Awake: The Life of Yogananda (2014, documentary)
This documentary is not much of a faith-changing experience for its non-believing viewers. It is just a superficial narration of the lifetime of an Indian yogi who introduced yoga and the mystical thoughts to the rapidly changing American public of the 1920s and beyond. Parahamsa Yogananda went on a mission to introduce his brand of meditation and tapping of positive inner energy from within.
It starts off with the story of his moment of enlightenment when he believes that the picture of his guru had cured him of his ailment. From then on, he had many life-changing experiences which convinced him of his purpose of his existence in this life.
His calling to the USA was a turning point in his life. Starting with a series lectures to packed auditoriums, he subsequently started an ashram in California. With his piercing eyes, which some says peeks into your soul whilst others says they reminds them of Rasputin, his movement met with controversies. Allegations of sexual pervasions and subversive anti-government were hurled at his movement.
His teaching, no doubt were ancient in origin, did bring in some new concepts. One of his suggestions, our ability to alter our thinking to produce results, later came to be referred to as neuroplasticity - the capacity of neurones and neural networks in the brain to change their connections and behaviour in response to new information, sensory stimulation, development, damage, or dysfunction.
The highlight of this documentary is the archives of old films, including the ones with Gandhi, and the many interviews with well-renowned figures - Deepak Chopra, George Harrison, Ravi Shankar. In his later years, Yogananda wrote his autobiography, 'The Autobiography of a Yogi' which became a sort of a recipe of a healthy and blissful living to many entrepreneurs including Steve Jobs. Perhaps, Jobs may not be the best example of a peaceful human being with his infamous temper and his family life.
From time immemorial, flashes of individuals have surfaced on planet Earth. They have tried, rather unsuccessfully, to teach human beings how to live in harmony with nature and all its occupants. Somehow, all these teachings keep falling on deaf ears. The continued destruction is proof that the End that all scriptures predict is but an inevitable reality.
It starts off with the story of his moment of enlightenment when he believes that the picture of his guru had cured him of his ailment. From then on, he had many life-changing experiences which convinced him of his purpose of his existence in this life.
His calling to the USA was a turning point in his life. Starting with a series lectures to packed auditoriums, he subsequently started an ashram in California. With his piercing eyes, which some says peeks into your soul whilst others says they reminds them of Rasputin, his movement met with controversies. Allegations of sexual pervasions and subversive anti-government were hurled at his movement.
His teaching, no doubt were ancient in origin, did bring in some new concepts. One of his suggestions, our ability to alter our thinking to produce results, later came to be referred to as neuroplasticity - the capacity of neurones and neural networks in the brain to change their connections and behaviour in response to new information, sensory stimulation, development, damage, or dysfunction.
The highlight of this documentary is the archives of old films, including the ones with Gandhi, and the many interviews with well-renowned figures - Deepak Chopra, George Harrison, Ravi Shankar. In his later years, Yogananda wrote his autobiography, 'The Autobiography of a Yogi' which became a sort of a recipe of a healthy and blissful living to many entrepreneurs including Steve Jobs. Perhaps, Jobs may not be the best example of a peaceful human being with his infamous temper and his family life.
From time immemorial, flashes of individuals have surfaced on planet Earth. They have tried, rather unsuccessfully, to teach human beings how to live in harmony with nature and all its occupants. Somehow, all these teachings keep falling on deaf ears. The continued destruction is proof that the End that all scriptures predict is but an inevitable reality.
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| Paramahansa Yogananda with a gathering in Minneapolis in 1927, from the film “Awake: The Life of Yogananda.” |
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