Publication Date:July 25, 2006 Shipping:Eligible for Super Saver Shipping Promotion:Buy 4 eligible items in the 4-for-3 promotion offered by Amazon.com and get 1 of them free.Terms and Conditions Availability:Usually ships in 24 hours
Divine Joy Comes ThroughSeptember 20, 2008 GREAT words of the Master, Yogananda, pour through this book. Very well organized. It generates a feeling of love for God in the heart.
From an avid Paramahansa reader, this book is just okayJuly 13, 2007 9 out of 12 found this review helpful
I've read I believe all of Paramahansa's books. Of all of them, this one feels, in a word, "edited". It feels to me like a lot of the passages come more from the mind rather than from the heart. I think a lot of the words came from people other than Paramahansa. There is still a lot of wisdom in the book and a lot of words that touch the heart that seem to come directly from Paramahansa. But of all the Paramahansa books out there I would recommned this one the least.
They even use less preferred spelling of his name Paramhansa rather than Paramahansa.
If you really want to get fired up for God read Paramahansa's "Man's Eternal Quest"..especially the second half of book.
Finding Happiness in all the Right PlacesMarch 9, 2007 14 out of 14 found this review helpful
How often have we heard that the quest for happiness is somehow selfish, hedonistic and unworthy? It seems bizarre that most therapists have seen countless people who have felt guilt because they wanted to be happy.
Yet the human drive to be happy is a fundamental need that was recognized by the Ancient Greeks, Taoists in China and Hindus in India, as well as contemporary "Positive" psychologists. It is sad to learn that according to a recent Gallup poll, only a minority of Americans describe themselves as "very happy." It's easy to say, "Well what should we expect? Just watch the news." But that misses the point: most of us have never been taught how to unlock the secrets of happiness, joy and inner peace. Secrets that can help sustain us in the face of adversity.
Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi has remained a firm favorite since my teens, and many of his other books and lectures have been inspirational. What is always so different about his work is that he clearly writes and speaks from personal experience, unlike so many who only recite what they have heard or read. I did not know just how much material remained unpublished.
This short but meaty book consists of material that has apparently never been released before. As with his other books, his approach is powerful, but his style could best be described as rather playful. In just 143 pages, excluding the index and other resources, Yogananda explains virtually everything that you need to know to lead a happier and more fulfilling life.
He covers a number of important topics including: 1. Looking for happiness in the wrong place 2. Happiness is a choice 3. Avoiding the happiness 4. Learn to behave 5. Simplicity is the key 6. Sharing your happiness with others 7. True success and prosperity 8. Inner freedom and joy 9. Finding God is the greatest happiness
This is one of those books that you could read in a couple of hours. But its fruits could stay with you for a lifetime. It gives you not just ideas, but practical skills, and there will likely be single passages on which you will want to meditate before moving on to anything else. It is a book that for many people can be life-changing.
Highly recommended.
Richard G. Petty, MD, author of Healing, Meaning and Purpose: The Magical Power of the Emerging Laws of Life
A delightful and thoughtful masterpieceNovember 18, 2006 16 out of 16 found this review helpful
The author of Autobiography of a Yogi brings out pearls of wisdom on how to be happy in this small but priceless book. Most of the sayings here are not found in his other works. The advise given here is so simple yet so difficult to follow for ordinary mortals like us.
However, if one is able to follow the advise here, his/her life would be filled with so much bliss. The language used in this book is also easy to digest and understand and the reader would feel a sense of friendship and closeness with the author just by reading and applying the words of wisdom in every day living.
In conclusion, I would strongly recommend this book to everyone, especially those who are suffering from depression. The reader would be uplifted by the words being written here. A very engaging and powerful book.
This is a 'desert island' bookNovember 11, 2006 12 out of 13 found this review helpful
"If you were stranded on a desert island and could have only one book, what would it be?" Well, actually, I'd ask for five - but this would be one of them. This is the best 'how to' book I've ever read. Yogananda's perspective on the human condition will turn your own perspective inside-out (or outside-in). His approach is deceptively simple, but you'll find yourself saying, "Ahhhh, that's why I have that problem." More importantly, he gives simple ways to get out of our ruts, moods, and personal quagmires. I know his hints work, because I've tried them.
The chapter titles will give you a good idea of the type of helpful how-to hints in this book: 1. Looking for Happiness in the Wrong Place 2. Happiness is a Choice 3. Avoiding the Happiness Thieves 4. Learn to Behave 5. Simplicity is the Key 6. Sharing Your Happiness With Others 7. True Success and Prosperity 8. Inner Freedom and Joy 9. Finding God is the Greatest Happiness
Here is an excerpt:
"Happiness consists in making the mightiest efforts to reduce your desires and needs, and in cultivating the ability to meet those needs at will, always trying to smile, both outwardly and inwardly, in spite of every predicament.
"Be silent and calm every night for at least ten minutes (longer if possible) before you retire, and again in the morning before rising. This will produce an undaunted, unbreakable inner habit of happiness that will make you able to meet all the trying situations of the everyday battle of life. With that unchangeable happiness within, go about seeking to fulfill the demands of your day.
"Seek happiness more in your mind and less in the acquisition of things. Be so happy in your mind that nothing that comes can possibly make you unhappy. Then, you can get along without things you have been accustomed to. Be happy knowing you have acquired the power not to be negative. Know, too, that you will never again become so materially minded that you forget your inner happiness, even if you become a millionaire."
