Yogananda's Christianity
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Yogananda's ChristianityFlagrante delicto
I soon found I could not fully enjoy these texts altogether. I sincerely shared and exchanged many of my misgivings with those in charge of the fellowship, and found the monastics had put their trust in selected guru sayings and ignored other sayings of his, and I for my part gradually came to see many dangers of having an inadequate and possibly wrong faith. The SRF monastics were filled with desires that were contrary to mine. I saw we had different ways of seeing things, and also that many Yogananda sayings were contrary to success, and one of the reasons was that he had a knack for contradicting himself. "The soul and its joy last forever," teaches Paramahansa Yogananda [Dr 296 (= Yogananda, P. The Divine Romance, p. 296. Further details at bottom of the page)]. Jesus teaches the soul can be destroyed [Matthew 10:28, Luke 12:4-6; Matthew 5:29], however. Their teachings are in "complete harmony", says Yogananda's yoga-teaching Self-Realization Fellowship in its aims and ideals, and echoes Yogananda thoughts, such as: "Babaji ... asked me to interpret the Christian Bible and the Hindu Bible [Bhagavad Gita], to point out the basic unity of the Christian and the Vedic scriptures." [Spa 21] I did not know very much about Christianity then, and trusted about completely in Yogananda and his teachings at first. But adapting to the guru's teachings, I could no longer enjoy life fully, and came to realise that I had been fooled, and not a little. I have striven to point out why that was so, and thereby show some real dangers involved for Christian souls and others: I think it is better to stick to your individuality and ego instance than to seek to destroy them as the guru went for, and vastly better to remain unharmed than "seduced by an erring guru", for example. There is a deviant attitude or bias to look out for. It is this: Whatever gurus of SRF teach, they are at least innocent of doing anything wrong and harmful, besides being infallible in the fellowship's eyes. Better be warned: the guru hailed dictatorship too, even in his own magazine (its ◦February issue, 1934, p. 3, 25). - This does not mean that some may not find small success in the guru's fellowship. ❖ Strangers may be decent people, but we should not set the stage for unhappiness by putting trust in people and situations we do not know very well. ❖ "There is nothing so royal as truth." (American proverb, abr). Why "Innocent Yogananda"? Yogananda gradually allied himself with the American idea that Christianity is great, claimed he was in special rapport with Jesus himself, and was widely accepted as an orator years went by. A fine correction to naive assumptions that an orator automatically is a good person: "A man never becomes an orator if he has something to say (Proverb)." As for the orator guru Yogananda, he very gradually lessened the frequency of some of his native key concepts and attitudes, altered his kriya methods and claims to suit them to his public, and got success in the world by such strides, by "slackening of his given mission or mandate" from gurus beyond. He resorted to a ridiculous "veneer Christianity" just for show, as he also taught that the world is merely an artful show, a dream, illusory - things like that. [Spa 10, 56] [More] By the way, Ramakrishna discredits gurus that go for fame and wealth as prostitutes. [Ramakrishna tale]. This does not automatically mean that Yogananda was a harlot or all harlot. It is seldom fit to treat alike all gurus that get fame and success in the world. Gurus differ a lot. Yogananda "sold out" some vital sides to his original kriya yoga and teachings to enlarge his net and get hauls of fish, so to speak. His biographer reveals many sides to it. "Yogananda would say that lack of success in life had no place in America, and the only accepted and approved mark of success was financial prosperity - being a multimillionaire [Psy 52]." And on one occasion Yogananda looked at his biographer from the corners of his eyes and said, "Look, I want to throw the net far and wide, so that at least a couple of big fishes can be caught." Another time he said: "No matter what the means." [Psy 79, 101] [See also Psy 53; 54, 57; 109-12] Now a tale about the highly esteemed guru who told he had been a vicious and murderous desert marauder in a past life [Psy 112]: The late Brother Mokshananda, who was born Leland Standing (1927-82), entered the SRF monastery four days before Yogananda passed away. One sunny day in Encinitas he told me that one of those days, he was set to do some gardening. Then he saw Yogananda at a little distance; the guru was going for a car ride. To get a gift and to keep it are two different things. The guru obviously did not sell his Cadillac, and a later successor to SRF was seen riding a pink Cadillac too, after shying away from the guru's headquarters for about three decades to live in "a million dollar villa" with a view - all unknown to monks at the headquarters (!). [◦More] There are yogis and Christians who have amassed many fine cars. Osho (also called Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, 1931-90), another guru who once lived in the States, amassed over twenty Roll's Royces, it has been estimated. To make a stance clear: I don't mind gurus having many and fine cars. But I do mind that gurus who claim they stand for "original Christianity as taught by Jesus Christ" - which they do in SRF - do not support interesting sayings of Jesus better than giving them lip service. What happened to "Sell your possessions and give to the poor [Luke 12:33; cf. 18:22; Matthew 19:21; cf. Mark 10:21]"? It is one of the hallmarks of a follower of "the original Christianity of Jesus. * Jesus is also known for saying, "Why do you call me, "Lord, Lord," and do not do what I say [Luke 6:46]?" Jesus condemned hypocrites [Matthew 15:7-9, etc]. * For non-Jewish followers, all the commands of Jesus were luckily discarded by the apostles and the Holy Ghost in Acts 15 (and 21:25), where "no to blood food (including black pudding, blood sausages, etc)" was left along with "no to (some forms of) adultery" and two more things (found in the Apostolic Decree). However, SRF says in their Aims and Ideals that they stand for "the original Christianity of Jesus". Are some gurus served by setting up a sham following of "original Christianity"? That is a question. Another is to what degree there are "nasty Christians" around where you live - people who claim to follow Jesus, but without doing what he tells, such as doing greater works than he did. Such people are at least mistaken, and should profit from studying the Gentile Deal of Acts 15. Its core is repeated in Acts 21:25. These passages tell that good Christians are free to ignore demands of Jesus, so they may keep their belongings and may do better than turning the other cheek and willingly letting robbers take their Rolex watches, and so on. Yes, they may stop favouring bullies and evil by turning the other cheek. And that is good news. There are indeed good sides to not being told by Jesus what do do and not to do. Christianity for non-Jews is for that, the Bible informs. Yogananda's "original Christianity as taught by Jesus Christ" resulted in a certain getting and taming of guru followers, including many in his monastic order. Further, after his demise his fronted followers came to take his fellowship away from many ideas and values that Yogananda went for. I have come to think that Yogananda did not seem to have enough clarity and wit to steer his fellowship away from budding, future misfortunes and confused teachings, for he wanted monastics to head his organization, and without pointing out that "a castrated dog may feel all right if in command, but his progress is not biologically superior if so." A fellowship that is headed by nuns and monks, may feel all right by virtue of position making, but the Americanised Hindu orator Yogananda was not much experienced in such fields. And it has to be considered to what degree a guru has better things to do than going for a large haul and money. There are higher values, mature conscience and sane integrity, you know, and to disregard them is faulty, to give a broad hint. The heading's 'innocent' can mean such as " free from guilt or fault, lacking something" (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). Is it so that having an ample amount of submissive followers seemingly