72 pages 2 hours read

Paramahansa Yogananda

Autobiography of a Yogi

Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 1946

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Essay Topics

1.

Read Yogananda’s account of Ranchi, the school he founded. Could any elements of the curriculum in his school be usefully adopted in US public schools? What elements might those be, and how and why might they be adopted?

2.

Give some examples of passages from the New Testament that Yogananda uses to illustrate spiritual truth. How does he relate or compare them to passages from Indian scriptures or Indian spirituality generally? What might be his larger purpose in mentioning Christian texts in a book largely about Eastern approaches to the ultimate truths of life?

3.

Yogananda died more than two thirds of a century ago. Write an opinion piece for a newspaper or magazine in which you argue that the teachings and message contained in Autobiography of a Yogi still have relevance today. What might the average person gain from reading the book?