Easwaran's Classics of Indian Spirituality Series
4/5
()
About this series
Easwaran’s best-selling translation of this classic Buddhist text The Dhammapadais reliable, readable, and profound.
Dhammapada means "the path of dharma," the path of harmony and righteousness that anyone can follow to reach the highest good. The Dhammapada is a collection of verses, gathered probably from direct disciples who wanted to preserve what they had heard from the Buddha himself.
Easwaran's comprehensive introduction to the Dhammapada gives an overview of the Buddha's teachings that is penetrating, and clear - accessible for readers new to Buddhism, but also with fresh insights and practical applications for readers familiar with this text. His translation is based on the original Pali. Chapter introductions, notes and a Sanskrit glossary place individual verses into the context of the broader Buddhist canon.
Easwaran is a master storyteller, and the introduction includes many stories that make moving, memorable reading, bringing young Siddhartha and his heroic spiritual quest vividly to life. This faithful interpretation brings us closer to the compassionate heart of the Buddha.
Updated to be more accessible to readers with vision impairment (August, 2022)
Titles in the series (3)
- The Bhagavad Gita
1
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 55-page 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. Easwaran grew up in the Hindu tradition in India, and learned Sanskrit from a young age. He was a professor of English literature before coming to the West on a Fulbright scholarship. A gifted teacher, he is recognized as an authority on the Indian classics and world mysticism. The Bhagavad Gita opens, dramatically, on a battlefield, as the warrior Arjuna turns in anguish to his spiritual guide, Sri Krishna, for answers to the fundamental questions of life. Yet, as Easwaran points out, the Gita is not what it seems – it’s not a dialogue between two mythical figures at the dawn of Indian history. “The battlefield is a perfect backdrop, but the Gita’s subject is the war within, the struggle for self-mastery that every human being must wage if he or she is to emerge from life victorious.” Arjuna’s struggle in the Bhagavad Gita is acutely modern. He has lost his way on the battlefield of life and turns to find the path again by asking direct, uncompromising questions of his spiritual guide, Sri Krishna, the Lord himself. Krishna replies in 700 verses of sublime instruction on living and dying, loving and working, and the nature of the soul. Easwaran shows the Gita’s relevance to us today as we strive, like Arjuna, to do what is right. “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.”– Huston Smith, author The World’s Religions Updated to be more accessible to readers with vision impairment (July, 2022)
- The Upanishads
2
Easwaran’s best-selling translation of the ancient wisdom texts called the Upanishads is reliable, readable, and profound. 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. Easwaran’s best-selling translation of selections taken from the principal Upanishads and five others is reliable and accessible. It includes an overview of the cultural and historical setting, with chapter introductions, notes, and a Sanskrit glossary. But it is Easwaran’s understanding of the wisdom of the Upanishads, and their relevance to the modern reader, that makes this edition truly outstanding. Each sage, each Upanishad, appeals in different ways to the reader’s head and heart. As Easwaran writes, “The Upanishads belong not just to Hinduism. They are India’s most precious legacy to humanity, and in that spirit they are offered here.” Updated to be more accessible to readers with vision impairment (August, 2022)
- The Dhammapada
3
Easwaran’s best-selling translation of this classic Buddhist text The Dhammapadais reliable, readable, and profound. Dhammapada means "the path of dharma," the path of harmony and righteousness that anyone can follow to reach the highest good. The Dhammapada is a collection of verses, gathered probably from direct disciples who wanted to preserve what they had heard from the Buddha himself. Easwaran's comprehensive introduction to the Dhammapada gives an overview of the Buddha's teachings that is penetrating, and clear - accessible for readers new to Buddhism, but also with fresh insights and practical applications for readers familiar with this text. His translation is based on the original Pali. Chapter introductions, notes and a Sanskrit glossary place individual verses into the context of the broader Buddhist canon. Easwaran is a master storyteller, and the introduction includes many stories that make moving, memorable reading, bringing young Siddhartha and his heroic spiritual quest vividly to life. This faithful interpretation brings us closer to the compassionate heart of the Buddha. Updated to be more accessible to readers with vision impairment (August, 2022)
Eknath Easwaran
Eknath Easwaran (1910 – 1999) was born in South India and grew up in the historic years when Gandhi was leading India nonviolently to freedom from the British Empire. As a young man, Easwaran met Gandhi, and the experience left a lasting impression. Following graduate studies, Easwaran joined the teaching profession and later became head of the department of English at the University of Nagpur. In 1959 he came to the US with the Fulbright exchange program and in 1961 he founded the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation, which carries on his work with publications and retreats. Easwaran’s Indian classics, The Bhagavad Gita, The Upanishads, and The Dhammapada are the best-selling English translations, and more than 2 million copies of his books are in print. Easwaran lived what he taught, giving him enduring appeal as a teacher and author of deep insight and warmth.