makes up for being devoid of guilt feelings? [Compare] ❖ Innocent means such as "free from guilt" and "lacking something," according to Merriam Webster Dictionary ... Chameleonic Hinduism. "Yogananda's chameleon Hinduism" is a variant of Hinduism with Christianity "surface colours" of adaptation. But the overall build and shape of his main teachings conform to Hinduism. You may say his sort of Christianity is skin deep, like chameleon colours. He misrepresents significant parts of Christianity repeatedly for it. The Hindu monk presents a rather pitiful hybrid, full of Hinduism. Now lots of sides to Hinduism are wise in their own right, but sailing under false colours as Yogananda and his society does, is wily. I pity some who fell for his charade. ❖ Sailing under false colours is rarely a good self-presentation. Veneer Christianity. The contour and general shape of the guru's chameleon reveals what "animal" it is. The adaptive colour changes on the skin - pink, blue, red, orange, green, black, brown and yellow - reflect this sort of lizard's conditions. They are coloured for their surroundings as a camouflage, but more likely their colour changes serve communication, including making themselves more attractive to potential partners. On the picture the animal is in the hand of God and Babaji - too. ❖ A "veneer Christianity" suited to dogmatic Hindus, is that better or worse than commonly aired Christianity, which ignores central sayings like "Eat no blood food," and thus ridicules its foundations [Acts 15; 21:25]? Less confusing Hinduism exists. Just as there are many forms of Hinduism, there are many sorts of chameleons. The chameleon is a symbol of the sort of "Christianity" Yogananda teaches. A seemingly split brain is fit for this animal - its eyes move independently of one another. A human should refuse to be confused by that, by identifying the contour and shape of Hinduism, and knowing some basics of chameleon adaptations. ❖ Hinduism has a vast content, and is very, very varied. Many facets of Hinduism are not bad at all, essentially. Look deeper than flimsy surface spectacles to avoid being taken in. Gullible ones are made fools of by believing in surface colours (guru teachings of "original Christianity", and that sort of tall tales in his illusory universe. Never mind his colour changes, but watch out for his tongue - it captures victims as the chameleon's tongue is supposed to. Once the basics of the guru's chameleon are grasped, his inconsistent and blunderbuss teachings aimed at American Christians are found to serve the chameleon play. As Yogananda says in "The Dream Nature of the World": "The thought that you are merely a player ... is very comforting [Ak 240]." Various patches and patterns on the skin are only surface deep, and do not tell how the chameleon is like: "Your real being ... the immortal soul [Ak 240]." Such patches include topics like "God the Father" and the soul, where Hindu views conquer - all right: "We have to behold ... dream comedies ... take this life as cosmic picture-show. [Ak 240]." The outlook that the world is illusory, is debunked on this site. There are forms of Hinduism that stand for such realism too, such as Krishna's in the Bhagavad Gita: "Those who are demoniac do not know what is to be done and what is not to be done. Neither cleanliness nor proper behavior nor truth is found in them. They say that this world is unreal ... [Bhagavad Gita 16:7-8] ❖ A chameleon's surface adaptations suits its sneaking close to preys, followed by astounding snatch-use of the tongue. Hold on to things of value where you come across them. A decent way to get something of value out of Yogananda's teachings is not to believe him blindly, and to go for his finest fillets only if you feel inclined to read into his verbiage. ❖ Yogananda speaks against blind belief, stating that a belief is to be treated as provisional, temporary - and he calls for belief investigations, basically (The full quote is further down) [Jse 305-06]. 2500 years before him, Buddha told similarly, and also told how to deal with important issues of faith. [Kalama Sutta] A bird's-eye view of Self-Realization Fellowship and its theologyThis section consists in a large measure of extracts from an article by the apologist Elliot Miller on Yogananda and SRF. Miller was of the apologetics ministry Christian Research Institute. For about half a century that institute has brought information on cults, other religions, and Christian apologetics. The following is rooted in the apologist's article: "SRF is — in outward appearance — a unique Hindu-Christian hybrid," writes Miller. SRF was founded by the guru Paramahansa Yogananda (1893-1952). Miller sums up from the SRF history: "Through public lectures, yoga classes, and published writings, Yogananda attracted a sizable following." Yogananda made repeated claims that his form for yoga was an advanced, inner science of breath control. It has also turned out that the American soil has been a ripe field for many who hold they may give bliss to followers, by various means. After Yogananda died in 1952, the particular church he founded, Self-Realization Fellowship, has continued to spread his words and methods, with huge stress on devotion. Miller mentions that "Yogananda is devotedly referred to as "Master," his spiritual presence is believed in and sought in a manner comparable to that of Jesus for the Christian, and virtually everything on which he left his mark at SRF's Mount Washington Mother Center has been turned into a shrine." SRF has lovely ashram centres and temples in Southern California in particular, with swami-robed ministers to lecture and conduct satsangs (gatherings). How many SRF members there are in the world in our time, is not disclosed by SRF, but it has centres and meditation groups in 54 countries. That does not necessarily mean they are all much alive and well. [More] Yogananda's religion is not traditional Christianity (for non-Jews), although the fellowship claims Jesus and Christianity in their public aims and ideals. Now in SRF, Jesus is called divine, like so many others, including a whole bunch of yogis in Yogananda's tradition. Many of them are called Christs by Yogananda too. According to him, Jesus gained "Christ Consciousness" by lifting himself, not by coming from above, which is what Jesus himself says in a gospel. [Yoga Christs] SRF maintains it promotes unity of Hinduism and Christianity, but it is by "glossing over critical, irreconcilable differences," Miller pinpoints. "In the end, we find Hinduism unscathed by the transaction, while Christianity becomes stripped of its defining and distinguishing characteristics". Miller remarks that "SRF claims affinity with Jesus, but this does not of itself prove that Jesus has affinity with them. It is crucial to note that ... Clearly, not all who speak reverently of Jesus are to be trusted," for, "Understood in their historical context, the teachings of Jesus bear no resemblance to Eastern mysticism." Miller also quotes Paul who warns, "See to it that no-one takes you captive." Yogananda's claims on esoteric Christianity stem from his interpretations. Miller finds many of his claims untruthful and manipulative. And the guru shows no respect whatever for historical context or intended meanings of the bible authors, Miller assesses. (See the Ehrman section below for some details). With Yogananda, salvation equals Self-realization. The goal that the guru has set up for his followers, is Self-realization. Yogananda also teaches God is both personal and impersonal, and the world is called an illusion, a "false play", so to speak. A ridiculous side to such teachings is that if the world is illusory, so is that teaching - as it is part of the world. It is fair to say that Yogananda is frequently biblically false, much due to his profound lack of biblical proficiency. But his fellowship has found it fit to say his guidance is virtually infallible, and SRF gurus are almighty and all-knowing Christs. [Main source of the above: Mil] ❖ Against wrong claims, sound study helps. Bart D. Ehrman Could Help a LotThe fruit of bible knowledge gleaned by scholars may be had through good books. Such knowledge offers help against being naively taken in by bullies who dogmatise and dictate what their victims are to think. Yogananda's marring Bible exegesis stems in part from his being a Hindu without adequate schooling in gospel reading. His ruffian-like approach was that of interpreting passages in a Hindu light and making lots of greatly unverified claims. The divine intuition he often spoke of, must have failed him, for since the guru's death, much research has been done into the Bible by thousands of scholars. Many ancient texts have been discovered and are being assessed. As a result, bible scholars maintain several things about the bible that are too little known among the public, such as the numerous contradictions in it. Yogananda did not seem to have a clue about major ones among them; his societal adjustments did not require that. We may say the same about those of a whore, of course. Devotional study of the Bible and critical-historical study of it differs, and what is more, devotionalists face that some words that seemingly are from the mouth of Jesus, are not so anyway [Mj]. Gurus who say they interpret Jesus without ever informing that such and such passages were later addition and most likely forged in aniquity, may do you an ill turn. You have the right to be informed truthfully. For example, the Gospels are at odds on numerous points, and evidence shows there are lots of falsehoods in the Bible, Ehrman summarises. He also concludes that what the New Testament actually teaches, is not what most people think it does - for example:
