I looked at the following aims and ideals of Self-Realization Fellowship as set forth by Paramahansa Yogananda, its founder, and realized how deeply I identify with all of them and how I have always wanted to make number 3 my mission or the purpose of my life. Naturally, he did not think of personal God but rather God as consciousness, God as energy. The true wisdom, as he put it, is “understanding how the One Consciousness becomes all things.”
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To disseminate among the nations a knowledge of definite scientific techniques for attaining direct personal experience of God.
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To teach that the purpose of life is the evolution, through self-effort, of man’s limited mortal consciousness into God Consciousness; and to this end to establish Self-Realization Fellowship temples for God-communion throughout the world, and to encourage the establishment of individual temples of God in the homes and in the hearts of men.
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To reveal the complete harmony and basic oneness of original Christianity as taught by Jesus Christ and original Yoga as taught by Bhagavan Krishna; and to show that these principles of truth are the common scientific foundation of all true religions.
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To point out the one divine highway to which all paths of true religious beliefs eventually lead: the highway of daily, scientific, devotional meditation on God.
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To liberate man from his threefold suffering: physical disease, mental inharmonies, and spiritual ignorance.
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To encourage “plain living and high thinking”; and to spread a spirit of brotherhood among all peoples by teaching the eternal basis of their unity: kinship with God.
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To demonstrate the superiority of mind over body, of soul over mind.
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To overcome evil by good, sorrow by joy, cruelty by kindness, ignorance by wisdom.
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To unite science and religion through realization of the unity of their underlying principles.
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To advocate cultural and spiritual understanding between East and West, and the exchange of their finest distinctive features.
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To serve mankind as one’s larger Self.
symbolreader 
Great post! I’m currently reading his Autobiography of a Yogi and Yoga of Jesus! I sense we might be kindred spirits. It is interesting to note and the connections in all religions, spiritual traditions, and their intersections with science and other humanistic pursuits.
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How timely, as I am also about to start reading his autobiography, actually.
His philosophy is really very close to my heart.
Thanks for your comment. I hope you write more about him on your blog.
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To Michael, have you read Rabbi Jesus or Christ, a crisis in the life of God? I found them both well done explorations.
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I haven’t them but they sound interesting. Who wrote both?
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Rabbi Jesus is by Bruce Chilton, and Christ, a crisis in the life of God is by Jack Miles. I used them both as supplemental reading in a one-year class I teach: the Spiritual Path.
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SR I am surprised to hear of your christian interest. I shouldn’t be… as Christianity is as rich in symbolism as any religion. I guess I haven’t heard you reference Christianity before. Good read.
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Christianity is in my bloodstream, I lived in Poland for over 30 years. But even putting that aside, I am a believer in all that Jesus taught. I often read The New Testament. But I do not put Christianity above other religions.
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I live about 7 minutes down the road from the Self Realization Fellowship center in Encinitas, California. A picture here: http://pinterest.com/pin/408490628671698685/
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How interesting, lucky you! It is a very fresh path of interest for me but I am strongly drawn to it.
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He was a beautiful spirit, a big influence on the spiritual awakening of So. Cal. I can see that he means non personal god, but what does he mean by science? I don’t understand the need for faith to be scientifically verified. It seems the modes of perception are different. It is not the province of science to validate these mystic experiences-and they are no less real for all that.
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I am inclined to agree with you because I personally have no need of science to legitimize my intuitions but I think he meant just the laws that govern nature. It is explained a little bit in this article. http://www.yogananda-srf.org/prayer/The_Science_of_Prayer.aspx#.UYcwjnb8Kaw It is very interesting that Jung was also adamant that his psychology was scientific, he insisted on calling it science but nowadays it is not accepted by scientifically inclined psychologists. Perhaps we should speak of knowledge and direct experience instead of science. I think Yogananda might havce also meant that one day science will catch up with mysticism, in the distant future.
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Beautiful. I have visited the SRF center in Encinitas as well, along with the beautiful Lake Shrine in Los Angeles. Here’s a photo I took there. Behind the structure, you can see a small altar, where some of Gandhi’s ashes are kept.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rbell32/8713982628/in/photostream
Will this be your first time reading Autobiography of a Yogi? I read it many years ago. Still a true favorite. Enjoy
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Love that photo. It will be my first time reading the Autobiography, I am such a novice to all this.
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I like 11 best.
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Sounds totally awesome! I’m also thinking of taking a look at their website as they offer programmes!
Strangely enough no. 9 To unite science and religion through realization of the unity of their underlying principles. – I just finished reading the book Saving Darwin by Karl Giberson….the fight between those that ONLY believe in Evolution and those the ONLY believe in the literal interpretation of Genesis..
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You are so well read, that is awesome!
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Hehe…no,no..I’ve begun to scratch the surface Monika! But I am enjoying it 😀
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