Autobiography of A Yogi: Book Review
What did I like the most? A little young boy grows into a spiritual person, imbibing the essence of godhood. Inspires others too to pursue the path of leading to inner and eternal peace.
Mukund Lal Ghosh was born in Gorakhpur, India, in a Bengali Hindu family house. His parents gave birth to eight children. Mukund lal was one of those eight. Mukund’s parents were disciplines of Lahiri Mahasaya, the guru of Yogananda’s guru. Mukund’s parents enjoyed a calm and loving marriage. Young Mukund lal has had inclinations for spiritualism since childhood.
Mukund lal was 11 years old when he had a premonition about his mother’s death. After her mother’s death, Mukund all planned a pilgrimage to the Himalayas, but his older brother, Ananta, tried to stop him. Mukund finally left home to seek his spiritual teacher, who he finally found at 17. Mukund lal meets his guru Swami Yukteshwar Giri in Banaras market. Mukund all had seen his guru in visions during sleep.
The Guru-Disciple Relationship:
Shri Yukteshwar Ji initiates Mukund lal into Kriya Yoga. Mukund lal or Swami Yogananda reminisces he had such a previous experience twice before.
Yogananda received his bachelor’s degree from the Serampore College in Calcutta in 1915. In 1917, he set up a school in West Bengal. Yoga was included as part of the curriculum as well. Yogananda visits the United States and gives talks on religion and yoga. In 1925 establishes the self-realisation fellowship head office in Los Angeles, California.
Self-realisation: a human must have improved them to feel almighty. The God of universal consciousness is present all the time. The knowing in body, mind, and Soul that God is omnipresent every moment and all the time.
Living a Life of Happiness:
a) Living in the present, forgetting the past, and not worrying about the future.
b) Living in one’s means
c) Pure love is necessary to be with God almighty.
d) Living in purpose and being purposeful:
e) Awareness of body and breath: consciousness state
f) The separation between body and breath: subconscious state
g) Freedom from the delusion of having a body, breath: super-consciousness state
Being in Service:
Human beings must know remaining calm, serene, always in command of themselves.
The Law of Success:
One demonstrates success or failure according to one’s habitual trend of thought.
Will is the Dynamo:
To be successful, one needs willpower as a dynamo, positive thinking, and continuous activity.
Paramhansa Yogananda suggests human beings can control destiny.
Fear Exhausts Life Energy:
Fear is the greatest enemy of willpower.
Failures should arouse determination:
Failure to act as a stimulant to one’s willpower and one’s material and spiritual growth.
The Need For Self-Analysis
Introspection is necessary to see the depth of one’s mind. This way, one may come to know and diagnose one’s failure.
One Must See The Image of God in all:
It is the human tendency to excuse one’s faults and judge other persons harshly.
The Habit of Thought Control:
Swami Yogananda believes that success or failure depends upon one’s equality of thoughts.
From the Ocean of Abundance:
Universal Mind is like an ocean of consciousness supplying everything in abundance.
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