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Why God Permits Evil (Self-Realization Fellowship)
Philosophers and religious scholars the world over have sought to answer the question of why a loving God permits evil. In these pages, Paramahansa Yogananda provides strength and solace for times of adversity by explaining the mysteries of God's lila, or divine drama. Readers will come to understand the reason for the dualistic nature of creation- God's interplay of good and evil - and receive guidance on how to rise above the most challenging circumstances.
64 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2002
34 people are currently reading
140 people want to read
About the author
Paramahansa Yogananda
876 books2,186 followersParamahansa Yogananda (Bengali: পরমহংস যোগানন্দ Pôromohôngsho Joganondo, Sanskrit: परमहंस योगानंद Paramahaṃsa Yogānaṃda), born Mukunda Lal Ghosh (Bengali: মুকুন্দ লাল ঘোষ Mukundo Lal Ghosh), was an Indian yogi and guru who introduced many westerners to the teachings of meditation and Kriya Yoga through his book,
Autobiography of a Yogi
.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 12, 2020
In this thin volume, Yogananda answers what some consider the most telling question a spiritual belief system can address: why does evil exist? His perspective is based on the Indian notion of Maya, which describes the world we perceive as an illusion, thus meaning that evil is part of the illusion rather than reality. He draws a parallel with drama, and how entertainment that stories provide would never take place without adversity, and claims that this world is God's entertainment. He asserts that the way to escape the negativity is to cultivate one's personal awareness of the divine through meditation, so that we can arrive at this view of the world as an illusory drama.
As I was reading it, I was remembering that he lived through the terrors of both world wars, while still maintaining this optimistic outlook. The danger of this thinking is that it can be construed as blaming those who are suffering for their lack of connection with the divine. While I wish that Yogananda had addressed this pitfall more specifically, he did seem to avoid it in his prose.
If you're at all interested in SRF, I recommend reading it in order to see for yourself exactly how Yogananda addressed this very important question.
As I was reading it, I was remembering that he lived through the terrors of both world wars, while still maintaining this optimistic outlook. The danger of this thinking is that it can be construed as blaming those who are suffering for their lack of connection with the divine. While I wish that Yogananda had addressed this pitfall more specifically, he did seem to avoid it in his prose.
If you're at all interested in SRF, I recommend reading it in order to see for yourself exactly how Yogananda addressed this very important question.
July 6, 2022
Fomísimo, reiterativo, vago en ese único precepto que repite. Es la misma conferencia tres o cuatro veces, la misma idea extendida a través de dos o tres ejemplos o metáforas, añejas incluso en los años aquellos. Si pudiera ponerle cero estrellas le pongo.
Eso en lo literario. Ahora en lo extraliterario, peor aún. Si hasta parece cristianismo. Y del malo. Cuando dice que "Para Dios, esto es solo una película, y cuando te vuelvas hacia Él, también para ti será una película" está ejerciendo la misma postergación de la vida que criticó Nietzsche (y si Nietsche basta para derrumbarte el argumento es que algo se te olvidó). O sea, escuché monsergas de Pan en tu camino que tenían más brillo que esto -porque sí: se puede intentar la trascendencia sin pisotear la vida-.
Y con brillo, aparte de eso, quiero decir que se nota cuando alguien sabe a quién le está hablando y por qué.
¿A quién chucha le interesaría salirse del Ser si nisiquiera ha alcanzado a ser vagamente feliz? ¿Cuáles son las consecuencias prácticas de asumir que la finitud es una ilusión? No sé a quién le habla este señor Yogananda. Supongo que a los que por las injusticias de la vida -ilusiones todas, al fin y al cabo (?¿)- tienen el tiempo de sobra para trascender.
