Spiritual Masters

Bang on the Door: A Collection of Talks

by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

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"It really opens up the door to the Inner Self. A collection of short talks which are very simple, yet very very profound. They bring out the knowledge of the Self in the purest form I have ever read. I would say it is not just a reading, it gives a direction to your life. Whenever, I am faced with a difficult situation in my daily life, I open this book and I am sure to find an answer."

Publisher: Art of Living Foundation | More reviews: amazon.com

Nityananda: In Divine Presence

by MU Hatengdi

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Vivid stories and photographs paint an engaging portrait of the extraordinary, legendary Nityananda--sage, miracle worker, maybe even possessor of divine powers. His varied nature comes to life here, with the holy man's very essence suffusing every page.

Publisher: Rudra Press | More reviews: amazon.com

The Knee Of Listening: The Divine Ordeal of the Avataric Incarnation of Conscious Light (The Seventeen Companions of the True Dawn Horse, Book 4)

by Adi Da Samraj

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"The Knee of Listening by Adi Da Dawn Horse Press 621p (1995)

This is one of many editions of the spiritual autobiography of the unique American mystic
Adi Da. The first edition was 1972 and new editions with more material and much advertising about the group continue to appear. I also got the latest one(2004) which was about 3 times the size and weight but the hundreds of pages of new material was more of the opaque prose and advertising. So, I recommend one of the earlier paperpack editions like this one.

The sticker on the cover says `The most profound spiritual autobiography of all time` and this might well be true. I am in my 60's and have read thousands of books and this if one of the great ones. Certainly it is by far the fullest and clearest account of enlightenment I have ever seen. Even if you have no interest at all in the most fascinating of all human psychological processes, it is an amazing document that reveals a great deal about religion, yoga, and human psychology and probes the depths and limits of human possibilities.

As I have read and experienced alot in various religious traditions, I naturally compare his writings with those of others, particularly with the great Indian mystic Osho. Though they clearly agree on the major points of how to prodceed on the path, letting go of the attachment to the spiritual quest etc. their styles are vastly different. Both are highly intelligent and well read(Osho could speed read and read over 100,000 books) and were at home in the spiritual literature of the major religious traditions. However, most of Da's books are essentially unreadable as he struggles to express in language the ineffable realms of the enlightened mind. Even in this, by far his most readable book, he often veers off into pages of opacity as he tries to explain the unexplainable. Osho by contrast is the clearest, most jargon free expositor of the spiritual life who has ever lived. He wrote very little and nearly all of his more than 200 books are transcriptions of spontaneous talks he gave-- with no notes or preparation. They are nonetheless unexcelled masterpieces of spiritual literature. His amazing àutobiography`(actually compiled after his death) has been published by St. Martins by the full version is available online at www.oshoworld.com and other places. Unfortunately, he has very little to say about the exact details of his spiritual progress.

Most of Osho's talks were videotaped and are available on tape and DVD. As Da lives most of the time in seclusion on an island in Fiji it is not easy to get to hear him but the Dawn Horse Press sells a few videotapes on their web page. Da is not a very engaging or facile speaker, unlike Osho who is by turns amusing, shattering and hypnotic. But, as both of them understand, it's what the master is and not he says that is important.

Both of them were utterly honest and uncompromising in their life and teachings and Da omits nothing of relevance, including his youthful adventures with sex and drugs as well as his exposure to LSD, psilocybin and mescaline as a volunteer in government experiments. However, as with many or perhaps all of those destined to become enlightened, he was different from birth and experienced the Shakti energy (which he calls the Bright) from childhood. And, when he entered college, he said his primary interest was to discover what living beings are and what is living consciousness. Clearly not your typical freshman.

A major problem in describing advanced spiritual states is that no criteria or language for them exists in common discourse so mystics have to try to bend language in mostly vain attempts to capture their experiences. It is far worse than trying to describe seeing to a congenitally blind person since they at least have the cognitive structures and experience of the world. But mystics are quite rare and most of them have left little or no description of their mental states.

Unlike Osho, who rejected miracles, paranormal phenomena and all the other nonsense that commonly accompanies religion, Da seems to lack any science background at all and embraces precognition(p120), reincarnation(p555),`meditating` other persons, living on air(p287) etc., and regards the phenomena that I would say are happening in his brain as being `out there`. From comments included in newer editions it is clear that many of his disciples believe he can perform miracles like stopping a raging forest fire at their California retreat. Nevertheless, most of the time he is amazingly levelheaded, going thru over a decade of stress and psychic terrors that would drive most from the spiritual path. Millions of years of evolution have solidified the ego and it does not leave peacefully.

