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Yogananda, Paramahansa, 1893-1952

"Autobiography of a Yogi"

To these, for advantageous
upward evolution, He transferred the souls or divine essence of two
animals. {FN16-17} In Adam or man, reason predominated; in Eve or
woman, feeling was ascendant. Thus was expressed the duality or
polarity which underlies the phenomenal worlds. Reason and feeling
remain in a heaven of cooperative joy so long as the human mind is
not tricked by the serpentine energy of animal propensities.
"The human body was therefore not solely a result of evolution from
beasts, but was produced by an act of special creation by God. The
animal forms were too crude to express full divinity; the human being
was uniquely given a tremendous mental capacity-the 'thousand-petaled
lotus' of the brain-as well as acutely awakened occult centers in
the spine.
"God, or the Divine Consciousness present within the first created
pair, counseled them to enjoy all human sensibilities, but not to
put their concentration on touch sensations. {FN16-18} These were
banned in order to avoid the development of the sex organs, which
would enmesh humanity in the inferior animal method of propagation.
The warning not to revive subconsciously-present bestial memories
was not heeded. Resuming the way of brute procreation, Adam and
Eve fell from the state of heavenly joy natural to the original
perfect man.
"Knowledge of 'good and evil' refers to the cosmic dualistic
compulsion. Falling under the sway of MAYA through misuse of his
feeling and reason, or Eve-and Adam-consciousness, man relinquishes
his right to enter the heavenly garden of divine self-sufficiency.


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