"Notes on Reading 'An Autobiography of a Yogi'"

"Autobiography of a Yogi" Reading Notes#

Author: Paramahansa Yogananda
Reading Duration: 1 hour

These are the notes and excerpts I recorded while reading "Autobiography of a Yogi" on WeChat Reading.

Chapter 1 My Parents and Early Life#

"Why be happy for material gains?" my father replied, "A person who seeks inner peace is not elated by gain nor troubled by loss. He knows that nothing is brought into this world at birth, nor taken away at death."

Chapter 2 The Death of My Mother and the Mysterious Amulet#

"Little mother, your son will become a yogi. As a spiritual engine, he will take many souls to God's kingdom."

Chapter 3 The Interrupted Journey to the Himalayas#

"Even the most heavily burdened by karma can quickly free themselves from the influence of past actions by continuously meditating on 'I'. They can become noble souls and soon attain eternal peace. Arjuna must be assured of this: 'He who believes in me shall have eternal life!'"

Chapter 4 The Aromatic Saint Displays Miracles#

"To everything, there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven."

God is simple; the rest is complex. Do not seek absolute values in the relative world of nature.

Few can unravel her secrets! Life presents the challenging riddle of good and evil, like the Sphinx, before every wise person. Most, having tried and failed to find answers, have paid with their lives; today's suffering is still equivalent to that of ancient Thebes. The solitary statues standing everywhere have never cried out in defeat. They have plucked the unified truth from the duality of Maya.

For a long time, I approached wisdom through very arduous introspection. Continuously paying attention to my inner thoughts and thoroughly self-examining is a rigorous and shocking experience. It dismantles the indestructible 'ego'. Precise and truthful self-analysis can produce prophets. The so-called 'self-expression' that individuals engage in only leads egoists to firmly believe that their personal interpretations of God and the universe are correct.

Humanity cannot comprehend eternal truth unless it can liberate itself from delusion. The human mind is exposed to the mire of time, filled with countless distasteful illusions of the world. Compared to humanity's first encounter with its inner enemies, the struggles on the battlefield become trivial and meaningless! These are not enemies that can be conquered by powerful armed forces! These are soldiers equipped with the poisonous weapons of ignorance and greed, who attempt to harm us all at any time and place. Selfishness is what buries ideals and succumbs to fate. What else can he appear to be, besides incompetent, numb, and despicable?

To love both the morally perfect, formless God and the apparently devoid of tangible virtues humanity is often perplexing! But wisdom can solve this riddle. Inner exploration quickly reveals the unity of the human mind—an unwavering motivation focused solely on self-interest. At least on some level, this reveals the principle that 'all men are brothers'. Accompanying this simple discovery is human humility. When it matures, it transforms into compassion for his kind—those souls waiting for rescue yet ignoring the existence of healing power.

The fragrance fades with death. Why should I desire only those things that please the flesh?"

Set aside your original thoughts (selfish ideas and ambitions), freely give to others what you have, and never retreat in the face of adversity!

"To everything, there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven."

God is simple; the rest is complex. Do not seek absolute values in the relative world of nature.

Few can unravel her secrets! Life presents the challenging riddle of good and evil, like the Sphinx, before every wise person. Most, having tried and failed to find answers, have paid with their lives; today's suffering is still equivalent to that of ancient Thebes. The solitary statues standing everywhere have never cried out in defeat. They have plucked the unified truth from the duality of Maya.

For a long time, I approached wisdom through very arduous introspection. Continuously paying attention to my inner thoughts and thoroughly self-examining is a rigorous and shocking experience. It dismantles the indestructible 'ego'. Precise and truthful self-analysis can produce prophets. The so-called 'self-expression' that individuals engage in only leads egoists to firmly believe that their personal interpretations of God and the universe are correct.

Humanity cannot comprehend eternal truth unless it can liberate itself from delusion. The human mind is exposed to the mire of time, filled with countless distasteful illusions of the world. Compared to humanity's first encounter with its inner enemies, the struggles on the battlefield become trivial and meaningless! These are not enemies that can be conquered by powerful armed forces! These are soldiers equipped with the poisonous weapons of ignorance and greed, who attempt to harm us all at any time and place. Selfishness is what buries ideals and succumbs to fate. What else can he appear to be, besides incompetent, numb, and despicable?

To love both the morally perfect, formless God and the apparently devoid of tangible virtues humanity is often perplexing! But wisdom can solve this riddle. Inner exploration quickly reveals the unity of the human mind—an unwavering motivation focused solely on self-interest. At least on some level, this reveals the principle that 'all men are brothers'. Accompanying this simple discovery is human humility. When it matures, it transforms into compassion for his kind—those souls waiting for rescue yet ignoring the existence of healing power.

The fragrance fades with death. Why should I desire only those things that please the flesh?"

Set aside your original thoughts (selfish ideas and ambitions), freely give to others what you have, and never retreat in the face of adversity!

Chapter 5 Tiger Swami#

A change of heart entered my heart. When I finally left the cage, it seemed I also closed the door on my worldly ambitions.

Chapter 6 The Floating Saint#

The worldly do not like the frankness and integrity that shatter their illusions. Saints are not only rare but also feel awkward. Even in the classics, they often find themselves in dilemmas!"

"For the endless blessings of the cosmic kingdom, I leave behind a few worthless rubles and some small pleasures. What have I sacrificed? I know the joy of sharing treasures. Is that a sacrifice? The shortsighted worldly man is the one who truly sacrifices! They reject the incomparable wealth of heaven for the meager toys of the earth!"

The worldly do not like the frankness and integrity that shatter their illusions. Saints are not only rare but also feel awkward. Even in the classics, they often find themselves in dilemmas!"

"For the endless blessings of the cosmic kingdom, I leave behind a few worthless rubles and some small pleasures. What have I sacrificed? I know the joy of sharing treasures. Is that a sacrifice? The shortsighted worldly man is the one who truly sacrifices! They reject the incomparable wealth of heaven for the meager toys of the earth!"

Chapter 7 Indian Scientist Bose#

One must strive for a long time to see through the hypocritical appearances, to enter the invisible reality, and to exert persistent, unwavering will and ingenuity to overcome human limits. All creative scientists know that the mind is the true laboratory, where they discover the laws of truth behind the illusions.

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