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kolkata
Unregistered User
(3/8/02 11:38 am)
Reply 		Yogananda and Vivekananda
Yogananda was born the year Vivekananda passed away. Both were Bengalis. Vivekananda and his guru Ramakrishna lived in Calcutta as did Yogananda for a time. Being Bengali and from Calcutta, Yogananda had to have been influenced deeply by Ramakrishna and Vivekananda, since their influence was and still is immense, but even more so back then so close to the times when they both lived and in the place where their dramas unfolded. Yet one hardly ever hears mention of this influence on Yogananda, except for the mention of Master Mahasaya "M" in the autobiography and the small mention of the student of Yogananda who wanted Vivekananda to be his guru.

Does anyone know of any contact between Yogananda and the Ramakrishna Order? Nowadays SRF's Dakshineswar headquarters are very near the Kali Temple where Ramakrishna lived and worshipped on the same bank of the Ganges (Hooghly), and almost in front of the Ramakrishna Order's Belur Math headquarters across the river. But back then when Yogananda was young he had to have been influenced by the RO with it and so many of their important places and history so close to him. Yogananda himself never mentions any affinity for Ramakrishna or Vivekananda, though some say there was a jealousy/rivalry between Yogananda and the latter, with Yogananda wanting to "best" him as a world teacher and champion of India and Hinduism abroad.

Also, is it true what's been said that when Yogananda had already established SRF in Los Angeles, where there is a Vedanta Society that was pretty powerful back then (with Swami Prabhavananda in charge and famous celebrities as members) that he frequented the place but ended up in bad terms with them, even being forbidden to visit ever again?

username
Registered User
(3/8/02 1:06 pm)
Reply 		yogananada and vedanta
The Auto of a Yogi talks about Yogananda's visit to the Kali temple of Ramakrishna.

I have also heard of Yogananda's visits to the Hollywood Vedanta society when Swami Prabhavananda was there. Christopher Isherwood was a disciple of the Swami and at one time a monk. Aldous Huxley lived up the road and was also a disciple of Swami.

Yogananda and Swami Prabhavananda were often seen walking the grounds of the Hollywood Vedanta Society arm in arm.....

and there was a disagreement .....

AumBoy
Registered User
(3/8/02 10:19 pm)
Reply
ezSupporter
 Re: Yogananda and Vivekananda
Yogananda and Vivekananda know each other. If you go very deep in meditation, you'll know this to be true.

Lobo
Registered User
(3/8/02 11:37 pm)
Reply 		Re: yogananada and vedanta
Username,

This is the second time I've come across this story on the internet. I frequent the Vedanta Society, have read most of the books written by Prabhavanandaji and all of Isherwood's Vedanta related stuff but I havn't ever heard any of the current monks that I see and speak with in the bookstore say anything regarding this. One monk, Nityachatanya (sp), asked me once my spiritual affilition and when I told him Yogananda he kinda lit up and told me that he'd been to the Lake Shrine and wanted to go visit Mt. Washington but didn't know how to get there.

There wasn't any sign that maybe the guru I follow and his guru might've had problems in the past. But then, of course, maybe he just didn't want to pass on something he might've considered ancient gossip.

Could you please explain what all this stuff amounts to? Like the previous poster said you never hear SRF say anything about Vedanta Society or their lineage. On the other hand, one can find all sorts of spiritual books from different teacher's of different wisdom traditions at the Vedanta Bookstore in Hollywood, but I've never come across anything from Yogananda or SRF. Did find a couple of books and a tape by Kriyananda, which is interesting I thought, in view of the latter.

Thanks

willy1080
Registered User
(3/9/02 12:27 am)
Reply 		Re: Yogananda and Vivekananda
Yogananda was born much before Vivekananda left his body .
Although Py never mentions Vivekananda-ramakrishna influence , the impact is quite palpable.
The story " An elephant and six men " was one of ramakrishna's favourite parables.
Also when Yoganandaji talks to indomitable will etc.. you can see where Vivekananda is exactly influencing him.

username
Registered User
(3/9/02 7:58 am)
Reply 		Re: Yogananda and Vivekananda
To find out the story, you need to talk to the really old vedanta members that were at vedanta when the swami was alive. The swami has told them the story.

I am not going to post it on this site. But, it is clear from the story that Yogananda did have yogic powers.

In regards to literature available for sales at the vedanta bookstore, I think the nuns are in charge of ordering the books, you might want to direct your questions to one of them. But many of the books they sell are published by one of the various vedanta presses over the world, or are written by people associated with vedanta or ramakrishna, or .... maybe you should ask the nuns how they decide what books to carry.

kolkata
Unregistered User
(3/9/02 8:26 am)
Reply 		Correction
I wrote that Yogananda was born the year Vivekananda passed away. What I meant to write was that Yogananda was born the year Vivekananda gave his famous speech at the World Parliament of Religions (1893). Don't know how I goofed that one up.

I've heard various rumors. That's all they are. I haven't bothered to call up the Vedanta Center and check the rumors out. I doubt anyone there knows what happened, since it was so long ago, and if they know I doubt they will just tell anyone who asks. One was that Yogananda asked the Swami for something Vedanta Center had (a statue?, furniture?, a building?) that he wanted to put in MW. They became furious with him, threw him out, and told him never to come back.

