This Edition Of Bhagavad Gita Elaborates How Each Of Its Chapters And Even Verses Leads To The Next One, All In Line With The Overall Scheme Of Thought. Acknowledging Gita As A Yoga-Sastra (Science Of Dialectics), It Explicates How This Methodological Device Strings Together All The Seemingly Contradictory Statements; Revealing An Ineffably Uniting Experience, Befitting A Scientifically And Practically Conceived Non-Dualism Or Advaita.
The book takes the form of six essays covering the life and teachings of Shri Govindananda Bharati, known at the time of his death as the Shivapuri Baba. The first chapter describes his origins from his birth in 1826 in Kerala, his religious training and preparation and his 40 year circumambulation of the world, meeting all the major world leaders of his day, and his forty year retirement in a forest hut outside Kathmandu. Subsequent chapters, describe his practical teachings, which are so simply explained and so universal that they will always be relevant to seekers. Ancient teachings are presented in a modern interpretation. The Shivapuri Baba himself described his teachings as "the Bhagavad Gita brought up to date'. The final chapter presents a revolutionary world view which reveals an immense wisdom and understanding of human destiny, presented in a form that all can appreciate. The Shivapuri Baba left this life in January of 1963, and at that time few knew of him, and nothing at all had been written about him. The present book was the first public account of the saint, appearing in 1965. In 2001, Thakur Lal Manadhar's son Giridhar approached J.G. Bennett's family requesting the rights to republish in English and Nepali. Giridhar was able to provide a number of photographic images not published previously and many of which were from his own camera. The present edition is taken from the 2001 publication. At the launch of the book in Kathmandu in 2007, Giridhar was asked by a reporter whether the Shivapuri Baba had actually read what was written, noting that the text indicated that he had seen and approved it? Giridhar said that he believed that he had not read it, and stating that at the end of his life, the Shivapuri Baba did not want to engage with anything which would tie him to the world he was preparing to leave for the last time. To Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, visiting in 1956 he said: "I teach three disciplines: physical; moral spiritual." These disciplines form the foundation of Right Life - Swadharma, and the journals of Thakur Lal Manandhar relate how these disciplines were taught in the practical application to every day life. This is a simple but inspiring book from which everybody can benefit .
In moments of withdrawal from the busy-ness of life, we sometimes find ourselves wondering about the significance of this struggle and strife – whether our ambitions and aspirations really matter. Looking up into the sky on a clear night, we wonder about the worth of this all too brief life of seventy or eighty years lived in this universe which is billions of years old. When we see death, we wonder whether when our time comes, we will just cease to exist or if we will continue to exist and move on somewhere. We wonder whether there can possibly be a good and kind god administering and managing this world of suffering, violence, cruelty and injustice – though it is comforting for us to believe so. We wonder what the purpose of a life can be in which we often see the results of our efforts crumble like sand sculptures before our very eyes. This book reflects our wonderment. It deals with the dilemma of human existence. It offers no ready answers. It encourages the reader to think and to find his or her own answers.
This volume makes a contribution to understanding pilgrimage, not as a transient activity at the margins of daily life, but as an event grounded firmly in the physical, symbolic and social experience of the everyday world. The vital relationship between pilgrimage and society is explored via a focus on a specific pilgrimage – the Kanwar pilgrimage of Bihar and Jharkhand in India and the southeast Terai of Nepal. The rising popularity of this old but relatively unknown pilgrimage is striking and reflects profound changes in caste, class and gender relationships, subjectivity and notions of work in a modern economy. Through the lens of pilgrimage and pilgrims, the book explores the everyday context of life in parts of rural Bihar and southeast Nepal, questions about agency and desire in Hinduism, and the meaning given to symbolic life in a changing world. This requires an integrative approach looking beyond the performance of the pilgrimage to the historical, economic and social-cultural context. The volume underscores the role of popular and local history in understanding the life and popularity of a complex phenomenon, such as the pilgrimage today. Equal importance is given to the geography and climatic conditions, for natural rhythms such as that of rains, rivers, planetary movements, were and still are, intimately entwined with the agricultural, socio-economic and ritual cycles. The particular experience of the world that this engenders and its relationship to the pilgrimage is described through the active voice of the pilgrims and descriptions of rites, some new and many fast disappearing. Please note: Taylor & Francis does not sell or distribute the Hardback in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka
Peace Pilgrim was born Mildred Lisette Norman to Ernest and Josephine Norman in 1908 on a poultry farm in Egg Harbor City, New Jersey. Her father was a carpenter, and her mother was a tailor. Mildred Lisette Norman adopted the name "Peace Pilgrim" in 1953 in Pasadena, California, and walked across the United States for 28 years. 'Peace Pilgrim: her life and work in her own words' was compiled by some of her friends in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1982. Composed mainly in her own words except for the reproduced newspaper articles and the introduction. There are comments by people she met while on her 28 year pilgrimage for peace.
