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The
Father of Western Yoga
From
Self-Realization Fellowship
Paramahansa
Yogananda's arrival in America from India
80 years ago marked the beginning of an upsurge
of Western interest in the spiritual wisdom of
the East. Hailed as the father of Yoga in the
West, he made known India's ancient philosophy
of Yoga and its time-honored tradition of meditation.
Acclaimed during his lifetime, in the fifty years
since his passing on March 7, 1952, he has come
to be widely revered as one of the preeminent
spiritual figures of our time and is honored worldwide
for his tireless spiritual and humanitarian work.
Through his life and teachings, he made an indelible
impression on the spiritual landscape of the United
States and the world.
During
his 32 years of public ministry in America and
abroad, Yogananda devoted himself to fostering
a greater harmony and cooperation among all religions,
races, and nationalities; and to helping people
realize and express more fully in their lives
the beauty, nobility, and divinity of the human
spirit. He brought a knowledge of Yoga philosophy
and meditation, and guidance on the art of balanced
spiritual living, to millions, not only through
his public lectures and classes, but also through
his writings and the centers he established worldwide.
Yogananda's
life story, the classic Autobiography of
a Yogi, was published in 1946 and expanded
by him in subsequent editions. Recognized from
the beginning as a landmark work in its field,
the book has been in print continuously since
its initial publication more than 55 years ago.
Honored as one of the 100 best spiritual books
of the 20th century, it remains one of the most
important and readable works on Yoga and Eastern
spiritual thought.
Yogananda
came to the United States as a young man in 1920,
when he served as a delegate to the International
Congress of Religious Liberals convening in Boston.
That same year he founded Self-Realization Fellowship
to disseminate his teachings.
In
1925, he took up residence in Los Angeles where
he established an international headquarters for
his society. Over the next decade he traveled
and lectured extensively, speaking to capacity
audiences in major cities throughout North America
and Europe. Many prominent figures in science,
business, and the arts became his students, including
horticulturist Luther Burbank, operatic soprano
Amelita Gali-Curci, George Eastman (inventor of
the Kodak camera), poet Edwin Markham, and symphony
conductor Leopold Stokowski. In 1927, Yogananda
was officially received at the White House by
President Calvin Coolidge, who had become interested
in the newspaper accounts of his activities.
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