Dice: "Es una necedad involucrarse emcionalmente con la creación, pues de ese modo le estás otorgando poder como si fuese una realidad". Entiendo el punto, PERO ESE PODER YA ESTÁ OTORGADO, AMIGO. Y esa otorgación se llama existir. Más que una intención psicológica, es una cuestión ontológica. La vida de la finitud YA ESTÁ EN CURSO y cualquier persona razonable comprendería que no hay para que despedazarla si quieres ir un poco más allá. Simone Weil, que sí entendió este pequeño detalle, escribió esto: “La gracia viene de arriba, pero cae en un ser que tiene una naturaleza psicológica y física, y no hay ninguna razón para no dar cuenta de lo que se produce en esta naturaleza al contacto con la gracia”.
No veo aquí nada más que el fundamento del pensamiento triste, de la elevación idiota que pisa la vida para empinarse. Es por este tipo de discursos que surgen ateos que igualan en oscuridad a la luz mediocre. Pero la espiritualidad no se mancha. Tampoco la teología. Lean a Simone Weil. Busquen a otros gurues que quizá estén más sucios. No todo está perdido.
Eso en lo literario. Ahora en lo extraliterario, peor aún. Si hasta parece cristianismo. Y del malo. Cuando dice que "Para Dios, esto es solo una película, y cuando te vuelvas hacia Él, también para ti será una película" está ejerciendo la misma postergación de la vida que criticó Nietzsche (y si Nietsche basta para derrumbarte el argumento es que algo se te olvidó). O sea, escuché monsergas de Pan en tu camino que tenían más brillo que esto -porque sí: se puede intentar la trascendencia sin pisotear la vida-.
Y con brillo, aparte de eso, quiero decir que se nota cuando alguien sabe a quién le está hablando y por qué.
¿A quién chucha le interesaría salirse del Ser si nisiquiera ha alcanzado a ser vagamente feliz? ¿Cuáles son las consecuencias prácticas de asumir que la finitud es una ilusión? No sé a quién le habla este señor Yogananda. Supongo que a los que por las injusticias de la vida -ilusiones todas, al fin y al cabo (?¿)- tienen el tiempo de sobra para trascender.
Dice: "Es una necedad involucrarse emcionalmente con la creación, pues de ese modo le estás otorgando poder como si fuese una realidad". Entiendo el punto, PERO ESE PODER YA ESTÁ OTORGADO, AMIGO. Y esa otorgación se llama existir. Más que una intención psicológica, es una cuestión ontológica. La vida de la finitud YA ESTÁ EN CURSO y cualquier persona razonable comprendería que no hay para que despedazarla si quieres ir un poco más allá. Simone Weil, que sí entendió este pequeño detalle, escribió esto: “La gracia viene de arriba, pero cae en un ser que tiene una naturaleza psicológica y física, y no hay ninguna razón para no dar cuenta de lo que se produce en esta naturaleza al contacto con la gracia”.
No veo aquí nada más que el fundamento del pensamiento triste, de la elevación idiota que pisa la vida para empinarse. Es por este tipo de discursos que surgen ateos que igualan en oscuridad a la luz mediocre. Pero la espiritualidad no se mancha. Tampoco la teología. Lean a Simone Weil. Busquen a otros gurues que quizá estén más sucios. No todo está perdido.
September 18, 2024
"If you could see what is going on behind the screen of this life, you wouldn't suffer at all. It is a cosmic motion-picture show.pg6"
This book presents Yogananda's Theodicy; based on his insight and hinduism more broadly. Theodicy is one of the most debated philosophycal and theological topics; Atheists and skeptics alike think the problem of pain/ suffering or evil can be used to disprove the existence of God, and theologians have to come up with many different arguments to defend God. In abrahamical religions that has been a big problem since the start, but in the Dharmic religions, not so much. Hinduism has the doctrine of karma & rebirth, that explains the distribution of suffering (altough not its origin).
