A True Man of God

A True Man of God

By Jonathan Aquino

Saturday Stories

May 11, 2019

I

Paramhansa Yogananda once said, "Live quietly in the moment and see the beauty of all before you. The future will take care of itself." I first read "Autobiography of a Yogi" two weeks ago, seventy-three years since it was published in 1946, yet I knew right away why it is become one of the greatest and most influential spiritual books of all time. During the funeral service of Steve Jobs which he arranged himself, guests were given a little brown box as a farewell present, and inside the box is this book. It was a great privilege for me to meet a real saint through his own words. I felt great awe when I read the stories of his teachers and their miraculous lives and deeds – Sri Yukteswar, Sri Lahiri Mahasaya and the great Sri Mahavatara Babaji. 

II

Yogananda was a channel of wisdom and a bridge between East and West, the first teacher who taught the art and science of yoga to America. He was born on January 5, 1893 as Mukunda Lal Ghosh in Gorakphur, India. He has shown a keen interest in spiritual awakening since a boy, and at seventeen, he met his guru Swami Yukteswar. At twenty-two, he became a monk with the new name of Swami Yogananda Giri. He came to the United States in 1920 to represent India at the International Congress of Religious Liberals in Boston, and then he went on a spectacularly successful speaking tour. The rest is history, but it doesn't even scratch the surface of Yogananda's powerful mystical  

  

III

I believe that the core teachings of the major religions of the world are the same, and I still remember how my belief began. Many years ago during the mid-nineties, I met some members of the Hare Krishna movement at the Luneta Park. I would often go there in the afternoon and read a paperback under a tree. I saw them singing and dancing beside the fountain. The lead singer was an American who had shaved his head, playing a guitar, and the others are dancing and playing tambourines. They all wore loose-hanging white and orange garments. I sat on the grass, captivated by all that cheerful energy. One of them, Ravi – I still remember his name – gave me a copy of the book "Christ and Krishna" by Swami Bhaktipada.

IV

One of their songs was the classic from George Harrison, another of the many people whose lives have been touched by Yogananda. In the iconic cover of the album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" by The Beatles, there is Yogananda on your upper right in front of Bob Dylan. Also in that photo are Sri Yukteswar, Sri  Mahasaya and Sri Babaji. My friend Kavi and the other Hare Krishna devotees were singing – "My sweet Lord ... I really wanna see you ... really wanna be with You ... really wanna see You, Lord ... but it takes so long, my Lord ... my sweet Lord..." 

My Sweet Lord

George Harrison

Photo courtesy of TheWritePlace.com