These are standard and widespread views of critical scholars now. [Ji] [More] Instead of taking old forgeries and questionable sayings for granted as "divine" and things like that, and spin guru yarns on top of many of them, take in what is fair instead, first and foremost, and what is schooled too. Such beginner's strategies help rational coping, and that is what we are into. [Mj; Ji] Dealing with Yogananda's Thin Drinks
Don't think so much about reforming others; reform yourself first. The greatest field of victory is your own home. - Yogananda [Jse 112] Much of the offhand-looking theology mishmash of SRF and Yogananda stems from the orator guru's discourses, or prattle. The courteous gentleman, French gentilhomme, tries not to deceive others. A Confucian gentleman tries to cultivate himself and develop humaneness also, and is often expected to be a sufficiently respectful moral guide who hardly ever takes advantage of misleading innocents. [Wikipedia, sv. "Gentleman"] By contrast, many are fooled and then disappointed by rogues. Mind that gurus who teach the world is unreal, illusory, are not excluded from the illusory, but "one with it," one may say. What such nobodies seemingly teach, does it help or undermine? Is the bondage they demand from their initiated in their hybrid-religious serfdom really fair, fit, and helpful as they claim to set the followers free? Their talks must be facets of misbehaving, and they themselves clowns of a sort. If you lend your ear and heart to empty guru prattle anyway, you may head for future trouble. Where does that lead us? It definitely takes some into the welcoming arms of psychotherapists over there. But it may not turn out that bad. Also, as it is said, "He is not the most confused who knows he is confused (Chuang Tzu)."
From a Letter
An erroneous belief, if held to without scrutiny, develops into tenacious dogmatism. A belief that is disproved changes from dogmatism to unbelief. On the other hand, if one believes in a true doctrine and follows it persistently, that belief gradually crystallizes into conviction and faith. So we see that a belief, whether false or true, is provisional. It can only be temporary, for it is subsequently metamorphosed either into dogmatism or unbelief, or into faith ... |
| Yogananda does not ask for belief at all at this place, but teaches that belief is provisional, and he accords with Buddhas great teachings in the Kalama Sutta by it. [Link]. Buddha teaches against credulity and blind belief too, and calls for testing things very carefully and skilfully. Also, Buddha says you can have both wealth and spiritual development. It is no either-or, in essence. Buddha teaches a well rounded system for developing skills, tenets to go for, successful fare, and spiritual development - avoiding extremes. His useful Middle Way incorporates these and other sides to the good life - the life that is designed to make life increasingly better. Ancient Hinduism too holds up wealth (artha) as one of the four life goals too, along with "righteous living" and so on. Now you can have it both ways - both material and spiritual progress - by your own efforts according to a Grand Design. That is how life should be for lay followers of Buddhism and others who accommodate to Buddha's gift. Buddha also says that one is allowed to doubt his teachings fairly. Faith in Buddha's teaching is not forbidden, though, but it is not to be regarded as an end in itself, but as a starting point of an evolving process, a waking-up process. As it is pointed out by Narada: "A Buddhist [does not] sacrifice his freedom of thought by becoming a follower of the Buddha. He is at full liberty to exercise his own free-will and develop his knowledge even to the extent of attaining Buddhahood himself." [Bht 283] Implied in Yogananda's words above, the same applies to them - all of them. But Yogananda talked with many mouths, and some of his teachings are self-contradictory. Being a "devotee of unresolved self-contradictions and swindle" is not good for the fare. One should be greatly aware of that. The Higher Guru TeachingsThe most profitable SRF teaching is that of ignoring the guru and his teachings completely, because they say this world is unreal, and that includes of course the guru sayings and guru appearances too. Of course ... The guru says how it is (Laughter.) Anyway, Yogananda taught both valuable yoga teachings and inferior teachings. At times they conflict and contradict one another. The solution to this problem is not to claim that his guidelines are flawless, which the guru's fellowship narrowly does, or get overly disillusioned, but to prefer the higher teachings, focus on the valuable content, and realise that the disillusioned ones had it coming through gullibility, naivity, and lack of experience as to faking and claimed godmen in the field of faking - that is, of illusions, dreams, a show - the world according to Yogananda. And perhaps it should be told that there is nowhere to go from there - Then, what is the valuable Yogananda content? It should lie in the higher teachings. Who are they, then? After all, the highest part of a mere show lies in reality behind it. So don't lose your realism and realistic output. Faith seems overrated! The basic teaching of SRF and Yogananda is that the world is unreal, an illusion, a dream. In that light, the highest teaching is to ignore the guru and SRF completely - just get off the hook. But the poor guys who have been bound to the guru and SRF through an alarming cult pledge, they have apparently lost much freedom, and may not know what to do. Here are a few tips that could benefit some in such sorry circumstances:
Yogananda himself allows for it. And how much of his teachings may be put aside as less valuable for those individuals who prefer to focus on the best methods and teachings from him? Maybe nine tenths if not all of it, give or take - As further help: Goading is always inferior. When Yogananda says that love is not the highest, happiness is, and later goes on exhorting, "Love God" for many years, it is "love God", "love all nations", and so on - that is inferior goading. He might have taught exactly how to do it, but has he? He could have focused on "know yourself" by going deep in meditation towards the source of happiness instead, as that would have been a first-class teaching, in accord with the methods he was sent to the West to teach. Since Yogananda has taught all these things, make the wisest choices: Avoid a cult master. If you don't heed this and want to lessen accruing sectarian troubles, prefer the highest teachings of Yogananda at any point. By that stroke many troubles might dissolve as if by themselves, thanks to rational handling. Reason may be developed. Go for it, says Yogananda. Bluffed UnityThrough the rest of this slim book we will look into things Yogananda teaches, and apply his invaluable* dream-world counsel above to them. The material I comment on is from a book of discourses, Man's Eternal Quest [Ak]. It is the first in a series of sermons and talks by Yogananda. *Pun. Do I mean "worthless counsel," "extremely useful counsel," or perhaps both - or something else? Incalculable may mean (1) inestimable; impossible to calculate; (2) priceless; extremely