Autobiography of a Yogi (Self-Realization Fellowship)

I first read this book when I was twenty or so ( I'm now reaching seventy ). immediately after completing the book, I applied for the lessons and continued expanding my spirituality through the meditation and other techniques expounded in the lessons. I then applied for my kriya initiation and became a kriyaban. In all this I saw my life change subtly. My anchor became God, and the ups and downs of normal life no longer worried me. Life became one beautiful magic show; everyday being a new thrilling experience. I am in a state now where I would not trade my present condition for all the money in the world - and it was all started by this book. Yogananda used to say that this book wil be his ambassador after he is gone - and how true that has become. Spiritual classics like this book are written at several levels. A person reading this book for the first time, if his consciousness is not advanced , will understand some parts of the book very differently from a person who has been on the spiritual path for awhile and has a greatly expanded consciousness . After my first reading of this book, I did not read it anymore, as I was busy with the lessons and meditation. Just last week, I took out my old battered copy of the Autobiography and flipped through its pages, stopping every now and then to read some passage. I found that I could understand each of these passages at their deepest level. As predicted by many, this book will bring about a spiritual revolution to our world, when people will finally concentrate on the spiritual essence of a religion rather than the insignificant details of the various religions that tend to separate man from man.

This book was life changing for me! I got the Kindle version first and then bought the paperback. The best chapter was the one that explains what happens when we are "on the other side". The teachings in this book are not the things that I learned in church growing up, but I believed them even when I was a small child. It is nice to have my ideas confirmed. Paramahansa Yogananda had such an interesting way of writing. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is committed to broadening their spiritual horizons.

I now understand why clients told me about this book for years and why it remains a best seller. This is one of the best personal accounts I've read from an enlightened soul. It contains wonderful stories of the saints and sages of India, a beautiful account of the progression of Yogananda from human seeker to enlightened soul, and best of all the energy of the beautiful individuals described within can be felt as you read the book with a sincere desire to connect w/the Divine. Loved it. I'm reading it again.

One of the greatest books i've ever read. Heartwarming, inspiring, informative, enlightening are just a few of the adjectives i can use to describe this book and the authors' fascinating journey through this thing we call life. Must read for anyone who's into spiritualism and for anyone just interested in a good story. Two thumbs up!!

This story is forever. Great book format. Footnotes are easy to access. Personally I must keep the paper copy. In a world where people are looking For spiritual power this man and this bio let you see the true journey. I.E., Know what you seek before you seek it. This is no game and thru this book one get to see beyond the veil. Wonderfully written and forever timely.

This book was required reading when I enrolled in a Yoga Teacher Training course in India. I am so glad it was! Not only was it thoroughly informative about yoga and how it came to the west, but it was also a magical and mystical description of the life and experiences of Yogananda that kept me completely riveted.This book, unlike so much of what's going on in our world today, unifies and creates community amongst all humans, all faiths. I firmly believe that if we could all be a bit more like Yogananda in our views and open-heartedness, we would dramatically shift the world for the better.

This kindle book flunks the plausibility test in flying colors. I'm glad I only spent a few bucks on it. I'm giving it one star due to the occasional informative gem regarding eastern philosophy.With a claimed miracle, or two, or three on a preponderance of pages I felt like the author must have intentionally written his autobiography based on a great deal of fiction. Either that, or an imagination gone wild.The chapter about the "tiger swami" was brutally depressing, regarding the abuse of these magnificent "beasts", that the swami was proud to beat into submissive "pussycats"....if you are willing to believe these beatings actually took place, which I'm not. All I can do is hope that was fictional also.

This book begins, capturing the childhood of Yogananda growing up in India. He is determined to follow his spiritual path, that he hears ever-calling to him, yet his worldly father, a kind and forceful man, has other plans. His father wants him to go to college, and enter the world of commerce, and to marry, have children and forget all this "foolishness." This interplay between father and older brother who is aligned with father, versus Yogananda is entertaining all on its own. The tale of the spiritual progression of Yogananda, finding his teacher, graduating from college, and following his calling of coming to the West is one that unfolds all in due course, as the events fall into alignment with the perfect timing. Along the way, Yogananda provides entertaining tales of other spiritual masters, leaving us to wonder, "could this really be true?" We ask, is it even possible these events could occur, this way, with these results, from these humans? There is a building energy dynamic, as he finds his real mastery and commits himself to transforming the lives of others, forever. This book is his real and true life's work, toward that end of spiritual transformation.

