Chants of a Lifetime
Chants of a Lifetime

Author: Krishna Das

Publisher: Hay House, Inc

Published: 2018-01-23

Total Pages: 289

ISBN-13: 1401955932

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Chants of a Lifetime offers an intimate collection of stories, teachings, and insights from Krishna Das, who has been called "the chant master of American yoga" by the New York Times. Since 1994, the sound of his voice singing traditional Indian chants with a Western flavor has brought the spiritual experience of chanting to audiences all over the world. He has previously shared some of his spiritual journey through talks and workshops, but now he offers a unique book-with-audio download combination that explores his fascinating path and creates an opportunity for just about anyone to experience chanting in a unique and special way. Chants of a Lifetime includes photos from Krishna Das’s years in India and also from his life as a kirtan leader—and the audio that is offered exclusively in the book consists of a number of "private" chanting sessions with the author. Instead of just being performances of chants for listening, the recordings make it seem as if Krishna Das himself is present for a one-on-one chanting session. The idea is for the listener to explore his or her own practice of chanting and develop a deepening connection with the entire chanting experience.

Stripping the Gurus
Stripping the Gurus

Author: Geoffrey D. Falk

Publisher:

Published: 2009-06

Total Pages: 536

ISBN-13: 9780973620313

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"Armed with wit, insight, and truly astonishing research, Falk utterly demolishes the notion of the enlightened guru who can lead devotees to nirvana.--John Horgan, author of "Rational Mysticism."

The Gurus, the Young Man, and Elder Paisios
The Gurus, the Young Man, and Elder Paisios

Author: Dionysios Farasiotis

Publisher: St. Xenia Skete Press

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 311

ISBN-13: 9781887904162

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This powerful memoir tells the story of a Greek youth who, out of a desire to know the truth empirically, began to experiment in yoga, hypnotism, and various occult techniques. Eventually drawn back to the faith of his forefathers - Orthodox Christianity - he visited the ancient monastic republic of Mount Athos in his native Greece, where he was brought to a knowledge of the truth of Jesus Christ by the saintly Elder Paisios (1924-1994). Nevertheless, believing he had only found "part of the truth" on the Holy Mountain, he chose to give the "same opportunity" to Hindu yogis that he had given to Elder Paisios and other Orthodox monks. Thus, at the age of twenty-five, he embarked on a trip to India, where he undertook his search in the ashrams of three famous gurus, one of whom was worshiped as a god. His experiences in India, along with his subsequent encounters with Elder Paisios on Mount Athos, are recounted in the present book in vivid detail. This book is a page-turning narrative of both outward adventures and inward struggles. What stands out most, however, is the radiant image of Elder Paisios, possessed of divine gifts, laboring in prayer for his fellow man, and overflowing with unconditional love. Through this, one sees the uncreated Source of the elder's love and of the author's spiritual transformation : the true God-man Jesus Christ, who honors man's personal freedom while drawing him, through love, into everlasting union with Himself. --from back cover.

The Saints of Vraja
The Saints of Vraja

Author: O. B. L. Kapoor

Publisher:

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 514

ISBN-13:

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Collective biography of followers of Chaitanya (Sect) of Vrindāvan, India.

J. Krishnamurti
J. Krishnamurti

Author: Pupul Jayakar

Publisher: Penguin UK

Published: 2000-10-14

Total Pages: 775

ISBN-13: 9351182843

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A classic biography of one of the greatest spiritual teachers of our times In 1909, when he was just fourteen, Krishnamurti was proclaimed the world teacher in whom Maitreya, the Bodhisattva of compassion, would manifest. The proclamation was made by Annie Besant, then president of the Theosophical Society, a movement that combined Western occult philosophy with Buddhist and Hindu teachings. Besant trained Krishnamurti in his role as the chosen one but twenty years later he chose to disband the order he was head of and set out alone on his endless journey— As a contemporary of Krishnamurti and one of his closest associates. Pupul Jayakar offers an insider's view of the fascinating life and thought of an extraordinary individual.

