Paramhansa Yogananda .

Paramhansa Yogananda . Quick Facts

Main Areas: Kriya Yoga, Meditation, Ananda World Brotherhood Colonies, Spiritual Inspiration
Best Sellers: Autobiography of A Yogi
Career Focus: Guru: "Dispeller of Darkness"
Affiliation: Ananda Sangha, Spiritual Community & Satsang

Paramhansa
Yogananda (1893-1952, often misspelled 'Paramahansa' Yogananda)
was the first yoga master of India to take up permanent residence
in the West. Yogananda arrived in America in 1920, and traveled
throughout the United States on what he called his ‘spiritual
campaigns’. His enthusiastic audiences filled the largest halls
in America. Hundreds of thousands came to see the yogi from India.
Yogananda continued to lecture and write up to his passing in 1952.

Yogananda's
initial impact was truly impressive. But his lasting impact has
been even greater. Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi (left), first
published in 1946, helped launch a spiritual revolution in the West.
His message was nonsectarian and universal. Yogananda’s teacher
sent him to the West with the admonition, “The West is high
in material attainments, but lacking in spiritual understanding.
It is God’s will that you play a role in teaching mankind the
value of balancing the material with an inner, spiritual life.”

 

The Path
of Self-Realization

"The true basis of religion is not belief, but intuitive experience. Intuition is the soul's power of knowing God. To know what religion is really all about, one must know God."
- Paramhansa Yogananda from The Essence of Self-Realization

Yogananda brought
to the West the path of Self-Realization. He said that “Self-Realization
is the knowing in all parts of body, mind, and soul that you are now
in possession of the kingdom of God; that you do not have to pray
that it come to you; that God’s omnipresence is your omnipresence;
and that all that you need to do is improve your knowing.”

The path of
Kriya Yoga, which Yogananda called the ‘jet-airplane’
route to God, consists of ancient yoga techniques to hasten the
spiritual evolution of the student. Yogananda's techniques can be
learned through the Ananda
Kriya Ministry.

 

Ananda:
Fulfilling Yogananda’s Vision

Swami Kriyananda and Paramhansa Yogananda

Swami Kriyananda,
a direct disciple of Yogananda, founded Ananda Village in 1968 to
fulfill Yogananda’s vision of ‘World Brotherhood Colonies’,
or spiritual cooperative communities. Yogananda envisioned a place
where all people, not just monastics, could devote themselves to
living a divine life, dedicated to practicing the teachings of yoga
in every aspect of their daily life.

Ananda Village
has over 300 adult members and children. Ananda Worldwide now includes
World Brotherhood Colonies in four American cities, and in Assisi,
Italy. All residents practice Yogananda’s teachings of meditation
and apply his principles to all facets of life in this world: business,
schools, relationships, healing, and much more. Ananda’s Expanding
Light retreat has been sharing these principles for over 25 years.

Paramhansa
Yogananda Resources
Ananda's Online Store has several books written by Yogananda, audio
talks by Yogananda, and video footage of the Master. We also offer
many other resources, including books about Yogananda by several
direct disciples: Swami Kriyananda, Hare Krishna Ghosh (Yogananda's
nephew), Peggy Dietz, Meera Ghosh, Devi Mukherjee, and others.

 

For more information visit www.ananda.org

 

 

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