useful, etc.; (3) cheap, worthless, valueless, rubbishy. In many talks and essays he vouches for that he teaches unity of Christianity and Hinduism, and introduces his own deviant understanding of Christian terms in so doing. You may say, "Since Hinduism can be next to anything, so multiform as it is, what is new about this approach?" It is the contortions of Christian terms, basically, ripping them out of their original contexts, and going against words by Jesus too, as it suits the guru. The Hindu emissary Yogananda went into a life-long labour to make Christianity conform to his Hinduism, and showed at best only rudimentary knowledge of critical Bible exegesis. Further, the guru accepted the wording of the old King James version of Bible verbatim when he delivered his unprofessional sermonising of non-substantiated claims to the end of aligning gospel sayings with a form of yoga. This study of Yogananda's hogwash Christianity makes do with taking some looks at claims by Yogananda as they are presented in two of his discourses, and does not go into major findings of critical Bible research and more modern translations of bible sayings either. You may study books by Ehrman for to get updated on Bible research, and try the New International Version (NIV) for better, modern wording of the bible paragraps. "Garbage in, garbage out," is a danger of sect-hailed gurus. To get your mind filled with sleek and misleading garbage is bad, not good. Below I pinpoint some issues that should be vital to a Christian. It stands out over and over that the guru's hybrid theology is a mishmash of Hindu stuff and Christian teachings that are robbed of their connections: To a Christian, Yogananda's hybrid theology must be alarming and dangerous. And you may well ask whether fair treatment is missing in guru lectures where not even the slightest preparations were done [see Ak vii-viii]. Maybe I should stress at this point that you don't have to be a Christian to note the obvious and miss fair treatment by the hailed guru. I, for example, am a Buddhist, and have been blessed by the practice of Transcendental Meditation. Yoga as Taught by a Christ?Some get caught between God-Teeth, their heads crushed to powder, says the Bhagavad Gita [11:26-27]. It also says that demoniacs teach the world is illusory [Bhagavad Gita 16:7-9]. The church society Yogananda set up, Self-Realization Fellowship, maintains he was a man of God and an authority of yoga. Thus, he could enter high states of mind and talk and digress at length in some of them, inspired by attending ones too. This is what his fellowship teaches, signifying that he was an enlightened master with a warm, appealing sense of humour [see Ak viii, ix, xi]. Yogananda was ordained and trained in India to spread knowledge of a certain form of yoga, and "reveal the complete harmony and basic oneness of original Christianity as taught by Jesus Christ and original Yoga as taught by Bhagavan Krishna" to Westerners. These formed part of his ordained Hindu mission. As if there ever was any "original Christianity of Jesus" at all! [Link]. The guru also pointed out that man "can tap the Source of all power and fulfillment" [Ak xv]. Yogananda's teachings also include the view that being an avatar is as good as being a Christ: "Jesus, Krishna, Buddha, Babaji – all are Christs." [Ak 334]. That is his professed understanding of things, oddly against gospel warnings by Jesus against false Christs and having other masters than himself. From SRF's Aims and IdealsParamahansa Yogananda decreed that there is an essential unity between Hinduism and Christianity as taught by Jesus. The guru's view is expressed in these aims and ideals of his Fellowship too:
Now is the time to note that Yogananda strikes against a major SRF aim too - well, Yogananda often talks against himself. In the book Sayings of Yogananda [Say; index] he says there is no evolution. In his Autobiography [LINK] he says the incarnating ego requires (such as) a million years for its evolution onwards. We cannot have it both ways; cannot go categorically for evolution, and also say there is no evolution anywhere in the universe. You should see that those who become subject to largely contradictory teachings - these are - may fall short in getting an essential grip, which is not good. And now comes still more solid help for more handy thinking:
 These two views cannot be reconciled. It could help some to reflect on this phrase: "Expect the worst; and be nicely forewarned-forearmed to minimise the alarming dangers and risks of exposure." Now we find that (1) Jesus teaches that the soul can be killed, and (2) Yogananda's teaches that the soul is immortal and cannot be killed: "Each soul is a part of God and is therefore imperishable." - Paramahansa Yogananda in the book Sayings of Yogananda [Spa 25]
So what is the highest teaching about the soul, and how may we verify which tale is true? Those seem to be proper questions. Yet Buddha does not teach much about the afterlife in the Theravada Canon [LINK]. In the Mahayana Canon it is different.
Paramahansa Yogananda Quotations Commented onWe will look into facets of the guru's teachings here. Most quotations below are from the compilation "Christ and Krishna: Avatars of the One Truth" in Man's Eternal Quest, p. 294-307. Sayings from two talks or lectures (not specified) that were held at the SRF headquarters on January 15, 1933, and April 14, 1935 went into the compilation and could have been edited, if it matters. too, before being published. According to the publishers, an avatar signifies the descent of Divinity into flesh [Ak 294n]. There are many other uses of that term, however. [Yoga Glossary] Here we bring examples to study in the light of the theoretical possibility of how idolatry can be brought about by (1) taking some Christian concepts (flour), (2) adding preconceived notions (water etc) and finally (3) baking the swollen dough in the oven of fervent worship - that sort of material. Yogananda Brings No Christian Exegesis
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| "O Hierusalem! Oh dear!" (Role Model) |
This is what he thought was his commission:
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I've longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you weren't willing. [Matthew 23:37; also Luke 13:34]
Then Jesus-and-Father gave it up, and Jesus was sacrificed.
He fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." [Matthew 26:39, cf Luke 22:41]." And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. [Luke 22:44]
Hanging on the cross shortly after that, he felt he had done the task.
When he had received the drink [which was wine vinegar], Jesus said, "It's finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. [John 19:30]
But as you may know, he decided a bit afterwards that his fishing nets were to be cast over Gentiles instead of those who refused him. Then Jesus said,
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age [Matthew 28:18-20].
Admittedly, that passage is a late addition to the gospel, and a stupendous forgery. Be that as it may, being "saved" and being executed came very close in the lives of many from then on. Millions of martyrs went down, filled with a dear conviction from a forgery.
A REMINDER: Don't forget to have fun and smile, as Yogananda says, "It is good to laugh ... Your smile must spread ..."
AS SOON as this storm of material desires is over we can melt again into the ocean of God—We worship only Brahman, Spirit. - Paramahansa Yogananda [Ak 305, 299]
What did Yogananda mean by "we"? That could be interesting to get clarified.
Yogananda does not go against worshipping idols. In his autobiography he ritually worships a
stone and says how exemplary it is.
I sauntered into the jungle, making my way through its tropical tangle till I reached Tarakeswar.There I made a second pilgrimage to the famous shrine, and prostrated myself fully before the altar. The round stone enlarged before my inner vision till it became the cosmic spheres, ring within ring, zone after zone, all dowered with divinity. [LINK]
Some old bible commands in the matter are seen in Exodus 20:
You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God ... [Exodus 20:4-6]
Jesus affirms:
Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments [the Law of Moses] and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven [Matthew 5:19]
Odd as it may seem to ardent followers, he broke Law rules himself, two of the Ten Commandments. They were very central in the Old Pact.
