Living with the Himalayan Masters: Spiritual Experiences of Swami Rama [Paperback]

Swami Rama (Author), Swami Ajaya (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1980

Ordained a monk at a young age by a great sage of the Himalayas, Swami Rama was involved in a learning journey from monasteries to caves, studying and living with more than a hundred sages in the solitude of the Himalaya Mountains and the plains of India. Among those with whom he studied were Tagore, Mahatma Gandhi, Sri Aurobindo, and Ramana Maharshi. In this collection of stories, Swami Rama relates his experiences with the great teachers who guided his life.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The late Sri Swami Rama recalls his own spiritual journey in this memoir. Using specific incidents to illustrate spiritual truths, he presents a practical guide for those embarking on the Hindu path of enlightenment. Descriptions of rather incredulous occurrences such as levitating may tend to obscure the relatively mundane disciplines of fasting, meditation, and prayer. A few of the incidents recalled involve Gandhi, offering a different view of him than we normally see. D.C. Rao's reading improves as the work progresses; by the time he is warmed up, we are treated to a lively and energetic performance that reflects the sincerity and humanity of the author. Libraries with a high demand for New Age materials will want this as well as any needing works on Hindu practices.AMichael T. Fein, Catawba Valley Community Coll., Hickory, NC
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Review

"A complete and practical guide to the foundations of the spiritual journey ... The vividness of the stories is absorbing, allowing them to be read over and over again." -- New Age Book Review

"A very spirited book ... on a par with that other great classic, Autobiography of a Yogi ...It is a remarkable work." -- The Illustrated Weekly of India

"An inspirational and instructional work, it is a sheer pleasure to read ... offers the purest spiritual teachings in entertaining and dramatic form ... is a classic in modern yogi literature." -- John White, Editor of What Is Enlightenment?

"I recommend this valuation by a fully competent modern sage, a representative of Indian wisdom." -- Franklin Merrell-Wolf, Author of Pathways Through to Space

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 490 pages
• Publisher: Himalayan International Institute; First Edition edition (March 1980)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0893890707
• ISBN-13: 978-0893890704
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #192,696 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Swami Rama's early years, April 5, 2004

By 

[e-mail] (Columbia, Maryland United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Living with the Himalayan Masters (Paperback)

Swami Rama is one of the overlooked great figures of our time. For twenty years I had the privledge of being one of his students. His indepth understanding of the human condition, his selfless service and his profound attainment of states higher consciousness was a wonder to behold. In this autobiography he relates in a humble way his encounters with his early teachers. Since he was raised in a cave monestary from the age of four his life was very different from our modern way of developing as a person. While some of the stories stretch our credability they all actually happened. I realize that many people have difficulty accepting other peoples experience, especially if it outside the range of their own limited life experience and challange our own fixed ideas. Swami Rama definitely challanges us about how the world is, in a very real way, but I find that challange refreshing and inspiring. His core experience, that the goal of human life is spiritual attainment and Self realization pulls us out of our small limited view of the world. It is one of the great spiritual classics. If I was stranded on a desert island with only three books this would be one of them.

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An All Time Spiritual Classic, October 7, 2004

By 

Linda Johnsen "author" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Living with the Himalayan Masters (Paperback)

This is a timeless classic by one of the most influential yoga masters of the 20th century. It transports you into the caves of the Himalayas and introduces you to the great adepts who live there. This is the real thing from a man whose whole life was an extraordinary spiritual adventure. One of the best books on spirituality ever!

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A superb book on the Himalayan yogis............, November 5, 2005

By 

Siva Balan "Cosmic Consciousness" (Singapore) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Living with the Himalayan Masters (Paperback)

Firstly, I wish to state that this book deserves a 5-star rating for the contents in it. However, the quality of the paperback edition leaves much to be desired. As I was reading this book, the pages got torn easily. I would strongly advise the would be buyer to purchase the hardcover edition of this wonderful book.

Anyway, Swami Rama's memoir on the Himalayan sages might prove to be hard to believe but the description on the miracles of these masters are quite "common" among yogis and saints of the past and the present. In another book, the "Autobiography of a Yogi" by Paramahansa Yogananda (which I strongly recommend) the descriptions of the miracles performed by saints is similar to those mentioned in this book. A timeless classic!