Author: Swami Rama
Publisher: Himalayan Institute Press
Year: 2006
Language: English
Pages: 456
ISBN/UPC (if available): 0893891568
Description
The Himalayan ranges extend over almost 1500 miles in length. Persians, Indians, Tibetans and Chinese have all written about the grandeur and beauty of these mountains. The word Himalaya comes from Sanskrit words: Hima, meaning "snow" and alaya, meaning "home" - the home of snows.
But Himalayas are not merely the home of snow, but they have also been a stronghold of yogic wisdom and spirituality for millions of people, regardless of their religious beliefs. This ancient and rich tradition still exists there today as these unique mountains continue to whisper their spiritual glory to all who have an ear to hear.
From Author's Preface
I will tell you how I grew up and how I was trained, about the great sages with whom I lived and what they taught me, not through lectures and books but through experiences, writes Sri Swami Rama in the opening pages of this timeless saga. These stories record his personal quest for truth and enlightenment. Inspiring, illuminating, entertaining, mystifying, and frequently droll humorous, they bring you face-to-face with the great Himalayan Masters, including:
Mataji of Assam, a ninety-six-year-old lady sage who never slept
Gudari Baba, who taught Swami Rama the value of direct experience
Yogi Sri Aurobindo, who integrated meditation with action
Uria Baba, who teaches that every human being has a potential for healing
COMMENTS
“One of the great spiritual classics of all time. An insider’s view of hidden adepts who live outside time and space as we know it, yogis and yoginis who can’t possibly exist-but do!” Linda Johnson, author of The Living Goddess: Reclaiming the Tradition of the Mother of the Universe
“Buy this book for yourself. Each page is filled with joy and cheer. What I like best is that Swami Rama’s message does not require us to transform ourselves, it teaches that we are already perfect”.
- Judith Benn Hurley, author of The Good Herb Savoring the Day and Healing Secrets of the Seasons
Contents
Introduction by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait
At Thy Lotus Feet – Sri Swami Rama
Map of Northern India
Map of Uttar Pradesh
1. Spiritual Education in the Himalayas
The Sacred Himalayas
My Gurudeva and Parents
My Master and the Prince Swami
Footprints of Delusion
How We Live in the Caves
II. The Master Teaches
Learning Teaches
How a Master Tests His Students
An All-Night Journey through the Forest
Crossing a Flooded River
My Offering to My Master
Loneliness
Maya, the Cosmic Veli
Bitter Truth with Blessed Effects
You Teach Others but Deprive Me
Discipline Is a Must
Blessings in a Curse
III. The Path of Direct Experience
Direct Experience Alone is the Means
Real Knowledge Removes Suffering
A Mantra for Happiness
A Mantra for Bees
Misuse of Mantra
I Receive a Beating
Unique Practice of Tantra
You Have Committed Many Thefts
A Fire thrower Swami
An Astounding Mystic
My Mother Teacher
An Ageless Yogi
IV. Learning Humility
Ego and Vanity Are in Vain
My Swollen Ego
Cultivating Inner Qualities
I Thought I was perfect
Practice Makes Perfect
The Sage from the Valley of Flowers
V. Conquering Fear
The Devil
Mistaken for a Ghost
My Fear of Snakes
In a Tiger’s Cave
VI. The Path of Renunciation
My Whole Being is an Eye
My Experience with a Dancing Girl
Transformation of a Murderer
A Lesson in Non-attachment
Taste the World and Then Renounce
Jewels or Fire?
My First Days as a Swami
A Constant Persecution
Living on a Mount of Pebbles
Temptations on the Path
Should I get married?
Spiritual Dignity is Also Vanity
A Miserable Experiment
Charms of the World
Two Naked Renunciates
In the World and Yet Above
To Lose Is to Gain
VII. Experiences on Various Paths
A Renowned Lady Sage
With My Heart on My Palms and Tears in My Eyes
Karma Is My Eyes
Karma Is the Maker
In the Ashram of Mahatma Gandhi
“Not Sacrifice but Conquest’-Tagore
Setting History Straight
Maharshi Raman
Meeting with Sri Aurobindo
The Wave of Bliss
Three Schools of Tantra
The Seven Systems of Eastern Philosophy
Soma
VIII. Beyond the Great Religions
A Christian Sage of the Himalayas
My Meeting with a Jesuit Sadhu
Jesus in the Himalayas
A Vision of Christ
Judaism in Yoga
I Belong to None but God
IX. Divine Protection
Protecting Arms
Lost in the Land of Devas
The Land of Hamsas
An Atheistic Swami
An Appointment with Death
X. Powers of the Mind
Lessons on the Sands
Transmutation of Matter
Where is My Donkey?
Who Was That other Gopinath?
An Experience with a Psychic
XI. Healing Power
My First Exposure to the power of Healing
My Master Sends Me to Heal Someone
Unorthodox Ways of Healing
Healing in a Himalayan Shrine
At the Feet of the Masters
XII. Grace of the Master
Guru Is a Stream and a Channel of Knowledge
A Weeping Statue
My Master’s Photograph
Who Can Kill the Eternal?
Half “Here,” Half “There”
How a Young Widow Was Rescued
My Master Saves a Drowning Man
Shaktipata-Bestowing Bliss
My Grandmaster in Sacred Tibet
Preparing to Tear the Veli
XIII. Master over Life and Death
Birth and Death Are but Two Commas
Attitudes Toward Dying
The Techniques of Casting off the Body
Living in a Dead Body
My Master Casts Off His Body
XIV. Journey to the West
A Doctor’s Recurring Vision
Transformation in the Cave
Ways of East and West
Our Tradition
Glossary
About the Author