About this series
Said to be the text closest to the Buddha’s actual words, The Dhammapada is a collection of short teachings that his disciples memorized during his lifetime. Easwaran presents The Dhammapada as a guide to spiritual perseverance, progress, and ultimately enlightenment — a heroic confrontation with life as it really is, with straight answers to our deepest questions. We witness the heartbreak of death, for instance — what does that mean for us? What is love? How does karma work? How do we follow the spiritual life in the midst of work and family? Does nirvana really exist, and if so, what is it like to be illumined?
In his interpretation of Buddhist themes, illustrated with stories from the Buddha’s life, Easwaran offers a view of the concept of Right Understanding that is both exhilarating and instructive. He shares his experiences on the spiritual path, giving the advice that only an experienced teacher and practitioner can offer, and urges us to answer for ourselves the Buddha’s call to nirvana — that mysterious, enduring state of wisdom, joy, and peace.
Titles in the series (3)
- Essence of the Upanishads: A Key to Indian Spirituality
1
The Katha Upanishad embraces the key ideas of Indian mysticism in a mythic story we can all relate to – the quest of a young hero, Nachiketa, who ventures into the land of death in search of immortality. But the insights of the Katha are scattered, hard to understand. Easwaran presents them systematically, and practically, as a way to explore deeper and deeper levels of personality, and to answer the age-old question, “Who am I?” Easwaran grew up in India, learned Sanskrit from a young age, and became a professor of English literature before coming to the West. His translation of The Upanishads is the best-selling edition in English. For students of philosophy and of Indian spirituality, and readers of wisdom literature everywhere, Easwaran’s interpretation of this classic helps us in our own quest into the meaning of our lives.
- Essence of the Bhagavad Gita: A Contemporary Guide to Yoga, Meditation, and Indian Philosophy
2
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. Easwaran grew up in the Hindu tradition and learned Sanskrit from an early age. A foremost translator and interpreter of the Gita, he taught classes on it for forty years, while living out the principles of the Gita in the midst of a busy family and community life. In the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna, the Lord, doesn’t tell the warrior prince Arjuna what to do: he shows Arjuna his choices and then leaves it to Arjuna to decide. Easwaran, too, shows us clearly how these teachings still apply to us – and how, like Arjuna, we must take courage and act wisely if we want our world to thrive.
- Essence of the Dhammapada: The Buddha's Call to Nirvana
3
In this companion to his best-selling translation of The Dhammapada, Eknath Easwaran explains how The Dhammapada is a perfect map for the spiritual journey. Said to be the text closest to the Buddha’s actual words, The Dhammapada is a collection of short teachings that his disciples memorized during his lifetime. Easwaran presents The Dhammapada as a guide to spiritual perseverance, progress, and ultimately enlightenment — a heroic confrontation with life as it really is, with straight answers to our deepest questions. We witness the heartbreak of death, for instance — what does that mean for us? What is love? How does karma work? How do we follow the spiritual life in the midst of work and family? Does nirvana really exist, and if so, what is it like to be illumined? In his interpretation of Buddhist themes, illustrated with stories from the Buddha’s life, Easwaran offers a view of the concept of Right Understanding that is both exhilarating and instructive. He shares his experiences on the spiritual path, giving the advice that only an experienced teacher and practitioner can offer, and urges us to answer for ourselves the Buddha’s call to nirvana — that mysterious, enduring state of wisdom, joy, and peace.
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
Words to Live By: Daily Inspiration for Spiritual Living Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Your Life Is Your Message: Finding Harmony with Yourself, Others & the Earth Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Take Your Time: The Wisdom of Slowing Down Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Gandhi the Man: How One Man Changed Himself to Change the World Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStrength in the Storm: Transform Stress, Live in Balance, and Find Peace of Mind Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Climbing the Blue Mountain: Take the Next Step on Your Spiritual Journey Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Timeless Wisdom: Passages for Meditation from the World's Saints and Sages Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Compassionate Universe: The Power of the Individual to Heal the Environment Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Undiscovered Country: Exploring the Promise of Death Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Names of the Lord: Spiritual Living for Today Based on India's Thousand Names of Vishnu Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Related to Wisdom of India
Related ebooks
Essence of the Bhagavad Gita: A Contemporary Guide to Yoga, Meditation, and Indian Philosophy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Undiscovered Country: Exploring the Promise of Death Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Timeless Wisdom: Passages for Meditation from the World's Saints and Sages 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 stars5/5Passage Meditation - A Complete Spiritual Practice: Train Your Mind and Find a Life that Fulfills Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Essence of the Dhammapada: The Buddha's Call to Nirvana Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Conquest of Mind: Take Charge of Your Thoughts and Reshape Your Life Through Meditation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Climbing the Blue Mountain: Take the Next Step on Your Spiritual Journey Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Names of the Lord: Spiritual Living for Today Based on India's Thousand Names of Vishnu Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Mantram Handbook: A Practical Guide to Choosing Your Mantram and Calming Your Mind Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Original Goodness: A Commentary on the Beatitudes Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Essence of the Upanishads: A Key to Indian Spirituality Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBhagavad Gita Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSeeing With the Eyes of Love: A Commentary on a text from The Imitation of Christ Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Patience: A Little Book of Inner Strength Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5God Makes the Rivers to Flow: An Anthology of the World's Sacred Poetry and Prose Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Compassionate Universe: The Power of the Individual to Heal the Environment Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Kabir, the Great Mystic Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLove Never Faileth: Commentaries on texts from St. Francis, St. Paul, St. Augustine & Mother Teresa Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Finding God through Yoga: Paramahansa Yogananda and Modern American Religion in a Global Age Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Bhagavad Gita: The Song of God Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Narad Bhakti Sutra Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsComplete Works of Swami Vivekananda (HP788) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bhagavad Gita: Annotated & Explained Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Gita According to Gandhi Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Philosophy For You
The Little Book of Stoicism: Timeless Wisdom to Gain Resilience, Confidence, and Calmness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Complete Papyrus of Ani Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bhagavad Gita (in English): The Authentic English Translation for Accurate and Unbiased Understanding Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Bhagavad Gita Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Allegory of the Cave Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Daily Stoic: A Daily Journal On Meditation, Stoicism, Wisdom and Philosophy to Improve Your Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fear: Essential Wisdom for Getting Through the Storm Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tao Te Ching: A New English Version Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of Loving Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Experiencing God (2021 Edition): Knowing and Doing the Will of God Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Course in Miracles: Text, Workbook for Students, Manual for Teachers Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Buddha's Guide to Gratitude: The Life-changing Power of Everyday Mindfulness Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Lessons of History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mindfulness in Plain English: 20th Anniversary Edition Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Inward 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 stars4/5Meditations: Complete and Unabridged Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Brain Training with the Buddha: A Modern Path to Insight Based on the Ancient Foundations of Mindfulness Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Tao Te Ching: Six Translations Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5No Man Is an Island Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Four Loves Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Wisdom of India
29 ratings0 reviews