hinduism

After my mother passed away in 1999, this book was one of the few things that was able to reach in me in grief. The author simply has a clarity, credibility and authority that no typical contemporary new age book could ever begin to emulate. I've read countless books of alternative spirituality over the years, but this book is one of perhaps half a dozen who I actually believe to be the real deal.

This little gem of a book is an ideal gift of peace. Universal, soul-satisfying insights and comforts from the great yoga master who founded Self-Realization Fellowship. For the sincere spiritual seeker here are the fundamentals common to all true religions and spiritualities. For the average person in modern society, here is comfort and relief from the alienation and distress of our material cultures.

As a retired psychologist and stress management trainer, I judge that the ultimate keys to handling stress in this crazy world are to be found in these few pages. They are filled with beautiful nuggets of reassurance and personal empowerment through attunement with universal spiritual principles.

After you have sampled some of these possibilities from yoga's ancient and timeless spiritual strategies, hopefully you'll be inspired to explore some of the other titles the publisher lists herein.

The world is full of such misery. Where can we turn? Which club? Which therapy? Which religion? It seems that we have to do so much, in order to alleviate ourselves from something so constant and simple. Namely, suffering. We need to join clubs. To join religions. To go through initiations. To afford a therapist. The author of this book is my Guru. I give no weight to any other material. I was initiated as his devotee 26 years ago. The president of the organization that he founded, Self-Realization Fellowship, was a direct disciple of his for 21 years while he was living in our prescence. I live near most of their churches. I have talked extensively with their ministers and monks. But Yogananda was and is a well that you can dip your cup freely from and drink as much as you will. One is not seperated from time and space. His family is the world. Credentials and titles do not matter. This book is an example of what he taught.

Simplicity and the simple fact that one can reach God on the opposite side of the planet from Self-Realization Fellowship Headquarters and be a garbage collector in an unknown part of the world, if one's love for God is intense enough. I am quite assured that if one read this little book 100 times and followed it's principles devotely, one would probably be a greater saint than anyone who lives near Self-Realization Fellowship headquarters, is a monk or nun of his organization, or those who knew him personally while he was living. He is all of ours. This book may be all you need! Others need more equipment and training, sorry to say. This book is very simplistic. Very simple. If I were stranded on a desert island, and I only had one book, I do believe it would be this one. I have all of Yogananda's lessons and service lectures bounded in my library. As well as all of his books, recordings, and the words of his devotees. And all of the yogic methods that he taught. But if one would take a tiny book such as this, and folow it with ferverous devotion, I have no doubt that eventually such a one would go as fast spititually as anyone anyplace and at anytime. Yes. I do like the book.