Man, I'm sick of "killing" my ego. 'Cause each time I try, I seem to kill everything else with it. Like those unfortunate Red Cross workers who had fallen into friendly fire on the front lines of Afghanistan.

--from the Self-Realization Fellowship message board.

Yes. Exactly. Good point.

A little over a year ago, I read Paramahansa Yogananda's classic Autobiography of a Yogi, and was captivated by it. It's a lyrical, ecstatic explication of the yoga experience, and it made me curious about Yogananda's current followers (The Self-Realization Fellowship). I found out where they meet in the city, but held back from getting involved because I'm not much of a joiner, and I already am happy with my practice.

I was pleased to discover this SRF message board. It is one of the most respectful, thoughtful online discussions I've encountered. For the most part, these folks respect the tradition but have issues about the current organization. And yet they discuss this with erudition and a really cool lack of vitriol, unlike, say, the nasty, pointless bickering that happens on the TM discussion board...