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Tag: “Father of Yoga in the West”

  • Names for the Ineffable God

    image:  “The Blue Cosmos“

    Names for the Ineffable God

    God is one Being, but God has many aspects; thus God has many names.  All religious scriptures point to God as the only Creator.  As the ineffable Spirit, God remains only the essence of Bliss, but as Creation, He is able to function through various bodies and powers for differing motives.  

    The Many Names of God, the Ineffable

    The term “ineffable” applies to anything that is indescribable, something that is so beyond human concepts that there are actually no words that can do it justice.  The term God is such a concept.  If humankind wanted to proscribe all terms hitherto naming God, it would do well to employ only the term the “Ineffable.”

    Despite the fact that there are things, beings, even events that humanity finds ineffable, the confluence of the human mind and heart seeks to name and describe those entities anyway.   But the naming and describing must always come with the caveat that anything said naming and describing are mere approximations.

    For example, on the purely material, physical plane, the taste of an orange remains ineffable.  One may say the orange tastes sweet, but so do apples, cookies, and ethylene glycol—none of which tastes like an orange.   The only way to know the taste of an orange is to taste it—no description will ever reveal that actual taste.

    The same situation exists facing the issue of knowing who or what God is.  Humanity from time immemorial has described God, given God names and descriptions, but to know God is like to know the taste of an orange—it has to be experienced for oneself.

    That is where the practice of religion enters:  the purpose of religion is to assist the individual in discovering the method for knowing God. Because most human knowledge is acquired through the five senses, one would think that knowing God would also be acquired the same way.  

    But that does not work, because the senses can detect only phenomena on the physical, material level of being.   The five senses cannot detect noumena which exists on a different plane of existence.

    As the Absolute Spirit, God is an ineffable concept because the term God includes everything in creation and also everything that exists outside of creation.  God is both creation and the originator of creation.   This fact means that there is no way to understand such a being with the limited human mind.  

    Thus, the concept of God has come to be thought of in many manifestations or aspects, such as God as Father, God as Son, as God as Holy Spirit, which will be immediately recognized as the Trinity of Christianity, the religion of the West.  And the “Holy Spirit” aspect is the only aspect of God within creation. Paramahansa Yogananda explains the nature of the trinity [1]: 

    When Spirit manifests creation, It becomes the Trinity: Father, Son, Holy Ghost, or Sat, Tat, Aum. The Father (Sat) is God as the Creator existing beyond creation (Cosmic Consciousness). 

    The Son (Tat) is God’s omnipresent intelligence existing in creation (Christ Consciousness or KutasthaChaitanya). The Holy Ghost (Aum) is the vibratory power of God that objectifies and becomes creation.

    Many cycles of cosmic creation and dissolution have come and gone in Eternity. At the time of cosmic dissolution, the Trinity and all other relativities of creation resolve into the Absolute Spirit.

    The principal religion of the East is Hinduism, which is often mistakenly thought to be a polytheistic religion.  The term “polytheism” signifies a misleading concept.   There could never be two or more ultimate creators [2]: 

    Spirit, being the only existing Substance, had naught but Itself with which to create. 

    Spirit and Its universal creation could not be essentially different, for two ever-existing Infinite Forces would consequently each be absolute, which is by definition an impossibility. An orderly creation requires the duality of Creator and created.

    That mistake of assuming Hinduism to be polytheistic arises because in Hinduism, especially as interpreted through yogic philosophy, God is expressed through many aspects.

    Some of those aspects include such terms as Father, Mother, Friend, Love, Light, Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Sat-Chit-Ananda, Kali, Prakriti, Sat-Tat-Aum, and many others.   Dr. David Frawley’s explanation [3] includes the lowercase use of the term “god” which actually refers only to an aspect of the Supreme God, as the context will reveal: 

    Spirit, being the only existing Substance, had naught but Itself with which to create. 

    Spirit and Its universal creation could not be essentially different, for two ever-existing Infinite Forces would consequently each be absolute, which is by definition an impossibility. An orderly creation requires the duality of Creator and created.

    If Hinduism is deemed a polytheistic religion because of the many names for aspects of the one God, then Christianity could also be considered a polytheistic religion because it also possesses a trinity.  In addition to the trinity, the Judeo-Christian Bible also puts on display many other names for God such as Jehovah, Yahweh, Lawgiver, Creator, Judge, and Providence—all obvious aspects of the One Supreme Absolute or God.  

