Wisdom of a Yogi: Lessons for Modern Seekers from Autobiography of a Yogi

by Rizwan Virk Narrated by Paul Mclaughlin

Overview

'The impact of the Autobiography wasn't limited to musicians or spiritual seekers. Steve Jobs, Co-founder of Apple Inc., which became the world's most valuable company, was a big fan and went so far as to say it was one of his favourite books. Jobs first read it as a teenager and claimed to have re-read it every year since then.'

Paramahansa Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi was one of the most impactful spiritual books of the twentieth century and has travelled around the world, inspiring millions to walk the spiritual path. But what are twenty-first-century spiritual aspirants, steeped in technology and science, to think of these classic tales of gurus, swamis and miracles in the Himalayas? Do these tales have relevance today?

In Wisdom of a Yogi, bestselling author, entrepreneur and venture capitalist Rizwan Virk brings out the lessons from Yogananda's classic and reinterprets them for the modern age. In fourteen unforgettable lessons, interweaving stories from the Autobiography with tales of college professors, students, entrepreneurs and modern seekers, Virk brings the ancient lessons of karma, yoga, meditation and siddhas into the modern age of YouTube, video games, mobile phones and social media.

Whether you have never read the Autobiography or have read it multiple times, Wisdom of a Yogi will help enhance your spiritual practice in today's increasingly complex, cluttered and connected world.

Editorial Reviews

BookLife Reviews

07/03/2023

“Yogananda’s book, his stories and lessons, are as relevant today as they were in the previous century,” writes entrepreneur, programmer, and author Virk (The Simulation Hypothesis) in this illuminating celebration and explication of Swami Paramahansa Yogananda's epochal 1945 Autobiography of a Yogi. Virk calls the autobiography a “passport in the form of a paperback,” noting its profound influence to generations of seekers eager to find a “union with the self and with the Divine” and embark on “a path that allowed one to seek God no matter what one’s religion or lineage.” This volume draws on Yogananda’s wisdom, including tales of miracles (or siddhis) and jinn, to present 14 lessons for navigating worldly and spiritual paths, written in crisp, accessible language with contemporary resonance.

An impassioned preface connects Yogananda’s teachings to innovators of recent history, such as George Harrison and Steve Jobs, who, according to Walter Isaacson, only had one book on his iPad: Autobiography of a Yogi. More compelling is Virk’s account of his own spiritual journey, especially the discovery that “Meditation and yoga weren’t there just to help me” in facing life’s trials. Instead, they “were there to help me with my own path of self-discovery and meditation.”

The lessons have been crafted to help readers forge their own path, offering practical reminders to stay out of one’s own way and to accept that setbacks often are a way forward. More provocative are lessons that consider Yogananda’s more fantastical stories, of superpowers and divine figures. Some are tantalizingly updated, such as Yogananda’s conviction that life was like a play in a theater—Virk persuasively argues that we now can see that it’s more like “an interactive video game,” an opportunity for Virk to explore the simulation hypothesis he’s laid out in previous books. Virk recounts the tales with clarity and power, drawing out messages that don’t diminish their rich mysteries. The result is a feast for seekers, a book to explore and revisit.

Takeaway: Compelling contemporary lessons drawn from Swami Paramahansa Yogananda.

Comparable Titles: Swami Rama’s Living with the Himalayan Masters, Sadhguru’s Karma: A Yogi's Guide to Crafting Your Destiny.

Production grades Cover: A Design and typography: A Illustrations: N/A Editing: A Marketing copy: A

Kirkus Reviews

2023-06-19
Virk, an entrepreneur, revisits a 20th-century spiritual classic.

Praised by readers who ranged from the Beatles’ George Harrison to Apple founder Steve Jobs, Paramahansa Yogananda’s Autobiography of a Yogi (1946), per the author, was “the first and most important step to opening the door” of Eastern spirituality to Western readers. Using vignettes from his early life in India, Yogananda’s Autobiography was part of his lifelong quest to introduce yoga and meditation to the West, emphasizing that “ ‘God’ was not some external entity”; “God was self-realization, something that happened inside us.” As a successful entrepreneur, Virk is careful to emphasize that his life as a computer programmer, video game creator, and investor is very different from Yogananda’s—he has not forsaken the material world and certainly doesn’t consider himself to be a swami. Yet, on the “universal search” for spiritual fulfillment, he finds the Autobiography profoundly relevant. Distilling Yogananda’s tome into an accessible package, this book extracts the yogi’s more memorable stories into a collection of 14 lessons that are applicable “to our experience in the modern world.” While some of the lessons are deeply Eastern in their spirituality, covering topics from that range from karma and self-realization to the “ancient arts of bilocation, levitation and telepathy,” many combine the spiritual traditions of India with the scientism of the West. A self-described “modern technologist,” the author highlights the connections between Yogananda’s description of an “illusory world” and “the virtual worlds that we are now creating in cyberspace.” Many of the book’s lessons are also relevant to less spiritually inclined readers, providing guidance on general self-help topics like overcoming setbacks. Having written multiple books on entrepreneurship and Eastern spirituality, Virk’s writing style effectively blends engaging, accessible prose with a solid grasp on both Eastern and Western cultures that is supported by more than 150 endnotes. Incorporating 21st-century scientific breakthroughs in its analysis, this book is a fitting tribute to Yogananda’s mission to bridge East and West 80 years after his death.

A relevant, contemporary rereading of the Autobiography of a Yogi.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940159588111
Publisher:	Bayview Books
Publication date:	09/22/2023
Edition description:	Unabridged

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