Hello,
I've not read anything about Islam in the writings of Yogananda or Kriyananda. How does Islam and Mohammed factor into the spiritual?
Thank you
—Craig Berry, America
Dear Craig,
Yogananda stated that his mission was to bring back into focus, the original teachings of Jesus Christ, and the original teachings of yoga, as taught by Krishna and the great yoga masters.
It wasn’t so much an exclusion of other teachings such as Islam or Buddhism, but Yogananda felt that the essence of all religion, also known as “Sanaatan Dharma” ,was clearly expressed in the teachings of Jesus Christ and Krishna. Yogananda’s emphasis with these teachings is one of universality; in other words, they could be applied by anyone, no matter what outward garb of religion one felt drawn toward.
In his book of sacred prayer demands, Whispers From Eternity, Yogananda includes a beautiful prayer, entitled, Come to me as Mohammed.
Yogananda also wrote commentaries on the mystical writings of Omar Khayyam, contained in his great poem, The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. Omar was a Sufi saint, in the Islamic tradition, who captured in allegory, the ageless teachings of inner communion.
In divine friendship,
Nayaswami Pranaba
