A Short Personal Story about Yogananda

[kycahi]

I attended the University of Louisville, and my Freshmen Physics instructor was Don Elkins. It wasn't long before rumors about that Professor floated around, including some involving UFOs. My friend Bill got a job at the Ford plant in Louisville and a co-worker was Hal Price, who introduced channeling to Don.

Hal invited Bill and me to a Wednesday night session in Hal's home, and we were hooked. Don showed up sometimes and often channeled. After a while Hal gave us a three part list of recommended books. The first part was mostly UFO experience stuff. The second part was more about meditation and reincarnation, as I recall. The third part was very esoteric and included Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda.

I sampled my way through the first two lists and eventually got to the Yogananda autobiography from a library. I found it to be very accessible and a page-turner. After I moved to California, I found evidence of his followers here and there, always spiritual and decent groups.

Yesterday, a friend phoned to say that he saw the film, “Awake: the Life of Yogananda.” He went back to see it three times and thought I would like it. I saw it today and agree with him that it's a terrific film. Among many things, I learned how Yogananda came to write the autobiography and what happened after he finished it.

If this film shows up near you, check it out; you will enjoy it.

[Diana]

I have that book and really liked it. Thanks for the recommendation on the film.

I knew an artist who belonged to the Self-Realization Fellowship. He had some old audio tapes from the fifties or sixties, of Yogananda speaking to an audience. I borrowed and listened to them. Yogananda was such a loving person—you could hear it in his voice.

I also visited the Self-Realization fellowship in California some years ago, I think in Carlsbad. It was a beautiful place with gorgeous grounds of flowers and paths. A great place to feel peaceful and meditative.

For those that don't know. one very interesting thing about Yogananda was that when he died (or rather, translated), his dead body never showed any signs of decomposition. This was unheard of (still is, as far as I know). He had apparently so purified himself and body that the physical vehicle did not exhibit any signs of normal decay before he was buried (or cremated—not sure).

[Nuria Luz]

The autobiography is in my list of books-to-read, I haven't started yet. In the near future, I hope!
Check this link I found, it seems another case of uncorrupted body. I do not know how true it is, but it is cool enought to share!
http://earthweareone.com/mummified-buddh...-of-death/

[native]

Thanks for the post. I've looked at that book before, but at the time wasn't interested in adding it to my long list. Just did! I'm gonna try to see the film. Not sure if you noticed in the "Screenings" section, but you can work with your local theater/art house and have the screening come there for free if there isn't one nearby.

[Matt1]

Nice story. I have always been interested in Kriya Yoga and the work of Babaji. I have Yoganandas book but i haven't ever got through it all yet. I have to get round to it some day.

[kycahi]

I texted a friend about the film. She works for a company that owns screens in Oregon, Washington and Northern California. I said I thought the film would do well in Ashland OR, which is very hip. She replied that they "four-walled it in several locations."

"Four-walling" is the renting of an auditorium for a flat fee instead of the usual sharing of ticket sales for a certain percentage. So a film-maker that draws a crowd, through advertising or getting out the word of mouth, could do well. For this film, I think it's word of mouth.

[native]

How do you pronounce kycahi? And not to derail the thread, but do you know if the group read about Neem Karoli Baba? He was a true mystic..capable of all sorts of paranormal things.

I'd be interested to know of some of the more paranormal experiences of Yogananda as well.

[kycahi]

The short way to pronounce it is Ki rhymes with sigh, kah, hee. The long way is "Kentucky, California, Hawaii." When I registered here I had seen that most people had "handles" and that's what I came up with for me.

I haven't read the autobio for many decades, but I know that he mentioned witnessing some paranormal experiences and probably had some. I think he didn't want such stuff to be what reviewers and readers focused on when making reference to the book, so that was low key. Oh yeah, he had seen images of his guru since a child and found him by going to the right place and walking around.

You could say that the book itself was almost paranormal because of the excellent style with very good command of vocabulary, considering that when he embarked to the USA he only knew a phrase or two of English. By the time he wrote the book, though, he had been here for many years and he was super smart as well as wise.

I don't remember Neem Karoli Baba in the film. You could dig around in the SRF website, by access to the link in the book title, but I dunno if the fellowship features the paranormal.

[native]

That's how I thought it was pronounced Paranormal in the sense of energetic effects or miraculous happenings. Kriya yoga is supposed to produce such things. In mentioning Neem Karoli, I was wondering if you knew whether Don, Carla, and Jim were aware of him.

[kycahi]

That's how I thought it was pronounced Paranormal in the sense of energetic effects or miraculous happenings. Kriya yoga is supposed to produce such things. In mentioning Neem Karoli, I was wondering if you knew whether Don, Carla, and Jim were aware of him.

Well, Don soaked up the paranormal like a sponge. He sought it out and gave it a fair listen. He said that to investigate this stuff, "you have to begin by being completely gullible, and only later determine whether it was genuine."

I don't recall him mentioning Neem Karoli, but he went through a huge amount of this sort of thing. He wasn't given to talking about the phenomena very much, unless it gave him new insights. Once the Ra contact started, I believe they thought of it as the best paranormal work of all.

Carla witnessed some stuff while with Don, and will talk about it sometimes and gladly when asked, but independently from Don I don't think that she or Jim have pursued it particularly.

To be clear, IMO Don came into his life with a goal of connecting with the "supernatural," which led him inexorably to Carla and Jim and Ra. Carla and Jim carry on the work that they began with Don, making the information available and unfiltered to all who might benefit. I love them and am enormously grateful.

[Shemaya]

Lee, what a wonderful sharing! Much appreciated, to hear your story and some of the backdrop for their (Don, Carla and Jim's) life work.

[native]

Yes, thanks for sharing!