"Mhm - next!" - Bugs Bunny.
Someday you will have to leave the body. - Paramahansa Yogananda [Ak 306]
For a while, Yogananda himself didn't appear to leave his body completely - or maybe
he did. The body he died in, lay as a very much unchanged, non-breathing body for 21 days
in sunny California - meticulously described in a notarised report by Harry Rowe, a
mortuary director. At the rear of many books by Yogananda interesting gist from it is added.
The complete report is in Paramahansa Yogananda in Memoriam [Sob].
It includes a detail of a little brown spot developed on the tip of his
nose. SRF has usually not included that item afterwards.
That religious society (SRF) teaches that by advanced and progressive "clever
gasping" called KRIYA YOGA, a teacher can stay alive and conquer death. The teaching
includes a story of undying, rarely seen Indian avatars that are presented as more than
twice as old as Methuselah. The spiritual head of Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) is one of
them. A facet of his teaching is that the Lord is the Sole Doer. [Cf. Pa]
The Holy Ghost is the Cosmic Intelligent Vibration, whose sound is the Aum - Paramahansa Yogananda [cf. Ak 300]
We have seen what the gospels decree about the Holy Spirit already, and in that
light we witness a largely unfit Hinduisation of a main Christian concept. To marshal
dear-looking slogans was very, very Yogananda.
A material life without Thee, my Lord, is a source of physical misery, disease, crime, ignorance, and unhappiness. - Paramahansa Yogananda [Ak 303]
He means that "to be constantly worried even in pleasant surroundings is to live in
Hades, to live in the inner, boundless soul-peace, even though housed in a rickety shack, is
real paradise." Adding deep meditation to the daily routines, and reaching a balanced life
of meditation and activity must be favourable, the guru asserts [see Ak 303]
Going against his all-round counsel of dropping worries and freeing oneself from endless mental ills, Yogananda institutionalized "crying for God Mom" as one favoured practice. The inculcated practice may be hazardous to health. The rigmarole of SRF includes fervent prayers to God Mom that she shall come, manifest herself - not wholly unlike brownies in the barns too.
The publishers inform that "The Hindu scriptures teach that God ... may be sought as ... love, ... in the form of ... Mother". [Ak 472] Yogananda was aware of many a "jealous, hateful, angry woman" in the world, and yet kept on preaching that "If you continue to cry, "I want Your love!" the Divine Mother finally melts." Then "She gives you ... Her divine love" [Ak 375-76]. That was his opinion. Something else has happened to many people. They are disappointed.
Parts of Yogananda's teachings are cry-for-Mother-blemished, and bring troubles to some. There are three main aspects to this:
As soon as you become focused on the limited physical body you will fall into the pit of misery. - Paramahansa Yogananda [Ak 301]
Yogananda maintains this teaching, and also that the universe is unreal. The body
is in the universe, and misery.
We say, by contrast: "As soon as you get confused you may fall into misery: As soon as you get confused ..." You may happen to meet happy materialists who live well for no further (ulterior) reason:
There's no specific help in old and modern godhood teachings unless you manage to wade in or swims in or take up fishing - or master tides and waves - It's hardly the ocean but what is made out of it that matters. That's the often-ignored point, but it comes very much to the fore in the Yoga Sutras. First glide inside (contemplate) and next use focused attention (sanyama) to develop some more - that's it. [LINK]
The Ocean of God to experience through contemplation for a long time (or very short time, if you're one of the lucky ones) is experienced while being inside a universe. All the same Yogananda also teaches that the universe is unreal - a dream. That teaching has its problems:
The world is nothing more than a cosmic dream—this life is a dream." - Paramahansa Yogananda [Ak 237, 240]
It could be interesting to know what the psychologists think of such statements from
Yogananda's talk "The Dream Nature of the World", given in his headquarters in Los Angeles
on December 23, 1937. However, we regularly steer out of that arena, and try instead to give
you philosophical gist where the guru delivers existential tenets, and we try them out
tentatively as premises for assorted deductions. Thus:
If the universe is a swindle, we who live in it are too, and the guru teachings that the universe is unreal, and so on and on. Yogananda's teachings from "The Dream Nature of the World" appear to be a dead end street.
If the world's a dream, at least it is spacious. If the life is a dream, it's a trifle. Does Jesus teach that? Jesus teaches, "What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? [Matthew 16:26]"
Sound precaution cannot be done away with.
By contrast, thoughts of giving up the world most often spell "enter a lesser setting", perhaps to bring about a reduced or reductionist fare inside "the great illusion" too - and so on. It behoves a man to find a better way, if Jesus meant what he said: "Do greater works than me - in the right spirit" [John 14:12, paraphrased]. Thus you can feel free to do greater works than Jesus.
You can aim a bit higher than Jesus [see John 14:12]. Few things are harder to grapple with than intrinsic nonsense! That's a Norse lesson from a time the gods bound the really big, bad wolf by nonsense stuff. [Cf. Ng: Fenrir]
The lesson: You can batter minds of others by silly nonsense that is outside the realm of verification and sound documentation. Belief often serves it - the greater such beliefs are called, the more disappointments are wont to come, statistically talking. Things tend to function like that.
It's better to strive to make sure and not really invest belief in stories one is told. Make a good and sound working-hypothesis of the "believe it" tale, and check whether anything may be verified conveniently. It should not be risky, expensive and create wars - not even in the family - where a man's enemies are found, according to Jesus. Such enemies are to be loved a lot - accordingly things look normal.
It's very good if things come down to something that looks normal in every way. For that could last, like the "normal-looking nature" we are inside in the universe - A miracle is on top of that, but may require lots of adjustments after all. A great healing consists in getting better and perhaps normal-looking. There are some neat rules of the thumb here. "Get things normal to look at and they can last long." "Business as usual" is a British sentence on top of that again. It reflects a sound lesson.
Other Yogananda passages too state that the universe is an illusion. Some are found in his autobiography, centred on Babaji that builds a mystic palace and then drops it all of a sudden.
If the universe is non-real, there's no Ocean of God inside it, and no shoreline (our perceptions of godhead) around either. This is what we must call necessary deductions from basic Yogananda premises -
Another angle: If Yogananda gives infallible guidelines- they cannot be illusions - then the universe is real! His warm-hearted disciples are not allowed to think he could mar or cheat like that. Great obedience to Yogananda's "The world is an illusion" and very similar tenets may yield not a few startling points, however:
All this is in strict accord with Yogananda's teaching in the matter. As with some deconstructivist teachings that claim "It is true that there is no difference between true and untrue" [Ericson], it may be much more rewarding to listen to a lamb's rustic "Bah-bah". That's good to know. [Ded 93]
Why all the verbosity in "a dream"? You find that out.
The destinies of both Jesus and Krishna were prophesied in the scriptures. These two avatars both stand up. [Cf. Ak 297]
JESUS: There is one thing to be sure of: Even though Jesus drew on Old Testament
passages that suited him, there were many others passages that did not. For
example:
"I will crush you". [Amos 2:13]
"Fallen is Virgin Israel, never to rise again". [Amos 5:2]
"You are destroyed, O Israel, because you are against me, against your helper. (...) In my anger I gave you a king". [Hosea 13:9,11]
According to these prophets, then, Jesus did not come to the ten lost tribes of Israel, those lost sheep of Israel, for God had destroyed THEM hundreds of years earlier. They could never rise again either [Matthew 10:6; 15:24]
There is one more thing to know about prophesies: If they look much woolly, they may later be interpreted - and serviceable to hip demagogues and others of the same ilk.
From Christ we learn that the purpose of religion is to expand human consciousness and unite it with the omnipresent Christ Consciousness. - Paramahansa Yogananda [Ak 298]
To the contrary, it often shows up that the purpose of religion is to get gifts and
means from conform, obedient under-dogs, more often. This working is visible in the USA, and
here we have a useful, if not complete outlook.
It can be useful to consider religion and spirituality together: Some hold that religion functions along the horizontal "axis", whereas spirituality functions along the vertical "axis". Kriya yoga is for spirituality, and churchism may or may not serve it very well.
Yogananda's religion was one of self-effort-salvation free from Jesus influence. At times Yogananda purports that the diving methods accelerate and stretch the subtle, human mind to encompass the ocean of God. He says his special panting exercises do the trick - they work like mathematics, he implies. Even so, devotion has to be added, he also tells. Yogananda has confounded many on these points.
In the West we have had contemplation for many centuries - in one way it's self-help: You have to do your part. And then again - it may not be that easy.
Yogananda instituted a hybrid religion. Why or how could he, if he felt it was all empty show-off - an illusory performance by nobody? You may never find the answer to that nifty koan.
The apostle Paul teaches that gaining Christ stems from the sacrifice of Jesus, by such as being baptised full well. Christianity is very much an heir-of-Jesus thing, as opposed to self-help-evangelising. The Catholic Father Matheo has more to add at this point: [Link]
[Jesus] meant that the soul of Elisha had reincarnated in the body of John the Baptist—Jesus understood that "The Father has become myself." This truth is also brought out in the Hindu scriptures: "Tat twam asi," That thou art." - Paramahansa Yogananda [Ak 306, 299]
FROM HINDU SCRIPTURES: First, it is more fit to say '(some) Hindu scriptures' than
'the Hindu scriptures', because that body of literature is much variegated, and Hindu books
do not necessarily agree with one another on all points - or big points, and minor ones, and
so on.
Vedanta is said to rest on certain great statements, and "Tat twam asi" is one of them. The deeper meaning of "You are That" is that Atman [soul] and Brahman [Spirit] are the same. Atman is thought of as the indwelling spirit, and Brahman pervades and sustains the world. The noble (Aryan) teaching is that there is something (someone) in each entity, and that transcends and covers the whole world. Ancient sages pondered whether Atman and Brahman are one. "Tat Tvam Asi" was one answer: and a Sandilya discovered it. Therefore it is known as "Sandilya Vidya [knowledge]" [see Chandogya Upanishad 3.14].
REINCARNATION: Yogananda interprets some bible passages so that they appear to confirm his reincarnation teachings. The most important question is whether Yogananda is seeing the reality here - he who maintains the universe is unreal. If so, reincarnation is not real either, and so on.
Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured ... Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. [Matthew 17:1-3; see also Mark 9:4]Jesus [afterwards], "To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they didn't recognise him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands."
Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist. [Matthew 17:11-13; see also Mark 9:11-13]
Yogananda uses these quotations to legitimate his view that the gospels teach reincarnation. Here we are faced with two problems, not one: (1) Does reincarnation exist? If so where is the good evidence of it? (2) Was it the recently beheaded John the Baptist that showed up on the mount in the shape of Elijah? It is a fine point that Jesus resurrected in the same body that went into the tomb. His body even retained the scars and wounds in His hands, feet, and side from the crucifixion [John 20:28]. Not so with Elijah on the mount, he did not appear with his head off or a scar around his neck as a sign of how John the Baptist had been killed; at least it is not mentioned ... And besides, Elijah did not die, but went to heaven alive, the Old Testament tells, so he should not be able to reincarnate for that reason alone, unless he died in heaven - which is not mentioned ...
Still, in Matthew 11:14 Jesus says, "And if you are willing to accept it, [John the Baptist] is the Elijah who was to come."
But what is it supposed to mean? Opinions differ. We should be informed, though, that some hold that Matthew 11:14 does not really teach that John the Baptist was a reincarnation of Elijah:
In the light of such biblical evidence, the passages Yogananda use to show reincarnation in the bible, may not serve him full well - but we should leave room for miracles - [Ak 295; John 14.12]
Has reincarnation been proved full well nowadays? To explore this very difficult topic with some sort of knowledge and skill, there may be thoughtful considerations to learn from Dr. Ian Stevenson; he has tried to make out of this topic for decades. His findings may not be convincing to all - or very many - (and so on), but they are indicative. [Link].
We cannot forsake all for the Atlantic Ocean, our duties to our family and other lives, without power borrowed from the (frantic) Atlantic, this is very much implied in Paramahansa Yogananda's fine-sounding slogans. [See Ak 302]
Yogananda's string of thought is, in main lines: The Hindu concepts of God and the
Trinity agree completely with those of Christianity [Ak 299]; becoming concentrated on the
physical body brings one into misery [Ak 301]; so renounce [Ak 302]. Yogananda likewise goes
too far when he says "Christ teaches physical renunciation as the highest way of attaining
God." A memorable Hindu passage that goes against this mistake, is "also renounce
renunciation, and even give up the absence of renunciation. By nature all-pervasive as
space, knowledge absolute are you [Avadhut Gita 4:21].
"The Avadhut is not concerned with the things of the world, because the natural state of Self-realization renders all else insignificant. Death and birth have no meaning; he meditates not, neither does he worship [Avadhut Gita 6:31]. Be that as it may for now. In other works Yogananda wants you to have Self-realisation with a capital S., defined as "the knowing—in body, mind, and soul—that we are one with the omnipresence of God (etc.)". The term derives apparently from 'atma-jnana' in Hindu texts.
In the United States, Yogananda made use of the term "Self-realisation" first, as
can be seen in the current name of his fellowship, which is Self-Realization Fellowship. But
as the years went by in the United States he used the word 'God' much more than 'Self' or
Atman. To sell out somewhat in order to gain influence, is a little secret. What's more, you
may have to do the same, for such is the power of arrogant or very biased company. This was
to say that by "God" he often meant "your inner self defined as I say."
Some holy-looking ones should
learn to sweep in front of their own doors, and need to be toldParts of Sanatana Dharma (also called Hinduism) are not unwelcome here. And there is much good elsewhere too. What we don't like, is proselytising agents that do not play fair and deal in blemishes or black trading that could demand faulty submissions all one's life.
Thus, even though we seldom care a bit, we have not refrained from refuting a lot here.
Avatar signifies the descent of Divinity into flesh—Cosmic energy is the Holy Ghost ... and intelligent—The Father is the intelligence beyond creation. [Editorial note, Ak 294n, 299, 300] (5)
Maybe he isn't - "The Holy Ghost is energy" - maybe the Holy
Ghost dislikes marring, Hinduism-adapted reductionism. We should be aware of the
possibility. Further, maybe the Father of creation is inside the world, and not merely
beyond the world, too. The Father of Jesus seemed inside. The good
point: these things are hard to ascertain; maybe let it be and go for money enough for
house, home and a garden.
There are also parallels in the personal stories ... Jesus and Krishna were born—the Trinity was described in the Hindu scriptures: "Aum, Tat, Sat" - Cosmic Vibration, Christ Intelligence, and God the Father. - Paramahansa Yogananda [Ak 296, 300]
The bible hardly ever gives sanction to worship Bhagavan Krishna for a Christian. If
you are in doubt you can ask the Vatican or someone closer - All the same, there is much you
can do to let alternative, choice thinking remain much welcome in your home and family to
gain benefits and not stiffen.
In deeper communion with the Christ Consciousness you realize you are one with God—Krishna is the Christ of the Hindus. - Paramahansa Yogananda [Ak 300-01, 297]
About nine tenths of Hindus worship Krishna-Vishnu. One tenth (mainly in the south)
are Shiva followers. We are not so sure whether they actually consider Krishna a Christ
either.
The key question seems to be: How can you be one with Krishna in any original Christian spirit or gospel Christ.
Both Jesus and Jadava [Krishna] were one with the omnipresence of Christ Consciousness. - Paramahansa Yogananda [Ak 298]
"It takes one to know one" is a saying. Unless Yogananda is dogmatic here, he knows
what he is talking of. And the way he advocates is by going deep inside without breaking.
The art of contemplation is for that.
What we are looking into on this page - Yogananda lectures and talks - is also a fruit of team effort by the editors and publishers, Self-Realization Fellowship. There is a risk that if you first give your trust to them, you may lose independence of mind and spirit, caught up in defences.
The great ones ... became masters through their own efforts. - Paramahansa Yogananda [Ak 294]
To the contrary, Jesus said he was sent by the Father, came and taught and paved the
way, and that on one occasion disciples had got much for nothing and were to bring it out
for nothing. He called himself living water and living bread of a special kind:
[Jesus:] Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." [John 4:14, emphasis added]Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. [John 6:35]
I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever." [John 6:51, emphasis added]
In the bible there is no particular evidence that Jesus worked much as Yogananda said. At least in some respects this was once valid, "Freely you have received, freely give [Matthew 10:8]."
KNOCKS: We find in Yogananda's autobiography that he himself got much help in India, and a knock on his chest crowned these doings. This is part of what happened.
Master spoke caressively, comfortingly. His calm gaze was unfathomable. "Your heart's desire shall be fulfilled."Sri Yukteswar seldom indulged in riddles; I was bewildered. He struck gently on my chest above the heart My body became immovably rooted; breath was drawn out of my lungs as if by some huge magnet. Soul and mind instantly lost their physical bondage, and streamed out like a fluid piercing light from my every pore. [LINK]
Besides, a Master behind him, Lahiri Baba, got a quite similar help one day in the Himalayas. He got help by being softly patted into it.
The saint approached and struck me gently on the forehead. At his magnetic touch, a wondrous current swept through my brain, releasing the sweet seed-memories of my previous life."'I remember!' My voice was half-choked with joyous sobs. 'You're my guru Babaji . . ." [LINK]
These miraculous stories are found in the Autobiography [cf. Pa 148, 316].
Note that we are not saying you should not exert yourself in the right way and right directions at all. We just point out some main differences in the teachings of Original Christianity - of Jesus in the gospels, that is - and of Yogananda.
What we are faced with includes an element of "Do as I say, not as I did". We think it should be admitted.
Health or no health, power or no power, seek God first. When you seek with that determination, "all things shall be added unto you" – not before. - Paramahansa Yogananda [Ak 301]
The truth is: without health and some measure of power there is little to do. It may
evoke a picture of a death-bed scene. The half-dead man (or woman) can do little more than
gasp and turn his eyes upward. That could be the clue of practice for seeking God too -
Seeing is believing.
But don't forget to live too. Bland Zen may help, it hardly lames higher faculties.
Christianity taught reincarnation. - Paramahansa Yogananda [Ak 306] (6)
We have studied that topic above. And today Christianity is
linked to Santa Claus, particularly during some marketing months before Christmas. What is
not spoken neatly of, is the value of that linkage.
It's much the same with coupling reincarnation and Christian teachings from
antiquity. Some Gnostic did so, others didn't, as revealed in books by the Church Fathers,
and Qumran findings.
It often pays to stay away from minority teachings. Bluntly said, "Feel inspired to invest rude belief differently, and it can pay!" It's a good thing not to fall victim to lots of believing - that's our point - at least one of them.
In conclusion: Many great belief can aligned to fluffy dreams "up in the air" or in the heads and minds of men and women - and may prove too shallow. There is good enough reason to fear:
"The greater the belief required, the less evidence is at hand, and the more likely one is to get immobilised from one's believing as years go by."
It may work better to live up to "Better safe than sorry" and the Russian "Believe, but make sure."
The vibration of Amen produces a great voice, as of the trumpet in John's Revelation 1:10. [see Ak 300].
Interpreting mystical sayings can go this way, and it can go that way. Yogananda's
assertion is that the sound of the Holy Ghost is Aum, and that in the
behind-me-trumpet's vibration is our comfort. And this is not really a thing of
flatulence.
And after all, the Om sound that one hears by plugging the ears in a yogic contemplation method, is not really like a trumpet!
It is true that Christ lived in India during most of the eighteen unaccounted for years of his life; studying with India's great masters. - Paramahansa Yogananda [Ak 306] (7)
"It is true", but to whom? And who were the great masters? Who did Yogananda appear
to sanction as India's great masters of that time?
"Don't believe everything you hear" is much sound. Rather much depends on how mature and tidy and bright you are. And terribly much on inherited tradition to remain staunch inside. We should not be made victims of hearsay and fine-sounding words that lack a fit foundation.
"Nice words are far from always true [Tao Te Ching, Chapter 81]." It appears that Lao Tzu warns against swollen or high-flown phrases.
Yogananda stood up in his time and called his guru fathers almighty and all-knowing
- one of them "a master in every way" [Ak 99]. In the gospels, Christ is
given all authority on earth - but first he had to go through his crucifixion. (#2 6)
Exegesis can work fine, but it remains just a servant for all who are filled with the
Right Spirit, the one Jesus promised ALL his followers, but whihc they did not get enough of, all of them, it stands out. Speak from your heart, accordingly, when
appropriate, and you don't HAVE TO believe every tale of reincarnation you're told either.
Go for evidence to eliminate swindles too. Having one's own home should be fit and work
well.
Gurus have gained much respect in "God's own country" by infiltrating talk and other forms of demagoguery, and so on. If their footing doesn't stand sound inspection, what then?
