Changes to AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A YOGI

Gregory Goode goode at DPW.COM
Tue Sep 30 23:34:19 CDT 1997


These examples of changes in AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A YOGI (abbrev.
AOAY)come from a new book, THE BOOK OF ENLIGHTENED MASTERS:
WESTERN TEACHERS IN EASTERN TRADITIONS, by Andrew Rawlinson.
Chicago: Open Court, 1997.

1. p. 349, edits which removed Swami Premananda's name from the
book:

>From 1946 edition of AOAY, pp. 480-81:
--------------------------------------
   "Premananda," I told him during a visit to his new temple,
"this Easter headquarters is a memoriam stone to your
tireless devotion.  Here in the nation's capital you have held
aloft the light of Lahiri Mahasya's ideals."

   Premananda accompanied me from Washington for a brief visit
to the Self-Realization center in Boston ... The Boston
leader, Dr. M.W. Lewis, lodged my companion and myself in a
modern, artistically decorated suite.

>From the 11th ed., 1979, p. 551
(change was present as early as 1951):
---------------------------------------
   In 1941 I paid a visit to the Self-Realization Fellowship
Center in Boston.  The Boston center leader, Dr. M.W. Lewis,
lodged me in an artistically decorated suite.

REASON: Premananda (in 1928 known as Brahmachari Jotin) was sent
by Yogananda to lead some of Yogananda's disciples in Washington
D.C., but had incorporated a Self Realization Church of All
Religions there, and didn't fold it into Yogananda's Self
REalization Fellowship when asked to.  Yogananda gave orders for
all references to the D.C. center in D.C.  to be removed from
the book (and probably orderd Premananda's name to be removed
too).

================================
================================

2. P. 388 of BOOK OF ENLIGHTENED MASTERS, in which is
described an edit that changes the description of
how Kriya Yoga should be taught.
(Supplied by Kriyananda (Donald Walters) to
the author, Andrew Rawlinson from Ananda's
reprints.)
----------------------------------------
1946 edition:
   The actual technique of Kriya Yoga must be learned from a
Kriyaban or Kriya Yogi; here a broad reference must suffice.
(p. 243 original edition; p. 231 of Ananda's reprint.)

1981 edition:
   The actual technique of Kriya Yoga should be learned from an
authorized Kriyaban (Kriya Yogi) of Self-Relaization Fellowship
(Yogoda Satsanga Society of INdia).  Here a broad reference must
suffice.  (p. 223)

---------------------------------------
3. A change exists about who has the copyrights to Yogananda's
writings, SRF's version of the AOAY saying that the proceed of
all income from all written materials go to SRF.  Kriyananda's
version (1981) of AOAY has Yogananda merely DONATING all
possessions and writing to SRF.

REASON: obvious, since Kriyananda also publishes AOAY.  Don't knwo if
any legal battles have been fought over it.

--Greg



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