Wisdom from “Autobiography of a Yogi”

I recently finished reading the “Autobiography of a Yogi” by Paramhansa Yogananda. He was one of the pioneers in taking Yoga and Indian spiritual wisdom to the West and this book chronicles his remarkable spiritual journey. In particular, the book describes his search for God and interactions with a variety of spiritual men and women. Interspersed with the narrative, which includes some seemingly incredulous life expereinces, are gems of timeless wisdom. I have distilled some nuggets of wisdom from across the book. I have tried to retain the language used by Paramhansa to best communicate the depth and beauty of his thoughts.

Desires and reincarnation wheel

The Karmic Law requires that every human wish find ultimate fulfillment. Desire is thus the chain which binds man to the reincarnation wheel
The physical karma or desires of man must be completely worked out before his permanent stay in astral worlds becomes possible. Those who still have earthly karma to dispose of must therefore re-inhabit a gross physical body in order to pay their karmic debts. They are classified after physical death as temporary visitors to the astral world rather than as permanent residents. Beings with unredeemed earthly karma are not permitted after astral death to go to the high causal sphere of cosmic ideas, but must shuttle to and fro from the physical and astral worlds only
The power of unfulfilled desires in therefore the root of man’s slavery. These physical desires are rooted in egotism and sense pleasures. Master them and you will find liberation. Do not do what you want, and then you may do what you like. Roam in the world as a lion of self-control; see that the frogs of weakness don’t kick you around

Goal of Yoga Science

The intellect has no answers for fundamental questions (e.g., Who am I?); hence the rishis evolved Yoga as the technique of spiritual inquiry
The goal of yoga science is to calm the mind, that without distortion it may mirror the divine vision in the universe
After the mind has been cleared by Kriya Yoga of sensory obstacles, meditation furnishes a two fold proof of God. Ever-new joy is evidence of His existence, convincing to our very atoms. Also, in meditation one finds His instant guidance, His adequate response to every difficulty. Truly, intuition is soul guidance, appearing naturally in man during those instants when his mind is calm
The ancient yogis discovered that the secret of cosmic consciousness is intimately linked with breath mastery. The life force, which is ordinarily absorbed in maintaining the heart pump, must be freed for higher activities by a method of calming and stilling the ceaseless demands of the breath

Secret of Balanced Living

The soul must stretch over the cosmogonic abysses, while the body performs its daily duties. Only adequate enlargement by Yoga practice and devotional bhakti can prepare the mind to absorb the liberating shock of omnipresence
An unsound physical instrument is a hindrance to God-meditation. The Hindu scriptures teach that the first duty of man is to keep his body in good condition; otherwise his mind is unable to remain fixed in devotional concentration
The highest yogic attainments are not barred to the family man. Even in the world, the yogi who faithfully discharges his responsibilities, without personal motive or attachment, treads the sure path of enlightenment. Liberation is dependent on inner, rather than outer, renunciations

True Education

True education can never be crammed and pumped from without; rather it must aid in bringing spontaneously to the surface the infinite hoards of wisdom within
Do not confuse understanding with a larger vocabulary. Continual intellectual study results in vanity and the false satisfaction of undigested knowledge
He only is wise who devotes himself to realizing, not reading only, the ancient revelations. Solve all your problems through meditation. Exchange unprofitable religious speculations for actual God contact
Spiritual advancement is not measured by one’s outwards powers, but only by the depth of his bliss in meditation

Karma

The message boldly blazoned across the heavens at the time moment of birth is not meant to emphasize fate – the result of past good and evil – but to arouse man’s will to escape from his universal thralldom. What he has done, he can undo. None other than himself was the instigator of the causes of whatever effects are not prevalent in his life. He can overcome any limitation, because he created it by his own actions in the first place, and because he has spiritual resources which are not subject to planetary pressure
Seeds of past Karma cannot germinate if they are roasted in the divine fires of wisdom
He who discards his worldly duties can justify himself only by assuming some kind of responsibility towards a much larger family

Wisdom

Humility is the greatest of virtues, pleasing to God above all others
Vedic definition of a man of God – Softer than the flower, where kindness is concerned; stronger than the thunder, where principles are at stake
For the faults of the many, judge not the whole. Everything on earth is of mixed character, like a mingling of sand and sugar. Be like the wise ant which seizes only the sugar, and leaves the sand untouched
What a person imagines he hears, and what the speaker has really implied, may be poles apart. Try to feel the thoughts behind the confusion of men’s verbiage
Man represents a triple personality – conscious, subconscious and super-conscious. Hidden in the deep of our being is a rubbish heap and well as a treasure house. Subconscious represents the submerged currents of our nature, while super-conscious reveals the heights to which our nature can reach

God Communion

How quickly we weary of earthly pleasures! Desire for material things is endless; man is never satisfied completely, and pursues one goal after another. The something else he seeks is the Lord, who alone can grant lasting joy
Reflect that some day you will suddenly have to leave everything in this world – so make the acquaintanship of God now. Through delusion you are perceiving yourself as a bundle of flesh and bones, which at best is a nest of troubles. Cease being a prisoner of the body.
In science our relation with nature is one that exists between a man and his servant, or in a philosophical sense she is like a captive in the witness box. On the other hand, when the self is in communion with a higher power, nature automatically obeys, without stress or strain, the will on man

Hinduism & Unity of Religions

Hinduism tells each man to worship God according to his own faith pr dharma, and so lives at peace with all religions. The unique feature of Hinduism among the world religions is that it derives not from a single great founder but from the impersonal Vedic scriptures. Hinduism thus gives scope for worshipful incorporation into its fold of prophets of all ages and all lands. The Vedic scriptures regulate not only devotional practices but all important social customs, in an effort to bring man’s every action into harmony with divine law
East and West must establish a golden middle path of activity and spirituality combined. Inspired sons of God have spoken the same truths, now obscured by men’s sectarian differences. Forget you were born a Hindu, and don’t be an American. Take the best of them both
We cannot possible universalize particular customs and convictions, but the common element in religion can be universalized, and we can ask all alike to follow and obey it

Power of Forgiveness, Love & Non-violence

Life persists in the midst of destruction. Therefore there must be a higher law than that of destruction. Only under that law would well-ordered society be intelligible and life worth living. Use of jungle logic instead of human reason in settling disputes will restore the earth to a jungle
Continuation of species is due to man’s being forgiving. Forgiveness is holiness; by forgiveness the universe is held together. Forgiveness is the might of the mighty; forgiveness is sacrifice; forgiveness is quiet of mind. Forgiveness and gentleness are the qualities of the self-possessed
The law of love is a far greater science than any modern science. A man who applies the laws of love with scientific precision can work greater wonders
Non-violence is the natural outgrowth of the law of forgiveness and love. It takes a fairly strenuous course of training to attain a mental state of non-violence. The perfect state is reached only when the mind, body, and speech are in proper coordination

Whenever I read Indian spiritual texts, I am amazed by the richness and completeness of their wisdom. “Autobiography of a Yogi” is an important milestone in the rich tradition of Indian spiritual wisdom. I hope the above nuggets of wisdom are helpful in your life journey!!