Eknath Easwaran Explained

Eknath Easwaran
Birth Date:December 17, 1910
Birth Place:Kerala, India
Death Place:California, USA
Nationality:India, United States
Known For:Spiritual teacher, author, translator and interpreter of spiritual literature, teacher of Passage Meditation

Eknath Easwaran (December 17, 1910 October 26, 1999) was an Indian-born spiritual teacher, author and translator and interpreter of Indian religious texts such as the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads. Easwaran was a professor of English literature at the University of Nagpur in India, and in 1959 he came to the United States as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Minnesota before transferring to the University of California, Berkeley where he taught courses on meditation-the first in the country offering credits.[1] [2] In 1961, Easwaran founded the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation and Nilgiri Press, based in northern California. Nilgiri Press has published over thirty books that he authored.

Easwaran was influenced by Mahatma Gandhi, whom he met when he was a young man.[3] Easwaran developed a method of meditation silent repetition in the mind of memorized inspirational passages from the world's major religious and spiritual traditions[4] which later came to be known as Passage Meditation.

His teachings inspired some of his students to create the 1976 vegetarian cookbook Laurel's Kitchen.

Biography

Eknath Easwaran was born in 1910 in a village in Kerala, India.[5] Eknath is his surname, Easwaran his given name.[6] Brought up by his mother, and by his maternal grandmother whom he honored as his spiritual teacher, he was schooled in his native village until the age of sixteen, when he went to attend St. Thomas College, Thrissur, a Catholic college fifty miles away. He graduated at the University of Nagpur in English and law.[7] He served as Chair of the Department of English at University of Nagpur.[8]

In 1959, he came to the United States as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of California, Berkeley.[9] [10]

From 1960 he gave classes on meditation in the San Francisco Bay Area. He met his wife Christine at one of these talks. Together with his wife, he founded the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation in 1961. After a four-year stay in India, he returned to the Bay Area in 1965.

In 1970 he founded Ramagiri Ashram as a community of dedicated followers in Marin County.[7]

He set up a publishing activity, Nilgiri Press, which printed his first book Gandhi The Man, telling the story of Gandhi as a spiritual as well as a political leader. His first major work was his 3-volume commentary on the Bhagavad Gita, the Bhagavad Gita for Daily Living, the first volume of which was printed in 1975 and the last in 1984. His book Meditation on the program of meditation and allied disciplines that he developed first appeared in 1978.

By 2018, Easwaran's methods of spiritual practice had been the focus of two major scientific research programs that had produced thirty refereed research reports.[11]

Published works

Easwaran's written works may be grouped into several major categories—primarily books, but also articles in newspapers and other periodicals. Most of his books have been reviewed by spiritually oriented publications or websites, or by nationally known media such as The New Yorker,[12] or the New York Post.[13]

In addition, a large number of Easwaran's recorded talks have been published in video and audio formats.

Translations

See main article: Dhammapada (Easwaran translation). Easwaran's translations of the Bhagavad Gita, the Upanishads, and the Dhammapada (see article) have been critically acclaimed. Religion scholar Huston Smith is cited by the publisher as writing: "No one in modern times is more qualified no, make that 'as qualified' to translate the epochal Classics of Indian Spirituality than Eknath Easwaran. And the reason is clear. It is impossible to get to the heart of those classics unless you live them, and he did live them. My admiration of the man and his works is boundless."[14] In Buddhism: A Concise Introduction[15] Smith and his coauthor Philip Novak wrote that "Our favorite translation is Eknath Easwaran's The Dhammapada. His Indian heritage, literary gifts, and spiritual sensibilities... here produce a sublime rendering of the words of the Buddha. Verse after verse shimmers with quiet, confident authority. A bonus is the sparkling 70-page introduction to the Buddha's life and teachings."

Since 2009, Easwaran's three translations "have each been the best-selling translations of these scriptures in the USA."[11] In the US in 2016, each of Easwaran's translations outsold the second best-selling translation in its category "by more than 3:1",[11] and the second editions have together sold more than 470,000 copies.

Commentaries

See main article: Essence of the Upanishads (book). Essence of the Upanishads (see article), originally entitled Dialogue with death: The spiritual psychology of the Katha Upanishad, explains how the Katha Upanishad embraces the key ideas of Indian spirituality within the context of a powerful mythic quest the story of a young hero who ventures into the land of death in search of immortality. "Essence of the Upanishads is a westerner's guide to this vitally important Indian text and its modern relevance to the Indian mindset and spirituality."[16]

In Essence of the Bhagavad Gita, Easwaran places the Gita's teachings in a modern context and comments on the Gita's view of the nature of reality, the illusion of separateness, the search for identity, the meaning of yoga, and how to heal the unconscious. The book views the key message of the Gita as how to resolve our conflicts and live in harmony with the deep unity of life, through the practice of meditation and spiritual disciplines.

In Essence of the Dhammapada, Easwaran comments on the Dhammapada, sayings attributed to the Buddha himself, presenting it as a guide that gives straightforward teachings about spiritual perseverance, progress, and enlightenment.

Books on meditation

See main article: Passage Meditation, Mantram Handbook and Conquest of Mind. His book Passage Meditation (original title Meditation) describes the Eight Point Program that Easwaran developed, while his book Conquest of Mind goes further into the practice of these disciplines in daily life. Timeless Wisdom is a companion book to Passage Meditation and contains passages for meditation drawn from across the world's spiritual traditions. His book Mantram Handbook: a practical guide to choosing your mantram and calming your mind addresses The Mantram, the second point in the program.

His book Strength in the Storm[17] is an introduction to The Mantram, containing many stories and practical examples to help the reader learn how to harness the inner resources for dealing with challenges in daily living. His book Take Your Time[18] explores "Slowing Down" and "One-Pointed Attention" in daily lives. Renewal[19] [20] is a pocket book of short readings on themes such as loving relationships, raising children, living simply, and aging wisely; Patience, the second in the pocket book series, shows how to cultivate Patience "the ornament of the brave" at any age. Other (older) books describe various aspects of leading a spiritual life: Climbing the Blue Mountain, Compassionate Universe, and Undiscovered Country.

Daily readers and reference

See main article: God Makes the Rivers to Flow. God Makes the Rivers to Flow[21] is an anthology of writings from the sacred literature of the world, selected by Easwaran as useful for meditation. A larger (and earlier) version of Timeless Wisdom, it contains dozens of passages from diverse traditions, and identifies passages for particular stages in life, such as caregiving, families with small children, death and dying, grief and loss, and for building positive qualities such as patience, courage, devotion to God, and putting others first. Words to Live By[22] is a set of daily readings with Easwaran's commentary on applying the reading to daily life.

The Bhagavad Gita for Daily Living

The Bhagavad Gita for Daily Living is a manual for living a spiritual life, comprising a verse-by-verse commentary on India's timeless scripture the Bhagavad Gita. The work is in three volumes, published in 1975, 1979 and 1984 respectively, in hardcover and later also in paperback. When the first paperbacks were published the volumes were given new subtitles: the End of Sorrow;[23] Like a Thousand Suns;[24] and To Love is To Know Me.[25]

In 2020 the three-volume set was reissued as a second edition, and as a single-volume ebook.

In Volume 1 (the first six chapters of the Gita) Easwaran explains how readers can begin to transform themselves, even as householders engaged in busy lives. In Volume 2 (the next six chapters) Easwaran addresses the seeming divide between scientific knowledge and spiritual wisdom, and explains how the concept of the unity of life can help people in all their relationships. In Volume 3 (the final six chapters) he makes the connection between the Self within and the Reality underlying all creation – and how to make a difference to heal the environment and establish peace in the world.

Spiritual biographies

See main article: Gandhi the Man and Nonviolent Soldier of Islam. Gandhi the Man[26] traces how Mohandas Gandhi transformed himself into one of the world's great spiritual leaders.

Nonviolent Soldier of Islam is the life story of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, a Pathan (or Pushtun) of Afghanistan and a devout Muslim, who raised the first nonviolent army in history to gain Indian independence from British colonial rule. This book was favorably discussed in The New Yorker. The book also inspired[27] filmmaker and writer T.C. McLuhan, daughter of Canadian media theorist Marshall McLuhan, to make the film The Frontier Gandhi: Badshah Khan, a Torch for Peace, which won the 2009 Black Pearl Award for Best Documentary Film.[28]

Commentaries on Christian literature

See main article: Original Goodness (book), Love Never Faileth and Seeing with the Eyes of Love. Original Goodness (see article) is a commentary on the Beatitudes. Love Never Faileth (see article) is a commentary on the writings of St Francis, St Paul, St Augustine, and Mother Teresa. Seeing with the Eyes of Love (see article) is a commentary on The Imitation of Christ.

Newspapers and other periodicals

In the 1980s and 1990s, Easwaran published a variety of commentaries on public events in prominent periodicals, especially The Christian Science Monitor,[29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [38] and also in The New York Times,[39] [40] elsewhere in the US,[41] and internationally.He also wrote numerous commentaries that appeared in the Little Lamp (1961–1995), and in Blue Mountain (1990–present), quarterly journals published by the meditation center that he founded.[42] In the 1960s, Easwaran published articles in other spiritual journals, such as the Mountain Path, published by Sri Ramana Maharshi's ashram.[43] [44] Before coming to the US in 1959, Easwaran contributed short stories and other writings to literary anthologies,[45] and to magazines such as The Illustrated Weekly of India.[46]

Video and audio

Many of Easwaran's recorded talks have been published in video and audio formats.[47]

Several dozen of Easwaran's talks have been published as video DVDs, and now as downloadable MP4s as a free subscription from the Blue Mountain Center.[48] Before publication as DVDs, videos of Easwaran's talks were first released in VHS videotape format.[49] Some talks are published in downloadable audio/MP3 formats.[50] Instructions for meditation by Easwaran have been published in audio form as CDs.[51] Some of Easwaran's talks were earlier published as cassette tapes[52] or LP records.[53] Magazines have reviewed some of Easwaran's published talks, both audio[54]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Berkeley Historical Plaque Project Easwaran, Eknath-Meditation Teacher. berkeleyplaques.org. 2019-08-02.
  2. Web site: Eknath Easwaran. 1999-11-01. SFGate. 2019-08-02.
  3. Gandhi's influence on Easwaran is described by Easwaran or others in a variety of publications, including Gandhi the Man (e.g., p. 6, 1978 edition), The Making of a Teacher (e.g., p. 160, 1989 edition), and The Compassionate Universe (see chapter 1; chapters 2-8 are structured using Gandhi's "Seven Social Sins"). See also the biography of Easwaran posted at his publisher's website (accessed 1 September 2017).
  4. Web site: In Memoriam: Sri Eknath Easwaran (1911–1999) . Monastic Interreligious Dialogue . 2008-03-30 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20071008155001/http://monasticdialog.com/a.php?id=576 . October 8, 2007 .
  5. Book: Encyclopedia of Hinduism . Jones. Constance A.. James D. Ryan . 2006. Infobase Publishing / Facts On File . New York . 978-0-8160-5458-9 . "Easwaran was born on December 17, 1910, into an ancient matrilineal family in Kerala, India" (p. 143)
  6. However, after he came to the United States, "Easwaran" generally functioned as his last name (analogous to a surname) for authorship credits and other public activities.
  7. Book: The Making of a Teacher: Conversations with Eknath Easwaran . Flinders . Tim . Carol Flinders . 1989 . Nilgiri Press . Petaluma, CA . 978-0-915132-54-6 . Carol Lee Flinders .,,,
  8. https://berkeleyplaques.org/e-plaque/eknath-easwaran/ "Eknath Easwaran- Meditation Teacher and Writer (1910 -1999)"
  9. Web site: Eknath Easwaran . Yoga Journal . 2008-03-30.
  10. Holly Hammond (January/February 1996). "Finding balance in a hurried world." Yoga Journal n123, pp. 86–92, 139–141 .
  11. Oman . Doug . Bormann . Jill E. . Eknath Easwaran's Mantram and Passage Meditation as Applied Indian Psychology: Psycho-Spiritual and Health Effects . . 63 . 2 . 94–108 . 2018 . 10.1007/s12646-018-0448-8. 149644696 .
  12. [Bill McKibben]
  13. [Bill McKibben]
  14. Huston Smith, quoted on back cover and on page 383 of Eknath Easwaran (2007). [The Upanishads] (2nd, rev. ed.). Tomales, CA: Nilgiri Press.
  15. [Huston Smith]
  16. Midwest Book Review Aug-09 http://www.midwestbookreview.com/wbw/aug_09.htm
  17. Spirituality and Practice, review of Strength in the Storm http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/books/books.php?id=10113
  18. Spirituality and Practice, review of Take Your Time
  19. "Easwaran is one [of] the most powerful Hindu teachers lecturing and writing in America ... this book is meant to be a companion for the difficult but joyous interior work of spiritual transformation that is at the heart of his teachings", wrote Publishers Weekly in a review of the original edition: Henry Carrigan (1996). "Your life is your message: Finding harmony with yourself, others, and the earth." Publishers Weekly, v243 n29, p69. (republished in 2009 as Renewal)
  20. Spirituality and Practice, review of Renewal http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/books/books.php?id=19302
  21. Spirituality and Practice review of God Makes the Rivers to Flow http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/books/books.php?id=5807
  22. Spirituality and Practice review of Words to Live Byhttp://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/books/books.php?id=15735
  23. Spirituality and Practice, review of End of Sorrow, http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/books/books.php?id=1122
  24. Spirituality and Practice, review of Like a Thousand Suns, http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/books/books.php?id=1123
  25. Spirituality and Practice, review of To Love is To Know Me, http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/books/books.php?id=1124
  26. Spirituality and Practice, review of Gandhi the Man http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/books/books.php?id=5135
  27. India Journal Nov 7, 2008 http://www.indiajournal.com/pages/event.php?id=5057
  28. Black Pearl Award http://www.meiff.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/MEIFF-09-Black-Pearl-Awards_Final.pdf
  29. News: Eknath Easwaran . Gandhi: A sympathetic report; Gandhi: A memoir, by William L. Shirer (book review) . . January 30, 1980 . 17 . May 1, 2011.
  30. Eknath Easwaran (February 11, 1985). Revisiting the Raj an Indian perspective. The Christian Science Monitor, p. 18.
  31. Eknath Easwaran (June 12, 1985). Mohandas K. Gandhi in South Africa. The Christian Science Monitor, p. 15.
  32. Eknath Easwaran (November 13, 1985). India and Pakistan: time to encourage trust. The Christian Science Monitor, p. 17.
  33. Eknath Easwaran (September 17, 1986). Young people, idealism and drugs. The Christian Science Monitor, p. 14.
  34. Eknath Easwaran (December 10, 1988). Gandhi's lesson for the Philippines. The Christian Science Monitor, p. 19.
  35. Eknath Easwaran (August 27, 1990). Find a Peaceful Solution, in the Name of Islam. The Christian Science Monitor, p. 19.
  36. Eknath Easwaran (November 14, 1990). Nehru's Lesson From Gandhi. The Christian Science Monitor, p. 16.
  37. Eknath Easwaran (April 11, 1991). The Dignity of Ancient Culture. The Christian Science Monitor, p. 16.
  38. Eknath Easwaran (April 17, 2002). An Island of Calm in a Sea of Hostility. The Christian Science Monitor, p. 18.
  39. Eknath Easwaran (May 21, 1998). "What Would Gandhi Think?" The New York Times, accessed Nov. 11, 2009. This commentary was republished later that week in Dawn (Pakistan), "What would Gandhi think of N-tests", May 22; in The Hindu (India), "Don't imitate the Western folly", May 26; and in the International Herald Tribune, What would Gandhi think?, May 21.
  40. News: Easwaran. Eknath. How His Message Can Help Us Today. 7 August 2013. The New York Times. 30 January 1998.
  41. Eknath Easwaran (January 26, 1991). Gandhi's Message of Nonviolence. San Francisco Chronicle.
  42. Several articles that Easwaran published in the Little Lamp (LCCN: 83641607 sn 80000451) appeared later in revised form in his books; most copies of Blue Mountain (LCCN sf92093327) that appeared after 2000 can be downloaded from the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation website. Although primarily quarterly, each of these journals appeared at times on other schedules.
  43. Eknath Easwaran . 1964 . The Candle of the Lord . Mountain Path . . 1 . 3 .
  44. Eknath Easwaran . 1968 . Eating the Mangoes . . . 5 . 3 . 204–206 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110724173503/http://www.sriramanamaharshi.org/bookstall/img.php?pat=..%2Fmpath%2F1968%2FJuly%2F%2F204.jpg . July 24, 2011.
  45. Eknath Easwaran (1958), "The Postmaster" (pp. 39–42). In Book: Lionel Wigmore & Canberra Fellowship of Australian Writers . 1958 . Span: An adventure in Asian and Australian writing . Melbourne, Australia . . 39–42 .
  46. Eknath Easwaran . 1956 . The funeral . . 77 . 3 . 33 . 0019-2430 . 6772824.
  47. See "Easwaran on Video" (42 DVDs listed) and "Easwaran on Audio" (The publisher states "We recorded his talks over several decades")
  48. Examples of talks by Easwaran published as videos include Kabir: Stages of Desire (containing talks "Desire: Our Real Wealth" and "Meeting the Beloved"), Breaking Chains (containing talks "Breaking Chains" and "Fetters and Freedom").
  49. Examples of talks published as VHS include Saint Francis: becoming an instrument of peace (2002, on the Prayer of St. Francis and its use in meditation) (68 minutes)
  50. Downloadable MP3 talks include 50 talks in the "Thomas à Kempis Series", 9 "Individual talks", and 5 sets of talks or readings by Easwaran in "Following Series", as well as Easwaran (2008), "Following the Teachings of the Upanishads" (178 minutes); Easwaran (2008), "Following the Way of the Buddha" (172 minutes).
  51. Meditation (2004, instructions in Easwaran's meditation program), CDs.,,
  52. See Worldcat listings. Examples of talks published as cassette tapes are Gandhi: a personal encounter (1984, describing Easwaran's visit to Gandhi's ashram, 66 mins) (Petaluma, CA: Nilgiri Press) and The Tree of Life (1975, commenting on ch. 15 of the Bhagavad Gita) (Berkeley, CA: Blue Mountain Center of Meditation).
  53. Issued as an LP record was a 1969 commentary on the Bhagavad Gita (chs. 2, 12), (publisher: Sadhana Records).
  54. Barbara J. Vaughan . 1995 . Untitled [review of Sacred Literature of the World, audiobook on cassettes by Eknath Easwaran] |journal=Library Journal |volume=120 |issue=8 |pages=152 |issn=0363-0277 |lccn=75648584. See article God Makes the Rivers to Flow. These audio cassettes by Easwaran (1995):,
  55. Candace Smith . 2002 . Untitled [review of Universal Wisdom of the Great Mystics, videotape by Eknath Easwaran] |journal=Booklist |volume=99 |issue=3 |pages=349 |issn=0006-7385. The video by Easwaran (2002):,,
  56. Audiobooks by Easwaran that are read by Paul Bazely include The Bhagavad Gita (2015, unabridged) (8 hours 54 minutes); The Dhammapada (2016, abridged) (4 hours 22 minutes); Passage Meditation A Complete Spiritual Practice (2016, unabridged) (8 hours 15 minutes); Essence of the Upanishads (2017, unabridged) (8 hours 41 minutes); Strength in the Storm (2009, abridged) (51 minutes); Gandhi the Man (2009, abridged) (137 minutes); Climbing the Blue Mountain (2009, abridged) (68 minutes); Renewal (2009, unabridged) (83 minutes) (all published by: Nilgiri Press)
  57. Easwaran's (1987 original publication) translation of the Upanishads, abridged, read by Jacob Needleman. The Upanishads [Audiobook on Cassette]. San Bruno, CA: Audio Literature, 1999., (ca. 3 hours)
  58. http://www.bmcm.org/learn/ Passage Meditation: The Basics
  59. https://web.archive.org/web/20150815204233/https://bmcmwebsite.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/bm-journal/2015/2015Summer.pdf "Eating in Freedom, Training the Mind"
  60. Book: Belasco, Warren. Appetite for Change: How the Counterculture Took on The Food Industry. Cornell University Press. 2007. 978-0801473296.
  61. Megan J. Elias (2008). Stir it up: home economics in American culture. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press. . (NB: Laurel's Kitchen is discussed in pp. 152-160)
  62. It was later republished in revised form as The New Laurel's Kitchen (1986).The back cover of the 1986 edition states "over a million copies sold" (see link https://books.google.com/books?id=TsChEsPHL5cC&q=over+a+million+copies+sold&pg=PA11).
  63. Laurel Robertson, Carol Flinders, & Brian Ruppenthal (1986). The new Laurel's kitchen. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press. . The 1986 edition is dedicated to "our teacher, Eknath Easwaran" (p. 13), and the back cover states "over a million copies sold" (see link https://books.google.com/books?id=TsChEsPHL5cC&q=over+a+million+copies+sold&pg=PA11). In an introduction to the 1986 edition, Flinders wrote of "the collection of friends who helped produce Laurel's Kitchen ten years ago", that "we share a commitment to meditation" (p. 20).
  64. Web site: Hubner . John . 1989 . A Split at the Razor's Edge . live .
  65. Web site: People v. Ruppenthal . 2024-08-18 . Justia Law . en.
  66. Book: Tim Flinders . Doug Oman . Carol Flinders . Carol Lee Flinders . Diane Dreher . Plante . Thomas G. . Thomas G. Plante . Contemplative practices in action: spirituality, meditation, and health . 2010 . Praeger . 978-0-313-38256-7 . 39–59 . Translating Spiritual Ideals into Daily Life: The Eight-Point Program of Passage Meditation . 529295626. Contemplative Practices in Action .
  67. News: Pothier . Kathleen Green . Finding time for inner Zen: Well-spent meditation moments to dental world . 25 May 2019 . Dentistry Insider . Texas A&M College of Dentistry . May 2019 . en.
  68. Luis S. R. Vas (2009), Meditation Masters and their Insights.Mumbai, India: Better Yourself Books. . https://books.google.com/books?id=R1NRc1lxrhwC (Easwaran is profiled in chapter 25, pp. 185–195; others profiled include Ramana Maharshi, Thich Nhat Hanh, D. T. Suzuki, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and Thomas Keating)
  69. Larry Chang (Ed.) (2006), Wisdom for the soul: Five millennia of prescriptions for spiritual healing. Washington, DC: Gnosophia Publishers. (NB: Easwaran's words are quoted on pp. 100, 160, 235, 279, 316, 485, 515, 548)
  70. Chapter 11, "Eknath Easwaran: Inter-religious mystic" (pp. 110–119), in Book: Parachin, Victor M. . Eleven modern mystics and the secrets of a happy, holy life . 2011 . Hope Publishing House . Pasadena, CA . 978-1-932717-25-9 .
  71. A scholarly example is:Kelly James Clark (2000). Readings in the philosophy of religion (see pp. 363–371)
  72. A scholarly example is:Ramnath Narayanswamy (2008). Why is spirituality integral to management education? My experience of integrating management and spirituality. Journal of Human Values, v14 n2, pp115-128.
  73. A popular example is:Gayle Clayton (2004).Transformative Meditation: Personal & Group Practice to Access Realms of ConsciousnessLlewellyn Worldwide
  74. [Charles R. Johnson|Charles Johnson]
  75. Elizabeth Lesser (1999). The Seeker's GuideRandom House/Villard. (p. 346)
  76. Lillas M. Brown (2001). Leading leadership development in universities: A personal story. Journal of Management Inquiry, v10 n4, pp. 312–323. DOI: 1056492601104005
  77. [Aaron T. Beck]
  78. M.G. . Spring 1997 . Author profile: Eknath Easwaran . NAPRA ReView . 8 . 2 . 25 . 1098-4364 . 38596668.
  79. Book: Harford, James J. . Merton and friends: A joint biography of Thomas Merton, Robert Lax and Edward Rice . 2006 . New York . Continuum . 9780826418692 . 69020975 .
  80. News: Nikam . N. Niranjan . Interview of the week: Mysuru 'Metagalli Iyengar' girl makes it big in America . https://web.archive.org/web/20181115103725/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-468349805.html . dead . 15 November 2018 . 29 November 2017 . . HT Media Ltd . 29 September 2016.
  81. Mangipudi (2016) stated that "First time I met him [Obama] was as a Senator in December of 2006. When he came to New Hampshire, I gave him a book with a personal note wishing him success. The title of the book was 'Gandhi the Man: The Story of His Transformation' by Eknath Easwaran. In February of 2007, he came to one of the State Senator's home for a house party where I was also invited as he was my friend. Obama looked at me and said, 'Aren't you the woman who gave me the Gandhi book?'"
  82. J. Gordon Melton, Religious leaders of America: a biographical guide to founders and leaders of religious bodies, churches, and spiritual groups in North America (1999, 2nd ed.),, p. 174.
  83. James R. Lewis, The encyclopedia of cults, sects, and new religions (1998),, p. 84.
  84. Book: Nadkarni . M. V. . The Bhagavad-Gita for the Modern Reader: History, interpretations and philosophy . 2016 . London . Routledge . 978-1-138-20231-3 . 951926094 . (ebook), (gbook 'about' listing)
  85. Lynn Garrett (January 12, 1998). Gandhi in China. Publishers Weekly, v245 n2, p30. "Nilgiri Press... was surprised to receive an e-mail in September from the Sichuan Copyright Agency in the People's Republic of China, expressing interest in publishing a Chinese edition of its Gandhi the Man (especially since relations between China and India have not always been the best) ... the book will be released in China on January 30" (p. 30).
  86. John Plummer (2006) Untitled [<nowiki>review of Meditation: A Complete Audio Guide, by Eknath Easwaran].] Quest. (accessed 19 January 2013)[54] and video,[55] since the 1990s.

    Several of Easwaran's written works, including Essence of the Upanishads, Passage Meditation, The Bhagavad Gita, The Dhammapada and Gandhi the Man, have been published as audio books, as voice-recorded by the British actor Paul Bazely,[56] and also the philosopher Jacob Needleman[57]

    Eight-point program

    Easwaran's program for spiritual growth consists of eight points, and is described comprehensively in his book Passage Meditation A Complete Spiritual Practice (originally published in 1978 as Meditation). Each point had a dedicated chapter:[58]

    1. Meditation: Silent repetition upon memorized inspirational passages from one of the world's great religions. Practiced for one-half hour each morning.
    2. The Mantram: silent repetition of a mantram, holy name or hallowed phrase from one of the world's great religions.
    3. Slowing Down: set priorities to reduce stress and hurry
    4. One-Pointed Attention: give full concentration to whatever matter is currently at hand
    5. Training the Senses: enjoy simple pleasures in order to avoid craving for unhealthy excess
    6. Putting Others First: denounce selfishness and cultivating altruism
    7. Spiritual Companionship: practice meditation in the company of others
    8. Reading the Mystics: draw inspiration from the writings of the scriptures of all religions.

    Vegetarianism

    Easwaran was a lifelong vegetarian.[59]

    Carol Lee Flinders and other students of Easwaran, inspired in part by his teachings about compassion and stewardship for the environment, published the highly influential vegetarian cookbook, Laurel's Kitchen (1976), which had a strong impact on the natural foods movement within the American counterculture.[60] [61] A second edition, The New Laurel's Kitchen, was published in 1986. It had the same subtitle and the same first two authors, and Brian Ruppenthal was the new third author.

    The book has sold over a million copies.[62] Laurel's Kitchen contained extensive nutritional information from a scientific point of view, and sold more than a million copies.[63]

    Sexual abuse allegations

    Easwaran was accused of sexual abuse and molestation by several of his followers. Two close female disciples accused him in 1983 of making sexual advances and trying to fondle them over several years.[64] The daughter of one of his disciples alleged that he had abused her mother for four years, starting from age 14. Easwaran allegedly invited her to his room at night under the guise of spiritual transference and would kiss and molest her. Some of his followers also described a cult-like environment at the center.

    In addition, one of Easwaran's collaborators and organization's leader, Stephen Ruppenthal, was found guilty of indecent solicitation of a child.[65]

    Other influence

    A variety of influences of Easwaran's life and work have been documented.

    Easwaran's teachings or practices have sometimes been taught as part of traditional college courses,[66] or as tools for self-management by health professionals.[67]

    Outside of the US, Easwaran's life and teachings were profiled, along with those of a variety of other spiritual teachers, in a book published in India entitled Meditation Masters and their Insights.[68]

    Easwaran's words have been included in collections of wisdom teachings, such as ones recently published by Chang (2006)[69] and Parachin (2011).[70] Quotations from Easwaran's translations have been used many times by both scholarly and popular writers.[71] [72] [73] Easwaran's other writings have also been quoted by various types of authors, including writers of novels and short stories,[74] popular spirituality,[75] and articles on management theory.[76] Psychiatrist Aaron Beck and his colleagues quoted from Easwaran's commentary on the Katha Upanishad.[77] The NAPRA ReView wrote that "The volume of [Easwaran's] work and the quality of his discourse suggest a man who has had a profound impact on the spiritual lives of many."[78]

    Easwaran's method of passage meditation was followed by the poet Robert Lax.[79] Near the end of his life, Lax's only reading each day was from Easwaran's book Words to Live By.

    New Hampshire State Representative Latha Mangipudi reported having given then-Senator Barack Obama a copy of Easwaran's book Gandhi the Man in December 2006.[80] [81]

    Easwaran has been listed in reference works on spiritual and religious leaders.[82] [83]

    In his survey of commentaries on the Bhagavad Gita, Nadkarni described Easwaran as "respected worldwide as one of the most profound writers and orators on religion and spirituality".[84]

    Bibliography

    Easwaran's books, initially written in English, have also been translated into more than 20 other languages, and published in non-US editions by indigenous (non-US) publishers. Languages in which his books are currently in print include Bahasa Indonesian, Bulgarian, Czech, Dutch, English, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Lithuanian, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovenian, Spanish, and Telugu. His books have also been translated into Chinese (PRC).[85]

    Stages of Desire

    Becoming an Instrument of Peace

    • With My Love and Blessings: The Teaching Years, 1966–1999, in Photographs & His Own Words
    • The Monkey and the Mango: Stories of My Granny (Illustrated by Ilka Jerabek), 1996

    From 2011, a number of Easwaran's books and articles were excerpted and republished as the series of short ebooks "Easwaran Inspirations":

    • How to Meditate, the instructions in meditation from Passage Meditation
    • How to Understand Death, excerpted from "The Undiscovered Country"
    • How to Find Happiness, based on two articles from Easwaran's Blue Mountain Journal
    • Learning to Love Part 1 and Learning to Love Part 2, excerpted from a number of books
    • What is Karma, the chapter on Karma from Essence of the Dhammapada: The Buddha's Call to Nirvana

    Contributions to works by others include:

    • Eknath Easwaran . 1969 . To all mankind . Ramana Pictorial Souvenir Commemorating the Kumbhabhishekam on June 18, 1967 . Tiruvannamalai, India . Board of Trustees Sri Ramanasramam . 7 . (contribution to edited volume)
    • Eknath Easwaran (1991). "Working for others [reprinted from the Little Lamp, vol. 22, no. 3, Autumn 1982]" (pp 72–84) in Book: 1991 . Lilia Lender . The Choice is Yours: Ethics in Vedanta [introduction by Swami Chinmayananda] |location=Mumbai, India |publisher=Central Chinmaya Mission Trust |pages=72–84 |isbn=978-81-7597-122-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=54QAKZDETqAC&q=eknath+easwaran+9788175971226&pg=PA72.
    • Eknath Easwaran (1996). Preface (pp. ix–x) to Book: Devi Vanamali . 1996 . The play of God: Visions of the life of Krishna . San Diego, CA . Blue Dove Press .
    • Book: Eknath Easwaran . 1997 . Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1890–1988) . Roger S. Powers . William B. Vogele . Christopher Kruegler . Ronald M. McCarthy . Protest, Power, and Change: An Encyclopedia of Nonviolent Action from Act-Up to Women's Suffrage . New York . Garland . 284–286 . 9780815309130 .
    • Preface to The Essential Gandhi by Louis Fischer (2002, 2nd edition). New York: Vintage.
    • Preface to In Quest of God: The Saga of an Extraordinary Pilgrimage by Swami Ramdas (2002, 2nd American edition). San Diego, CA: Blue Dove Foundation.

    See also

    External links

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