Eknath Easwaran
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Eknath Easwaran (December, 1910 – October 26, 1999) was born in a village in Kerala, India. He served as Professor of English literature at the University of Nagpur, and was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of California, Berkeley.[1] His translations of the Bhagavad Gita, the Upanishads, and the Dhammapada are critically acclaimed. His best-selling book is called Meditation: A Simple Eight Point Program for Translating Spiritual Values into Daily Life. He was influenced by Gandhi, whom Easwaran met when he was a young man.
Eknath Easwaran developed a method of meditation called "Passage Meditation" — silent repetition in the mind of memorized inspirational passages from the world's great religions.[2] As Easwaran said, "The slow, sustained concentration on these passages drives them deep into our minds; and whatever we drive deep into consciousness, that we become."
Easwaran's program for spiritual growth consists of eight points:
- Passage Meditation
- The repetition of a mantram (a holy word or phrase), sometimes referred to as Japam
- Slowing down
- One-pointedness
- Training the senses
- Putting others first
- Satsang, or a spiritual fellowship
- Reading the writings of the mystics
Easwaran founded the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation and Nilgiri Press, which publishes over two dozen books he authored.
What we think about constantly, we become; that is the secret of meditation and prayer.
– The Constant Companion.
[edit] Bibliography
- Meditation: Commonsense Directions for an Uncommon Life, 1978 (ISBN 0-915132-66-4)
- The End of Sorrow (The Bhagavad Gita for Daily Living, Vol. 1), 1979 (ISBN 0-915132-17-6)
- Like a Thousand Suns (The Bhagavad Gita for Daily Living, Vol. 2), 1979 (ISBN 0-915132-18-4)
- To Love Is to Know Me (Bhagavad Gita for Daily Living, Vol. 3), 1985 (ISBN 0-915132-19-2)
- The Bhagavad Gita (Translator), 2007 (ISBN 978-158638-019-9)
- The Dhammapada (Translator), 2007 (ISBN 978-1-58638-020-5)
- The Upanishads (Translator), 1987
- The Compassionate Universe, 1989
- Climbing the Blue Mountain: A Guide for the Spiritual Journey, 1992
- Dialogue With Death: A Journey Through Consciousness, 1992
- Love Never Faileth: The Inspiration of Saint Francis, Saint Augustine, Saint Paul, Mother Teresa, with introductions by Carol L. Flinders, 1993
- Seeing With the Eyes of Love: Relfections on a Classic of Christian Mysticism, 1993
- The Play of God: Visions of the Life of Krishna by Devi Vanamali, et al, 1995
- The Monkey and the Mango: Stories of My Granny (Illustrated by Ilka Jerabek), 1996
- Original Goodness: On the Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount, 1996
- Seeing With the Eyes of Love: Eknath Easwaran on the Imitation of Christ, 1996
- The Undiscovered Country: Exploring the Promise of Death, 1996
- Words to Live By: Inspiration for Every Day, 1996
- Gandhi the Man: The Story of His Transformation, et al, 1997
- In Quest of God: The Saga of an Extraordinary Pilgrimage by Swami Ramdas, 2002 (Introduction)
- A Higher Image, 2002
- Love Alters Not, 2002
- God Makes the Rivers to Flow: Sacred Literature of the World, 2003
- Your Life Is Your Message: Finding Harmony With Yourself, Others, and the Earth
- Conquest of Mind: Learning to Think in Freedom
- Take Your Time: Finding Balance in a Hurried World
- Thousand Names of Vishnu: a selection with commentary
- The Unstruck Bell: Powerful New Strategies for Using a Mantram
- A More Ardent Fire: From Everyday Love to Love of God
- Supreme Ambition: Life's Goals and How to Reach It
- The Mantram Handbook: Formulas for Transformation
- The Constant Companion
- A Man to Match His Mountains: Badshah Khan, Nonviolent Soldier of Islam
- Kabir: Stages of Desire
- With My Love and Blessings: The Teaching Years, 1966-1999, in Photographs & His Own Words
- Saint Francis: Becoming an Instrument of Peace
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ Eknath Easwaran. Yoga Journal. Retrieved on 2008-03-30.
- ^ In Memoriam: Sri Eknath Easwaran (1911-1999). Monastic Interreligious Dialogue. Retrieved on 2008-03-30.
