who is paramahansa yogananda?
89984
Paramahansa Yogananda परमहंस योगानन्‍द (January 5, 1893 – March 7, 1952), was an Indian yogi and guru. He was instrumental in bringing Kriya Yoga to the West.\n\n\nLife\nYogananda was born Mukunda Lal Ghosh in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India into a devout Bengali family. His autobiography claims that from his earliest years, his awareness and experience of the spiritual was far beyond the ordinary. In his youth he sought out many of India's Hindu sages and saints, hoping to find an illumined teacher to guide him in his spiritual quest.\n\nYogananda met his guru, Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri, in 1910, at the age of 17. After passing his Intermediate Examination in Arts from the Scottish Church College, Calcutta, he did his graduation in religious studies from the Serampore College, a constituent college of the University of Calcutta .
184587
Hey :)  \n\nTry checking out their website http://www.anandamarga.org/ - it should answer any questions you may have :)  \n\nGood luck!
198534
http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/index.cfm?ctsrc=welcome
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Yes, I'v read all the classics of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Taoism, etc. etc. etc. Some very nice stuff in there. Most of it is lost on the average American or European reader, owing to translation and differences in fundamental worldviews. Quite frankly, you are no scholar. You are a new age looney who has read some yoga manuals and arrogantly thinks he knows as much as Patanjali (who did not, by any stretch of the imagination, live 3000 years B.C. and he's the closest to an "inventor" of yoga as you will find). Your pettiness, antagonism, and self-righteous attitude are utterly deplorable and would be frowned upon by all the great thinkers whose works you bastardize in your frilly new age syncretism. \n\nAnd you clearly have only an extremely superficial and inadequate understanding of Pauline theology.
652320
A.P.J Abdul Kalam....\n\nhow come u don kno that?
1005525
Yoga means union, or linking oneself to the surpreme.  if you want the whole story we need to sit down and talk as it took me six years of intense study, and i'm sorry, but i'm not prepared to sit here and type it all out at the moment.\n\non the other hand your question is the first step.  and now i will give you the second step.\n\ngo here:  http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/patanjal/patanyog.htm\n\nnamaste
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Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (Devanagari: मोहनदास करमचन्द गांधी; Gujarati: મોહનદાસ કરમચંદ ગાંધી; October 2, 1869 – January 30, 1948) was a major political and spiritual leader of India, and the Indian independence movement. He was the pioneer and perfector of Satyagraha - the resistance of tyranny through mass Civil Disobedience strongly founded upon ahimsa (total non-violence) — which led India to independence, and has inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. Gandhi is commonly known and addressed in India and across the world as Mahatma Gandhi (from Sanskrit, Mahatma: Great Soul) and as Bapu (in many Indian languages, Father).
320306
Yoga enables you to take some time out and focus your mind on relaxation and attitude.  Patanjali (http://hrih.net/patanjali/) has said that one develops concentration and clarity of thought by practising pranayama. Also by practising pranayama blood is purified and weakness of body are removed.
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Good question, but a tough one to answer.\n\nThe short, short answer is it just happened. \n\nThe longer more elaborate answer is that Siddhartha Gautama, then man who became the historic Buddha, spent years studying with many Religious masters including Brahmin hermits and ascetic monks. It is recorded that he surpassed his teachers in his learning and skills, yet he didn’t find what he was searching for...An end to suffering. Gautama attempted to find enlightenment through complete deprivation of worldly goods, including food, and became a complete ascetic.  However, he still found no answer to his questions. So, after discarding asceticism and concentrating on meditation, Gautama discovered what we today call the Middle Way; a path of moderation away from the extremes of self-indulgence and Asceticism. Then, sitting under a pipal tree (a type of fig tree) he vowed not to arise until he had found the truth he had been searching for. Some time later, under the tree, now called the Bodhi tree, Siddhartha Gautama experienced enlightenment and became "The Perfectly Self-Awakened One", the Buddha! (Sammasambuddha)\n\nBecause of the time period, he would not have had "books" but he did spend a great deal of time studying. However, these studies did not teach him about enlightenment, and he was not looking to be 'enlightened' so to speak. In fact, you could say that his 'lessons' before he achieved enlightenment, taught him what NOT to do. He was just looking for simple answers.  It just to happened that the answer was enlightenment. \n\nI hope this helped.
