Paramahansa Yogananda was an Indian yogi and guru that brought the teachings of meditation to westerners. Author of the infamous ‘Autobiography of a Yogi,’ Yogananda has been translated into more than 42 languages and assigned the award of one of the top ‘100 Most Important Spiritual Books of the 20th Century.’ Here is a look at some of the best Paramahansa Yogananda quotes ever documented.
“Be as simple as you can be; you will be astonished to see how uncomplicated and happy your life can become.”
“Before embarking on important undertakings sit quietly calm your senses and thoughts and meditate deeply. You will then be guided by the great creative power of Spirit.”
“Continual intellectual study results in vanity and the false satisfaction of an undigested knowledge.”
“Every tomorrow is determined by every today.”
“Forget the past, for it is gone from your domain! forget the future, for it is beyond your reach! control the present! Live supremely well now! This is the way of the wise.”
“God is simple. Everything else is complex. Do not seek absolute values in the relative world of nature.”
“Having lots of money while not having inner peace is like dying of thirst while bathing in the ocean.”
“If you permit your thoughts to dwell on evil you yourself will become ugly. Look only for the good in everything so you absorb the quality of beauty.”
“It is not your passing thoughts or brilliant ideas so much as your plain everyday habits that control your life….Live simply.”
"Friendship is a manifestation of God’s love for you, expressed through your friends." pic.twitter.com/07TvOW7rvW
— Paramhansa Yogananda (@p_yogananda) August 24, 2013
“Kindness is the light that dissolves all walls between souls, families, and nations.”
“Live each moment completely and the future will take care of itself. Fully enjoy the wonder and beauty of each moment.”
“Live quietly in the moment and see the beauty of all before you. The future will take care of itself.”
“Making others happy, through kindness of speech and sincerity of right advice, is a sign of true greatness. To hurt another soul by sarcastic words, looks, or suggestions, is despicable.”
“Millions of people never analyze themselves. Mentally they are mechanical products of the factory of their environment, preoccupied with breakfast, lunch, and dinner, working and sleeping, and going here and there to be entertained. ”
“Persistence guarantees that results are inevitable.”
“Read a little. Meditate more. Think of God all the time.”
“Remain calm, serene, always in command of yourself. You will then find out how easy it is to get along.”
"Do Not Judge Others" pic.twitter.com/txQo2cPa7Y
— Paramhansa Yogananda (@p_yogananda) October 15, 2013
“Retire to the center of your being, which is calmness.”
“Roam in the world as a lion of self-control; see that the frogs of weakness don’t kick you around.”
“Self-realization is the knowing in all parts of body, mind, and soul that you are now in possession of the kingdom of God.”
“Since you alone are responsible for your thoughts, only you can change them.”
“So long as we believe in our heart of hearts that our capacity is limited and we grow anxious and unhappy, we are lacking in faith. One who truly trusts in God has no right to be anxious about anything.”
“Stillness is the altar of spirit.”
“The body is literally manufactured and sustained by mind.”
“The deeper the Self-realization of a man, the more he influences the whole universe by his subtle spiritual vibrations, and the less he himself is affected by the phenomenal flux.”
“The happiness of one’s own heart alone cannot satisfy the soul; one must try to include, as necessary to one’s happiness, the happiness of others.”
“The one who pursues a goal of evenmindedness is neither jubilant with gain nor depressed by loss. He knows that man arrives penniless in this world, and departs without a single rupee.”
“The power of unfulfilled desires is the root of all man’s slavery.”
"God feels no anger, no matter how many times we err. He is the Fountainhead of limitless, unconditional love." pic.twitter.com/wudYA5vQza
— Paramhansa Yogananda (@p_yogananda) June 17, 2013
“The season of failure is the best time for sowing the seeds of success.”
“The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.”
“The true basis of religion is not belief, but intuitive experience. Intuition is the soul’s power of knowing God. To know what religion is really all about, one must know God.”
“The wave is the same as the ocean, though it is not the whole ocean. So each wave of creation is a part of the eternal Ocean of Spirit. ”
“There is a magnet in your heart that will attract true friends. That magnet is unselfishness, thinking of others first; when you learn to live for others, they will live for you.”
“To work with God’s happiness bubbling in the soul is to carry a portable paradise within you wherever you go.”
“You do not have to struggle to reach God, but you do have to struggle to tear away the self-created veil that hides him from you.”
“You have come to earth to entertain and to be entertained.”
“You may walk in water and live in fire; But control of the mind is better and more difficult.”
“You must not let your life run in the ordinary way; do something that nobody else has done, something that will dazzle the world. Show that God’s creative principle works in you.”
Here is a look at the life teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda with Swami Kriyananda as the author, ‘Autobiography of a Yogi.’
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