| Author(s) | Paramahansa Yogananda |
|---|---|
| Country | United States of America |
| Language | English |
| Subject(s) | Autobiography, Memoir |
| Genre(s) | Non-fiction |
| Publisher | Self-Realization Fellowship |
| Publication date | 1946 |
| Pages | 588 |
| ISBN | 0-87612-079-6 |
Autobiography of a Yogi is an autobiography written by Paramahansa Yogananda (January 5, 1893–March 7, 1952) in 1946, in which he discusses his life story,[1] and which introduced many Westerners to meditation and yoga.[2]
The book describes Yogananda's search for a guru, and his encounters with leading spiritual figures such as Therese Neumann, the Hindu saint Sri Anandamoyi Ma, Mohandas Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, Nobel Prize-winning physicist Sir C. V. Raman, and noted American plant scientist Luther Burbank, to whom it is dedicated.
The preface was written by Walter Evans-Wentz, the author of The Tibetan Books of the Dead, Tibet's Great Yogi Milarepa and others.
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Contents
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Autobiography of a Yogi is the most popular of Yogananda’s books.[3] In 1999, it was designated as one of the "100 Most Important Spiritual Books of the 20th Century" by a panel of theologians and luminaries convened by HarperCollins publishers.[4] "The work is enduringly popular because it introduces millions of readers to Eastern spiritual thought. Yogananda's masterly storytelling epitomizes the Indian oral tradition with its wit, charm, and compassionate wisdom. The yogi begins by showing how his childhood experiences in turn-of-the-century India produced a spiritual youth in search of an enlightened teacher, continues with an account of his years of training in the hermitage of a revered master, and concludes with the highlights of a period, beginning in 1920, during which he lived and taught in America."[5]
As of May 2012[update], there are two current revisions of the book available:
Self-Realization Fellowship has translated the book into 27 languages [6].
In addition, there are numerous free online editions of the 1946 first edition:
There are also reprints of the 1946 first edition:
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