MY REVIEW OF AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A YOGI BY PARAMAHANSA YOGANANDA

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

In his superb book, Autobiography of a Yogi, Paramahansa Yogananda tells his life from childhood to old age.

What surprised me was his open-mindedness and his respect for all religions. Thanks to him, I learned more about a German Catholic woman, named Therese Newman. She had the stigmata and every Friday her body oozed blood. Furthermore, she did not eat or drink. Her only nourishment was a consecrated host every morning.

What attracted Paramahansa Yogananda to Therese Newman, who at the time was little known even in her own country, is a mystery. Perhaps, great mystic souls have the ability to communicate with each other telepathically.

The account Paramahansa Yogananda gives of his meeting with Therese Newman is so vivid and detailed that I cannot doubt it is not true.

In his autobiography, Paramahansa Yogananda tells many miracles. Most of them were performed by people who were initiated into the discipline called Kriya Yoga.

He exported Kriya Yoga to the West and gave rise to an interchange of ideas between East and West.

Deep down, Autobiography of a Yogi reveals that man is nothing but energy!

Ettore Grillo, author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily (English edition)

– A Hidden Sicilian History (English edition)

– The Vibrations of Words (English edition)

– Travels of the Mind (English edition)

– Una Storia Siciliana Nascosta (edizione in lingua italiana)

– Viaggi della Mente (edizione in lingua italiana)

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

WHERE IS AUROVILLE?

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

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Auroville is near Pondicherry, which had been a French colony. The French name, Auroville, means the city of Sri Aurobindo, who is the founder of the community along with a French lady called Mirra Alfassa, and also known as “The Mother.”
Sri Aurobindo invented a kind of yoga called “Integral.” When my wife and I visited his ashram in Pondicherry, we bought a booklet about it. But after having read it, I couldn’t find a method to practice it; in fact, I couldn’t understand what it was. The book talked about the creation of a super mind. Maybe, according to Aurobindo’s Integral yoga, the supermind is intended to transcend materiality and be one with the universe.

I don’t know exactly what the residents did to make a living. I heard that they had some kind of job. Some are teachers, other farmers, and so on. A Korean lady, who now is an Auroville dweller, invented a job to get by. She made and sold kimchi, a traditional fermented Korean health food.
There were neither temples nor churches in the area. Apparently, the founders had intended to prevent the erection of any place of worship that might discriminate against the residents on the basis of their creed. To carry out the ecumenical end, a round gilt building called the Matrimandir had been erected that encompassed all religions. People who are both from Auroville and the outside are allowed to enter just to meditate. But while residents can go in anytime, nonresidents need to make a reservation.

We entered the building and followed a circular walkway. I didn’t see any statues or religious symbols. We were told that we would see a prismatic crystal on the top floor of the Matrimandir that emanated special energy. When we at last reached the top floor, people were meditating facing the crystal. It was dark inside. I didn’t see the prismatic crystal; my wife spotted it, but said she didn’t feel that it emanated any special energy.

This is an excerpt from A Hidden Sicilian History by Ettore Grillo
Ettore Grillo, author of these books:
– A Hidden Sicilian History
– The Vibrations of Words
-Travels of the Mind
http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo