Showing results by author "Eknath Easwaran" in All Categories

The Bhagavad Gita is the best known of all the Indian scriptures, and Eknath Easwaran’s best-selling translation is reliable, readable, and profound. Easwaran's extensive introduction places the Bhagavad Gita in its historical setting, and brings out the universality and timelessness of its teachings. Chapter introductions clarify key concepts, and notes and a glossary explain Sanskrit terms.

In the Upanishads, illumined sages share flashes of insight, the results of their investigation into consciousness itself. In extraordinary visions, they experience directly a transcendent Reality which is the essence, or Self, of each created being. They teach that each of us, each Self, is eternal, deathless, one with the power that created the universe.

Dhammapada means "the path of dharma", the path of harmony and righteousness that anyone can follow to reach the highest good. This classic Buddhist scripture is a collection of vivid, practical verses gathered from direct disciples who wanted to preserve what they had heard from the Buddha himself. Easwaran's translation of this classic Buddhist text is the best-selling translation in the US.

Meditation is the key to finding the Self, and Easwaran recommends this prayer, which begins "Lord make me an instrument of thy peace . . . ," as the first passage to use when learning to meditate. In this talk Easwaran explores the four pillars of wisdom and then gives a line-by-line commentary on the prayer.

The Upanishads are among the oldest of the Indian wisdom texts, the records of teaching sessions of illumined sages and their students, who were asking the fundamental questions of life. Easwaran's translation of these classic texts has been highly acclaimed, and in these informal talks to close students he draws out the main themes of eleven Upanishads.

Easwaran's classic manual is a unique source of practical spiritual support for new and experienced meditators and gives all the instruction needed to establish a vibrant meditation practice and keep it going. In passage meditation you focus attention on passages, or texts, drawn from all the world's sacred traditions. You choose the passages that appeal to you, so this universal method stays fresh and inspiring, prompting you to live out your highest ideals.

Easwaran's classic manual is a unique source of practical spiritual support for new and experienced meditators, and gives all the instruction needed to establish a vibrant meditation practice and keep it going. In passage meditation, you focus attention on passages, or texts, drawn from all the world's sacred traditions. You choose the passages that appeal to you, so this universal method stays fresh and inspiring, prompting you to live out your highest ideals.

In this historic recording Eknath Easwaran, who taught meditation and spiritual living for over 40 years, reads his selection of lifeaffirming writings from the saints, sages, and scriptures of the Christian, Hindu, Sufi, Jewish, Buddhist, and Taoist traditions. This collection includes passages from Easwaran’s translations of the Bhagavad Gita, the Upanishads, and the Dhammapada. Easwaran’s reading is sonorous and deep, slowing down the mind and drawing us into a world of timeless wisdom where our worries and concerns fall back into perspective.

Stress and anxiety affect many of us as we struggle with work pressures, money worries, strained relationships, and the nagging sense that life may be running out of our control. But in the midst of chaos, we can find balance, peace, and wisdom, Easwaran says, if we learn to steady our minds. It’s a simple idea, but one that runs deep - a truly calm mind can weather any storm.

The mantram, or mantra, is a short, powerful spiritual formula from the world’s great traditions, repeated silently in the mind, anytime, anywhere. Use it when you’re ill or anxious, tired, or restless, and the mantram will guide and comfort you like a true friend. The mantram can help you to steady the mind and focus your thoughts, replenish your energy and willpower, free your mind from anxiety, anger, or resentment, access your deepest resources of strength, patience, and love.

In this companion to his best-selling translation of the Bhagavad Gita, Easwaran explores the essential themes of this much-loved Indian scripture. Placing the Gita in a modern context, Easwaran shows how this classic text sheds light on the nature of reality, the illusion of separateness, the search for identity, and the meaning of yoga. The key message of the Gita is how to resolve our conflicts and live in harmony with the deep unity of life, through the principles of yoga and the practice of meditation.

This audiobook includes all three volumes in the Bhagavad Gita for Daily Living series. A comprehensive manual for living a spiritual life, based on a verse-by-verse commentary on India’s timeless scripture - from the author of its best-selling translation. This audiobook includes all three volumes in this series. The Bhagavad Gita is set on the battlefield of an apocalyptic war between good and evil. Faced with a dire moral dilemma, the warrior prince Arjuna turns in anguish to his spiritual guide, Sri Krishna, for answers to the fundamental questions of life.

In this series of informal talks to close students, Eknath Easwaran comments on short extracts from the Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis, a classic 15th-century Christian text. Recognizing that these gems of spiritual counselling are expressed in difficult, medieval language, Easwaran takes care to place them in a contemporary context. He shows how this great text contains much sound, sensitive psychology that can guide us in making wise choices today.

Uncover the core of goodness within. Love, compassion, meaning, hope, and freedom from fear are not qualities we need to acquire. We simply need to uncover what we already have. "Original goodness" is Eknath Easwaran’s phrase for this spark of divinity hidden in every one of us, regardless of our personal liabilities or past mistakes. Commenting on the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount, Easwaran shows how this spark of divinity can energize our lives - beginning with a simple method of meditation that gradually removes the conditioning that hides our native goodness.

Through stories, insights, and step-by-step advice, Easwaran shows us how to calm our minds. When the mind is unhurried, we are patient, kind, and focused, ready to respond to what really matters amidst the clamor of a busy day. The secret is to train our minds to work steadily and with one-pointed attention, however many tasks confront us.

Feeling trapped by unwanted thoughts and emotions can seem an inevitable part of life. But Eknath Easwaran, who taught meditation for 40 years, teaches us a way to break free. Just as a fitness routine can create a strong, supple body, spiritual disciplines can shape a secure personality and a resilient, loving mind. Easwaran takes the timeless teachings of the Buddha and other mystics and tells how we can train the mind not just during meditation but throughout the day.

How had Gandhi transformed himself from an ineffective young lawyer into the Mahatma, the “great soul” who led 400 million ordinary men and women in their nonviolent struggle for independence? To find out, Easwaran visited Gandhi’s ashram and watched the Mahatma absorbed in meditation on the Bhagavad Gita – the wellspring of Gandhi’s spiritual strength.

Eknath Easwaran selects key verses from his acclaimed translation of the Buddha's Dhammapada, and explains in these informal talks to his close students how the Buddha's timeless words can guide us in our lives today.

Easwaran gives clear, practical, step-by-step instructions in passage meditation: four talks recorded during an intensive course for the University of California Berkeley Extension. In passage meditation, you focus attention on passages, or texts, drawn from all the world’s sacred traditions. You choose the passages that appeal to you, so this universal method stays fresh and inspiring, prompting you to live out your highest ideals. Meditation is supported by the mantram and six other spiritual tools to help us stay calm, kind, and focused throughout the day.

Entertaining, thought provoking, and moving, these four essays by spiritual author and teacher Eknath Easwaran offer an hour of inspiration for listeners of any faith, philosophy, or lifestyle. Through anecdotes, stories of the saints, surprising analogies, and wise insights, Easwaran encourages us to explore what spiritual living can mean today.