The Life of Yogananda: The Story of the Yogi Who Became the First Modern Guru

Philip Goldberg

abr 2018 · Hay House, Inc

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He was called “the 20th century’s first superstar guru” (Los Angeles Times), and today, nearly a century after he arrived in the United States, he’s still the best known and most beloved of all the Indian spiritual teachers who have come to the West. Now, finally, Paramahansa Yogananda has the authoritative biography he deserves.

Paramahansa Yogananda, considered by many to be the father of modern yoga, has had an unsurpassed global impact thanks to the durability of his teachings, the institutions he created or inspired, and especially his iconic memoir, Autobiography of a Yogi.

Since its publication in 1946, that book has sold millions of copies and changed millions of lives. But it doesn’t tell the whole story.

Much of Yogananda’s seminal text is devoted to tales about other people, and it largely overlooks the three vital decades he spent living, working, and teaching in America. Huge chunks of his life —challenges, controversies, and crises; triumphs, relationships, and formative experiences —remain unknown to even his most ardent devotees. In this captivating biography, scholar and teacher Philip Goldberg fills the gaps, charting a journey that spanned six decades, two hemispheres, two world wars, and unprecedented social changes. The result is an objective, thoroughly researched account of Yogananda’s remarkable life in all its detail, nuance, and complex humanity.

But this is more than a compelling life story. “Yogananda would, I believe, want any book about him to not only inform but transform,” Goldberg writes. “It is my hope that readers will be enriched, expanded, and deepened by this humble offering.” That is sure to be the case for both Yogananda enthusiasts and those who discover him for the first time in these illuminating pages.

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Philip Goldberg grew up in Brooklyn and now lives in Los Angeles. A professional writer for more than 40 years, he is author or co-author of some 25 books published in more than a dozen languages. He is also a skilled public speaker, a workshop leader, a spiritual counselor, and the co-host of the popular podcast Spirit Matters. He blogs at Huffington Post and Spirituality & Health, and contributes to other publications. His most recent book prior to this one—American Veda—chronicles the impact of India's spiritual teachings on the West; it was named by Huffington Post and Library Journal as one of the top 10 Religion books of 2010. Website: philipgoldberg.com