Author of Autobiography of a Yogi, widely recognized as one of the most important spiritual works of the 20th century, Yogananda turns his attention to the teachings of Jesus in this distillation of The Second Coming of Christ, a hefty 1700-page, two-volume work that correlates the Gospels and esoteric teachings of Jesus with Raja Yoga's ancient teachings. Helpful introductory chapters describe Jesus as an avatar, an occasional incarnation of the divine that guides a disoriented humanity toward achieving union with the loving oneness that is God. Successive chapters begin with Gospel readings that are expanded and explained in terms of yogic wisdom. One of Yogananda's central tenets is that each individual must rely solely upon personally apprehended truth obtained through meditation and imparted directly from the divine, and not upon dogmas, rote prayer, ritual, or religion. Profound spiritual truths are rendered with a highly readable clarity. To doctrinal Christians, Yogananda's claim that Jesus spent his young adulthood in India may nullify the entirety of his propositions, but those with more mystical inclinations will appreciate the wisdom contained herein. Recommended for bookstores and public libraries where mysticism, comparative religion, or New Age spirituality are popular.—Carolyn Kost, Stevenson Sch. Lib., Pebble Beach, CA
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