Yogananda starts the book (which is a compilations from many talks, I recognized some of them from The Divine Romance ) by making sure that God did create evil. "Some people try to explain that evil does not exist, or that it is merely a psychological factor. But this is not so. [...] we do find evil in the world. And where did it come from? God.pg2-3"
"Evil" is part of the test, or "leela" (play) of God. Yogananda's metaphysical idealism uses 2 allegories, one is that the World is a movie and God the projector, and second that this World is a dream and God is the dreamer ("So remember, God is dreaming this world. And if we are in tune with Him, we will live a divinely intoxicated Life and nothing will disturb us. pg26)"
The explanation is surprisingly simple and way more sophisticated than the mental gymnastics that the christians uselessly offer. The rest of the book is the "How to Rise Above It" part. One that arrived at communion with God has, a matter of fact, ended all suffering. Yogananda does offer some free will allowence as well. So suffering/evil/pain, whatever you wanna call it, is only a tool for God, to bring us to him, and can be eliminated once it is accomplished. That is the message of Yoga/Vedanta, most of Hindu philosophies; and the message Yogananda wants to declare.
This book presents Yogananda's Theodicy; based on his insight and hinduism more broadly. Theodicy is one of the most debated philosophycal and theological topics; Atheists and skeptics alike think the problem of pain/ suffering or evil can be used to disprove the existence of God, and theologians have to come up with many different arguments to defend God. In abrahamical religions that has been a big problem since the start, but in the Dharmic religions, not so much. Hinduism has the doctrine of karma & rebirth, that explains the distribution of suffering (altough not its origin).
Yogananda starts the book (which is a compilations from many talks, I recognized some of them from The Divine Romance ) by making sure that God did create evil. "Some people try to explain that evil does not exist, or that it is merely a psychological factor. But this is not so. [...] we do find evil in the world. And where did it come from? God.pg2-3"
"Evil" is part of the test, or "leela" (play) of God. Yogananda's metaphysical idealism uses 2 allegories, one is that the World is a movie and God the projector, and second that this World is a dream and God is the dreamer ("So remember, God is dreaming this world. And if we are in tune with Him, we will live a divinely intoxicated Life and nothing will disturb us. pg26)"
The explanation is surprisingly simple and way more sophisticated than the mental gymnastics that the christians uselessly offer. The rest of the book is the "How to Rise Above It" part. One that arrived at communion with God has, a matter of fact, ended all suffering. Yogananda does offer some free will allowence as well. So suffering/evil/pain, whatever you wanna call it, is only a tool for God, to bring us to him, and can be eliminated once it is accomplished. That is the message of Yoga/Vedanta, most of Hindu philosophies; and the message Yogananda wants to declare.
December 5, 2023
A must read!
This is a life changing book. It's full of information that is not normally taught in the Christian Churches. Applying his teachings through meditation has changed my life from the first day I started. I can't say enough good about Yoganandas teachings.
This is a life changing book. It's full of information that is not normally taught in the Christian Churches. Applying his teachings through meditation has changed my life from the first day I started. I can't say enough good about Yoganandas teachings.
Read
February 1, 2020The Author shows you why evil is important to the creation of the universe.
The author shows why the search for God is paramount for the wisdom of evil.
The author shows why the search for God is paramount for the wisdom of evil.
July 27, 2025
Didn’t enjoy the focus on god as an entity here.
July 19, 2012
A Life Guide. Paramahansa Yogananda lived from 1893 - 1952, but his words ring true even today. Many ask how can a generous and benevolent God permit evil and pestilence to exist? If God is really all powerful, why doesn’t He eliminate the bad, keep the good and create a heaven on Earth for His people?
Through his teachings, Paramahansa illustrates that it is only by the existence of evil that good is measured. Adversity makes people turn back toward God. If one can only view life through God’s eyes, everyday troubles seem irrelevant, like a bad dream upon waking. In Him, we find the link to the cosmic consciousness. Concise and direct, this little book packs a powerful message.
Through his teachings, Paramahansa illustrates that it is only by the existence of evil that good is measured. Adversity makes people turn back toward God. If one can only view life through God’s eyes, everyday troubles seem irrelevant, like a bad dream upon waking. In Him, we find the link to the cosmic consciousness. Concise and direct, this little book packs a powerful message.
August 7, 2012
This book just pissed me off...
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews