" then becomes the Self of all . . .

He does not act with expectation but, with his best judgment and intuition, goes on helping himself as the many . . .

Working with good selfishness and sacred selfishness brings one in touch with God, resting on the altar of all-expanding goodness. [Yogananda]

[Work] to please the ever-directing God-peace within. [Yogananda]

NOTE. Divine selfishness does not imply you put others first and disregard your own concerns and interests. To the contrary, it suggests "concerned excessively or exclusively with oneself; seeking or concentrating on one's own advantage, pleasure, or well-being without regard for others; arising from concern with one's own welfare or advantage in disregard of others [from Merriam-Webster's Dictionary]". The guru's argument is to include others in the selfishness in an expanding scheme, and that is good, he says. Unselfishness, on the other hand, is "not selfish, generous" in the dictionary, and thus different. Do selfishness and unselfishness meet in Bliss and the guru?

The Selfishness Cavalcade of Yogananda Teachings

In Great Depression Times His Teachings Changed

"Without idealism, material practicality is the harbinger of selfishness, sin, competition and wars. Without practicality combined with idealism, there is confusion and suffering and lack of natural progress." - Swami Yogananda ["Oriental Christ", East West, March-April, 1930].

NOTE. Here the guru's attitude to fit selfishness from the year before, seems to be forgotten, or dropped. Mhm.

A Thematic Survey

In the lecture "How to Burn out the Roots of Depression by Divine Methods", East West April, 1932, Sri Yogananda goes much into selfishness again. The lecture was published in depression times. Three years after the "selfishness is good" article he now talks down on selfishness and drops discerning between three forms of selfishness and how higher selfishness can lead to good things of life, and to realizing the Self (God) and so on. Moralising pettiness may be on the increase -

Now you may wonder why many of Yogananda's teachings seem so inconsistent and mutually exclusive too.

Below is what we have gathered:

The Occidental middle class, who need to dress like the rich and are yet poor - for them I feel.

Without conscience and without heart the Rolls-Royces and Packards, containing their laughing, bejewelled, selfishness-petrified human beings, pass by these outwardly diffident, but inwardly poverty-singed unfortunates . . .

Misunderstanding of the universal laws of peaceful, prosperous living is responsible for depressions, famines, plagues, industrial, social, and national man-made cataclysms and wars. International misunderstandings breed in their wombs their Satanic offsprings of selfishness, which is the real cause of all economic upheavals.

Individual, social, national, international, and industrial forms of selfishness are the children of universal selfishness. Selfishness is the wrong mode of living, inaugurated by human beings in the hope of self-interest and happiness. In the final analysis, selfishness has been found sooner or later to destroy the real self-interest and happiness of man . . .

NOTE. Now Yogananda goes a long way in contradicting his teachings for selfishness three years earlier. And he goes on and on. Less than twenty years later he had a Cadillac given to him, by the way. He found no fault with that and riding in it. Just observe the deep changes of the guru.

Luxury, the desire to possess money by any method, the fear of the poor house, loss of material prestige in the eyes of the family or society, and selfishness, are the harbingers of crime, poverty, and lack of sympathy. If everybody would live and dress simply, then misery-breeding, luxurious living would be out of fashion, and people would strive to spend more time in spiritual development.

How can we ever prevent man from chasing to the portals of the tomb the almighty dollar in the hope of becoming rich or happy?

The remedy is to destroy selfishness; make plain living and high-thinking the standard of world civilization; penalize luxury; discourage the ownership of tax-heavy, unwieldy estates, big houses, servants, maids, costly cars and clothing. Boycott completely those who own piles of money and who coldly pass by their brother even when they see that he is scorched with poverty and dying of hunger. Make costly clothing an object of ridicule and then the equality and brotherhood of man will be established . . .

One concern may become rich by slashing the prosperity of many other concerns with the sword of selfishness, but that very weapon may be wrested from him and used against him by another more powerful war-lord of industry . . .

God's laws, which protect alike both His weak and His strong children . . . are prompted to work silently to disrupt these man-made selfish laws of industry . . . The ideal of business, to make money at all costs, must be changed. The ideal of business should be to give the best service, to supply the real needs of man, and not to encourage his habits of luxury, which destroy his body, mind, and soul . . .