    The fact remains that both Hinduism and Christianity, along with Judaism and Islam, are monotheistic religions.  The Christian Trinity portrays the three functions of God, and Hinduism offers the same functional trinity in Sat-Tat-Aum.   Hinduism also includes other manifestations or aspects of God such as Krishna [4], who in many ways parallels Jesus the Christ and Kali [5], who parallels the Virgin Mary.

    Scientific religionists and dedicated spiritual seekers have determined that there is only one God—and all religions profess this fact—but there are many aspects of that one God.  And those aspects have been given specific labels for the purpose of discussion.   One cannot discuss everything at once; thus, to aid in that the ability to discuss spirituality and religion, various aspects of the one God have been isolated and specified with different names.

    Aspect Names Similar to Nicknames

    A human being may have several nicknames. I am Linda Sue Grimes, born Linda Sue Richardson, but I am also Sissy, Grammy, Nubbies—those are three of my nicknames:  I am Sissy to my sister; Grammy to my grandchildren; Nubbies to the husband. 

    There are not five of me just because I have five names.  There is one of me, but I have various aspects to different people; thus, each of them thinks of me in terms of a specific aspect to which they have each given a specific name.   It is a similar situation for naming God through His many aspects.

    However,  even more pressing because in theory, one could discuss the person “Linda Sue Grimes” without breaking the concept of her into various aspects because Linda Sue Grimes as a human being is not ineffable.  A discussion of the ineffable God remains impossible without those names of aspects.  

    God Remains Ineffable

    Still, God remains ineffable despite the various aspects assigned to the concept.  The spiritually striving devotee on the path to God unity is not attempting to merely understand God, which would be a mental function.  

    The spiritual aspirant is working to unite with God, more specifically to contact his own soul which is the spark or expression of God.   Contacting the soul means quieting both the physical body and the mind in order for the soul become ascendant in one’s consciousness.  

    Avatars such a Paramahansa Yogananda instruct devotees that they are not the body, not the mind, but the soul.  In fact, the human being is a soul that possesses and body and mind, not the other way around.   The soul has become a blurred concept as it is replaced with the ego, which strongly identifies with physical body and the mind.

    It is only through the soul that the human being can contact God.  The body cannot contact God because it is just bunch of chemicals; the mind cannot contact God because it gets its information through the unreliable senses.  

    The senses are in contact with the ever-changing maya delusion of the created cosmos.  Thus, only the soul as a spark of God can contact God.  The only way the soul can contact God is to quiet the body and mind.   After the body and mind become quieted and capable of remaining perfectly still, the soul can manifest to the consciousness of the individual human being.

    Why Did God Create the Cosmic Delusion?

    Paramahansa Yogananda explains:

    In order to give individuality and independence to Its thought images, Spirit had to employ a cosmic deception, a universal mental magic. 

    Spirit overspread and permeated Its creative desire with cosmic delusion, a grand magical measurer described in Hindu scriptures as maya (from the Sanskrit root ma, “to measure”). 

    Delusion divides, measures out, the Undefined Infinite into finite forms and forces. The working of cosmic delusion on these individualizations is called avidya, individual illusion or ignorance, which imparts a specious reality to their existence as separate from Spirit.

    . . .

    This Unmanifested Absolute cannot be described except that It was the Knower, the Knowing, and the Known existing as One. 

    In It the being,  Its cosmic consciousness, and Its omnipotence, all were without differentiation: ever-existing, ever-conscious, ever newly joyous Spirit. 

    In this Ever-New Bliss, there was no space or time, no dual conception or law of relativity; everything that was, is, or is to be existed as One Undifferentiated Spirit.  [6]

    The question arises, however:  why did God decide to manifest into various forms, if as one ineffable Spirit He is nothing but Bliss?  The best answer to that question is what gurus (spiritual leaders) tell their chelas (spiritual aspirants):  leave some questions to Eternity, meaning after you reach your goal of unity with God, all questions will be answered.  

    However, Paramahansa Yogananda has also answered that question by explaining that God created his lila or divine play simply in order to enjoy it.  As unmanifested Spirit, God exists as bliss, but even though He is present in his Creation and likely enjoying it, He is also suffering it; thus arise various paths that lead god back to God, or the soul back to the Over-Soul.  