Another rumor is that Yogananda wanted to acquire the Vedanta Center in Hollywood and make it part of SRF. Don't know how much truth there is to this one, but it is a fact that before Yogananda ever came to America, when Sri Yukteswar was setting up his organization in Serampore (Sat Sanga Sova or Saddhu Sova, I can't remember) to teach meditation he wanted to merge his organization with the Ramakrishna Order. He felt they were good at teaching the basics, but lacked powerful meditation techniques, which he had (Kriya Yoga).

When one reads stuff from that time period, one thing that sticks out is how the same cast of characters knew each other and showed up in the same places. Basically there was a group of religious people from different backgrounds and religious affiliations who attended satsangas wherever one was being held and visited religious figures regardless of which sect they belong to. As such, people who followed Ramakrishna, Brahmo Samaj, Sri Yukteswar, etc. all bumped into each other wherever they went and knew each other, spoke with each other, discussed and debated religion and their different viewpoints, etc. Since Ramakrishna / Vivekananda were by far the most influential figures of their time and their Vedanta teachings were being spread everywhere, their influence was the strongest at the time and must have rubbed off on all of these satsanga goers (including Yogananda who visited everyone and everywhere he heard there was a religious talk being given or a religious figure giving darshan).

Maybe this part of Yogananda's history has been edited out by SRF like so many other things.

caliyogi
Registered User
(3/17/02 8:11 am)
Reply 		question
does vivekananda / ramakrishna teach any specific meditation? I bought vivekananda's book 'Jnana Yoga', haven't gotten too far in it. He also has books on karma yoga and rajas yoga... maybe they just follow the basic 8 fold yogic path and not the kriya 'airplane method' yoga?

willy1080
Registered User
(3/17/02 8:34 am)
Reply 		Re: question
I think they initiate you into a mantra , that is what I have heard . I don't know if they give any specific instructions on yoga .

username : can you mail me that story between PY and prabhavananda

whats the big secret
Unregistered User
(3/17/02 11:16 am)
Reply 		Prabhavananda
I don't understand what's the big secret with the disagreement between Prabhavananda and Yogananda. Worse things are discussed openly on this board every day: Yogananda accused of fathering a child, Yogananda accused of keeping Tara Mata as his concubine in New York, Yogananda accused of running a harem in MW, Yogananda accused of this that and the other. What could possibly be worse than what has already been talked about here? Yogananda having a homosexual affair with Prabhavananda? Wouldn't surprise anyone. The Vedanta Society of Hollywood was already a hotbed of homosexuality during those years, with Isherwood and others having sex with every three-legged thing in sight.

username
Registered User
(3/17/02 4:58 pm)
Reply 		Re: Prabhavananda
It has absolutely nothing to do with sex. It was just a disagreement between the two.

blah
Unregistered User
(3/17/02 5:09 pm)
Reply 		Re: Bluffing
Quote:
It has absolutely nothing to do with sex. It was just a disagreement between the two.


You're just playing games. You probably don't really know what it was or you would have said it by now. You're just bluffing.

guess
Unregistered User
(3/17/02 7:27 pm)
Reply 		bluffing
The reason Username won't say anything is because it makes Yogananda look bad. Yogananda was into using his powers, and a person who uses his powers is ego tripping.

booo
Unregistered User
(3/17/02 7:42 pm)
Reply 		Excuses...excuses
Quote:
The reason Username won't say anything is because it makes Yogananda look bad. Yogananda was into using his powers, and a person who uses his powers is ego tripping.


That's BULL. Yogananda's name has already been dragged through the mud so bad with all the stuff that's written on this board, it's hard to imagine anything that could muddy his name any more. Saying that he used his powers is hardly the end of the world. Anybody who knows anything about Yogananda knows that he used them. That is a positive thing, at least he had them! Most of us don't. Even though he and Patanjali and every other guru say that a yogi should be careful when exercising his powers, most don't say don't use them at all. You get the powers at certain stages of your advancement for a reason. Everyone knows Yogananda used his. Even his direct disciples in the holy vatican city of Mount Washington talk about it. They all tell stories of Yogananda using powers. Everybody knows it.

blindking
Unregistered User
(3/17/02 8:23 pm)
Reply 		To all above
You are all so pathetic, I feel sad for you guys, but I also feel happy to see I’m not the only one. Good luck to you all, you need it!

Ringbearer
Unregistered User
(3/17/02 10:55 pm)
Reply 		Yogic powers
"The reason Username won't say anything is because it makes Yogananda look bad. Yogananda was into using his powers, and a person who uses his powers is ego tripping."

I am almost always "ego tripping" but I never use my powers. ;-)

Vedantin
Unregistered User
(3/19/02 9:27 pm)
Reply 		Official response
From Kriya discussion board :


This is a official response I got from the Vedanta folks,I don't think we can get more info than this :


Thanks for your e-mail. We make it a policy not to get involved with message boards. It becomes an endless chain of opinions with no end in sight. Further, since both men are no longer with us to correct anyone's story, I don't see any point to continuing the thread. I understand that Paramahamsa Yogananda & Swami Prabhavananda knew each other personally, and that's pretty much all we know for sure about their relationship. They were both Bengalis and they probably enjoyed speaking to each other in their native tongue; as their organizations were different and formed along different lines there were bound to be some differences along the way somewhere.
Best wishes,



uh huh
Unregistered User
(3/20/02 6:00 pm)
Reply 		Re: Official response
Sounds like they know what really happened and don't want to tell.

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