The sharing of profits between capital and labor, would make both the capitalists and the workers equally rich and happy. Security of food at all times; medical help when disabled; free transportation; and education would make people feel that they are all members of the same family, of one nation . . . The Satan of luxury, poverty, selfishness, and international misunderstandings, would then be banished. Equality, peace and brotherhood in the world are impossible as long as selfishness and luxury remain. Individual and social selfishness must be abandoned for the common good of nations, and national selfishness must be abandoned before members of nations can live happily without wars . . . Let us remember that it was extreme imperial selfishness, contrasts between luxury and poverty, brother treating brother as slave, tyranny of one brother over another, brother murdering brother, one brother living rich by making other brothers poor, all these it was which loosened the invisible dynamite of discontent that blew up the gun-guarded Empire of the Czars . . . However, no matter how prosperous Russia may seem today, I, personally, do not approve of the way she forced her new democracy . . The present democracy [Stalin's reign] was gained by the un-Christian, un-spiritual laws of wholesale murder and slaughter . . .

Industrial life is destroying real human life, that introspective, meditative, restful, peaceful, calm life, and is plunging people in the mad war of selfishness and insatiable greed . . .

After showing that selfishness should be forsaken by individuals, and nations, and all souls in the earth, I must now show how a practical Utopia can be created in this tax-ridden, complicated system of modern government . . .

Forsake luxury, selfishness, and greed for money, and lead lives of security free from worries.

THIS WILL ESTABLISH ABSOLUTE UNIVERSAL PEACE AND HARMONY.


The last two paragraphs appear at the end of Yogananda's solution, his practical Utopia. By this he meant that] little-group models of ideal civilizations must be started in every community for happy and peaceful living, with much meditation and much chivalry shown. These groups should be well balanced, financially secure, and they should exist always in high thinking and plain living [Etc.].

NOTE: You should ask: "Would they be free to train in higher selfishness there?" or "Is anybody there?"

No, it appears that SRF (Self-Realization Fellowship) felt free to abandon the idea of such communities. They still have written they find no faults with Yogananda's guidelines; it is only that they don't follow them -

More Lore

If there were no individual and industrial greed, selfishness, sex temptation, nor false ambitions, this earth would be free from physical and moral crimes and war. - Yogananda, ["The Second Coming of Christ", East West December 1932]

Blind attachment of family property, and so on, leads to selfishness, quarrelsomeness, delusion of permanent possession, inharmony, worries, and the like. So-called blind patriotism produces commercial greed. - Yogananda ["The Second Coming of Christ," East West May, 1933]

Let us all train the soldiers of our hearts - love, faith, kindness, and understanding, and declare a world war against selfishness, church bigotry, industrial and individual greed, unkindness, territorial aggression, race and class prejudice, armaments, international distrust, poverty, sickness, spiritual ignorance, and blind, excluding patriotism. Let us have the world policed by the guardian angel of true brotherhood, and let us have spiritual education of our hearts. - Yogananda, "Healing the Sick World", East West, June, 1933]

In order to bring all humanity into the mansion of union and universal happiness, science, politics, social and individual ethics, international industries, and the science of international laws of living, all universally useful moral and religious sciences, should offer ideal standards of the international laws of hygiene, peace, prosperity, education, moral codes, and applied psychological and spiritual laws, which would make each of the . . . human inhabitants of this earth an all-round, perfect world citizen. - Yogananda, "Realizing World Unity Through the Art of Living", East West, October, 1933. (Yogananda's Speech Before the World Congress of Religions)].

Yogoda World-City Planned

"The idea in creating the proposed Yogoda World-City is to offer to the war-torn, industrially-selfish, politically hide-bound nations of the earth a glimpse of a perfect divine city, which can be an inspiring model pattern after which all nations of the earth would like to build their cities.

Swami Yogananda, with the help of a few exalted souls, is going to make a supreme effort to do something practical in establishing such a city [and to teach universal brotherhood]" - All by Sri Yogananda's secretary, Richard Wright [in the magazine Inner Culture, March, 1937].

Selfishness Can Be Called Good Again

Let your supreme goal be to make others happy in order to gain happiness for yourself . . . Always think that you are doing things for your own pleasure, that you find your pleasure in making others happy . . .

Avoid evil selfishness, which is the root of all troubles, whether individual or national . . . There will be more suffering before mankind realizes that national selfishness is just as evil as personal selfishness.

We really do not own anything . . .

