From the time immemorial, man is in the perpetual quest for eternal peace and happiness. In this age of science and technology, the need to discover a simple highway leading to peace and happiness is felt as never before. And this book tries to serve that need. Explaining the concept of human birth and evolution, it discusses at length the internal aspects of man, impact of feelings on human life, relationship between man and nature, and the role of Yoga in the union of individual souls with the Supreme Power. The importance of Guru in a disciple's life has also been analyzed.

In The Mind of the Guru, Rajiv Mehrotra presents dialogues with several contemporary sages and masters who have illumined the minds of millions around the world. Ranged here are gurus as diverse as B. K. S. Iyengar, who brought yoga from the world of the esoteric to our living rooms; Swami Ramdev, who has democratized yoga via television; and Mata Amritanandamayi, whose mere presence invokes an overwhelming awareness of love. There is Deepak Chopra discussing a quantum healing of mind and body, Sogyal Rinpoche encouraging us to look at death so that we might live a better life and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar reaffirming each person’s right and access to happiness. And there is the unique and contrary voice of U. G. Krishnamurti telling us that all talk of transformation is poppycock. There are no grand narratives or final solutions, only guides who can show the way to the light within. Here you learn from voices as diverse as that of Thich Nhat Hanh, Bishop Desmond Tutu, Baba Amte and Stanislav Grof. Underlying the dialogues is their wisdom on how we can make ourselves unhappy – and guidance on how we can turn our lives around to achieve happiness.

From the conversation between the supreme Lord Siva and his consort Goddess Parvati was born the Guru-Gita. The endless wisdom in this text has been distilled to the pithy Guru Stotram in fourteen verses, where the essence of the purpose and need for a Guru unfolds. Swami Ishwarananda, with his trademark laser like thinking guides the reader into a deeper understanding of who a guru is and what being guided by a learned one can mean to the individual who seeks to overcome disquiet and satisfy a yearning that is not yet fully understood. Gently, yet definitively, he shows us that guru-bhakti alone can take us toward the eternal.

The Guru Tradition: India’s Spiritual Heritage discusses the natures and roles of both the guru and the śiṣya, or disciple, as depicted in the Upaniṣads and Dharma Śāstras. The entirety of this analysis, of guru and disciple, is developed into a paradigm by which both the ancient and modern Guru Tradition can be more thoroughly understood. Four pivotal gurus from the twentieth century who have impacted the spiritual fabric of both East and West —Ramakrishna Paramahansa, Sri Aurobindo, Ramana Maharshi, and Paramahansa Yogananda— are juxtaposed and discussed alongside this paradigm. This study is conducted from the perspective of Advaita Vedānta, the Indian philosophical system of nondualism.

This book, arising from over twenty years experience of working with the world's major faiths, draws extensively upon joint World Bank and ARC (Alliance of Religion and Conservation)/WWF (World Wildlife Fund for Nature) projects world wide. It shows, through stories, land management, myths, investment policies, legends, advocacy and celebration, the role the major faiths have, do and can play in making the world a better place. The major faiths are the oldest institutions in the world and have survived essentially because they are constantly evolving and changing. There is much to be learnt by newer institutions such as the World Bank and the multitudes of NGOs about how to remain true to what you believe but change and grow as you develop. The book explores issues of climate change, forestry, asset management, education and biodiversity protection and does so using the techniques of the great faiths storytelling, example and celebration. It reveals a variety of world views and it asks us to see that our personal view may be just one amongst many. The challenge of living with integrity in a pluralist world underlies the book and it offers models of how diversity is crucial in attempting to ensure we have a sustainable world.

In ancient times, only the wisest were trusted with medical knowledge, for it bears power over life and death. The remedies and methods of those seers may have been abandoned by modern civilization, but they have been preserved, and retain their power. Throughout all of our most sacred traditions, it is known that Nature is the source for all genuine medicine. The teachings of Paracelsus, Galen, Tibetan tantras, and others all agree that a properly prepared individual can use Nature to cure any illness. Magic:derived from the ancient word "mag" that means "priest" (from magos "one of the members of the learned and priestly class," from O.Pers. magush). Thus, genuine magic is the power of a priest or holy person to help others. Samael Aun Weor, founder of the International Gnostic Movement and author of more than sixty books about practical spirituality, lived in close contact with the mysterious natives of the Sierra Nevada of South America, who have been in self-imposed isolation from the rest of the world for hundreds of years. The priests and doctors of that region taught him and his wife Litelantes their system of training and many of their healing methods, revealed here to the public for the first time. Perhaps most astonishing is that the philosophy and spiritual concepts are fundamentally the same as the ancient knowledge of Kabbalah, the Greeks, Tibetans, and others. This collection of hundreds of techniques and practices will guide you to awaken consciousness, perform healing for yourself and others, and return to the core natural medical knowledge of the ages. Includes more than 300 remedies Explains the training and preparation of the true healer Provides an overview of the causes of illness

A distinctive aspect of Hindu devotion is the veneration of a human guru, who is not only an exemplar and a teacher but is also understood to be an embodiment of the divine. Historically, the role of guru in the public domain has been exclusive to men. The new visibility of female gurus in India and the U.S. today, and indeed across the globe, has inspired this first-ever scholarly study of the origins, variety, and worldwide popularity of Hindu female gurus. In the Introduction, Karen Pechilis examines the historical emergence of Hindu female gurus with reference to the Hindu philosophy of the self, women spiritual exemplars as wives and saints, Tantric worship of the Goddess, and the internationalization of gurus in the U.S. in the twentieth century. Nine essays profile specific female gurus, presenting biographies of these remarkable women while highlighting overarching issues and themes concerning women's status as religious leaders; these themes are nuanced in the afterword to the volume. The essays explore how Hindu female gurus embody grace in both senses--as a feminine ideal and an attribute of the divine-and argue that their status as leaders is grounded in their negotiation of these two types of grace. This book provides biographical profiles of the following female gurus plus sensitive scholarly analysis of their spiritual paths: Ammachi, Anandamayi Ma, Gauri Ma, Gurumayi, Jayashri Ma, Karunamayi Ma, Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati, Mother Meera, Shree Maa and Sita Devi.

FOR SALE IN SOUTH ASIA ONLY

Journal on Sikh studies.

Blending contemporary and traditional perspectives, this groundbreaking work offers guidance on the profound foundational practices of the Great Perfection. It contains classic commentaries by the renowned Tibetan masters Jigme Lingpa and Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, alongside a lively contemporary discussion by filmmaker, author, and spiritual teacher Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse that discusses how to incorporate these ancient practices into the fast-paced lifestyle of the Western world. Also included are a lengthy introduction to the world of Tibetan Buddhism and its meditative practices, as well as the long and short preliminary practice liturgies and numerous appendices on the nine yanas and other topics. The ngöndro or preliminary practice is treasured in the Ancient School of Tibetan Buddhism as vital for effecting a profound inner transformation and as a foundation for the very highest teachings of the Great Perfection, or Dzogchen. In particular, the Longchen Nyingtik ngöndro—revealed by the great saint Jigme Lingpa following a series of visions in which he was blessed by the omniscient Longchen Rabjam and received the transmission of his wisdom mind—has long been cherished by followers of all traditions on account of its power, depth, and poetic beauty.