← Next Level Soul Podcast with Alex Ferrari
Next Level Soul Podcast with Alex Ferrari
FLASHBACK FRIDAYS: REVEALED: The UNTOLD TRUTH About Paramahansa Yogananda's LIFE & MISSION! with Philip Goldberg
01:10:04
In the heart of our spiritual exploration, we often encounter figures whose lives illuminate the path for us all. On today's episode, we welcome Philip Goldberg, a scholar, teacher, and author whose work delves deeply into the life and teachings of...
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- [00:00]
Martine Hackett
Hola.
- [00:01]
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- [00:23]
Alex Ferrari
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- [00:52]
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- [01:51]
Martine Hackett
Foreign.
- [01:54]
Alex Ferrari
Welcome to the Next Level Soul podcast where we ask the big questions about life. Why are we here? Is this all there is? What is my soul's mission? We attempt to answer those questions and more by bringing you raw and inspiring conversations with some of the most fascinating and thought provoking guests on the planet today. I am your host, Alex Ferrari. Now, before we dive into today's conversation, I want to invite you to experience something truly transformative. Next Level Soul tv, our spiritual streaming platform where seekers from around the world can awaken, heal and expand. We've curated a powerful collection of life changing documentaries, Deep dive interviews, original series, audiobooks, courses, master classes and live events all focused on conscious personal transformation, ancient wisdom and and the soul's journey. This isn't just content, it's a calling. Whether you're exploring your spiritual gifts, seeking answers from the beyond, or just craving something real in a noisy world, Next Level Soul TV was made just for you. And here's the best part. It's commercial, free, available around the world and growing every week with new soul expanding content. So if you're ready to go deeper, head over to next LevelSoul TV and start streaming your awakening. Now, let's begin today's episode. Disclaimer. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the guest and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of this show, its host, or any of the companies they represent. Now today on the show we have Philip Goldberg, the author of the Life of Paramahansa Yogananda. I know many of you are thinking, well then, Paramahasa Yogananda write a very, very famous book called Autobiography of a Yogi. But Philip wanted to go deeper than that because apparently in that book, the original autobiography of Yogi Yogananda does not speak very much about his own life. He talks about other stories and things. So if you want to learn more about the man's journey, this, this avatar, this ascended Master, and how he walked this earth and the trials and tribulations he went through, this is the episode for you. Let's dive in. I'd like to welcome to the show Philip Goldberg. How you doing, Phillip?
- [04:13]
Philip Goldberg
I'm well, thank you. Alex, how are you?
- [04:16]
Alex Ferrari
I'm very good. Thank you so much for coming on the show. You and I have a love for a certain guru who, who, who walked, who walked the earth a few years ago and really threw the earth upside down a little bit, especially the west, kind of tossed and turned and was a very strong spiritual teacher. And everyone who's ever listened to any of my episodes knows that that person is Paramahansa Yogananda. And you know, he very famously wrote a little book called the Autobiography of a Yogi, which is that not so? No, it's about 800 pages. It's a lot.
- [04:53]
Philip Goldberg
500 or something, but yeah, it's a lot of pages.
- [04:57]
Alex Ferrari
But that book really transformed a lot of people's lives, is still transforming people's lives to this day. But you decided to write a book called the Life of Yogananda, which seems counterproductive since he already wrote an autobiography. So why did you.
- [05:11]
Philip Goldberg
The first question I was asked, but.
- [05:14]
Alex Ferrari
He already wrote an autobiography. Why do you want to do it? So can you explain to everybody, first of all who Yogananda was and what drew you to his, his life and his teachings and then why you wrote this book.
- [05:26]
Philip Goldberg
Okay, we'll go in that order then. Yogananda was possibly the most important of the spiritual teachers who came to the west from India. But I don't by most important I mean the most influential, certainly in the top three. I. My prior book was called American Veda and that covered the, the whole history of how India's ancient spiritual teachings found its way into America and transformed the cultural and spiritual landscape of the country in a way that's rarely appreciated sufficiently. Yogananda was a key player. He came here in 1920. There hadn't been that many Indian gurus prior to that. His illustrious predecessor, Swami Vivekananda came to the US actually the same year Yogananda was born, 1893. And swamis in his lineage were, were in America at the time Yogananda came, but they were pretty low key. Yogananda was the first to gain prominence and stay here. He spent the last 32 years of his life in America. And so he had time and the energy and the skill and the charisma to reach of a great number of people and left behind when he passed in 1952, his famous autobiography of Yogi, which has been called one of the most or one of the most important spiritual books of the 20th century. And to, as you said, to this day, people, people's lives are changed by it. And so when I wrote American Veda, I had chapter on Yogananda and his impact. And afterward in thinking what do I want to do next? It kept coming to me what an interesting human life Yogananda led. And I couldn't do it justice in the 20 some odd pages I could know, devote to it in, in the previous book. So I said that's a story that should be told. But I had the same thought you did. But you know, why write a biography of somebody who's famous for an autobiography? So I reread Autobiography of a Yogi for, you know, fourth or fifth time or whatever and did a page count and realized that less than 10% of that book is about his life after the age of 27 when he came to America and that. And there were passages that read like, and then four years passed in Boston and I thought, well, no, you can't get away with that. He came, his first stop was Boston in 1920. He was there for the first four years he was in America. How did he survive? How did he, what did he do? How did he you know, fulfill his mission. How did he deal with winter in New England? You know, give me details. So I said, okay, there are gaps in his personal story and someone should fill them. And now. So I took it on that that's essentially what happened.
- [09:59]
Alex Ferrari
So he. So Yogananda was doing the yada, yada, yada. I moved to la.
- [10:06]
Philip Goldberg
Well, in a sense. And also what's interesting is it's called Autobiography of a Yogi, but a big portion of it is about other people, people he's met, interesting people, saints, scientists, all kind of holy people, miracle workers, his gurus. And so the actual autobiography portion of it left a lot out. And so, you know, that fascinated me. I had already gotten hints in my prior research that there were stories to tell that he didn't tell and details that are worth knowing and a human story that holds up as a narrative that we can all learn from.
- [11:00]
Alex Ferrari
Where does one go for information like this? Because I'm assuming it's a Self Realization Fellowship, which is his organization, because they're the ones that house pretty much everything that's available on Yogananda. But most of that stuff's not public. So how did you get access to these? How did you get access to these stories?
- [11:19]
Philip Goldberg
Good question. For one thing, there's more available in public domain than people realize. Obscure, you know, articles and journals or, you know, memoirs written by people who knew him, but, you know, including one by his brother who wrote about their childhood. But you're right, the. The principal archive is held in LA by the Self Realization Fellowship. So I could not have undertaken the project without their cooperation. It's not like there's a room. And they said, here's the key. Go read. I had a liaison who was essentially, you know, the most knowledgeable historian in the organization. And I would ask questions, that person would bring me documents from the archive or an explanation and answer. And. And that was invaluable.
- [12:38]
Alex Ferrari
We'll be right back after a word from our sponsor.
- [12:41]
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- [13:34]
Martine Hackett
Hi, I'm Martine Hackett, host of Untold Life with a Severe Autoimmune Condition, a production from Ruby Studio in partnership with Argenics. This season we're sharing powerful stories of resilience from people living with MG and cidp. Our hope is to inspire, educate and remind each other that even in the toughest moments, we're not alone. We'll hear from people like Corbin Whittington. After being diagnosed with both CIDP and dilated cardiomyopathy, he found incredible strength through community.
- [14:07]
Corbin Whittington or Community Speaker
So when we talk community, we're talking about an entire ecosystem surrounding this condition, including, of course, the patients at the center that are all trying to live life in the moment, live life for the future, but then also create a new future.
- [14:26]
Martine Hackett
Listen to Untold Life with a Severe Autoimmune condition on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [14:35]
Announcer (Anabe Sofa Commercial)
Life gets messy spills, stains and kid chaos. But with Anabhe, cleaning up is easy. Our sofas are full. Fully machine washable inside and out, so you never have to stress about messes again. Made with liquid and stain resistant fabrics that means fewer stains and more peace of mind. Designed for real life, our sofas feature changeable fabric covers allowing you to refresh your style anytime. Need flexibility? Our modular design lets you rearrange your sofa effortlessly. Perfect for cozy apartments or spacious homes. Plus, they're earth friendly and built to last. That's why over 200,000 happy customers have made the switch. Get early access to Black Friday pricing right now, sofas start at just $699. Visit washablesofas.com now and bring home a sofa made for life. That's washablesofas.com offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply.
- [15:38]
Alex Ferrari
And now back to the show.
- [15:42]
Philip Goldberg
And then I in the process, people outside of Self Realization Fellowship. They were, you know, like any other spiritual organization, there's always breakaway groups, small, small ones. But some of them were people or started by people who were direct disciples of Yogananda. And they had stories, they had documents, they had letters and people heard I was doing this and they said, oh, you know, I've got this file cabinet full of stuff and you know, you find things and people hear about you. So you, you just do your homework. And some of it was things like going into the Los Angeles Times archive and seeing articles from the 1920s and 30s, travel documents from, you know, like, you know, his passport and the, you know, when he left the country. And, you know, they. There, there are things that you, you come across and, and it adds, you know, also went to India and talked to people there, you know, his s. Family members, you know, who didn't necessarily know him because, you know, he died in 1952, but who had letters and who had stories and, you know, so you just do your, you do your research.
- [17:13]
Alex Ferrari
So let me ask you this, then what happened to him? I always wondered that, too, about those, Those four years in Boston, because he shows up, he's horrified that they're. That they're selling hot dogs. He thinks, oh, my God, what kind of country have you brought me to? That they, they eat dogs, those kind of stories. But what, what did he do those years? Because he came essentially on a boat, showed up, no one knows who he is. He is dressed in a way that people from the 1920s in Boston. He looked essentially like an alien, because people, even they've heard of India maybe, but they had never seen an.
- [17:53]
Philip Goldberg
Or if they did, you know, maybe a few rarefied people did. As I said, they were, you know, the occasional yoga person. Swami Vivekananda had spent time there 20 or so years earlier, but you're right, 1920, it was the. He arrived two months before women voted for the first time. You know, that's a long time ago. And racism was ascendant. The Ku Klux Klan was being, you know, had a huge revival at that time. So he, he. If you look at his passport photo, you see him bearded. He shaved it. He shaved his beard on the boat because people warned him that he didn't want to stand out that much in.
- [18:46]
Alex Ferrari
On.
- [18:46]
Philip Goldberg
In the streets. But he didn't cut his hair yet. That would have been a violation of the order of swamis that he was in. And he learned over time to do things like tuck his long hair into his collar, you know, in the back and wear a hat and wear Western clothing when he was in public. But, you know, at first he didn't. But he wasn't entirely a stranger because he came to speak at a conference that was being held in Boston and he had acquired the inv. He was substituting for the originally scheduled representative of Hinduism in this interfaith setting. And, you know, was very young, was very uncertain about his command of English. But he came here and stayed in a YMCA for a few days before the sponsors of the conference, you know, housed him in a proper way and ended up staying. And there's a lot of funny stories of his adjusting to American life. Riding a subway for the first time, not knowing how a drinking fountain operated, you know, and being a vegetarian and all that, you know, it was, there's a lot of funny stories. But on the other hand, there was harassment too. And you know, he was a dark skinned foreigner at a time when even the Irish and Jews were being discriminated against, you know, so you can imagine.
- [20:34]
Alex Ferrari
So he did, I would imagine he had some struggles. And he, I mean, did he have a job to pay the bills? How did, so who was, who was paying his bills these four years while he was there?
- [20:45]
Philip Goldberg
You're asking the kind of questions a biographer has to ask. He had some money from his father. He was raised in a affluent household by a hard working father who worked for the British railway system. And also, it should be noted, you know, this is 27 years before India gained its independence. So he was a subject of the British Empire and could have been deported at any time. And they were spying on him because, you know, they didn't, they were on the lookout for people raising money and guns in the west to support the, the freedom movement. And the more prominent it became, the more they looked out, you know, kept an eye on him. But so he came to speak at this conference. His father had given him some money and paid for the ship's passage. And then he said, if I'll be back unless the Americans need me. And after his first talk at that conference, which was, his talk was titled the Science of Religion, he hung around and waited to see what would happen. And then somebody invited him to speak. And at a, a church outside of Cambridge in Somerville, Massachusetts, and people heard him speak. And so somebody said, oh, I have a study group, come speak in my living room. And it was the same kind of story that every visiting guru or Buddhist monk or whatever followed started out small, with a small group of people who liked what he had to say and supported him and paid, you know, had some money, helped out arranging for him to speak here and there. And so it went from 10, 15 people and some was living room to a few years later filling Symphony hall in Boston. It just grew in that way. There were always money issues and always organizational issues that he had to deal with. And those kind of concerns only grew as his, as his fame and success grew.
- [23:23]
Alex Ferrari
Now you, you mentioned that he had a mission in this, in this life to do something. What exactly were the parameters of that mission?
- [23:31]
Philip Goldberg
Yeah, it wasn't, you know, like a mission statement that we're used to, you know, careful, carefully crafted by, you know, but since we.
- [23:41]
Alex Ferrari
But since we've already seen what he did, we could kind of guess what his mission was. So.
- [23:45]
Philip Goldberg
Well, his mission was essentially to bring the teachings of the, you know, of the Indian tradition, what we think of now as Hinduism, but really certain core philosophical and principles and methods practices that we think of as yoga, the yoga philosophy, Yoga practices, Vedanta philosophy. So not all of Hinduism, which is very vast and diverse, but certain core principles that were acceptable to Western culture, Western thinkers, Western values, and in particular, the teachings of his particular lineage, which he called Kriya Yoga. So he was bringing Kriya Yoga, which, you know, embedded in the larger overall principles of. Of the what? Of the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita to the West. That was his, you know, destiny, which, you know, according to what I read, you know, was told to his parents when he was an infant that he would have some that kind of mission. And his guru, Sri Ikteswar had been told by his guru that he would one day have a disciple who would go to America. And Sri Teswar, recognized in young Yogananda, before he was called Yogananda, that he would be that one. And he was essentially trained for that mission.
- [25:46]
Alex Ferrari
We'll be right back after a word from our sponsor.
- [25:49]
Wilmer Valderrama
This live check in is brought to you by State Farm. Okay, real talk. I'm about to become a dad again and, wow, it hits different the second time. Hi, I'm Umar Valderrama and I've done, you know, I've done the red carpets, the long days on set and all that, but nothing prepares you for that moment when you're building a crib and you realize you're building a future. Familia is everything to me. The laughs, the chaos, the unconditional love, but also the pressure. La responsabilidad. If you're stepping into something big right now, starting a family, getting engaged, moving cities, you're not alone. Take one step at a time. Why breathe? Be present and lean into the people. They've got your back. It is fruta. Like a good neighbor. State Farm is there.
- [26:39]
Martine Hackett
Hi, I'm Martine Hackett, host of Untold Life with a Severe Autoimmune Condition, a production from Ruby Studio in partnership with Argenics. This season we're sharing powerful stories of resilience from people living with MG and cidp. Our hope is to inspire, educate and remind each other that even in the toughest moments, we're not alone. We'll hear from people like Corbin Whittington. After being diagnosed with both CIDP and dilated cardiomyopathy, he found incredible strength through community.
- [27:12]
Corbin Whittington or Community Speaker
So when we talk community, we're talking about an entire ecosystem surrounding this condition, including of course, the patients at the center that are all trying to live life in the moment, live life for the future, but then also create a new future.
- [27:31]
Martine Hackett
Listen to untold stories life with a severe autoimmune condition on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [27:40]
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- [28:43]
Alex Ferrari
And now back to the show. And he, he also, when he brought over Kriya Yoga and aspects of the yoga philosophies and things like that, he also introduced meditation. Is he the first to do, is he the first to do meditation or was the other. I mean, in a big way? In a big way? In a big way.
- [29:03]
Philip Goldberg
Well, yeah, first to, to make it accessible to that number of people. Yes. Swami Vivekananda is known mostly for articulating Vedanta philosophy in a way that he sort of set the template for the how to use which language to use, what to emphasize to Westerners. And his swamis carried that on. But they had meditation practices. They just, you know, it was more low key. Yogananda reached far more people and perhaps taught more systematic methods of, of meditation practices, we should say, because that wasn't just. And then if you know that stage for the 1960s and 70s when there were a whole lot of gurus. And when the Beatles picked up on Transcendental Meditation, that, of course, that exploded. And so what Vivicananda started and Yogananda brought forth to large numbers of people, eventually became mainstream in America through this succession of. Of teachers and the available access to, you know, through technology and so forth.
- [30:31]
Alex Ferrari
Now, the beat you brought up the Beatles, because it's probably one of my favorite bands of all time, is I'm not alone in that. And I was fascinated to know that. I was a Beatles fan all my life, but I had no idea the impact that Yogananda and Autobiography of a Yogi had on them. So much so that his lineage is in Sgt. Pepper's. The album cover, the very. The famous cover. You see Yogananda, Babaji, Yukteswa. I think Lahir Mahasha is in there as well.
- [31:02]
Philip Goldberg
Yeah, all four.
- [31:04]
Alex Ferrari
All four of them are in there. And I'm. I was like, oh, my. How did they. What is happening?
- [31:09]
Philip Goldberg
I blew my mind.
- [31:11]
Alex Ferrari
Tell me how that happened. It's.
- [31:12]
Philip Goldberg
It's George. George was the. The driving spiritual force of the Beatles. And if, you know, after the Beatles broke up, George, you know, was such a sincere yogi and practitioner, and that carried through to the. The rest of his life. And, you know, I've given presentations just about George, and you could see in the lyrics of his, some of the songs he wrote with the Beatles. And then later in his solo career, he was a strong advocate of Indian philosophy and Indian spirituality and a real sincere seeker. And it started with him musically when he discovered the sitar and went to India to study with Ravi Shankar. And Ravi Shankar gave him two books, one of which was Autobiography of a Yogi, and the other was one of Vivekananda's books called Raj Yoga. And those transformed George's life. There's actually four or five different guru lineages that have a claim on George. So, you know, when they were conceiving the album cover for Sgt. Pepper, which came out in 1967, each of the Beatles could choose four cultural icons to put on the COVID So you see Muhammad Ali and Bob Dylan and mae west and W.C. fields and all these people. George's four were the four gurus.
- [32:58]
Alex Ferrari
Wow, I didn't know that one. That's another little bit of information.
- [33:03]
Philip Goldberg
And it should be said that he, over the course of his life, he would keep stacks of autobiography around to give to people. But, you know, the. The Transcendental Meditation people, the Vedanta Society people, the Hare Krishnas, because George was a big devotee and of Chanting and Hari, they all have a claim on George.
- [33:28]
Alex Ferrari
But yet, but yet, but, but George put the four. The four gurus on the COVID So that says something. I'm just throwing that out there.
- [33:36]
Philip Goldberg
Oh, yeah, that says a lot. And he would go and visit SRF when he was in L. A and he would. He would give out copies of Autobiography of Yogi, but, you know, he didn't limit himself to, to anyone.
- [33:51]
Alex Ferrari
Yes. As he shouldn't. As he shouldn't be the first to say. As you're going to be the first to say that it's like, that's quite right to go to all teachings. One thing that I found really fascinating when I first was introduced to Yogananda, I was used. I was introduced to Autobiography of a Yogi when I was in my mid-20s. I started reading. It could not. It was. I was so not ready. I'm just so not ready for it. I was reading like, guys levitating, biologation, this, this guru walking around who's still alive after 2500 years in the Himalayas. Like, it was so far out of my comfort zone that I put the book away. It was only until my mid-30s where I picked it up again, and then I started to understand and then I started to really dig deep into it. But what I found fascinating about Yoganand, that kind of, I think, set him apart from his contemporaries is that he brought Jesus Christ into the mix.
- [34:47]
Philip Goldberg
Oh, man. Big time.
- [34:49]
Alex Ferrari
Yeah. And he was talking about Jesus and he put them up there. He put Jesus up there with his other lineage and that Jesus was part of his lineage. And that was such a. I'm not saying it was a smart marketing play, but I don't think he. I don't think he was looking at it that way, but in hindsight, it opened the door to so many people in the west because everyone here knows Jesus, that, you know, the west was basically, you know, built upon Christian values and, you know, so on and so forth. But it was really fascinating. What do you know about that and why are you laughing?
