A journey through consciousness and enlightenment. Leaving home, deep practices at yoga ashrams and learning vedanta. From there, moving to work with a zen master and understand cultivation. The guru shows the door, the student has to walk in. A good student builds a great teacher. Enlightenment is passed from a guru to disciple.

Anyone on the spiritual path knows it's rare that the illumined lives of yogis and gurus are laid before us. We have but a handful: Autobiography of a Yogi; Milarepa: Tibet's Great Yogi; Ramakrishna and His Disciples and a few of others. Now comes an amazing book, The Guru Chronicles, filled with the magical and highly mystical stories of Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, his Sri Lankan guru Siva Yogaswami and five preceding masters, who all held truth in the palm of their hand and inspired slumbering souls to "Know thy Self."

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.

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An enlightening, accessible, and highly entertaining guide to the guru-disciple relationship, the heart of Tibetan Buddhism The humility and compassionate activity of the Dalai Lama is something many people can connect with, but how can one understand the stories about some other Buddhist teachers’ unorthodox behavior? The centrality of and reliance on a guru is one of most misunderstood elements of Tibetan Buddhism—and one that is most often veiled in mystery. Because the guru can and will use whatever means it takes to wake us up, this relationship may require us to drop our most deeply held beliefs and expectations. Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse addresses some of the most misunderstood aspects of this powerful relationship and gives practical advice on making the most of this precious opportunity for transformation. Through stories and classical examples, he shows how to walk the path with eyes wide open, with critical-thinking skills sharpened and equipped to analyze the guru, before taking the leap.

RECOVERY OF INDIA presents a holistic view of the country's unmatched tradition, its growth through centuries of chequered history vis-à-vis its present struggle to rediscover its incomparably rich legacy in a world of cut-throat competition and mind-boggling speed of rat race that seems to run from nowhere to nowhere. In the giddy tumble caused by IT Era gargantuan gadgetry and the confusion generated by disordered aimlessness, nobody has the time or inclination to reflect on the whys and wherefores of a world gone topsy-turvy. In this scenario of clouded wits and maverick ambition churned by illimitable lust for Mammonism, advanced nations are turning towards India in the fond hope of finding spiritual solace and the right direction for moving towards a higher order of civilization. The author intends to help non-Indians adopt what is healthy while urging his compatriots to restore India’s primeval psycho-spiritual health to its pristine glory.

Annotation Originally developed for introductory courses on Eastern religious traditions, this popular anthology offers readings from primary texts of India, China, and Japan. With this second edition, the editors have expanded on existing texts and added new introductions to provide a better context for the excerpts as well as a better sense of historical developments. A section on Ch'an/Zen and excerpts from the writings of Ge Hong, representing the central concerns of Daoism, have been included. A section on modern China includes a poem written by Mao, exhibiting his Daoist sensibilities; there's also material about Falun Gong. A revised chapter on Buddhism presents the voices of modern Buddhist writers, including the Dalai Lama. Throughout the volume, women's voices have been added.