L I F E : Its Problems and Some of Its Unanswerable Questions Most of the people go through life trying to cope with the immediate physical needs that the everyday life presents and very rarely try to explain to themselves in a rational way the reason for being on this earth. Religion for most of them answers all the questions that may come to their mind, and each one comes up with a personal explanation for them. Since different religions usually have different answers, many try to find out in a rational way what are the correct answers, and how people should live in order to better fulfill their destiny as human beings. This book tries to raise some of these questions and when possible tries to bring forth feasible solutions to bring all people to strive for the common good. Most of the people go through life trying to cope with the immediate physical needs that the everyday life presents, and very rarely try to explain to themselves in a rational way the reason for being on this earth. Religion for most of them answers all the questions that may come to their mind and each one comes up with a personal explanation for them. Since different religions usually have different answers, many try to find out in a rational way what are the correct answers, and how people should live in order to better fulfill their destiny as human beings. This book tries to raise some of these questions and when possible tries to bring forth feasible solutions to bring all people to strive for the common good.
“Wandering, one gathers honey,” observes the Aitareya Brahmana. In this spirit Ravi Ravindra, renowned for his integration of physics and comparative religions, explores the heart of Buddhism, Christianity, and Hinduism to define a universal spiritual path that transcends any tradition. People with a pilgrim soul, he says, are open to a freedom from all that is known. They seek to practice mindfulness in each moment, so that washing the dishes or emptying the garbage becomes a sacred act; they seek to enter the dimension of eternity, realizing that the eternal is always present, right here, right now. Wisdom is the ability to act freshly in time while being anchored in eternity, says Ravindra. This deceptively simple small volume contains a wealth of wisdom for living that way.
“Wandering, one gathers honey,” observes the Aitareya Brahmana. In this spirit Ravi Ravindra, renowned for his integration of physics and comparative religions, explores the heart of Buddhism, Christianity, and Hinduism to define a universal spiritual path that transcends any tradition. People with a pilgrim soul, he says, are open to a freedom from all that is known. They seek to practice mindfulness in each moment, so that washing the dishes or emptying the garbage becomes a sacred act; they seek to enter the dimension of eternity, realizing that the eternal is always present, right here, right now. Wisdom is the ability to act freshly in time while being anchored in eternity, says Ravindra. This deceptively simple small volume contains a wealth of wisdom for living that way.
Nationalistic meccas, shrines to popular culture, and sacred traditions for the world's religions from Animism to Zoroastrianism are all examined in two accessible and comprehensive volumes. Pilgrimage is a comprehensive compendium of the basic facts on Pilgrimage from ancient times to the 21st century. Illustrated with maps and photographs that enrich the reader's journey, this authoritative volume explores sites, people, activities, rites, terminology, and other matters related to pilgrimage such as economics, tourism, and disease. Encompassing all major and minor world religions, from ancient cults to modern faiths, this work covers both religious and secular pilgrimage sites. Compiled by experts who have authored numerous books on pilgrimage and are pilgrims in their own right, the entries will appeal to students, scholars, and general readers.