Interwoven with the spellbinding account of his spiritual progress are the details of the minds interaction with the body described in the East in terms of various forms of Yoga(eg., p95-9, 214-21, 249,281-3, 439-40). These few pages are worth more than a whole shelf of yoga books if you want to get to the heart of the mind/body relation in spirituality.

Unlike most who have become enlightened, he had a thorough grounding in Christian practice and made a major effort to become a protestant and then Greek Orthodox minister. Even years later, after he was far along the path with Muktananda, he had an amazing and totally unexpected series of visitations from Mary and Jesus that went on for weeks(p 301-3 et seq.).

Regarding drugs, as is nearly universal among spiritual teachers, he notes that although they may remove certain barriers at times, they do not provide a shortcut to understanding. However, nearly everyone is now aware that they put many on the path to higher consciousness.

He describes in detail the many stages in his ego death or self realization(eg, p72-4, 198-200, 219,20, 238-9, 245, 249, 258-9, 281, 355-65, 368-72, 406). Along the way, he realized the ultimate disutility of all practices and all traditions(337-9) including yoga(281-3) which are all attached to seeking and goals, ultimately winding up in the present. He discovered, as have many others, that seeking and meditation became obstacles and gave them up for devotion to his guru Muktananda(p420-22). His detailed accounts of his interactions with the famous Swami Muktananda and his ultimate realization of his limitations are of rare insight and honesty.

He constantly encounters his attachment to his ego(Narcissus-- eg, p108-110) and asks himself--`Avoiding Relationship?` by which he seems to mean avoiding the divine or ego death with spiritual seeking.

After enlightenment he teaches the 'only by me revealed and given Way of the heart`, finding all other paths to be `remedial` and 'egoic' and merely pursuing God or reality(p359 +) but after a careful reading of this and several other books I never got any idea what that way consists in. Undoubtedly being in his presence helps alot but in other places he has complained about the fact that his disciples just won't let it happen and one wonders if even one has been able to follow him. Of course the same considerations apply to all traditions and teachers and though some of Osho's friends(he disavowed the master/disciple relationship) have claimed enlightenment, nobody of his status has emerged. It looks like you have to have the right genes and the right environment and a very advanced and preferably enlightened guru to stimulate you. The world desperately needs higher consciousness and I hope that someone comes up with an easier way very soon. "

Publisher: The Dawn Horse Press | More reviews: amazon.com

Om Namo Narayanaya: Mantra Series

by Yogi Hari

Publisher: NADA Productions | More reviews: amazon.com

Songs From the Center of the Well

by Swami Chetanananda

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The well, like life itself, is always full and endlessly giving of itself. And, it always connects with a flow that's deep underground, deep inside. As these verses, insights, and songs from the spirit show, that's where seekers must dig to reap the rewards of their search...and to finally become free.

Publisher: Rudra Press | More reviews: amazon.com

Hour of God

by Aurobindo

The Hour of God consists of extremely powerful short prose pieces written between 1910 and 1940 by Sri Aurobindo and published posthumously.

Publisher: Lotus Press | More reviews: amazon.com

The Mirror Of Relationship: Love, Sex, And Chastity: From the talks and writings of J. Krishnamurti

by Jiddu Krishnamurti

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Looking at relationship, Krishnamurti delves into topics close to each one of us. He discusses his views on sex and love, and explores the word and delusion of chastity. In Chapter 5 he says, The person who has taken the vow of celibacy knows no love, because he is concerned with himself and his own fruition. This is a great book for anyone in a relationship.

Publisher: Krishnamurti Publications of America | More reviews: amazon.com

Enlightening Tales: as Told by Sri Swami Satchidananda

by Sri Swami Satchidananda

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"These delightful short stories turn on lights in the mind. Like Christ's parables, many tales exist in India that illustrate moral lessons in a vivid way. Satchidananda retells many of these in everyday language, making them feel close. He adds a few original tales of his own.Although I don't think every one of the tales suitable for children, most of them would delight both the parent who reads or tells it and the child who hears it!"

Publisher: Integral Yoga Publications | More reviews: amazon.com

Questioning Krishnamurti

by Krishnamurti

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Krishnamurti is one of the best-loved spiritual teachers of the twentieth century. Krishnamurti's conversations with scientists, Buddhist scholars, philosophers, artists and a Jesuit priest have been collected in this volume.

Publisher: Thorsons | More reviews: amazon.com

GREAT SWAN (Shambhala Dragon Editions)

by Lex Hixon

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"Lex Hixon's words float in the reader's mind like clear, sweet water. Hixon is not a philosopher or theologian. He is a lover. His words melt into the heart and rise one's level of awareness into a state of ecstatic bliss. Read this book and discover the Ramakrishna that Lex Hixon knew and loved. The Ramakrishna who believed all religions were ultimately guided by the same Godhead.burl2hall@yahoo.com"

Publisher: Shambhala | More reviews: amazon.com