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Book of Enlightened Masters: Western Teachers in Eastern Traditions

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1 star:		(7)

 

 

Writing as one of Dr Rawlinson's former students at Lancaster University who remembers him as a charismatic, inspirational and controversial figure, I was delighted to find this book displaying these very qualities for which he was renowned. Although scrupulously fair to even the most dubious of the allegedly 'Enlightened' Masters, this does not turn the book into a turgid, non-judgemental exercise in academia. Instead the style is refreshingly readable and full of perceptive observations.Dr Rawlinson used to set us examination questions like, 'Vishnu is to Shiva as snooker is to all-in-wrestling.Discuss', and, 'God loves naughty boys (and naughty girls).How fair is this a summary of Tukaram's theology'. The same playful irreverence is also at work in this book but be sure about one thing:behind both of these seemingly flippant questions lay real academic issues, and Dr Rawlinson illuminates for you the relevant issues in the world of gurus,mystics and spiritual teachers in this comprehensive and wonderful guide. I would recommend it not simply as an outstanding book in its field but also as one of the best Religious Studies textbooks ever written, the perfect antidote to all those dry but efficient articles and books you have to wade through as a student.

As close to being complete as could possibly be expected, well and honestly written, and at times even entertaining, this book should simply be accepted for what it is: a biographical encyclopedia, not a fine-capture examination of the lives and teachings of hundreds of so-called "teachers" or "gurus". It will surely lead even the most seasoned reader of the western mystical literature down some interesting new rabbit trails.

This is the book I've been searching for but couldn't find - until now. Rawlinson's background in Eastern Mysticism is well chronicled and he speaks with assured authority. He clearly lays out the lineage of many beliefs stretching from Blavatsky to contemporary pundits. I yearned for more detail... Excellent book.

This excellent book is designed to provide a framework for understanding some of the people involved in bringing Eastern Teachings to the West, and often modifying them in the process. It is clear from the introduction that it is not designed to be a detailed exposition of teachings. To do so would require scores of volumes. Some of the teachers represented - or claimed to represent - classical mainstream Hinduism, Buddhism or Sufism. Others branched out on their own, developing independent spiritual traditions. Many of the teachers were given or simply adopted new names of Asian origin. The sub-title of this book is "Western Teachers in Eastern Traditions," though there are some exceptions. Krishnamurti is included because, from the age of 14, he received most of his education in Europe. A few other teachers born and bred in the East are included in passing.


Not only does the book provide us with innumerable informative biographies of the people mentioned, Andrew Rawlinson also provides extensive cross-references that help to illuminate some of the links connecting different teachers. He's also not afraid to expose some of the teachers who have plagiarized the work of others. In some places he has two texts side by side for comparison. Some quite well known people don't come out too smelling of roses. Like any writer, he has some strong views about some of the people whom he discusses. But I have known a number of the people mentioned in the book, and his descriptions of those have been very fair.

The book contains a vast amount of information. But equally important, is that it is a work of scholarship using some novel methods for helping us make sense of the rich and varied tapestry of thought and practice that have marked the transfer of portions of Eastern thought to Western culture.

I've used this book extensively, and in a work of this size and scope it is inevitable that there will be a few facts and opinions with which each reader will disagree. But that is the nature of scholarship: a first attempt is presented, is gets critiqued, re-edited and re-presented.

For anyone trying to get the big picture of the growth of these new religious movements, Andrew Rawlinson's book is an excellent starting point.

An outstanding work. Well balanced between critical scholarship, and thorough research into the subjects. Overlooks a few teachers, but that's inevitable given the vast scope the book tackles. There is no book like this anywhere in the field of post-modern study of Western spiritual teachers and the phenomenon they represent. Dr. Rawlinson is very fair and impartial in his observations about the personal difficulties and challenges faced by many of the gurus, and how these challenges shaped their work, or in some cases detracted from it.

This 650 page book takes a scholarly approach to profiling the Eastern and Western teachers and gurus who brought Eastern thought (Buddhism, Hinduism, Sufism and New Age thought) to the West. It includes in-depth profiles of individuals including the books and people that influenced them and who they studied under. It describes the differences between the different branches and traditions of each Eastern religion, includes charts outlining the lineages, features a model of experiential comparative religion and highlights the different elements of spiritual psychology. According to the book, four principles of this Eastern thought are changing the way the West views the human condition:

1. Human beings are best understood in terms of consciousness and its modifications
2. Consciousness can be transformed by spiritual practices
3. There are gurus/masters/teachers who have done this, and
4. They can help others to do the same by some form of transmission

The book profiles more than 175 individuals, including Ananda Maitreya, Cohen, Gurdjieff, Kamala, Krishnamurti, Kriyananda/Walters, Meher Baba, Prophet, Ramana Maharshi, Ram Das, Watts and Yogananda. This is a fascinating reference work, especially for people who have been influenced by these individuals.

I recently read this weighty book having picked it up at a local store. Some of the articles are interesting, but overall the reader is left with a feeling of disatisfaction and that the author's personal views color the final work. My own direct experience of researching some of the teachers mentioned suggests that the author has not gone that "extra yard" in his research. All of this is a shame. Maybe he could produce a revised version with greater attention to detail?

I looked forward to reading this book, but as time progressed I felt increasingly that the author had a great deal of preconceptions about the subject. The detail about some of the "masters" was sketchy at best and the book did little to shed light on the substance of what they purported to be teaching. All a bit of a shame when this book could have been a valuable research tool. I also understand that the author lectures in Buddism which may account for a "less than neutral" account of some of the teachings!

Another book on comparative religions so filled with bias and self-centered sarcasm one can hardly read from cover to cover. What has happened to our educational system that this sort of thing passes for intelligence? No wonder "Johnny can't read". If you want to learn about the influence of the East on the West from this perspective, skip the cost of the book and simply search the internet for dirt on the particular religion. What a complete disappointment. Andrew Rawlinson never seemed to come close to the lofty title much less most of the religions he criticized.

The mixture that Mr. Rawlinson makes on this book is everything but "enlightning". The encyclopedic style is just on the surface, since the author focuses more on the personal details of the lives he choosed to write about, than on their specific spiritual standpoints. That makes this heavy book more a gossip than an academic work. It's tricky too, because it seems to put an impartial span of spiritual liders of the West, but, what he really wants is to advice about the deviations of this people. Which is not bad at all, if only he had the tools to do it. Instead, Mr. Rawlinson puts all in one bag and you get truly interesting perspectives (like Frithjof Schuon's Religio Perennis or "trascendent unity of religions") paired with plain crazy people.
So, this book is not a help at all; the charts are not clear and have some mistakes here and there.