A truly mind expanding volume providing a unique perspective to all those seeking, or cultivating a spiritual awakening. The book is packed with insight and provides a platform for everyone wishing to push past the boundaries of the western material fixated world. A beautiful book deserving pride of place in any collection.

This is an absolute classic and a fascinating and spiritually uplifting read, opening ones eyes to the real potential of the human being.The average Western person is blind to the reason they are here and the purpose of life, ever bound to the daily drudgery of work, eat, sleep,repeat. Do your Self a big favour and start looking deeper.

This is a remarkable book as it’s a firsthand account and explanation of the mystical traditions of India by an author who has eagerly sought and lived amongst its God-realised men and women, and who has witnessed many of their miracles. It’s also an exposition of the subcontinent’s timeless wisdom and approach to the eternal verities. Author Paramahansa Yogananda (who was born and lived in India until he was sent over to America in 1920 by his guru) was a prolific author of the yogic sciences (particularly Kriya), and this book is the classic introduction to his legacy (which is internationally recognised as being a trusted source).From an early age and with singular dedication Yogananda sought to follow a God-centred life, which brought him into close contact with many ascetics and wonder workers, eventually culminating in the meeting with his guru, the renowned sage, Sri Yukteswar.All the way through the book are fascinating meetings, extraordinary encounters and close observations of miraculous happenings. Here’s an overview from the first third (as to recount the whole book would be too much for this review): the author causing his sister’s boil to double in size by the power of his will; the same sister taunting him to acquire two kites being flown nearby of which he petitions the goddess Kali for their possession and then miraculously they come to him; his meetings with the saint with two bodies who locates a friend of the author’s father by simultaneously being in two places at once; the perfume saint who conjures up exotic perfumes out of thin air; the tiger swami who once fought and subdued tigers with his bare hands, and who from an initially feeble body gained his superior strength and prowess by persistent thoughts of such; the levitating saint who advised that the divine order arranges futures more wisely than any insurance company; India’s great scientist J. C. Bose who discovered by careful investigation that inorganic matter was anything but inert; the healing of the author’s cholera by his appealing to the picture of his guru’s guru, Lahiri Mahasaya; the incredible provision of a sumptuous meal when the author and a friend had to rely on God alone to look after them while engaging in a penniless test to prove divine supply; the sleepless saint who survived without sleep; the author’s guru Sri Yukteswar’s prevention of mosquito bites by yogic power, his subjugation of a cobra by projecting love at it, the advice to the author (and subsequent proof) that he (the author) can cure his lifelong affliction of chronic dyspepsia by thought alone (and further demonstrations for another illness whereby the author was told a number of times by Yukteswar that he would subsequently be well and then unwell until he realised that it was his own thoughts making him so and not his guru), the broadcasting of powerful mental commands to make a thief return a stolen cauliflower, and the extension of a disbelieving doctor’s life by an exact period whereby he would have otherwise died; and finally, the author’s incredible experiences of cosmic consciousness whereby he came to understand more thoroughly the dream-nature of the world and the divine source of everything.Throughout the rest of the book are details of meetings with Mahatma Gandhi, Babaji (the Christ-like yogi who materialised a palace out of nothing in the Himalayas), Therese Neumann (the catholic saint and stigmatist), Rabindranath Tagore (the famous Bengali poet) and Luther Burbank (the pioneering American horticulturist who discovered that the great secret of plant breeding is love). There’s also many more meetings with saints and wonder workers that fill up the rest of the book, such as yogis who can’t be poisoned or imprisoned and who can miraculously re-attach severed limbs. There’s even explanations as to how wonder workers work their miracles (as explained in the chapter The Law of Miracles) whereby the cosmic dream is expounded, along with the premise that everything in existence is made from light of which can be manipulated by belief and the trained will.Of course, whether the book is believed or not is up to the reader, but for me (who has read much collaborating evidence from other sources) it’s one of the most important and significant books I own. I’ve read various physical editions a number of times, parts of them numerous times, and am currently reading the electronic version on Kindle (which works well on it). If approached with an open mind the book could be life-changing as it gives further credence to the existence of God and the reality of miracles. It’s also well-paced with manageable chapter lengths so can be easily read in stages. All told, an excellent, worthwhile and valuable insight.

This book is an inspiration to all who seek to find their true self and purpose on this world and not be part of the sheep that those of in charge of our great country want you not to know ie the shadow government ( seek an ye shall find )

This book is inspirational, serene, mind-boggling, calming, interesting - a book I have read 5 times already and will probably read again and again in the future.!!! Paramahansa Yogananda must have been one of those people who had such a special charisma and aura about them that it would have been life-changing to be in their presence, even for a short while.