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.Paramhansa Yogananda
Paramhansa Yogananda, 1893 – 1952, was the first yoga master of India to take up permanent residence in the West.
Yogananda was born Mukunda Lal Ghosh to a wealthy Bengali family in Gorakhpur, India. 
From earliest childhood the young Mukunda displayed an intensely spiritual disposition. His favorite pastime was visiting saints, and his spiritual quest eventually led him to his guru Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri of Serampore. Under his guru’s training Mukunda attained, in the amazingly short period of six months, the high state of samadhi, or unconditioned oneness with God. The Beginning of His Formal Spiritual Life
Sri Yukteswar ji initiated Mukunda into sannyas in 1914, the heretofore Mukunda now became Swami Yogananda. Yogananda’s outward mission began in 1916 with the establishment of the Brahmacharya Vidyalaya in Ranchi. The school was financed by the Maharaja of Kasim Bazar and fulfilled Yogananda’s ideal of all-round educational, physical and spiritual training for the youth of India.
While meditating in his school one afternoon in 1920, Yogananda experienced a Divine Vision, a summons to commence the mission foretold by his Gurus: taking the sacred yoga teachings of India to the West. Soon Yogananda left for Boston, there to speak as India’s representative at the International Congress of Religions Liberals. Yogananda thereafter primarily lived in America till his mahasamadhi in 1952.
Sharing the Teachings of Yoga in the U.S.
In America Yogananda travelled extensively, lecturing in all the major cities. His ‘spiritual campaigns’ were a huge success: Thousands filled the largest city halls to receive the Self-Realization teachings of India. Among his adherents were many prominent people of his time. Such was his acclaim that he was received at the White House by the U.S. President Calvin Coolidge, the first Indian to be so honored.
A prolific writer, Yogananda also shared the yoga precepts with his pen. His Self -Realization Lessons clarified the yoga teachings and taught their application to all walks of life. Among his writings are original commentaries on the Bhagavad Gita, the Christian Bible and the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam and books on the art and science of chanting, prayers and healing affirmations. His mission, he often stated, was “the interpretation of the scriptures and the dissemination of Lahiri Mahasaya’s meditation technique of Kriya Yoga.”
The End of His Life
Yogananda devoted his later years to the personal training of disciples who would carry on his message after his passing. Among these disciples was Swami Kriyananda, who founded Ananda in 1969 to share Yogananda’s teachings and to fulfill his vision for Spiritual Communities.
Paramhansa Yogananda entered mahasamadhi on March 7, 1952 at a banquet in honor of India’s ambassador to the U.S., Binay R. Sen. It was a fitting setting, for Yogananda himself had served as India’s Spiritual Ambassador to the West for thirty two years.
Yogananda’s best known work today is the Autobiography of a Yogi. Considered a spiritual masterpiece and acclaimed by prominent men from many fields, the book has inspired and continues to inspire millions with a vision of their own innate Divinity. 
Stories of Yogananda
Parking Without Brakes
Narrated by Norman Paulsen
Norman entered the dining room one day at lunchtime looking stunned.
‘This morning,’ he announced shakily, ‘I was driving the big flat-bed truck down Mt. Washington. As I came to the steepest part of that hill, I stepped on the brake to slow down for the hairpin turn at the bottom, but my foot went right to the floor! I pumped frantically; nothing happened. By this time the truck was going so fast I couldn’t shift to a lower gear. In moments I knew I’d be hurtling to my death over the edge of that steep embankment. Desperately I prayed to Master: ‘Is this what you want?’
‘Suddenly the truck slowed to a complete stop! The brakes still weren’t working, but I was able to park safely in gear and curb the front wheel.
Writings by Yogananda
Spiritual Lineage
