Blueprints for Awakening is for everyone who has an inner passion to know who they are and what they are doing here as a human being. It is for all who ask the question 'Who am I?' and for those who are looking for guidance on the teaching of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi to 'be as you are'. In India he is regarded as a Saint and many consider him the most important guru of recent times: Sri Ramana Maharshi, simply called Bhagavan, God, by his devotees. Premananda has succeeded in coaxing sixteen impotant Indian Masters to speak into his microphone. He asks each of them the same questions about the teaching of their fellow Master, Sri Ramana. The result is a compendium of astonishing wisdom about the biggest secret of all times: the nature of our true Self and how to realise it.
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Premananda first came to Papaji in Lucknow in 1992. He was surprised by Papaji s enormous availability and after three weeks, identification with a separate I dropped. Premananda stayed with his Master in Lucknow for a further five years, running a guesthouse and the Sangha bookshop. Since 1998 Premananda has travelled widely in Australia, India and Europe offering Satsang meetings most evenings and weekends, wherever he is invited. He is a guest in a residential Satsang Community on the banks of the Rhine, between Cologne and Düsseldorf, Germany. Premananda enjoys art and beauty and is himself a painter.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
BLUE PRINTS FOR AWAKENING,
By
This review is from: Blueprints for Awakening (Paperback)
BLUEPRINTS FOR AWAKENING, INDIAN MASTERS, Compiled and Edited by Premananda. Open Sky Press 2008, 360 pgs.This is arguably the best and finest introduction to the hallowed teaching of Advaita Vedanta that has ever appeared. Sixteen enlightened Indian Masters are skilfully interviewed by the gifted western Advaita teacher Premananda. He asks each chosen Sage, the same twelve pertinent questions, which penetrate straight to the core, examining the vexed question of `What Is Enlightenment?' and how does one reach that exalted state? Fortunately for the reader the great Masters selected are Indian, deeply steeped in their country's magnificent Advaitic Tradition . A tradition which has blessed India; and has been her great gift to humanity, since the days of the ancient Rishis. The modern Masters who Premananda painstakingly interviewed and filmed over several years, reads like a roll call of the renowned modern Masters of Non Dual wisdom. This finely printed and beautifully designed book is lavishly illustrated with striking portraits of all the Sages who are questioned. The book commences with Sri Hans Maharaj, who opens this Grand Satsang with a clear message of Refined Spirituality, Peace and Love. He stresses the need for ardent determination to probe inwards to the centre of one's Being, so as to find one's own Truth, behind the veil of accumulated tendencies. Then there is the aged, highly respected and wise Sri Ajja from Karnataka who emphasises the great efficacy of Self Enquiry. Next, we move on to Mumbai, home of that eloquent pupil of Nisargaddata Maharaj, Ramesh Balsekar, who fundamentally attacks the mistaken notion of `personal doership', out of compassion for the thousands of seekers and devotees who knock at his ever open door. Then there is the young Sri Brahman, who can often be found sitting in the Jubillee Hall at Ramanasramam and is ever willing to help enquirers in their search for a Guru to help them on their way. He urges the need for finding Inner Peace before the serious sadhana of Self Enquiry can commence. Then comes Swami Dayananda, perhaps the most traditional of modern Indian Masters. He is steeped in the wisdom of the Vedas and Upanishads and teaches the time tested, traditional approach to this whole question of `Awakening'. Also from Tiruvannamalai is that great soul, the eloquent Sri V. Ganesan, grand nephew of Sri Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi, whose teaching he has scrupulously followed, and practiced since his youth. He is followed by D.B. Gangoli, author of many important books on Vedanta, and once the senior sports writer for the Times of India! He masterfully teaches the way of the householder. Then we have Kiran, a former industrialist, a pupil of Osho, and great admirer of the late, radical teacher U.G.Krishnamurti. Next comes Nannagaru, who has a vast following in Andhra Pradesh. He is a devote of Ramana Maharshi, and now thanks to his master's grace exhibits the amazing power of that Silence, which can evoke a sense of the Real Self in the fortunate recipient of his Grace. The first woman Master in this book, is the youthful Swamini Pramananda, a gifted pupil of Swami Dayananda Saraswati. She also teaches the well tested, traditional approach to this whole question. A new and radiant face on the scene, also from Tiruvannamalia, is the gracious Rhada Ma, who occasionally gives satsang in Tiruvannamalai , and has several devotees studying there, in her Advaita Monastery. Then we have Samdarshi from Kanpur, who teaches the well known `Osho Seven Steps to Enlightenment Programme'. Next, in this inspiring galaxy of spiritual masters, comes Swami Satchidananda, a pupil of the celebrated Swami Ramdas, the Sage of unconditional love, who now runs his Master's former Ashram. A third feminine Guru is the venerable Ma Souris, who like her father was an earnest devotee of Ramana Maharshi. Her teaching can be found in her book `A Memory'. Next we have an interview with Swami Suddhananda, a pupil of the esteemed Swami Chinmayananda, also a world traveller teaching his Master's pure Advaita Vedanta. Finally there is the venerated Thuli Baba, also from Tiruvannamalai, and a pupil of his father Sri Gurudev, both father and son were devotees of the legendary Ramana Maharshi. The twelve questions that Premanda asked these Masters were skillfully designed to unfold and explain the teachings of Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi as set out in his original, seminal Essays `Who Am I?' and `Self Enquiry'. The full text of the invaluable `Who Am I?' essay, is given at the close of this book. Ramana Maharshi has probably been more than anyone else, responsible for the Advaita Renaissance , now sweeping India and the Western world. This book is a marvellous collection of authentic sage wisdom-teaching, perfectly designed to give the correct pointers to Self Realisation for to-days seekers after essential Truth. Premananda, himself a gifted teacher of Advaita, is to be congratulated on his dedicated work in interviewing these great Sages so capably, and eliciting from them, the fruit of their practical experience. This book is strongly recommended as a superb introduction for all those, who find themselves, drawn to this great inner quest, to discover their True Nature of who they really, really are! As an added bonus the book also contains a delightful DVD sampler, for the complete film that Premananda made,, while he was interviewing to-day's principal Indian Masters. Alan Jacobs President Ramana Maharshi Foundation UK
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Indian Masters,
By
This review is from: Blueprints for Awakening (Paperback)
This book was really interesting for me as it comes from a Westerner's (Premananda) vision of mapping the spirit of Indian Sages, from the intial inspiration of Sri Ramana Maharshi. As such the questions asked really get to the heart of what a lot of seekers want to know; like 'What is enlightenment, Who am I, etc....Very beautifully in this book, the speakers create a sense of grace arounda all these subjects. Ajja, Ramesh, and Radha Ma ( I don't like to pick them out usually ) especially speak with such directness and clarity, that it doesn't matter if you get something from them, for the words themselves take you to that place of silence, the mind is just quietened. Sometimes I got the feeling that the Western perspective was quite oppressive on the Indian Masters, but that's just another challenge. How great that the two old divisions, West and East, are meeting like this in dialogue. The varied teachers present their responses to the questions in different ways, so it is always a change in the next chapter, with the new flavours of these enlightenend people. The message, however, is always the same, they are pointing to the truth of who we are, the truth of Oneness. It is a delight to receive the wisdom in this book, to hear the advice, or just to enjoy the conversations and the pointers to wisdom. A beautiful book.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent work by author,
By Blessme "Blessme" (Bay Area, CA USA) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Blueprints for Awakening (Paperback)
I truly appreciate the marvelous work done by this author.All sixteen masters are remarkable and very inspiring, indeed.
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