Learn to take heed in time - Yogananda was sent on a mission to propagate "unified Christianity-Hinduism. Babaji asked a Priya Nath Karar (later named Sri Yukteswar) to write that there was no real discrepancy between the scriptures of East and West. However, there are significant differences between handed-over Christianity and Hinduism. Babaji set him to work on a wrong footing. Inspect the evidence that is found in this site if you care.
Note further that the Mahabharata, the very extensive epos that the Bhagavad Gita is a part (kanda) of, shows that the most cherished avatar in India caused ruin and manslaughter, and in the end let his own children with about 18,000 wives and concubines drown.
Also, in the long epic Krishna admits that a dreadful war was manipulated into being by him - at least he could have stopped it in the coming, if he had wished. Five husbands who shared one wife became Krishna's buddies - and yet they left the world feeling empty and useless.
Scriptural evidence and stories are not always agreeable, or perfectly consistent all the way. What some gurus mean by "Krishna" can be found to be different, and within the heart portal somewhere, and heart-warming.
Tony Buzan and many educators hold that learning is helped by strategically focusing on keys - on gist, and next manage to implement it - or parts of the gist. It may take time, up to a lifetime. Heed gist you may steer better along by than those who get duped and misled by "infallible guru" statements rife with distorted views and the like. [Mmb; Uy; Wikipedia, s.v. "Tony Buzan"]
Also, David Ausubel's "advance organisers" help some by highlighting what is thought to be significant in the coming material, relationships. Advance organizers offer help in knowing about difficult and complex material that is introduced. Some advance organisers expose the material, other such organisers draw in related material. [Wikipedia, s.v. "David Ausubel"]
As for learning texts, John R. Anderson recommends a variant of the PQ4R study technique to help best remembering - such a study strategy leads to better memory for a text. [Cpi 5, 6]
Much of the material here may be found to serve as advance organisers, and some parts help the forming of cognitive grasps by many keys also. Much is exposed, and many so-called keys and key phrases are given. What to do with them is more or less up to you as you go on in life.
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  Ak: Yogananda, Paramahansa. Man's Eternal Quest. 2nd ed. Los Angeles: Self-Realization Fellowship,, 1982. Ap: Mieder, Wolfgang (main ed.), Stewart A. Kingsbury, and Kelsie E. Harder: A Dictionary of American Proverbs. (Paperback) New York: Oxford University Press, 1996. Ay: Yogananda, Paramahansa. Autobiography of a Yogi. 1st ed. New York: Philosophical Library, 1946. Online. [oaks.nvg.org/pv6bk12.html] Bht: Narada. The Buddha and His Teachings. 4th ed. Kuala Lumpur: Buddhist Missionary Society, 1988. — I recommend it. Coco: Leggett, Trevor: The Complete Commentary by Sankara on the Yoga-Sutras. Kegan Paul. New York, 1990. Cpi: Anderson, John R. Cognitive Psychology and its Implications. 4th ed. New York: Freeman, 1995. Dr: Yogananda, Paramahansa. The Divine Romance. New ed. Los Angeles: Self-Realization Fellowship, 1993. Ebu: Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica 2008 Ultimate Reference Suite DVD. London: Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2008. Goa: Nikhilananda, sw. tr: The Gospel of Ramakrishna. Abr. ed. Ramakrishna- Vivekananda. New York, 1974. Ha: Yogananda, Paramahansa. Autobiography of a Yogi. 12th ed. Los Angeles: Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF), 1981. Him: Zaehner, R. C.: Hinduism. 2nd ed. Oxford University Press. London, 1966. Ji: Ehrman, Bart D. Jesus, Interrrupted: Revealing the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible (And Why We Don't Know About Them). New York: HarperCollins, 2009. Jse: Yogananda, Paramahansa. Journey to Self-realization: Discovering the Gift of the Soul. New ed. Los Angeles: Self-Realization Fellowship, 1997.
Mil: Miller, Elliot. Swami Yogananda and the Self-Realization Fellowship: A Successful Hindu Countermission to the West.. Charlotte, NC: Christian Research Institute, 2009. Mj: Ehrman, Bart D. Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why. New York: HarperCollins, 2005. Mmb: Buzan, Tony, with Barry Buzan. The Mind Map Book. Rev. ed. London: BBC Books, 1995. Mux: Bühler, G. tr: The Laws of Manu. Banarsidass (Reprint from Oxford University's 1886-edition). Delhi, 1984. Net: Lamsa, George tr: The New Testament. Holman Bible Publishers. Philadelphia, 1968. Pa: Yogananda, Paramahansa. Autobiography of a Yogi. 11th ed. Los Angeles: Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF), 1971. Psy: Dasgupta, Sailendra. Paramhansa Swami Yogananda: Life-portrait and Reminiscences. Lincoln, NE: iUniverse, 2006. Pdf: yoganiketan.net and at Google Books, partial view. Sf: Klostermaier, Klaus K. A Survey of Hinduism. 3rd ed. Albany, N.Y: State University of New York Press, 2007. Sob: Self- Realization Fellowship: Paramahansa Yogananda in Memoriam. SRF. Los Angeles, 1958. Spa: Yogananda, Paramahansa. Sayings of Paramahansa Yogananda. 4th ed. Los Angeles: Self-Realization Fellowship, 1980. Tas: Ramakrishna: Tales and Parables of Sri Ramakrishna. 5th ed. Ramakrishna Math, Madras, 1974. Mmb: Buzan, Tony, with Barry Buzan. The Mind Map Book. Rev. ed. London: BBC Books, 1995. Via: Nikhilananda, sw.: Vivekananda. The Yogas and Other Works. Rev. ed. Ramakrishna-Vivekananda. New York, 1953. Yof: Isherwood, Christopher and Pranabhananda, sw: How To Know God. Mentor. New York, 1969.
Yolt: Johnston, Clive tr: The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Stuart and Watkins. London,
1968.
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I am so happy to have found your site. - SK
When I was younger, I studied the Self-Realization Fellowship's (SRF's) teachings, including all the SRF Lessons and Service Readings. The lessons are a lengthy medley of Yogananda utterances, and titbits from talks and sermons of his, interspersed occasionally with expositions of methods in his yoga-meditation approach, which he simplified or modified for Westerners as time went by. Large parts of the layman-adapted talk are publicly available today in books of his lectures and sermons [Ak; Dr, Jce].
I have been a ... devotee of Yogananda's since 1972. I haven't enjoyed meditation
for many, many years, but assumed the problem was within me ... I don't believe in
Yogananda, I don't believe in Sri 
First, select and focus on the adequate methods to stay sane, to do them skilfully and not overreach, and not so much on his divergent words and self-contradictions. Second, whenever there are self-contradictions in the guru's teachings, focus on the higher ones to you: those that you find to be most valuable in your set of circumstances. And do not overreach - it happens to be a danger in the cult of an exhorting Yogananda.
The "All are equal" teachings do
not harmonise with Christian understanding
There are many freaking tenets all
over the world. Our glance happens to go to a guru and Hindu emissary here - and there is
nothing more to it
Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the
whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that
separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and
began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. [Acts 2:2-4]