Read more from Eknath Easwaran
Gandhi the Man: How One Man Changed Himself to Change the World Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWords to Live By: Daily Inspiration for Spiritual Living Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Take Your Time: The Wisdom of Slowing Down Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Your Life Is Your Message: Finding Harmony with Yourself, Others & the Earth Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Climbing the Blue Mountain: Take the Next Step on Your Spiritual Journey Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Strength in the Storm: Transform Stress, Live in Balance, and Find Peace of Mind Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Names of the Lord: Spiritual Living for Today Based on India's Thousand Names of Vishnu Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Timeless Wisdom: Passages for Meditation from the World's Saints and Sages Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Undiscovered Country: Exploring the Promise of Death Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Compassionate Universe: The Power of the Individual to Heal the Environment Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to Easwaran's Classics of Indian Spirituality
Related ebooks
Essence of the Bhagavad Gita: A Contemporary Guide to Yoga, Meditation, and Indian Philosophy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Climbing the Blue Mountain: Take the Next Step on Your Spiritual Journey Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Essence of the Dhammapada: The Buddha's Call to Nirvana Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dhammapada Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mantram Handbook: A Practical Guide to Choosing Your Mantram and Calming Your Mind Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Timeless Wisdom: Passages for Meditation from the World's Saints and Sages Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Upanishads Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Love Never Faileth: Commentaries on texts from St. Francis, St. Paul, St. Augustine & Mother Teresa Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Strength in the Storm: Transform Stress, Live in Balance, and Find Peace of Mind Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Essence of the Upanishads: A Key to Indian Spirituality Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Undiscovered Country: Exploring the Promise of Death Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bhagavad Gita: A Walkthrough for Westerners Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Essential Wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita: Ancient Truths for Our Modern World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Creative Unity: "A mind all logic is like a knife all blade. It makes the hand bleed that uses it." Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Bhagavad Gita Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Bhagavad Gita According to Gandhi Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Gita According to Gandhi Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Bhagavad Gita: The Song of God Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Passage Meditation - A Complete Spiritual Practice: Train Your Mind and Find a Life that Fulfills Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda (9 Vols Set) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPatanjali's Yogasutra: A Psychological Study Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGod Makes the Rivers to Flow: An Anthology of the World's Sacred Poetry and Prose Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Bhagavad Gita: A New Translation and Study Guide Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Bhagavad Gita: According to Paramhansa Yogananda edited by his disciple, Swami Kriyananda Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali: A New Edition, Translation, and Commentary Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Philosophy For You
The Denial of Death Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Four Loves Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sun Tzu's The Art of War: Bilingual Edition Complete Chinese and English Text Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Meditations: Complete and Unabridged Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Beyond Good and Evil Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The City of God Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar...: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Republic by Plato Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of Loving Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Human Condition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Inward Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Courage to Be Happy: Discover the Power of Positive Psychology and Choose Happiness Every Day Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mindfulness in Plain English: 20th Anniversary Edition Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Tao Te Ching: A New English Version Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Daily Stoic: A Daily Journal On Meditation, Stoicism, Wisdom and Philosophy to Improve Your Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Course in Miracles: Text, Workbook for Students, Manual for Teachers Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Allegory of the Cave Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Experiencing God (2021 Edition): Knowing and Doing the Will of God Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tao Te Ching: Six Translations Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Complete Papyrus of Ani Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lying Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fear: Essential Wisdom for Getting Through the Storm Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5No Man Is an Island Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for Easwaran's Classics of Indian Spirituality
490 ratings0 reviews