> Babelio : https://www.babelio.com/livres/Vivekananda-Raja-yoga-ou-Conquete-de-la-nature-in...

> Babelio : https://www.babelio.com/livres/Vivekananda-Raja-Yoga/959057

> Le Mahatma Gandhi a dit de lui qu'il avait « maintenu l'hindouisme dans un état de splendeur en enlevant le bois mort de la tradition »
—Danieljean (Babelio) ( )

Hindu spirituality and philosophy from Swami Vivekananda, focusing on the science of yoga, written for an early 1900s American audience. Yoga is the process by which a person can yoke the moving energy underlying all existence (prana) with oneself -- postures, yes, but also breath attention and meditation. Properly followed down the full path, the practitioner gradually eliminates the separation between his self and his reality, and can bend his reality accordingly.

The mysticism and promised powers -- like being able to become invisible -- I have always been more comfortable taking as metaphorical when here they seemed presented as quite literal and reasonable outcomes. At the same time, I know enough to be skeptical of my skepticism, because I've also seen Hindu monks succeed at what I'd have considered impossible feats. Regardless of the mysticism, the refresher on Hindu philosophy was appreciated since it's been years since I have dipped any toes into Hindu beliefs. Unlike many other readers, however, I didn't find it to be an overwhelmingly spiritual or remarkable text.

Since this book is from 1896, I found a free electronic copy. It was poorly edited, used a generic typeface, and was formatted to use at-home printer paper. Comparing to a few pages of a nicely printed and bound copy, I'm also surprised by the extent to which my skepticism was primed by the incidentals of the form -- the printed book seems much more confident, engaging, and believable. That leads to interesting and useful reflection itself, to be sure, aligned with some of Vivekananda's arguments. ( )

RAYA YOGA

Por algo inexplicable, para la enorme
mayoría, el ser humano se siente atraido,
tarde o temprano, por esa búsqueda en
lo intimo, por ese anhelo en descubrir
el oculto manantial de las aguas vivas
del espíritu y poder saciar en ellas,
para siempre, su sed de peregrino.Y
para alcanzar ese ideal se abren ante
el caminante varios senderos.

Uno de esos senderos es el Rays
Yoga. Es el "Rey de los Yogas" y se
le considera el más difícil de realizar.

Nos place presentar al lector de hable
hispana esta obra, traducida directamente
del inglés por el Swami Vijoyananda y
como una ofrenda suya en recordacióo
de aquel ser extraordinario que viniera
aļa tierra un 16 de enero de 1863, y
que hoy es venerado en difereates partes
del mundo como Swami Vivekananda.

iQue estas obras medulares del pensa-
miento de la India, frecuentemente mal
difundidas y peor interpretadas, ilumises
la senda de todo sincero buscador!

Y que sirva a todos de aliento la voz
de Swami Vivekananda: "Tesemos que
comenzar el estudio del estado super
consciente lo mismo que se hace con
otra ciencia. Sobre la razón tenemos que
construir nuestros cimientos; tenemos gue
seguir la razón hasta donde ella pueda
acompañarnos y cuando falte razón a la
razón misma se nos está indicando e
camino Lacia el plano más eleado." Y
luego agrega: "La verdadera inspiracibo
nunca contradice la razón, sino que la
completa."

A must read for Indologists, Eastern theologists. The book was written by a world renowned Spiritual Master.