- [35:24]
Philip Goldberg
You've touched on a lot of things. First of all, I want to say for your listeners, I teach courses from time to time through Hindu University of America, Hua Edu. They have a wonderful curriculum of. Of classes and online courses. And one of the courses I do is going through Autobiography of a Yogi, chapter by chapter. And so I would invite people to look at that. And because I can, I bring in all the stuff that's not in the book that I, I learned in my own research. The presence of Jesus. One thing that is common across the Eastern traditions, essentially, you know, if you go to India and you mention Jesus, people just think of him as a great spiritual teacher and they, they're happy to, you know, extol him and quote him and all that. And all the gurus who came here had nothing but respect and reverence for Jesus. It's very common. It's one of the beautiful things about the Hindu and Buddhist cultures is the openness to, you know, any great saint or teacher. Yogananda took that to another level. He didn't just hold Jesus up and quote him and hold him up as an example. He claimed that Jesus was essentially part of his own lineage and that he and the aforementioned Babaji, the deathless Yogi, are in some kind of communication. And the, you know, Yogananda's whole mission is essentially, you know, endorsed and set up by them. He spoke about Jesus so much that there's a two volume set totally behind about 1200 pages. That's on your shelf, I'm sure. Yeah, right. Yep. I see it next to the Gita. And, you know, it's called the Second Coming of Christ and it was assembled by his devotees after he died of everything he said and wrote about Jesus. So that's. It's a lot.
- [38:06]
Alex Ferrari
We'll be right back after a word from our sponsor.
- [38:09]
Wilmer Valderrama
This live check in is brought to you by State Farm. Okay, real talk. I'm about to become a dad again and, wow, it hits different the second time. Hi, I'm Wilmer Valderrama and I've done, you know, I've done the red carpets, the long days on set and all that, but nothing prepares you for that moment when you're building a crib and you realize you're building a future. Familia is everything to me. The laughs, the chaos, the unconditional love, but also the pressure. La responabilidad. If you're stepping into something big right now, starting a family, getting engaged, moving cities, you're not alone. Take one step at a time. Why breathe? Be present and lean into the people. They've got your back. It is fruta. Like a good neighbor. State Farm is there.
- [38:59]
Martine Hackett
Hi, I'm Martine Hackett, host of Untold Life with a Severe Autoimmune Condition, a production from Ruby Studio in partnership with Argenics. This season we're sharing powerful stories of resilience from people living with MG and Cigarette. Our hope is to inspire, educate, and remind each other that even in the toughest moments, we're not alone. We'll hear from people like Corbin Whittington. After being diagnosed with both CIDP and dilated cardiomyopathy, he found incredible strength through community.
- [39:32]
Corbin Whittington or Community Speaker
So when we talk community, we're talking about an entire ecosystem surrounding this condition, including, of course, the patients at the center that are all trying to live life in the moment, live life for the future, but then also create a new future.
- [39:51]
Martine Hackett
Listen to untold life with a severe autoimmune condition on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [40:00]
Announcer (Anabe Sofa Commercial)
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- [41:03]
Alex Ferrari
And now back to the show.
- [41:06]
Philip Goldberg
And he mastered you know, how to talk about it and how to bring Jesus. It's not the interpretation of Jesus you'll find in the, or in the, you know, next Sunday's sermon, wherever you are. It's a more esoteric one, of course, but it's fascinating. And you're absolutely right. I know you were joking when you called it a marketing ploy, but he, but that he was accused of that. He was accused of that, you know, he's selling out to the Christians, he's pandering to them, you know, putting up Jesus and all that. But it was sincere, you know, when he, when they acquired the property that to this day is the headquarters of SRF internationally on a hilltop in LA. He scheduled the opening of that in 1925 for Easter Sunday morning. And you know, every Christmas he celebrated, you know, in ways that, you know, many Christians don't. You know, all day meditation practice on the day before and then, of course, gift giving and food and, you know, celebratory thing. He, he was very sincere in his reverence for Jesus as a, as an avatar, as a Great saint right up there with his, you know, his own tradition of Krishna and, you know, that sort of thing. So it was sincere. Did it also work as a marketing device? Sure, because many, you know, assuaged the conscience of many people who were curious about him and attracted to him, but also felt very strongly about their roots in Christianity. But let's not also overlook the fact that it was a turn off for many people.
- [43:10]
Alex Ferrari
Yeah, yeah. For searching. They're searching for something other than Jesus. Like, man, Jesus is here again.
- [43:19]
Philip Goldberg
It was. I've interviewed so many people and for, for one thing, Jews and atheists, they had a little trouble with this Jesus presence. And many Christians who had given up, who had rejected the church and their own Christian roots had to suddenly say, wait a minute, what's this about? And, and, you know, wrestle with that. And then. But more common were Christians who had been alienated from their faith, from their tradition, usually when they're high school or college age and all that, and found their way back to it through Yogananda, because the interpretation, they, they, through Yogananda, they found that Jesus they could love again. You know what, like they did when they were kids.
- [44:20]
Alex Ferrari
Yeah. And I'll tell you what. I mean, I think that's essentially what happened to me because I was, I'm a recovering Catholic, as I always joke, and I was introduced to that. But I rejected the church years ago because plot holes in the story and the yada, yada, Jesus is from 13 to 30, you know, that, you know, which they talk about as possible time in India and all this kind of stuff, which I'll ask you about in a second. But I, I always loved the teachings of Jesus. Just, just take religion out of it, just as a human being to another human being. His teachings are beautiful, but it was all mixed up in this dogma and fear and anger that I just couldn't grab onto. But through Yogananda, you open up that door again to his teachings and oh, that's, that's the Jesus. I can, I can, I can hang with that guy, you know, because he's not going to judge me. You know, he's not going to do this or that. And now it's been, now it's my mission in life to constantly ask questions about everything that had to do with.
- [45:23]
Philip Goldberg
Well, it's. Your story mirrors a lot. In fact, it's, it's a variation of my own story. And I've written about this. You know, I usually, every Christmas I try to republish this essay. I wrote about my own Path. I was raised by atheist Jews to, you know, think religion was for fools. And I had no religious training or whatever and I knew very little about, you know, I just like everybody else raised in America, you know, about Christmas and Easter and you hear this stuff. But after getting into Indian philosophy and starting my own meditation practice and everything, I read Autobiography of a Yogi. And I said, oh, he writes about Jesus a lot. What, what's going on here? What have I missed? I may have. Maybe I missed something. So I, I got a New Testament and read it. And I had already read the Bhagavad Gita. I had already read the, you know, some of the Upanishads and all this literature. So I'm reading the New Testament for the first time and I'm. And my thought was, oh, I get it. He was a guru, he was a yoga master, he had disciples. And it's just like the Upanishads. And so suddenly I found myself being open to stuff and I'd go to. And I started realizing how much I like Christmas carols. So I check out a different church every Christmas Eve to have a birthday party for a great yogi.
- [47:15]
Alex Ferrari
It is beautiful.
- [47:16]
Philip Goldberg
That's what happens.
- [47:17]
Alex Ferrari
So let me ask you this. In your research following Yogananda's life, when you went down the rabbit hole of Jesus's connection with Yogananda, did you find out any stories about the time between the years 13 and 30 where there's a lot of Jesus in India? Ideas or Tibetan? My understanding is India, Tibet and Egypt. Those are the, those were the three places that he kind of hung out for a minute.
- [47:44]
Philip Goldberg
Oh, also I've heard Persia.
- [47:47]
Alex Ferrari
Yeah, around that same.
- [47:49]
State Farm Sponsor Voice
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- [47:49]
Philip Goldberg
Iran.
- [47:50]
Alex Ferrari
Yeah, yeah.
- [47:51]
Philip Goldberg
I, I don't, I, I heard all the stories. And it wasn't just in researching Yogananda's life, you know, and all the. I've, I've taken tour groups to India. I've, you know, investigated all the different gurus, teachings and everything. And you hear these stories. You know, there's even films made about Jesus in India. You know, people have been speculating about those missing years forever. And it's plausible. I mean, people did travel from what we think of as the Holy Land and from Greece, you know, overland. Alexander the Great went to India, well, what's now Pakistan. He met yogis. It said that Pythagoras and other Greek philosophers had contacts with Indian sages who, because there were trade routes between the Middle east and Greece and, and India. But what actually happened, you know, I have no idea.
- [49:04]
Alex Ferrari
They didn't have the film cameras.
- [49:05]
Philip Goldberg
I always joke that, you know, if you're in India, especially if you're in Kashmir, which is one of the legends, for a few rupees, somebody will show you where Jesus is actually buried.
- [49:21]
Wilmer Valderrama
Exactly.
- [49:22]
Philip Goldberg
He wasn't really crucified, you know, that He. He found his way to India and spent, you know, his life in the Himalayas and all.
- [49:32]
Alex Ferrari
I've heard all those stories as well. I heard the mother, Mother Mary died along the route and that she's buried somewhere in Pakistan. You know, that he was, it was the Da Vinci coach. He was married, he had kids. He was. Mary Magdalene was not a. A. He was his wife. And apparently the, and apparently the proprietor of his entire mission, Jesus. Because he had to. Someone had to pay the bills for Jesus. And she came for money. So these are the, these are stories we all hear. Have you heard these stories?
- [50:04]
Philip Goldberg
I've heard stories, many stories like that. This is the first time I heard of Mary Magdalene being the, the financier of the organization. I knew, you know, they presume, presumably she. They were husband and wife. I mean, people are going, I've heard so many stories about so many legendary people. You know, you live in la, you hear stories about celebrities, so why not Jesus? Exactly.
- [50:40]
Alex Ferrari
Now we, we touched upon a very pivotal figure in the Autobiography of Yogi and in Yogananda's life, which is Mahavatar Babaji. And Babaji is one of the most fascinating characters in the Autobiography of a Yogi. We'll be right back after a word from our sponsor.
- [51:01]
Wilmer Valderrama
This live check in is brought to you by State Farm. Okay, real talk. I'm about to become a dad again. And wow, it hits different the second time. Hi, I'm Wilmar Valderrama and I've done, you know, I've done the red carpets, the long days on set and all that, but nothing prepares you for that moment when you're building a crib and you realize you're building a future. Familia is everything to me. The laughs, the chaos, the unconditional love, but also the pressure. La responsabilidad. If you're stepping into something big right now, starting a family, getting engaged, moving cities, you're not alone. Take one step at a time. Why breathe? Be present and lean into the people. They've got your back. It is fruita. Like a good neighbor. State Farm is there.
- [51:51]
Martine Hackett
Hi, I'm Martine Hackett, host of Untold Life with a Severe Autoimmune Condition, a production from Ruby Studio in partnership with Argenics this season we're sharing powerful stories of resilience from people living with MG and cidp. Our hope is to inspire, educate and remind each other that even in the toughest moments, we're not alone. We'll hear from people like Corbin Whittington. After being diagnosed with both CIDP and dilated cardiomyopathy, he found incredible strength through community.
- [52:24]
Corbin Whittington or Community Speaker
So when we talk community, we're talking about an entire ecosystem surrounding this condition, including of course, the patients at the center that are all trying to live life in the moment, live life for the future, but then also create a new future.
- [52:43]
Martine Hackett
Listen to untold stories life with a severe autoimmune condition on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [52:51]
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- [53:55]
Alex Ferrari
And now back to the show. Can you talk a little bit about Babaji, what he's doing, what impact he had on Yogananda. Because apparently Yogananda I think met him twice or three times. I'm not mistaken in the book at least, I think at least twice. But it might be three times in his life where he actually had a conversation with the real Babaji and and other than stories that he heard from his guru. But can you talk a little bit about Babaji and his impact on this work, Yogananda's life and its impact on the world?
- [54:27]
Philip Goldberg
Well again we're in the realm of what's true, what's mythology, what's good storytelling? I'm not qualified to know, but Babaji is a legendary yogi in the Himalayas who, you know, who had such mastery of mind over matter of consciousness as a that he didn't age and has lived for hundreds of years. And there are people today who claim to have met him and been ordained by him to have some teaching mission. Are they lying? Are they deluded? Is it real? I have no idea. I once met somebody who claimed to be Babaji. That guy was deluded, but, you know, that was just too obvious. But who knows? But in Yogananda's world, you could say Babaji is the custodian of the Kriya Yoga lineage and appeared to Yogananda's guru's guru and Lahiri Mahasya when he had was a young man and said, you will bring out these teachings from the obscurity that they've fallen into and make them more widely available. And you will do it without giving up your, your job and your role as a husband.
- [56:23]
Alex Ferrari
Father and a father. Yeah.
- [56:24]
Philip Goldberg
And because. So you will set an example that these teachings are not just for renunciates, but for, you know, people living in the world. And that's was Lahiri Mahasia then he had a disciple named Shriuk Teswar, who was also a householder until, you know, he was a widower and took renunciate vows and he became yoga's guru. So the lineage is passed down from Babaji to Lahiri Mahasya to Sri Teswara to Yogananda. And of course, you know, lesser known people, lesser known gurus who had their own branches of that lineage. You know, Yoganand's not the only one. Other disciples of Lahiri and Uteswar had their own smaller institutions. So that's who he presumably is and is presumably still alive. And as I said, people claim all kinds of things. Who knows what's true? But that's the legend of, of Babaji. And I've taken tour groups to places in India where there's. There's one place where the lineage maintains that it's a cave where Babaji lived and where, you know and you know, and these are powerful places and they're powerful stories. And some people believe them and some people don't. But I always like to say it doesn't matter. You know, the teachings are the teachings, the methods of Kriya Yoga, just like the methods of other yoga lineages. They work, they have an effect on people. That's what really matters. And, you know, whether you believe Yogananda's stories or not, whether you talked earlier about reading autobiography and your reaction to all the miracles and the healings and the feats of yogic powers and all that my experience with people is there are two kinds of people who really love the autobiography of a yogi, people who love the, the miracles and can't get enough of them, and people who don't believe a word of it. But they, they get a lot out of the book for other reasons, because it's, the book is a lot of things to, you know, there's a lot in there. And every time I reread it to teach one of those courses I mentioned, I find something new. And there's a, there's a lot there. So some people just poo, poo the miracles or say, well, some of them may be true and, but I don't believe this one and that one. And I think Yogananda was fooled or whatever. Here's a, but here's a point about. This is interesting. He made, they're so prominent in the book. And at the same time, if you read the commentaries about his own commentaries about, he'll tell you, but that are not what it, what's important. What's important is the experience inside you. When you practice these methods of yoga, these stories, you can believe them. You know, they're meant to make a point. So, and that's consistent with all the great spiritual teachers, all the gurus, all the yogis, Buddha himself, they tell you, yeah, these, these feats of consciousness and everything, they're, they're absolutely true. I, you know, these are things that an advanced yogi can do, but they're not important. Don't get caught up in them. Don't waste your time trying to attain these things or think about them. What matters is the inner peace and the expanded awareness and the love that these methods bring about in, in practice. But yet there's all these stories. So one day when I was researching my biography of him, I was meeting with Swami Chetananda, who became the head of the organization after, you know, not long after, I was meeting with him about my research. And I said, why do you think Yogananda included so much? Why there's so many of these stories, stories in the book. And he said, he, he tells you in the book. I said, what do you mean? And he opens the front of the book and if you, if you have a copy of Artobiography View, if you have a copy of any book, you'll see what's called the copyright page. Where. Well, not the copyright page, the title page. There's always a page with just the title, the author, the publisher. On that page, there's a quote from the Bible, from the New Testament. And it says, except you see signs and wonders, you will not believe. That's from the Book of John. He put it in there. It was like he's. He's telling you at the beginning. That's why I did this. Because some people need to see miracles and everything in order to pay attention.
- [62:44]
Alex Ferrari
Yeah, pay attention. You know, for my. From my studies in yogic philosophies, I've understood that these id, these powers, the yogic powers, and there's a handful of them. Levitation, biolocation, manifestation, basically all the stuff that. That Jesus did. Which again, goes back to your theory of he's a great yogi. That they can be traps for. Yes, for the yogi going through it. Because. Because you know what? When you levitate, pretty, pretty darn off cool to levitate and to show that off, the ego will come in like, you know what? I think I can show this. Or if you're able to manifest something or if you're able to biologate. These are things that the ego would just love because you're so much superior to everyone else that it is a trap for many yogis and yogi. And some yogis get caught up in that and they just.
- [63:39]
Philip Goldberg
That's right.
- [63:40]
Alex Ferrari
They focus on just learning how to levitate for 30 years and that's what they do. But that's not.
- [63:46]
Philip Goldberg
Or to read minds or to, you know, all kinds of stuff that.
- [63:52]
Alex Ferrari
We'll be right back after a word from our sponsor.
- [63:55]
State Farm Sponsor Voice
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- [64:48]
Martine Hackett
Hi, I'm Martine Hackett, host of Untold Stories. Life with a Severe Autoimmune Condition, a production from Ruby Studio in partnership with Argenics. This season we're sharing powerful stories of resilience from people Living with MG and cidp. Our hope is to inspire, educate and remind each other that even in the toughest moments, we're not alone. We'll hear from people like Corbin Whittington. After being diagnosed with both CIDP and dilated cardiomyopathy, he found incredible strength through community.
- [65:21]
Corbin Whittington or Community Speaker
So. So when we talk community, we're talking about an entire ecosystem surrounding this condition, including of course, the patients at the center that are all trying to live life in the moment, live life for the future, but then also create a new future.
- [65:40]
Martine Hackett
Listen to untold stories life with a severe autoimmune condition on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [65:48]
Announcer (Anabe Sofa Commercial)
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- [66:51]
Alex Ferrari
And now back to the show.
- [66:55]
Philip Goldberg
And the question is, are these real? You know, and I have no doubt that these are attainments, you know, that have been witnessed and observed and attained. And some of them, like the mind powers, you know, they're just. It's like you could pick up a basketball and, and shoot and maybe squirt because we all can do that. But not everybody's LeBron James. So we all have intuition and hunches and feelings and you know, all that stuff. And we've experienced certain psychic things happening in our life. Take that to an extreme and you have, you know, the LeBron James is of yogis doing what we think of as extraordinary things. So I have no doubt the question is, so what? When Buddha was asked if he could perform miracles, he said yes. When I'm hungry, I eat. When I'm thirsty, I Drink. That's a mirror. Those are miracles. And, you know, so are they happy? Are they in bliss consciousness? Have they transcended the, you know, sufferings of the world? That's why people follow yogic paths, not so they can manipulate other people with their mind or, you know, float.
- [68:27]
Alex Ferrari
Exactly, exactly. You know, and you. And you mentioned Lahiri Mahasha, who's one of my favorite of the gurus, because he had a family. And that's unlike. Most gurus are usually, you know, they are monastic in many ways, and they stay away from having that because. And I have family.
- [68:47]
Philip Goldberg
I have a family.
- [68:47]
Alex Ferrari
And I always like to say. I always like to joke. I'm like, I wonder how Yogananda would have done if he had five kids running around and a wife and a mortgage and all this kind of stuff. It's easy to find enlightenment. You don't have to deal with that. I'm joking, but it's easier. And then Lahir Mahashaya is that one guru that I look to like. He had a family, he had a job, he was an accountant. I mean, he.
- [69:10]
State Farm Sponsor Voice
He.
- [69:10]
Alex Ferrari
And he still slowly but surely became the spiritual teacher. So it is doable in Babaji, if he does exist. Babaji was so smart in allowing someone like the Hira Mahasay to be the catalyst of Priya Yoga as an example to others to go, no, you don't have to be in the Himalayan mountains for a hundred years meditating. You know, from what I understand, what I understand now, the. The age, and not for everybody, but the age of this enlightenment in the Himalayans, you know, in a cave somewhere away from the world, or even in a. In a. In a. In a church or in a, you know, a monk, you know, retreat, a castle somewhere. That world is great. But from my understanding, is now it's the time for them to come down from the mountains and to start doing these kind of teachings within the mass media, getting jobs within companies, doing these things to be. Actually to do change in the world and elevate everyone's awakening consciousness. Would you agree?
- [70:18]
Philip Goldberg
Yeah, I. Well, there's a. There's a role for monastics.
- [70:23]
Alex Ferrari
Correct.
- [70:25]
Philip Goldberg
Most of the teachers who came here, whether Buddhist or Hindu or whatever, were monks, but they taught householders. They made it very plain you don't have to. This is. Many are called, but fewer chosen. You know, most. The. The great majority of human beings are meant to be in families and have careers and jobs, and that's the curriculum for our, you know, most of our incarnations. But there's a role to be played for monks and nuns. And essentially they're specialists. You know, they, they have, they don't have the distractions of family life and career so they can devote themselves fully to this. This is why Yogananda, who himself was a monk, he made, he empowered the people around him who, to run the organization and carry on his legacy. He put that in the hands of the monastics. He created a monastic order for Westerners. So did other gurus. All of them had them, some equivalent of that. And, you know, it's a very attractive proposition for people who get involved in a deep, serious spiritual path. But it's not for everybody. It has its own challenges. You know, you give up, you, you're giving up a lot, and you are, it's, A lot is expected of you. You're not just sitting in a cave. You're running an organization and you have people to deal with and managerial responsibilities, teaching responsibilities and all that. And you have to, you know, detached from certain things. And, you know, even I, I, it's very tempting once you get onto a yogic path to say, oh, all this stuff is a distraction. I'm just going to go live in an ashram or, you know, a monastery. You know, maybe it'll last a short period of time. Before I, I used to joke that I got, I did that for a while. I would go on long meditation retreats and say, oh, I'm not going back. I'm wanting to just do this. I'm going to take vows. And then, you know, a week later, I'm thinking, how are the Mets doing? You know, and probably that. Where are the women? And, you know, I wonder if the Beatles have a new album. You know, you, you just, Some of us are not meant to be that way. You know, we all have a role for each.
- [73:26]
Alex Ferrari
Correct. Your role was to do the work that you're doing, and you couldn't do that in an ashram. I mean, you have to be out mingling with the world. And look, Yogananda, you know, he was, he was, you know, a person who was not in a cave somewhere. He built an organization, he traveled, he spoke, he interacted with people on a constant basis for 32 years in the United States. That is, is far from beyond being a monk.
- [73:54]
Philip Goldberg
That's right. And, you know, and this is in my biography of him because it shows up a lot in his letters and other things. There were times when he said, I don't want to do this anymore. This is too much hassle, having to think about money and These foolish people who get into squabbles with one another and aren't, you know, and people attacking me and people suing me and people making accusations and people opposing me. I just wanted to live a. The peaceful life of. Of a yogi. I want to go live by the Ganges river and in the Himalayas and. But it didn't. You know, he had a mission, and it wasn't to be, but there were times when he. You know, the people around him thought, he's not coming back. You know, he's. He's. He wants to give this up. But he couldn't. It was his mission, but he had a lot of responsibility and tremendous work, very hard. You know, anybody, you know, just think of it, you start a business or something, it's a lot of work. And essentially, you know, he had a mission. And the more successful he was, the more administrative headaches, the more, you know, public relations headaches. So, you know, he worked. He worked very hard. And that's a great example. I've had people read my book and say, oh, I'm so happy that I read it, because part of me wanted, you know, thinking, why is my life so difficult? And then I realized even Yogananda had challenges. This is, you know, this is life in the world. So I feel better about things now.
- [75:51]
Alex Ferrari
Yeah. And he. I mean, he did have. He had a lot of struggles. A lot. A lot of struggles in his day and during the end of his life. And please correct me if I'm wrong, but he started to write, like, so much. He was trying to get it all out because he knew it, because he knew when he was gonna go. He knew that the clock was running out for himself. And he was writing, apparently, just. Just insanely, books after books after books. Translating. Translated, I mean, or dictating. Dictating. Dictating books on top of books. Right.
- [76:22]
Philip Goldberg
And not only that, you know, making sure his organization was in place for his departure, making sure it would. It would be financially secure. Making sure the people who were going to carry on his legacy were properly trained and properly oriented. He continued to give public talks, all of which were transcribed and, you know, ended up in books. So he was working very hard. He stopped traveling he first 15 years or so here. He traveled all the time, stopped traveling after a while and just stayed in Southern California.
- [77:06]
Alex Ferrari
We'll be right back after a word from our sponsor.
- [77:09]
Wilmer Valderrama
This live check in is brought to you by State Farm. Okay, real talk. I'm about to become a dad again. And, wow, it hits different the second time Hi, I'm Wilmar Valderrama and I've done, you know, I've done the red carpets, the long days on set and all that. But nothing prepares you for that moment when you're building a crib and you realize you're building a future. Familia is everything to me. The laughs, the chaos, the unconditional love, but also the pressure. La responsabilidad. If you're stepping into something big right now, starting a family, getting engaged, moving cities, you're not alone. Take one step at a time. Why breathe? Be present and lean into the people. They've got your back. It is fruta like a good neighbor. State Farm is there.
- [78:00]
Martine Hackett
Hi, I'm Martine Hackett, host of Untold Life with a Severe Autoimmune Condition, a production from Ruby Studio in partnership with Argenics. This season, we're sharing powerful stories of resilience from people living with MG and cidp. Our hope is to inspire, educate and remind each other that even in the toughest moments, we're not alone. We'll hear from people. People like Corbin Whittington. After being diagnosed with both CIDP and dilated cardiomyopathy, he found incredible strength through community.
- [78:33]
Corbin Whittington or Community Speaker
So when we talk community, we're talking about an entire ecosystem surrounding this condition, including, of course, the patients at the center that are all trying to live life in the moment. Live life for the future, but then also create a new future.
- [78:51]
Martine Hackett
Listen to untold stories. Life with a severe autoimmune condition. On the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts, life gets.
- [79:01]
Announcer (Anabe Sofa Commercial)
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- [80:03]
Alex Ferrari
And now back to the show.
- [80:06]
Philip Goldberg
You know, if, if he were around now, he'd be making YouTube videos. In those days, he was writing books.
- [80:18]
Alex Ferrari
Yeah, that was, that was the, The. The medium of his time. That was the way to get out to the masses. Now he would be absolutely a YouTube star. No question. No question about it whatsoever. One last thing, Philip, I wanted to ask you about. I heard this from. From somewhere that when he died, when Yogananda passed, he. He basically was. He was speaking and he. He told his. His disciples that night, tonight, I'm leaving you. And they're like, no, no, no, that's impossible.
- [80:47]
Philip Goldberg
He didn't, he didn't tell them that.
- [80:49]
Alex Ferrari
Oh, he didn't. He didn't say that. Okay.
- [80:51]
Philip Goldberg
But they inferred it later from some of the things he said.
- [80:57]
Alex Ferrari
Got it. Okay. So he was. He was dropping some hints, but then he, in the middle of a talk, just fell and he apparently was from cardiac arrest.
- [81:05]
Philip Goldberg
Yeah, true. But it was at the end of his talk and it was, I have to say, researching and writing that chapter about his final years and days and final night. It was really moving for me to. To do that. It was a beautiful thing. He had. He had. He loved his homeland. He loved India and what it stands for. And one of the poignant things was he always wanted to go back again and, you know, visit again. But. And he only did once in this whole time after he came here. And he wanted to go back, but it never did. But he once said that he would die with India on his lips, and he did. It was the final. His final night was a banquet, celebration. This is what, five years after, almost five years after India became independent. And it's first. The first post independence ambassador to the US was visiting Los Angeles and they had banquets for him and every. Yogananda hosted them. And he gave a talk at this banquet. And he concluded his talk by reading a section of a poem of his about his love for India. And as soon as he finished, he collapsed.
- [82:46]
Alex Ferrari
He died with Indiana's lips.
- [82:48]
Philip Goldberg
Yeah.
- [82:49]
Alex Ferrari
Now, one last thing. When he passed, the legend goes that he didn't decay, that he was as vibrant as the day he was alive. And there was. There's video of it, there's actual film of him at his. As they were burying him, I think, or wherever. That ceremony.
