Pathways to Joy: The Master Vivekananda on the Four Yoga Paths to God [Paperback]

Swami Vivekananda (Author), Dave Deluca (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2006

At the 1893 Parliament of Religions in Chicago, Swami Vivekananda transformed Western thinking. He showed that, far from being an exotic novelty, Hinduism was an important, legitimate spiritual tradition with valuable lessons for the West. Pathways to Joy is a selection of 108 of his sacred teachings on Vedanta philosophy. In accessible and powerful prose, Vivekananda illuminates the four classical yoga paths — karma, bhakti, raja, and jnana — for the different natures of humankind. The messages focus on the oneness of existence; the divinity of the soul; the truth in all religions; and unifying with the Divine within. Invaluable and inspiring, the selections also explore karma, maya, rebirth, and other great revelations of Hinduism.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The Indian guru Swami Vivekananda had the gift of being bicultural. He brought the Vedanta philosophy of Hinduism to the 1893 World Parliament of Religions and prepared the way for the flowering of yoga in the West. Vivekananda's accessible teachings have been edited and compiled in countless ways, and this edition by DeLuca, a student of Vedanta, is intended to offer students of yoga something to think about, since Indian yoga is more than a series of physical postures. The guru gently introduces what may be unfamiliar ideas from Hinduism, such as maya, or illusion. The book's organization into broad themes, including the four yoga paths, is logical in concept yet fuzzy in execution, because the writing doesn't always lend itself to clear differentiation. "Oneness" is a pervasive teaching for Vivekananda, and ruminations on it end up scattered throughout the book. The result is somewhat repetitive and disorganized. Nor are there citations showing where the writing is drawn from, except in the appendix. End material, including a reading list, glossary and biographical material, is helpful. This is not the best introduction to Vivekananda, but the swami is so clear himself that he needs little help. (June)
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Review

“No library of Yoga study would be complete without the revered teachings of Swami Vivekananda, and no edition of his teachings brings them to us more beautifully than Dave DeLuca’s Pathways to Joy.”
— Midwest Book Review

“Dave DeLuca has done a wonderful service by compiling Swami Vivekananda’s greatest teachings on classical yoga into one book. It is a compendium of Vedanta, its selections in lucid prose most suitable for modern seekers. My hearty congratulations!”
— Swami Smaranananda, vice president, Ramakrishna Math and Mission, Kolkata, India

“Swami Vivekananda was a spiritual pioneer, the first major figure to bring the priceless wisdom of ancient India to the modern world. In this age of materialism, we ignore his message at our peril. Dave DeLuca has done us all a service with this accessible and attractive anthology of Swamiji's writings.”
— Michael Nagler, author of The Search for a Nonviolent Future

“Dave DeLuca recently reintroduced the spiritual treasures of Swami Vivekananda’s Vedanta teachings to the Western world in a new and inspired collection from Swamiji’s writings and lectures. No sincere student of Yoga should be without Vivekananda’s great wisdom and guidance, and for this reason I highly recommend Pathways to Joy.”
— Swami Swahananda, senior minister, Ramakrishna Order and Vedanta Society of Southern California

“Intelligently organized, thoughtfully presented, Pathways to Joy is an excellent introduction to the writings of Swami Vivekananda.”
— Pravrajika Vrajaprana, author of Vedanta: A Simple Introduction

“I highly recommend this beautiful collection of Vivekananda’s revered writings as a vital addition to any spiritual library.”
— India Journal

“Dave DeLuca’s book Pathways to Joy is a brilliant, bridge-building work that allows New Thought readers to easily understand and explore the original message of Oneness from the East.”
— Reverend Edward Viljoen, pastor, Center for Spiritual Living, Santa Rosa, California

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Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: New World Library (June 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1930722672
• ISBN-13: 978-1930722675
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #222,895 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Candid Introduction to Vedanta, June 10, 2006

By 

Miss Kay (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pathways to Joy: The Master Vivekananda on the Four Yoga Paths to God (Paperback)

This book delves into a clear and simple presentation of the works of Vivekananda, the young Indian monk who at the turn of the 20th century, brought Hinduism and it's teachings to America.

At a time when eastern religious philosophy was still a mystery no westerner was eager to unravel, you will be amazed at how this audience-captivating teacher was accorded the greatest respect and accoladeat the "Assembly or World Religions" in 1893. But even more important, was the way the top world religious teachers at the time hungrily ate up the spiritual food that was being dished by Vivekananda.

What Dave DeLuca has done in this uncomplicated book is taken those teachings and presented them in the most enjoyable and interesting way. It is as if no time has passed. Vivekananda's teachings truly feel as if they are addressing present day issues.

The wisdom and love of this monk flow these pages almost tangibly. It is no wonder that the students of Vivekananda seem to devour his teachings!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific book, must read!, September 28, 2006

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Luv 2 do Kundalini - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pathways to Joy: The Master Vivekananda on the Four Yoga Paths to God (Paperback)

Vivekananda died in 1902, but still lives thanks in part to David Deluca for publishing this terrific book. Although Vivekananda wrote the words over 100 years ago his messages are absolutely timely to today; love, serving others, giving, compassion, accepting of all religions and all races without hate or arrogance. Vivekananda felt that all religions present different prespectives of God and that all are correct, no need for hatred. He also felt that all countries have something to contribute to all others. Eventually all countries will come together to share. I only wish that Vivekananda words could be heard, felt by all to stamp out the useless primitive and everpresent greed, hatred and killing in the world.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pathways to Joy, November 9, 2009

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R. Painter (Tulsa, OK) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Pathways to Joy: The Master Vivekananda on the Four Yoga Paths to God (Paperback)

Pathways to Joy is interesting and enlightening on the philosophy of yoga. A required read for yoga instructors and for yogis who wish to bring yoga off the mat and into their daily lives.