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I haven't read it myself but have heard good things about it\nThe Light On Pranayama: The Yogic Art of Breathing \nby B.K.S. Iyengar \nhttp://www.amazon.com/Light-Pranayama-Yogic-Art-Breathing/dp/0824506863/sr=8-1/qid=1163216305/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-4282659-5405669?ie=UTF8&s=books
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Of all the Masters through the ages, there is one acknowledged Master who has been referred to in the ancient scriptures, in legends and mystic tales, in passing mention by many renowned masters. Mentioned in the Puranas and other scriptures, he is known as Guru Gorakhnath. The Nath Sampradaya, among many others, revere him as Shiva Goraksha.\n\nIt is said that seeing Guru Gorakhnath in samadhi, Mata Parvati asked Lord Shiva about the yogi. Bhagwan Shankar or Lord Shiva stated that it was his own yogic manifestation. The Nine Naths and 84 Siddhas are aspects of Shiva himself, and legend suggests that they predate creation. Shiva Gorakshanath is the founder of the Siddha tradition. \n\nGorakhnath (also called Goraksanatha) was an 11th Century Hindu yogi who founded the Kanphata yogis.\n\nThe legend states that Guru Gorakhnath, the eternal sage and traditionally associated with Hatha Yoga (one of the branches of Yogic practices), has been around for thousands of years watching the welfare of humanity. Different legends ascribe different stories to his birth and the period of his worldly existence, and they vary greatly. The Nath Rahashya, which literally translates into the mystery of the masters, recounts birth, work, and death of nine such Naths (masters), and Guru Gorakhnath was the ninth Nath, preceded by his Guru, the eight Nath, namely, Matshyendranath.\n\nTraditionally, Guru Gorakhanath is believed to have been born sometime in the 8th century, whereas some believe it to be anytime from 8th century to several centuries later. He has traveled widely across the Indian subcontinenet, and accounts about him are found in some forms or others several places including Afghanistan, Baluchistan, Punjab, Sind, Uttar Pradesh, Nepal, Assam, Bengal, Maratha, and even Sri Lanka.\n\nGurkhas of Nepal also take their name from this saint. Gorakhpur, the district headquarters of Gorakhpur District, is believed to derive its name from Guru Gorakhnath.\n\nSpiritual knowledge is a matter of Guru-parampara. It is handed down from Guru to disciple. Gaudapadacharya imparted Self-knowledge to his disciple Govindacharya; Govindacharya to his disciple Sankaracharya; Sankaracharya to his disciple Suresvaracharya. Matsyendranath imparted knowledge to his disciple Gorakhnath; Gorakhnath to Nivrittinath; Nivrittinath to Jnanadeva. Totapuri imparted knowledge to Sri Ramakrishna, and Ramakrishna to Swami Vivekananda. It was Ashtavakra who moulded the life of Raja Janaka. It was Gorakhnath who shaped the spiritual destiny of Raja Bhartrihari. It was Lord Krishna who made Arjuna and Uddhava get themselves established in the spiritual path when their minds were in an unsettled state.\n\nMy note:-The lesson imparted was Guru Parampara, but not to Lord Krishna see above.
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Swami Ramdev is a Yoga legend and right now teaching yoga and ayurved in India and treating many diseases...cheers
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Self Exaltation 101 (the covert kind)\n\nSEE LINK:
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If you are interested in true self-realization and honest transformation I would suggest that you study the works of Paramahansa Yogananda. Yogananda was a Hindu sage that died in the 1950s after having taught extensively in the U.S. for decades. He taught metaphysics, and universal spiritual principles based on the teachings of Hinduism and also based on the teachings of Jesus. His books are written in an easy to understand language, you don't need a grand background in either metaphysics or theology to understand what he says. He was very down to earth, practical, and also right on the money. You can find info about him, his teachings, and the organization he founded (and it is still going strong) at the following URL. ~ Peace & Blessings ~
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I am his fan (but not from his sanyasis)...He is one of the greatest souls of the century\n\nHis explanations are logical, powerful and convincing.  He did not believe in the established religions and was against the control of churches and mosques...that z why he was not liked by most of the governments.\n\nMy first introduction to spirituality was through his book
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My gosh! They are already here NOW! Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi http://www.amma.org Read all about her and then go see her, then you will realize that.\n\nPlus there are many more working "quietly" in India and the Himalayas.\n\nI have read hundreds of books on spirituality for 17 years. I have learnt that there is ALWAYS someone here as great as those you mentioned here helping us. Some are just "quiet" not seeking attention, but only help those who sincerely want help. \n\nBut the person that is getting the MOST attention worldwide is Amma (Mata Amritanandamayi). She has hugged over 23 million people in the past 30 years. She revealed her God-Consciousness when she was 22 yrs old. Amma spends 6 months of the year traveling the world because she says that everybody on this planet is her child. When she is in India travelling, as many as 80,000-100K people show up at once to line up and see her. \n\nBillions of dollars have been donated to her for the past 30 years, and every dollar was spent building hundreds thousands of free homes for the poor, feeding the poor daily, raising orphaned children, building a state of the art hospital giving free care, many universities, etc. She does not spend it on herself. God provides her needs.\n\nI have read five books on her including dialogues that were recording. They are the most wise, intelligent and loving responses. I have learnt more from her than anything else. Many have already achieved God-Realization through her guidiance.\n\nThe reason why the newspapers don't talk about her in the USA because the Media does NOT have spiritual values!!! She'll be in the USA starting June-July.\n\nADDED: When Amma was six months old, she went from laying position straight to walking and talking bypassing the crawling stage. Babies do not talk or walk at SIX MONTHS! Unelss they are an enlightened soul.
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Someone who does not believe in anything beyond our physical world (including God, samsara, etc.)