- [83:07]
Philip Goldberg
Yeah. But what do you.
- [83:09]
Alex Ferrari
What did you hear?
- [83:10]
Philip Goldberg
I have to be. You know, that's all the issues I've ever seen of Autobiography of Yogi have this thing about how his body didn't corrupt, and people have disputed that. For one thing, he was embalmed and. And the body was Open casket only for a short period of time. No one knows. No one's opened the casket since. And you know, according to one what is called coroner, they started to see some signs of. Of decay. Others say, oh no, this. He held up. The body held up much longer than is the norm. And other people would dispute that. And personally, I don't care.
- [84:07]
Alex Ferrari
Right? It's.
- [84:08]
Philip Goldberg
I don't care.
- [84:09]
Alex Ferrari
It's. It's fascinating because that's basically every great spiritual teacher. There's always.
- [84:14]
Philip Goldberg
There's always legends, there's always stories. You know, Jesus isn't the only one who was supposed to have a virgin birth or was resurrected or any of that, you know, so you don't know what to believe. And I always thought if they were open Yogananda's casket and find him looking like he did in 1952, it would be miraculous. But would it change anything? Would it make his methods any more valuable? Any more practical? Would it make the. The philosophies he espoused any less true or more true? No. That's what really matters.
- [84:58]
Wilmer Valderrama
Where is.
- [84:59]
Alex Ferrari
Do you know where he's buried? I don't know where he's buried.
- [85:01]
Philip Goldberg
In Forest Lawn Cemetery out outside of Los Angeles.
- [85:06]
Alex Ferrari
He's a Forest Lawns. I didn't know he was a Forest Lawns.
- [85:09]
Philip Goldberg
Yeah.
- [85:10]
Alex Ferrari
My next trip to la, I'm making a video.
- [85:12]
Philip Goldberg
There was a. There was an effort to move to disinter and move it to SRF headquarters.
- [85:18]
Wilmer Valderrama
Sure.
- [85:19]
Philip Goldberg
But the people. The people who live in the neighborhood stopped it. They didn't. They didn't want pilgrims coming, you know, passing. Going to visit his. His tomb all the time.
- [85:32]
Alex Ferrari
Fair enough.
- [85:33]
Wilmer Valderrama
Fair enough.
- [85:34]
Alex Ferrari
Now, Philip, I'm going to ask you a few questions to ask all of my guests. What is your definition of living a fulfilled life?
- [85:40]
Philip Goldberg
Knowing who we truly are?
- [85:43]
Alex Ferrari
If you had a chance to go back in time and speak to little Philip, what advice would you give him?
- [85:48]
Philip Goldberg
Yes, you could have been a major league pitcher. No, I'm kidding.
- [85:57]
Alex Ferrari
The Mets needed you. The Mets needed you.
- [86:02]
Philip Goldberg
No, I would. I would say be grateful for every moment. Live with no regret.
- [86:14]
Alex Ferrari
How do you define God or Source?
- [86:16]
Philip Goldberg
I really. Stay away from the G word. It means so many different things to so many people.
- [86:22]
Alex Ferrari
That's why I said Source Universe.
- [86:24]
Philip Goldberg
Yes. That which is always was, always will be, was never born, will never die. And to circle back to your first question, that is who we truly are.
- [86:43]
Alex Ferrari
What is love?
- [86:44]
Philip Goldberg
That which binds everything.
- [86:47]
Alex Ferrari
And what is the ultimate purpose of life?
- [86:49]
Philip Goldberg
To know who we truly are. Live our full potential and serve.
- [86:59]
Alex Ferrari
And Philip, where could people find out more about you and the amazing work you're doing in the world?
- [87:04]
Philip Goldberg
My website, philip goldberg.com when it's working properly, has everything and my podcast which is called Spirit Matters which find at mindbodyspirit fm. My books of course, which you'll find out about on my website. But the website is is the first stop.
- [87:32]
Alex Ferrari
Do you have any parting messages for the audience if you were channeling Yogananda.
- [87:36]
Philip Goldberg
Today we live in very difficult times. Protect yourself. Find the sanctuary of peace within yourself, anchor yourself there and then come out and do something to help.
- [87:58]
Alex Ferrari
Philip, it has been a pleasure and honor speaking to you about your work and Yogananda. Anytime I could talk about Yogananda, I'm happy. So thank you so much for spreading his message pleasure and spreading his story in the world, my friend.
- [88:12]
Philip Goldberg
Thank you. Thanks for your great questions and for the invitation. It was a pleasure.
- [88:19]
Alex Ferrari
I want to thank Philip so much for coming on the show and sharing his knowledge with all of us. If you want to get links to anything we spoke about in this episode, head over to the show notes at next levelsoul.com forward/454 now. If this conversation stirred something in you, there's more waiting. You can listen to this episode completely commercial free on next level Soul TV's app where Soul meets streaming. Watch and listen on Apple iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Android TV, Fire TV, LG and Samsung apps anytime, anywhere. Begin your Awakening at next LevelSoul TV. Thank you so much for listening. As I always say, trust the journey. It's there to teach you. I'll see you next time.
- [89:05]
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- [89:58]
Martine Hackett
Hi, I'm Martine Hackett, host of Untold Life with a severe Autoimmune condition. A production from Ruby Studio in partnership with Argenics. This season we're sharing powerful stories of resilience from people living with MG and cidp. Our hope is to inspire, educate and remind each other that even in the toughest moments, we're not alone. We'll hear from people like Corbin Whittington. After being diagnosed with both CIDP and dilated cardiomyopathy, he found incredible strength through community.
- [90:31]
Corbin Whittington or Community Speaker
So when we talk community, we're talking about an entire ecosystem surrounding this condition, including, of course, the patients at the center that are all trying to live life in the moment, live life for the future, but then also create a new future.
- [90:50]
Martine Hackett
Listen to untold life with a severe autoimmune condition on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [90:58]
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- [92:29]
Alex Ferrari
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- [92:59]
Martine Hackett
UnitedHealthcare nurse Crystal checked in on a.
- [93:02]
Philip Goldberg
Patient we do a routine call after.
- [93:04]
Alex Ferrari
Surgery and I could tell in her.
- [93:05]
Philip Goldberg
Voice that she was struggling.
- [93:06]
Martine Hackett
Crystal knew she needed help.
- [93:08]
Alex Ferrari
I knew that this is very serious. This is like septic, this is life threatening.
- [93:12]
Martine Hackett
And she knew just what to do.
- [93:13]
Alex Ferrari
And I called the hospital and said, she's coming in. Here are her labs and got her.
- [93:18]
Martine Hackett
The help she needed.
- [93:19]
Philip Goldberg
I see my role at UnitedHealthcare as.
- [93:21]
Alex Ferrari
A life saving role.
- [93:23]
Martine Hackett
Hear more stories like crystals@uhc.com benefits, features and or devices vary by plan. Area limitation and exclusions apply.