    Because that answer likely still heralds another “why?”  One must return to the notion of leaving some answers to Eternity.  One must take baby steps on the journey back to uniting with unmanifested Spirit.   Just fitting the physical and mental bodies by yogic practice for the ability to accomplish that unity gives the devotee enough to think about and do.

    Other Concepts and Labels for God

    As names for God vary, so do personal concepts.  For example, Jesus the Christ liked to think of God as the Father [7]; thus, many Western prayers begin with “Heavenly Father.”

    The founder Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF), Paramahansa Yogananda—”The Father of Yoga in the West”—was fond of assigning the mother-aspect to God and referring to God as Divine Mother.  Thus, the opening of each SRF gathering begins with the following invocation: 

    Heavenly Father, Mother, (often lengthened to “Divine Mother”), Friend, Belovèd God, followed by the names of each guru associated with Self-Realization Fellowship.

    All of these named references designate aspects of the same Entity—the Absolute Spirit or God.

    My Use of the Term “God”

    Because the term God can be alienating, especially triggering atheists and agnostics, I often refer to God in my commentaries by one of His possibly less disagreeable aspects. Therefore, I employ such terms as Ultimate Reality, Originator, Creator, Divine Reality, Divine Belovèd, Blessèd Creator, or simply just the Divine.  

    Likely, even the term Divine can be too mystically oriented for some postmodern, belligerent anti-spiritual, anti-religionists.  Nevertheless, I do not completely eschew using the label God, despite negative reactions to and ignorance about the term, because the term does remain accurate and perfectly descriptive.

    I do, however, continue to strive to render the context in which I use the term God as accurate and understandable as possible so that it may soften the blow for postmodern minds, being accosted by that term.

    Sources

    [1]  Editors.  Glossary:  Trinity. Self-Realization Fellowship Official Web Site. Accessed March 5, 2023.

    [2]  Editors. “Law of Maya.”  Paramahansa Yogananda: The Royal Path of Yoga.  Accessed March 5, 2023.

    [3]  David Frawley. “Is Hinduism a Monotheistic Religion?”  American Institute of Vedic Studies. August 27, 2014.

    [4]  Editors. “About Krishna.”  krishna.com. Accessed January 14, 2021.

    [5] Subhamoy Das. “Kali: The Dark Mother Goddess in Hinduism.”  Learn Religions. Updated January 17, 2019.

    [6] Editors. “Paramahansa Yogananda: The Father of Yoga in the West.”  Self-Realization Fellowship Official Web Site.  Accessed January 14, 2021.

    [7]  Stephen Smith. Editor. “How Many Times Does Jesus Call God Father?” OpenBible.info. January 10, 2021.

  • Life Sketch of Paramahansa Yogananda:  Father of Yoga in the West

    Image a: Book Cover Songs of the Soul

    Life Sketch of Paramahansa Yogananda:  Father of Yoga in the West

    Paramahansa Yogananda is the monastic name of Mukunda Lal Ghosh.  The sources for this brief life sketch of Paramahansa Yogananda are his Autobiography of a Yogi and the official Self-Realization Fellowship website.

    “Father of Yoga in the West”

    On January 5, 1893, in Gorakhpur, India, Mukunda Lal Ghosh was born to Bhagabati Charan Ghosh and Gurru Ghosh (Gyana Prabha Ghosh), who were very spiritually minded individuals, and their influence on the young Mukunda served as a guiding light as the future yogi grew to manhood.

    Paramahansa Yogananda became known as the “Father of Yoga in the West,” where he retains a vital influence on the growth of yoga and spirituality. His influence as a practicing yogi and teacher of yogic techniques reveals him as an avatar, who brought the ancient wisdom of India to a Western audience.  His teachings on Kriya Yoga and the path to God-union (self-realization) have enriched the lives of succeeding generations of people around the world as well as in the United States of America. 

    Image b:  Paramahansa Yogananda at Age Six  SRF

    Loss of a Beloved Mother

    Paramahansa Yogananda’s Autobiography of a Yogi is now recognized as a spiritual classic, attracting spiritual enthusiasts and seekers of the Divine.  The book presents philosophical profundities coupled with  accounts of miracles, as it remains a deeply personal account. The great guru’s life offers a testimony, revealing the necessity of spiritual striving, the efficacy of devotion, and the power of yoga to transform lives.

