Autobiography of a Sadhu

Autobiography of a Sadhu PDF

Author: Rampuri

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2010-02-22

Total Pages: 201

ISBN-13: 1594779716

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The first insider account of an ancient and secretive tradition • By the first foreigner to become a member, and later an elder, of the Juna Akhara, the oldest and largest grouping of Naga Babas • Filled with true accounts of magic, miracles, ghosts, and austerities • With lessons on Hindu gods, ayurveda, and Indian culture woven throughout After traveling at age 18 from his native California to India in 1969, Rampuri was drawn to the Naga Babas, an ancient and wild order of naked yogis whom he calls the “Hell’s Angels of Indian Spirituality.” Organized into a sect by Adi Shankara in the 5th century BC, the Naga Babas see themselves as the ultimate protectors of the Sanatan Dharma, or what we call the Hindu religion. Rampuri became a disciple of a Naga Baba--a master shaman sadhu--from Rajasthan and, as foretold by astrological prophecy, soon found himself the first foreigner to become an initiate of the Juna Akhara, the oldest and largest grouping of Naga Babas with more than 50,000 sadhu members. From drinking the “Nectar of Immortality” at the source of the Ganges River to allegations of tantric murder, this autobiography is filled with true accounts of magic, miracles, ghosts, and austerities, with lessons on Hindu gods, ayurveda, mantra, and Indian culture woven throughout. Through his journey of extremes, Rampuri takes us into the mystic heart of India.

Autobiography of a Sadhu

Autobiography of a Sadhu PDF

Author: Rampuri

Publisher: Inner Traditions / Bear & Co

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 259

ISBN-13: 1594773300

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Rampuri is the first foreigner to be initiated into the ancient society of yogis and shamans known as the Renunciates of the Ten Names, or Sannyasis.

Sadhus

Sadhus PDF

Author: Dolf Hartsuiker

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2014-10-09

Total Pages: 176

ISBN-13: 1620554143

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An in-depth photographic study of the ascetic holy men of India • Includes more than 100 striking color photographs of Sadhus, their extreme austerities, and their holy festivals, including the Kumbha Mela • Examines the practices and beliefs of Sadhus from several different sects • Traces the historical and mythological roots of the Sadhus and shows how they have fundamentally shaped Hinduism since remote antiquity Spiritual adventurers, philosophical monks, naked ascetics, or religious transvestites, the Sadhus of India form a vital and unbroken link between the birth of yoga millennia ago and its present-day expression. Numbering in the millions, these mystic holy men are worshipped by the Hindus as representatives of the gods, yet they remain largely unknown in the West because they often live in far-off places, hidden from everyday life. In this full-color study of Sadhus more than 20 years in the making, photographer Dolf Hartsuiker illustrates the Sadhus’ world of ancient magical rituals, religious symbols, and ascetic practices. In his photographic quest across India, the author visited many holy places, attended religious festivals including the Kumbha Mela, and encountered and photographed thousands of Sadhus, befriending several as he was drawn into their inner circle. Sharing more than 100 striking color photographs from his travels, he reveals the Sadhus’ utmost devotion to their spiritual path through meditation practices, yoga exercises, penance, and austerities--sometimes taken to the extreme of prolonged self-imposed silence, bodily mortification, such as holding an arm above the head for years, or even ritual suicide--as well as their profound involvement with the mundane world as healers and teachers or magicians and sorcerers. It is a path of knowledge and devotion, renunciation and realization, sexual energy and spiritual power, divine intoxication and mystical union. The author examines the different beliefs and behaviors of each Sadhu sect, including the “sky-clad” Naga Babas, and traces their historical and mythological roots to show how they have fundamentally shaped Hinduism since antiquity. Revealing the powerful “otherworldliness” of the Sadhus, the author also exposes the mystical beauty that emanates from those who have chosen the path of asceticism in pursuit of knowledge of the Absolute and liberation from all earthly bonds.

Baba

Baba PDF

Author: Rampuri

Publisher: Harmony/Bell Tower

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 264

ISBN-13:

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Although this book often reads like a fast-paced adventure story, it is the true account of a nineteen-year-old American (the son of a Beverly Hills pediatric surgeon) who in the late 1960s, after experimenting with drugs, sex, and political activism, set off for India in search of the truth. He arrived with twenty dollars in his pocket and, enchanted by the extraordinary world he found there, explored the country until he stumbled into the presence of Hari Puri Baba, a yogi in the ancient tradition of the Renunciates of the Ten Names. Hari Puri proceeded to shave the young stranger's head and initiate him into his order. Now called Rampuri, the young man embarked on a discipleship unlike anything he had ever imagined. He had to learn Hindi and Sanskrit, overcome opposition as an outsider, and deal with the battle that raged within him as he attempted to reconcile the Western view of India with the reality of its culture and beliefs. Despite overwhelming odds and the mysterious death of his guru, he stayed the course and has remained in India to this day. As Rampuri reveals the teachings he received and describes the rituals and pilgrimages in which he participated, it becomes clear that this is an unprecedented telling of one man's sacred initiation and training and a must-read for any serious seeker.

Sadhu Sundar Singh

Sadhu Sundar Singh PDF

Author: Phyllis Thompson

Publisher: Authentic Media

Published: 1992

Total Pages: 183

ISBN-13: 9781850780991

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“It is better to burn quickly and melt many souls than to burn slowly and melt none.” -Sadhu Sundar Singh. Hours before he intended to kill himself, the young Sundar had a vision of Jesus. Immediately, the emptiness filling his heart was lifted. Despite opposition at home, he soon knew that he had to share his faith throughout India and Tibet. What better way than to put on the robes of a sadhu and take to the road with no guarantee of food but with a passionate desire to live as Christ did! An internationally bestselling spiritual classic - the tale of Sundar Singh who was saved from suicide to become a preacher who travelled all of India.