Building a Noble World
Building a Noble World

Author: Shiv R. Jhawar

Publisher: Noble World Foundation

Published: 2004-12

Total Pages: 196

ISBN-13: 0974919705

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Building a Noble World is a gold standard in spirituality and politics. It offers practical solutions to the present-day world crisis. In these times when national, racial, religious, and personal prejudices are causing unrest and conflicts everywhere, Building a Noble World offers guidance toward safety, harmony, and prosperity in the world. In the book, the author, Shiv R. Jhawar, observes: ?Changes are effected not by changing others, but by changing oneself. Individuals make a family, families make a society, societies make a nation, and nations make a world. Thus, individuals are the world. When individuals change, the world changes. There is no other way.?The book is the result of years of study and research into spirituality. It promotes peace among people of all religions. Emphasizing spirituality as a unifying factor, the author states: "If spirituality were practiced sincerely, one would rise above all religious barriers, expanding the Self to embrace all humanity, even all creation. Religiosity divides, spirituality unites." Building a Noble World is not just a book about spirituality. It is about practical life. It includes topics such as how to stop terrorism, the reformation of the United Nations, the unification of the Indian subcontinent, a solution to the Kashmir issue, Tibet?s spiritual link with India, the author?s own experience of shaktipat, and the science of yoga. Recognizing the United Nations as the only route to world peace, the author concludes: "It is vital that all member nations strive toward making the UN more powerful than ever before." Writing the Introduction to the book, J. V. Lakshmana Rao, Managing Editor of the India Tribune, Chicago, states: ?This thought-provoking book, interspersed with highly knowledgeable quotes from the writings of distinguished spiritual masters, will stimulate the intellect of those who read it. I am confident all will benefit from it. It is hoped that it will help promote peace and brotherhood among all human beings. It is my conviction that this book releases tremendous force that may ultimately help build a nobler world.? By profession, the author is a Chartered Accountant. He graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a Master?s degree in accounting. Enrolled to practice before the Internal Revenue Service, he has been practicing tax accounting in Chicago for over 20 years.

Homegrown Gurus
Homegrown Gurus

Author: Ann Gleig

Publisher: SUNY Press

Published: 2013-11-01

Total Pages: 248

ISBN-13: 1438447914

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Exploring homegrown movements and figures, proclaims “American Hinduism” as a distinct religious tradition. Today, a new stage in the development of Hinduism in America is taking shape. After a century of experimentation during which Americans welcomed Indian gurus who adjusted their teachings to accommodate the New World context, “American Hinduism” can now rightly be called its own tradition rather than an imported religion. Accordingly, this spiritual path is now headed by leaders born in North America. Homegrown Gurus explores this phenomenon in essays about these figures and their networks. A variety of teachers and movements are considered, including Ram Dass, Siddha Yoga, and Amrit Desai and Kripalu Yoga, among others. Two contradictory trends quickly become apparent: an increasing Westernization of Hindu practices and values alongside a renewed interest in traditional forms of Hinduism. These opposed sensibilities—innovation and preservation, radicalism and recovery—are characteristic of postmodernity and denote a new chapter in the American assimilation of Hinduism.

Storytellers, Saints, and Scoundrels
Storytellers, Saints, and Scoundrels

Author: Kirin Narayan

Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press

Published: 2011-11-29

Total Pages: 301

ISBN-13: 0812205839

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Swamiji, a Hindu holy man, is the central character of Storytellers, Saints, and Scoundrels. He reclines in a deck chair in his modern apartment in western India, telling subtle and entertaining folk narratives to his assorted gatherings. Among the listeners is Kirin Narayan, who knew Swamiji when she was a child in India and who has returned from America as an anthropologist. In her book Narayan builds on Swamiji's tales and his audiences' interpretations to ask why religious teachings the world over are so often couched in stories. For centuries, religious teachers from many traditions have used stories to instruct their followers. When Swamiji tells a story, the local barber rocks in helpless laughter, and a sari-wearing French nurse looks on enrapt. Farmers make decisions based on the tales, and American psychotherapists take notes that link the storytelling to their own practices. Narayan herself is a key character in this ethnography. As both a local woman and a foreign academic, she is somewhere between participant and observer, reacting to the nuances of fieldwork with a sensitivity that only such a position can bring. Each story s reproduced in its evocative performance setting. Narayan supplements eight folk narratives with discussions of audience participation and response as well as relevant Hindu themes. All these stories focus on the complex figure of the Hindu ascetic and so sharpen our understanding of renunciation and gurus in South Asia. While Storytellers, Saints, and Scoundrels raises provocative theoretical issues, it is also a moving human document. Swamiji, with his droll characterizations, inventive mind, and generous spirit, is a memorable character. The book contributes to a growing interdisciplinary literature on narrative. It will be particularly valuable to students and scholars of anthropology, folklore, performance studies, religions, and South Asian studies.

Daughters of the Goddess
Daughters of the Goddess

Author: Linda Johnsen

Publisher: Yes International Publishers

Published: 1994

Total Pages: 140

ISBN-13: 9780936663098

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This book takes us along on a search for the feminine face of God. We travel with Linda Johnsen for a fascinating investigation of the great women saints of India who manifest the divine in their lives. Together with her we comb the scriptures, meet the holy ones, and are led, step by step, to sit in awe at the feet of six remarkable, contemporary women.

The Graceful Guru
The Graceful Guru

Author: Karen Pechilis

Publisher:

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 0195145372

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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.