Hinduism, as it comes across in this book, is a robust, joyful religion, amazingly in step with the most advanced thinking of modern times, in love with life, deeply human as well as humane, delightfully aware of your personal life's needs–or so it seems, for the teaching in this book is no abstraction: It is down-to-earth and pressingly immediate. Swami Kriyananda's inspired, entertaining, energetic writing style make this book delightful reading for anyone interested in spirituality and the deeper meanings of religion. A master of word imagery, he brings order to the seeming chaos of symbols and deities in Hinduism. This book reveals the underlying teachings from which the symbols arise, truths inherent in all religions, and their essential purpose: the direct inner experience of God.
"A history-making manual,interreligious study and names list, with stories by Westerners who entered Hinduism and Hindus who deepened their faith"--Cove
A new edition of the #1 NYT’s bestseller by Mark Nepo, who has been called “one of the finest spiritual guides of our time” and “a consummate storyteller.” Philosopher-poet and cancer survivor Mark Nepo opens a new season of freedom and joy—an escape from deadening, asleep-at-the wheel sameness—that is both profound and clarifying. His spiritual daybook is a summons to reclaim aliveness, liberate the self, take each day one at a time, and savor the beauty offered by life's unfolding. Reading his poetic prose is like being given second sight, exposing the reader to life's multiple dimensions, each one drawn with awe and affection. The Book of Awakening is the result of Nepo’s journey of the soul and will inspire others to embark on their own. He speaks of spirit and friendship, urging readers to stay vital and in love with this life, no matter the hardships. Encompassing many traditions and voices, Nepo's words offer insight on pain, wonder, and love. Each entry is accompanied by an exercise that will surprise and delight the reader in its mind-waking ability.
Life rarely works out as we planned it. Often it works out worse and sometimes better than we planned. It is my hypothesis, based on extensive clinical experience as a psychiatrist and a psychoanalyst - that when we live life out of the outer fringes of our psyche, it works out worse than we hoped for. When we live life out of the deeper center of our psyche - our Soul, it plays out much better than we anticipated. Life lived out of our Ego - the center of our outer, conscious personality is lived on the outer fringes of our potential. Life lived in tune with the Soul, the center of our deepest personality and the pacemaker of our destiny, blossoms to its fullest potential. The soul conveys its message via the latent code of archetypes or timeless wisdom templates that have crystallized in human consciousness over several million years of experience as a species. This latent code lives in myths and stories of each culture. In this book, I have presented one such group of stories or wisdom templates. This is the latent code of Shakti - the life force that energies and guides us on our life course. These are the stories of mysterious goddesses of Hindu culture, collectively called Shakti or Spiritual energy that can help us live out of our soul. Welcome to the realm of Shakti-the inner goddess in every man and every woman. Whenever we are dealing with personal crisis, life transition, a new beginning, a traumatic event, a medical or psychological problem, a relationship tangle, a major life decision, some spiritual or psychological crossroad, this latent code is activated by our soul to guide us. This helps us to make an informed decision consistent with our life purpose and spiritual calling. For each specific life problem, there is a corresponding aspect of the latent code that spurs us onto our path. To prepare for a new endeavor, the latent code of the goddess of arts and academics Saraswati steps in, To attain peace and prosperity, code of Laxmi guides our path. When we walk the line between self assertion and mutuality, code of Parvati guides our path. When we are struggling to tame the dark and dysfunctional aspects of our personality, the code of Kali helps us trim our shadow. Life transitions often call for a period of void and inner emptiness before new life structures could be created. The code of the great grandmother Aditi presides over inner void and new creations. When we are trying to integrate the opposites in our nature, the latent code of the archetype of the sacred marriage - the dance of the masculine Shiva and the eternal feminine Shakti provide a useful template.
What Is Hinduism? provides one of the most provocative, engaging and detailed examinations of this oldest religious and spiritual tradition in the world. Followed by over a billion people, including a great majority in India, Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world. The teachings of Yoga and Vedanta are followed by millions in every continent. Enriched with a profound pluralistic view, Hinduism emphasizes that the Truth is One but has many paths. Yet, despite its universality, Hinduism remains the most misunderstood of the world's major religions, partly because of its antiquity and the vast extent of its teachings. Acknowledging the importance of the religion and its growing influence globally, David Frawley has addressed the prime teachings of Hinduism, its role in India, its place in the information age and has compiled an exhaustive set of questions and answers dwelling on all the significant issues. This essential learning helps us understand our spiritual heritage as a species and the place of India among the greatest civilizations of the world- ancient and modern. Further, the book charts out how Hindus can overcome the challenges confronting them today and communicate their diverse tradition more effectively, making it an ideal book for the Hindu youth.
The Seven Steps to Awakening is the most powerful collection of quotes ever assembled on the subject of how to directly experience the true Self whose nature is Infinite-Eternal-Awareness-Love-Bliss and how to bring the impostor self, its tricks and all suffering to a final end in this lifetime. Most books on the subject of Self-realization are written by those who have only conceptual knowledge and no direct experience of the infinite Self. All seven of the sages quoted in The Seven Steps to Awakening lived in the infinite and their knowledge came from their direct experience of the infinite Self. The quotes in The Seven Steps to Awakening are doorways to liberation and a loving transmission from the Infinite Self to you. When the impostor self attempts to derail you from your journey to Awakening, reading the quotes in The Seven Steps to Awakening can inspire and encourage you to get back on track. Only the most essential and most powerful quotes that have no distractions or detours were selected for The Seven Steps to Awakening. The first collection of quotes describes how to tell the difference between a conceptual journey and a journey to Awakening. The second points out that the world, etc. is a dreamlike illusion. The third reveals why it is necessary to bring the impostor self to its final end. The fourth is about the importance of increasing your desire for liberation. The fifth is for the purpose of encouraging, inspiring and motivating you to actually practice all seven steps. The sixth is about turning your attention inward. The seventh describes the most rapid, direct and effective method that brings the impostor self, its tricks and all suffering to their final end so that you can remain forever in the true Self whose nature is Infinite-Awareness-Love-Bliss.
This is an unparalleled, first hand account of the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda, who has hundreds of thousands of followers and admirers in North America alone.
How do you live a life of spiritual awakening as well as outer abundance, inner freedom as well as deep intimacy? How do you serve the world selflessly, yet passionately celebrate your life? The sages of Tantra have known for centuries that when you follow the path of Shakti—the sacred feminine principle personified by the goddesses of yoga—these gifts can manifest spontaneously. Yet most of us, women as well as men, have yet to experience the full potential of our inner feminine energies. When you know these powers for what they are, they heighten your capacity to open spiritually, love more deeply and fearlessly, create with greater mastery, and move through the world with skill and delight. In Awakening Shakti, you will learn how to recognize and invite: Kali, bringer of strength, fierce love, and untamed freedomLakshmi, who confers prosperity and beautySaraswati, for clarity of communication and intuitionRadha, who carries the divine energy of spiritual longingBhuvaneshvari, who creates the space for sacred transformationParvati, to awaken creativity and the capacity to love With a wealth of meditations, visualizations, mantras, teachings, and beautifully told stories, Awakening Shakti provides a practical guide for activating the currents of the divine feminine in every aspect of your life. “Sally Kempton's new book is a treasure that brings myth, meditation, and everyday revelation together in a way that will allow every woman to embody the divine feminine in her life. Sally enlivens the full spectrum of the goddess—from independent protector, to lover, to dynamic and powerful creatrix. I highly recommend this soon-to-be classic!” —Shiva Rea, yogini “Sally Kempton has given us a mythic manual for a new kind of feminism—a feminism of the soul. And this is a good thing, because humanity needs feminine power now as both a healing tonic and a source of reinvention.” —Elizabeth Lesser, cofounder of the Omega Institute, author of Broken Open: How Difficult Times Can Help Us Grow
Shambhavi Sarasvati is a beloved teacher and decades-long practitioner of direct realization Tantra (Kashmir Shaivism) and Dzogchen. In this, her second book of pith teachings, she offers loving advice about the day-to-day practice of waking up.
