Autobiography of a Yogi

Paramahansa Yogananda came to the United States from India in 1920 and spent decades teaching Kriya Yoga to Western students. Autobiography of a Yogi, published when he was fifty-three, covers his childhood in Bengal, his relationship with his teachers, and his encounters with other spiritual figures—Hindu saints, Western scientists, and Christian mystics. It’s a book that makes large metaphysical claims—miraculous healings, materialization of objects, experiences that Western secular readers will find either credible or not depending entirely on their prior commitments. What’s less disputed is the quality of the philosophical and spiritual thought throughout. Steve Jobs reportedly carried it on his iPad and arranged for copies to be given to attendees at his memorial. For readers open to Indian spiritual traditions, it’s a foundational text. For readers more skeptical, it remains an interesting document of a man who genuinely believed what he was saying and communicated it with considerable force.