    From a very early age, the boy Mukunda possessed a deep spiritual longing. He was sensitive to the haphazard nature of life and thus was promoted to search for a contentment that could become permanent. In his Autobiography, he explains:”The desire for God-realization was powerfully present in me from my earliest childhood.”

    Mukunda loved his mother as his closest friend and ally, and after she died when he was only eleven years old, he suffered greatly, and his intense desire for “Divine Mother” grew exponentially.  About his mother has has remarked,  “I loved Mother as my dearest friend on earth. Her solacing black eyes had been my refuge in the trifling tragedies of childhood.”

    The loss of his mother further deepened his desire to find the True Source of all life and love.  This spiritual longing motivated him to search for a true guru, a spiritual guide who could set him on the path to God-union. 

    Image c:  Yogananda at age 16  Paramahansa Yogananda: Royal Path of Self-Realization 

    Meeting His Guru

    In 1910, Mukunda met his guru Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri, who was a highly respected yogi and scholar. This momentous encounter set Mukunda’s life on the path to becoming a Kriya Yoga master.

    Interestingly, Swami Sri Yukteswar was a chela (disciple) of Lahiri Mahasaya, who was also the guru of Mukunda’s parents.  Mukunda was well acquainted with Lahiri Mahasaya.  During a severe bout of illness, Mukunda was healed by viewing and praying to the picture of Lahiri Mahasaya.

    Under the tutelage of Swami Sri Yukteswar, Mukunda studied the science and practiced the techniques of Kriya Yoga, a method of pranayama (breath control) that leads to  spiritual awareness. 

    Yogananda has explained that as “master of his body and Mind, the Kriya Yogi  ultimately achieves victory over the ‘last enemy’  Death.”  The great guru emphasized that the practice of Kriya Yoga has the power to still the mind and awaken the dormant spiritual centers within the spine. 

    Swami Sri Yukteswar’s rigorous and loving guidance led Mukunda to dedicate himself to the yogic practice, from which he  developed a thorough understanding of the yogic scriptures and experienced deep spiritual realizations. 

    For ten years, Mukunda underwent training with Swami Sri Yukteswar, becoming proficient in the technique of Kriya Yoga; furthermore, he also learned the importance of character development, discipline, and complete devotion to God. 

    The Swami’s influence on Yogananda was profound and lasting, and it shaped the chela’s spiritual view, readying him for his future mission in disseminating the teachings  and techniques of Kriya Yoga in the West.

    Mukunda Becomes Yogananda

    In 1915, Mukunda took the monastic vows of the Swami order, receiving the monastic name Yogananda, which means “bliss through yoga.” About his name, the great guru has explained:

    My name was changed to Yogananda in 1915 when I entered the ancient monastic Swami Order.  In 1935 my guru bestowed on me the further religious title of Paramahansa.

    Swami Yogananda founded a school in Ranchi, India, which became a thriving center for spiritual training.  At this point in his life, Yogananda began to develop his unique teaching style, drawing from the ancient wisdom of the East along with a modern, accessible approach that would make his teaching compatible with and accessible to Western audiences. 

    The great guru emphasized the universality of spiritual principles, drawing parallels between the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita and the Holy Bible, to demonstrate the underlying unity and purpose of all religions.

    Travel to America

    Yogananda traveled to the United States in 1920. This relocation from India to the USA brought about a new stage in Yogananda’s life and became a important stage for the history of yoga in the West. 

    Yogananda came to America to serve as a delegate from India at the International Congress of Religious Liberals in Boston, sponsored by the American Unitarian Association.

    However, his mission became far more momentous than this initial event.   His message was so well received that he was encouraged to embark on a journey across the country, giving lectures and conducting classes.  

    Image d:  SRF Mother Center – Photo by Ron Grimes 

    Founding Self-Realization Fellowship

    In 1925, the great guru founded  Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF), the organization dedicated to disseminating the teachings of Kriya Yoga and promoting spiritual understanding among the world’s religions. 

    His powerful speaking skills, his deep spiritual insights, and genuine compassion attracted and captivated audiences. He taught about not only of physical and mental well-being but also of the deeper purpose of life, which he insisted was to realize or unite with the soul, which is the inherent divinity within each individual.  Furthermore, he taught about the reality of achieving God-union (self-realization) through dedication to practice of yoga techniques.

