Review

As a HUGE fan of Yogananda’s “Autobiography of a Yogi,” I was a little disappointed with “The Yoga of Jesus” — Not in any kind of philosophical way, as I don’t necessarily think that there’s anything fundamentally WRONG with the ideas contained within, but it certainly isn’t the page-turner that his life story is. Essentially a Cliff’s Notes version of his lengthy treatise on the Gospels, “The Second Coming of Christ,” this quick little read offers some occasional insight into his “alternative” interpretation of the Bible (or at least, alternative by Western standards), but does very little in the way of establishing any kind of historical basis for the book’s title. And I guess I shouldn’t have expected as much, as Yogananda’s intent is rarely to CONVINCE the reader by means of verifiable proof, but to move the spirit with truth.

That said, while I didn’t exactly ENJOY this read all that much, it certainly reinforces the notion that the contents of the Bible are not as black and white as many mainstream Christians would like to believe. Or rather… regardless of the black and white-ness of the stories and tenets in the Good Book, people can and will read and attempt to understand its words based on the who they are and from whence they come. Worth a read if you’re interested in other interpretations, but I’d suggest starting with his autobiography — which is GREAT!