Vedantic Meditation: Lighting the Flame of Awareness [Paperback]

David Frawley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 7, 2000

As yoga gains popularity across the U.S., many people are becoming interested in its traditional Vedic roots. While Buddhist meditation is well represented on bookshelves, there has been little Vedantic philosophy written in lay terms until now. Author David Frawley guides readers through the challenges of cultivating awareness, calming the mind, and practicing meditation according to Vedanta and Hinduism. He examines how cultural knowledge systems in the West lead individuals to disillusionment, and speaks about how meditation can aid in understanding the true nature of one's thoughts, emotions, and perceptions. Frawley explores meditation support practices such as yoga, mantras, kundalini, and pranayama, as well as the role of gurus, and concludes with a short, more technical essay on self-inquiry.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Vedantic Meditation is a major contribution to our understanding of the principles underlying the expansion of human awareness."
—David Simon, M.D., author of Vital Energy

"Dr. Frawley provides a dazzling introduction to the world’s most enduring meditation tradition, illuminating India’s famous 'direct path' to enlightenment."
—Linda Johnsen, author of Meditation is Boring: Putting Life in Your Spiritual Practice

"Dr. Frawley is one of the most important scholars of Ayurveda and Vedic Science today, a true rishi or knower of reality. I have gained great personal insight from his work."
—Deepak Chopra, author of How to Know God

About the Author

David Frawley has been a student of Ramana Maharashi’s teachings since 1970 and has written for their magazine The Mountain Path since 1978. He is a visitng professor at the Sringeri Shankaracharya Math, the oldest vedantic center in India, and has receive the personal blessings of the Shankaracharya. He teaches at Vedantic centers in America and is one of the few Westerns recognized as an authentic Vedantic teacher by the Vishva Hindu Parisha, the largest Hindu religious organization in the world. Frawley directs the American Institute of Vedic Studies in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Product Details

• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: North Atlantic Books; First Edition edition (September 7, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556433344
• ISBN-13: 978-1556433344
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.4 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #130,645 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David Frawley (or Pandit Vāmadeva Śāstrī वामदेव शास्त्री) is a Vedic teacher and educator with numerous books in several Vedic and Yogic fields published worldwide over the past thirty years. He is the founder and director of the American Institute of Vedic Studies in Santa Fe, New Mexico (www.vedanet.com), which offers courses and publications on Ayurvedic medicine, Yoga and meditation, and Vedic astrology. He is also involved in important research into ancient Vedic texts and is a well known modern exponent of Hinduism and Sanatana Dharma. His work is high respected in traditional circles in India, where he has received many awards, as well as influential in the West, where he is involved in many Vedic and Yogic schools, ashrams and associations.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clear, Helpful, Inspiring, November 28, 2000

By 

"bludragon" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vedantic Meditation: Lighting the Flame of Awareness (Paperback)

A continual source of inspiration and practical guidance, this slim volume will serve the reader in its clear approach to "westernizing" ancient Vedic science. An amazing gift by a recognized master (both in the east and west), the reader making recurring visits to its pages will be rewarded with renewed insights and simple, pointed phrasing highlighting the highest potential of the human experience in simple, down-to-earth language. Although steeped in a philosophy over 5000 years old, these words are never staid or dogmatic. Rather the overall purpose is experential and warmly invites the reader's participation. It's delightful - and it's cheap!

20 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A superb book, a guide to the perplexed!!, October 20, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Vedantic Meditation: Lighting the Flame of Awareness (Paperback)

This is one of Frawley's best books. It introduces Vedantic meditation (the mother of all meditations) to the reader. It presents various aspects of the Vedic message and shows how it can help each one of us find our creative potential! Go and buy it!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars important text for spiritual and psychological healing, November 29, 2008

By 

Craig Williams (austin) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vedantic Meditation: Lighting the Flame of Awareness (Paperback)

Vedantic Meditation is a foundational text for those searching for true "yoga therapy". This consise and cogent text cuts through many misconceptions and illuminates the path to a deeper understanding of the mind and meditation. Deeply inspired by the sage Ramana Maharshi, Frawley carries on the tradition of Ramana and Ganapati Muni pointing the reader toward personal transformation as the true catalyst for all psychological and spiritual healing. I highly recommend this text to all true spiritual seekers and to those approaching Yoga or meditation for the first time.