    Yogananda’s message has continued to resonate with a growing number of Americans and spiritual seekers around the world, who are searching for meaning and purpose beyond the material level of being. 

    He and his teachings have introduced his audiences all over the world to the profound benefits of yoga, not just as a physical discipline, but as a spiritual path to soul awakening. 

    Not only has he taught about the philosophy of seeking God, but he has also taught the techniques of Kriya Yoga, meditation, and other spiritual practices, which empower individuals to take control of their own spiritual development. 

    The great avatar has always emphasized the vital necessity of direct experience, motivating his students (chelas or devotees) to go beyond intellectual understanding and to develop and nurture a personal relationship with the Divine Reality.

    Image e:  Autobiography of a Yogi SRF 

    A Spiritual Classic

    Paramahansa Yogananda’s Autobiography of a Yogi, published in 1946, became an spiritual classic and has remained in print ever since. It is assigned to classes at colleges and universities all over the USA.  

    The Autobiography is an in-depth account of the guru’s life, complete with stories of his encounters with saints, mystics, and other spiritual masters. The book provides a clear and accessible explanation of Kriya Yoga, the philosophy of Self-Realization, and the universal principles underlying all spiritual paths.   Yogananda’s spiritual classic remains a testimony to the power of faith, devotion, and the transformative power of yoga.  As he explains, 

    Saints of all religions have attained God-realization through the simple concept of the Cosmic Beloved. Because the Absolute is nirguna, “without qualities,” and acintya, “inconceivable,” human thought and yearning have ever personalized It as the Universal Mother.

    Yogananda’s teachings have extended far beyond the practice of yoga and meditation. He placed heavy emphasis on the importance of balanced living, integrating physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. He encouraged his devotees to nurture positive qualities such as love, compassion, forgiveness, and humility. 

    He stressed the necessity of ethical conduct and selfless service, recognizing that true spiritual growth is inseparable from a life of integrity and compassion.  Throughout his life, Yogananda met many challenges, including misunderstandings, negative criticism, and the inexorable difficulties of establishing a spiritual movement with a different culture from that of the founder. 

    However, he maintained a steadfast determination and desire for the success of his mission, and he never wavered in his commitment to sharing the teachings of Kriya Yoga and promoting spiritual understanding. 

    To that spiritual end, he continued to establish further SRF centers and ashrams across the United States and in India, providing places for students to gather, practice, and deepen their spiritual routines.

    Influence on the West

    Paramahansa Yogananda’s influence on the West has become strong and enduring. He is widely considered “The Father of Yoga in the West,” for he has introduced millions to the ancient science of yoga and the path of Self-Realization. 

    The great guru’s teachings continue to spread far and wide, inspiring and transforming lives, as they guide seekers on their spiritual paths and help them to discover the Divine Reality within themselves. 

    His legacy continues to be maintained and promoted through Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF), the organization he founded to disseminate his teachings and provide spiritual guidance to students around the world.  His wealth of wisdom is contained in his writings, lectures, and recorded talks, which offer guidance on a wide range of spiritual topics, curated and disseminated by SRF.

    The Power of a Life Well Lived

    Paramahansa Yogananda’s life remains a shining example of the power of the spiritual search, unflagging devotion, and the transformative power of yoga.   The great guru is an avatar, a true pioneer with a vision, as well as a spiritual master who brought the ancient wisdom of India to the West, placing an impressive landmark on the spiritual landscape. His teachings continue to resonate with seekers around the world because they offer a direct path to God-realization, inner peace, and lasting happiness. 

    The great guru has demonstrated through his own life the possibility of achieving spiritual enlightenment and living a life of purpose, filled with joy and divine love. His legacy remains spiritually inspirational and continues to uplift new students, who flock to receive his teachings and blessings.

    The great guru Paramahansa Yogananda continues to remind all spiritual seekers that the soul of each individual is inherently divine. and each individual  possesses the limitless ability to grow spiritually.

    Sources

    • Paramahansa Yogananda. Autobiography of a Yogi. Self-Realization Fellowship. Print. Original date: 1946. Copyright Renewed 1974, 1981, 1998, 2007. Thirteenth printing 1998. 
    • Self-Realization Fellowship Official Website.

    Image f: Paramahansa Yogananda “The Last Smile“

    The voice of Paramahansa Yogananda