Sahib Sadhu

Sahib Sadhu PDF

Author: Sushil Choudhury

Publisher: Sunstar Publishing

Published: 2003-01

Total Pages: 178

ISBN-13: 9781887472814

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Sushil Choudhury was a Brahmin priest in a small village in the interior of East India when he met Swami Satyananda, an American sadhu who lived in the cremation grounds. He was thirteen years old when he joined the barefoot Sadhu in spiritual pilgrimages all around India, throughout the Himalayas, and ultimately around the world, following this Sahib Sadhu through some of the most fascinating spiritual adventures recorded in recent times. Swami Satyananda performed the disciplines of a wandering ascetic for over twenty years in India, chanting naked in the snow, meditating in hot springs, sitting for days at a time beside a sacred fire, walking the length and breadth of India, encountering snakes, miracle sadhus, rainmakers, healers, terrorists, palm readers, great saints and ultimately the Divine Mother.

Sadhguru, More Than a Life

Sadhguru, More Than a Life PDF

Author: Arundhathi Subramaniam

Publisher: Penguin Books India

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 250

ISBN-13: 067008512X

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‘The thirst to be boundless is not created by you; it is just life longing for itself.’ —Sadhguru This is the extraordinary story of Sadhguru—a young agnostic who turned yogi, a wild motorcyclist who turned mystic, a sceptic who turned spiritual guide. Pulsating with his razor-sharp intelligence, bracing wit and modern-day vocabulary, the book empowers you to explore your spiritual self and could well change your life. It seeks to re-create the life journey of a man who combines rationality with mysticism, irreverence with compassion, ancient wisdom with a provocatively contemporary outlook and a deep knowledge of the self with a contagious love of life. Described as ‘a profound mystic, visionary humanitarian and prominent spiritual leader of our times', he is equally at home in a satsangh in rural Tamil Nadu as at the World Economic Forum in Davos. In his early years, Jaggi Vasudev (or Sadhguru as he is now known) was a chronic truant, a boisterous prankster, and later a lover of motorbikes and fast cars. It is evident that the same urgency, passion and vitality echo in his spiritual pursuits to this day, from his creation of the historic Dhyanalinga—the mission of three lifetimes—to his approach as a guru. In Sadhguru's view, faith and reason, spirituality and science, the sacred and the material, cannot be divided into easy binaries. He sees people as ‘spiritual beings dabbling with the material rather than the reverse’, and liberation as the fundamental longing in every form of life. Truth for him is a living experience instead of a destination, a conclusion, or a matter of metaphysical speculation. The possibility of self-realization, he strongly believes, is available to all. Drawing upon extended conversations with Sadhguru, interviews with Isha colleagues and fellow meditators, poet Arundhathi Subramaniam presents an evocative portrait of a contemporary mystic and guru—a man who seems to pack the intensity and adventure of several lifetimes into a single one.

The Journey Home

The Journey Home PDF

Author: Radhanath Swami

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2010-09-01

Total Pages: 492

ISBN-13: 1608879852

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The story of one man’s journey from his youth in suburban Chicago to an adult in spiritual India and a world of mystics, yogis, and gurus. Within this extraordinary memoir, Radhanath Swami weaves a colorful tapestry of adventure, mysticism, and love. Readers follow Richard Slavin from the suburbs of Chicago to the caves of the Himalayas as he transforms from young seeker to renowned spiritual guide. The Journey Home is an intimate account of the steps to self-awareness and also a penetrating glimpse into the heart of mystic traditions and the challenges that all souls must face on the road to inner harmony and a union with the Divine. Through near-death encounters, apprenticeships with advanced yogis, and years of travel along the pilgrim’s path, Radhanath Swami eventually reaches the inner sanctum of India’s mystic culture and finds the love he has been seeking. It is a tale told with rare candor, immersing the reader in a journey that is at once engaging, humorous, and heartwarming. Praise for The Journey Home “Here is an inspiring chapter of “our story” of spiritual pilgrimage to the East. It shows the inner journey of awakening in a fascinating and spellbinding way.” —Ram Dass, author, Be Here Now “He tells his story with remarkable honest—the temptations of the 1970s, his doubts, hopes, and disappointments, the culture shock, and the friendships found and lost . . . Add a zest of danger, suspense, and surprise, and Radhanath Swami’s story is a deep, genuine memoir that reads like a novel.” —Brigitte Sion, assistant professor of Religious Studies, New York University

Autobiography of a Yogi

Autobiography of a Yogi PDF

Author: Paramahansa Yogananda

Publisher: The Floating Press

Published: 2009-01-01

Total Pages: 860

ISBN-13: 1775411451

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The autobiography of Paramahansa Yogananda (1893 - 1952) details his search for a guru, during which he encountered many spiritual leaders and world-renowned scientists. When it was published in 1946 it was the first introduction of many westerners to yoga and meditation. The famous opera singer Amelita Galli-Curci said about the book: "Amazing, true stories of saints and masters of India, blended with priceless superphysical information-much needed to balance the Western material efficiency with Eastern spiritual efficiency-come from the vigorous pen of Paramhansa Yogananda, whose teachings my husband and myself have had the pleasure of studying for twenty years."