Customer Reviews

The Art of Joyful Living

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This book can be read over a hundred times! There is always something new turn learn from it. A book for everyone seeking peace and thoughtfulness.

This book can be understood by anyone, not just those interested in esoteric, spiritual practices. It's full of true wisdom that can be applied to daily life. It gives very sensible advice.

The more I read Swami Rama the more I have to recognize the power of simplicity and its richness. I am one of those who like to intellectualize a bit, but when I get confused enough all there is to do is go back to this very simple book. This book does not requiered any esoteric knowledge of yoga but just openess and sincerity from the reader. If you haven't read it, I almost envy you for the sweet pleasure waiting for you. Once you will have tasted Swami Rama's teachings I suggest you visit www.swamij.com , a treasure chest of informations and guidance by one of (if not the) closest disciple of Swami Rama.

I first encountered Swami Rama years ago, while working at a spiritual bookstore. His Autobiography, "Living with the Himalayan Masters" was an inspiration and much more modern and accessible to me than many enlightened masters autobiographies. Considered a great sage and master, Swami Rama, born in 1925, was raised from childhood in a cave monastery, by a Master who allowed him to study with all the adepts in his monastery and area. By his twenties he was a famous singer, and the youngest Shankaracharya (spiritual leader) in Southern India and studied at several European universities, and taught in Japan. He also started an Ashram in India and founded The Himalayan International Institute of Yoga and Science and Philosophy. Having studied in the west and performed countless scientific experiments verifying his minds control over his body, he combines the eastern teachings with a nod to western science, philosophy and religion, making them applicable to any walk of life or philosophical system. I highly recommend all of his books but this is one of my favorites.

In this classic, he tells us how to find, know and transform our true self and live a positive life that acknowledges our humanness, while striving for perfection. This is accomplished through an understanding of ones self, negative emotions and habits, while strengthening ones willpower, memory, intuition and spirituality. He teaches us how to have spiritual and loving relationships, gives a simple no-nonsense approach to becoming your own therapist, and an example of good parenting, all through a simple basic understanding of meditation and self exploration.

A simple core lesson from this book is that we often "blame others and expect others to make us happy. No one else has the capacity to make you blissful, your mind is your own mind" Swami teaches us that it is our own "Samskaras" or the collective soul experience (kind of like a basement in your subconscious) and how we react, or control these, that make us happy or unhappy. By "journeying within", anyone can come to an understanding of ones own distorted thinking process and train, change or improve their life direction, finding a way to joy and happiness. One can discover within the self the source of negative and positive thought forms and how they affect our emotions and then use this knowledge to retrain our minds into being happy.

While this is an "Art" that takes time and energy, and perhaps a life time, its practice will result in self actualized transformation and manifest in our external and internal happiness, thus changing our own world and perhaps the world of others around us.

I highly recommend this book to anyone of either a western or eastern philosophical approach. Even a psychologist, might find a simple approach to behavioral change for clients by using these applicable techniques. If art imitates life, then ones life is surely the most valuable of art forms and worthy of discovery.

Just what I need! This is not only beautiful, the wisdom in his words is breathtaking, and really speaks to my heart and soul.

great book! will read it over and over again--- we all need to listen to swami rama and change our lives!