The true Self is the manifestation of Spirit within. Anything that you do for the Self could be called "selfishness." Good selfishness consists of those actions by which the pure image of the Self within can be realized. Evil selfishness is that which you do for the ego, thus going against the true interest of the Self. - Paramhansa Yogananda Inner Culture, December 1939 - A source]

If patriotic selfishness goes against international well-being, the former must be sacrificed. - Paramhansa Yogananda, Inner Culture, November 1939]

Familiarity breeds contempt between those who are mutually useless, selfish, material-minded, and unproductive of inspiration or self-development. The greater the mutual service, the deeper the friendship [Source]

Start now building colonies [by that he meant self-supporting communities], and stop industrially selfish society from gambling with your destiny. Get away from the perpetual slavery of holding jobs to the last day of your life. Buy farms and settle down with harmonious friends. Work three hours a day and live in the luxury of literary wealth, and have time to constructively exchange Divine experiences and meditate.

1. Cut down luxuries.
2. Think yourself a child of God.
3. Think of all nationalities as your brothers.
4. Seek prosperity for yourself and for others.
5. Develop the creative thought of success every day after deep meditation.

Lessons from the Ten Commandments

How the Ten Commandments were put into it: Here is a small part of "The Ten Commandments: Eternal Rules of Happiness", given in Encinitas, California, March 6, 1938, and published in Man's Eternal Quest [Ak].

"There will be more harmony and health in every home as the individual members of the family live more rightly," Yogananda proclaims, along with: "The Ten Commandment might have been more aptly named the Ten Eternal Rules of Happiness.—As soon as you tell a child not to do a thing, he at once wants to do it."

The rest of this essay consists of chosen phrases of his. They have been jumbled a lot as well, in order to let main points stand out.

Points

1

2

NOTE. Later in life Yogananda loved to wear a cross that had a lotus flower in the middle. He is depicted wearing it in old SRF Magazines.

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Yogananda's counsel on not Killing the Ego, but the Son

YOGANANDA tells:

"Once when I was in Seattle, Washington, I went to a farmhouse to buy some cherries. Here I met an old man with rosy cheeks. He looked happy, but cried, "We are all sinners!"

"I have a remedy for your misery," I said. The old man smiled. "If you can do anything for me - anything," he said, "I shall be grateful."

I asked him in a low voice, "Have you a stove with a large oven?" With my hands I described the dimensions I wanted.

He had.

"Good," I said. "Heat it red-hot. Now, have you two friends whom you can trust never to betray your secrets to anyone, no matter what you do?"

He had.

"Good!" I interrupted him. "You'll need their help. Now, have you several yards of strong rope?"

"Yes, I have," the old farmer replied with mounting suspicion.

I then asked him casually. "Dear friend. Your son is quite a heavy sleeper, isn't he?"

"Yes," came the sorrowful reply.

"Excellent!" I cried. "Now then, tonight I want you to call your two friends over. Heat your oven as hot as possible. Keep your friends quiet until your son is sound asleep. Then slip quickly into his room, bind him securely, carry him downstairs and shove him into the oven!"

The old man shouted, "Is that your remedy?"

"Isn't that what your son deserves?" I asked. "A human father . . . punishing his own son by roasting him alive . . .""

[Excerpted from a story in Yogananda's East West magazine, Vol. 1, No. 4.]

The above forms a main part of Yogananda's earlier teachings concerning selfishness. On another page we go deeply into his unsane teachings on "killing the ego" and similar parts of his later teachings, from the late 40s and early 50s.

Literature  

Ak: Yogananda, Pa.: Man's Eternal Quest. Los Angeles: Self-Realization Fellowship, 1975.

Ap: Mieder, Wolfgang (main editor), Stewart A. Kingsbury, and Kelsie E. Harder: A Dictionary of American Proverbs. (Paperback) New York: Oxford University Press, 1996.

Bpe: Allport, Gordon. Becoming: Basic Considerations for a Psychology of Personality. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1955. Repr, 1966.

Ebu: Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica 2006 Ultimate Reference Suite DVD. London: Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2006.

Pa: Yogananda, Pa.: Autobiography of a Yogi. 11th ed. Los Angeles: Self-Realization Fellowship, 1971. – ONLINE 1st edition

Say: Yogananda, Pa.: Sayings of Yogananda. Los Angeles: Self-Realization Fellowship, 1958.



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