Wisdom of the Sadhu: Teachings of Sundar Singh [Paperback]

Sundar Singh (Author), Kim Comer (Compiler)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2000

When Sundar Singh disappeared in the Himalayas in 1929, the world mourned. His 23-year pilgrimage as a sadhu had led him through at least 20 countries on four continents. He had profoundly influenced tens of thousands of people. Though hugely popular in India and Europe during his lifetime, Sundar Singh's writings have not been readily available to readers in the English-speaking world for decades. With "Wisdom of the Sadhu", a collection of anecdotes, sayings, parables, and meditations, his spirit has been brought alive for a new generation. Couched as they are in a distinctly Indian idiom, his teachings probe the essence of the Gospels with unusual freshness and offer insights of great value.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Little known today, Singh was perhaps the best-known Indian mystic of the first half of the 20th century, and a curious phenomenon at that. Well versed in Hindu, Islamic, and Sikh writings, Singh lived as a wandering holy man in the established Hindu manner but found his way to a kind of Christianity based in his own mystical experience of Jesus. This fascinating collection of his conversations and parables reveals a startlingly non-Western but deeply authentic Christianity. This volume should be of the keenest interest to spiritual seekers, Christian and non-Christian alike. Highly recommended.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

In a distinctly Indian style, his wisdom challenges Western readers to taste the Gospel. -- Robert Ellsberg, author, All Saints

Penetrating, relevant, and easy to read. This is an inspiring collection. -- Jetti A. Oliver, National Council of Churches, India

Singh's dramatic encounter with Christ, his refusal to clothe his faith in western trappings, and his absolute devotion to Jesus... -- Richard J. Foster, author, Celebration of Discipline

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 218 pages
• Publisher: Plough Publishing House (September 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0874869986
• ISBN-13: 978-0874869989
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #897,546 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Humble wisdom., July 24, 2002

By 

Wesley L. Janssen (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Wisdom of the Sadhu: Teachings of Sundar Singh (Paperback)

"If you want to see the world of the spirit, you must look with spiritual eyes ... you can only apply the wisdom that arises from love and reverence. In a certain sense, all of space and time is spiritual. God's presence pervades everything. Thus all people live in the spiritual world ... we either turn joyfully toward the light, or rebelliously toward the darkness." -- Sadhu Sundar Singh
As an angry young Sikh distraught over his mother's death, Sundar Singh was preparing to take his own life when he experienced a visionary encounter, not with Krishna, but with Christ. He became a Sadhu, a wandering mystic, not pursuing a hermit-like existence, but traversing the jungles and high mountain passes to appear in remote villages and lend assistance and care to the poor and disease stricken, and to counsel spiritual seekers. In the early twentieth century, Singh led the life of a first century apostle. Western Christians will find Sundar Singh's parables and dialogues wonderfully lacking in western conventions. He eloquently describes the intellectual futility of trying to wage logical arguments against God's existence, his allegorical explanation of the Trinity is better than most, his teaching that there is but One source of peace, love, and understanding is the bedrock of Christianity (and all monotheism).
In Sadhu Sundar Singh we find a true Christian mystic, a student, a servant, a holy man. His ministry and teachings became known to millions, he was admired by hundreds of thousands, and loved by tens of thousands whose lives he touched. His life and teachings also caused certain interests to despise him and attempts were made on his life. He disappeared, alone in the high Himalayas, in 1929.
Singh was not a writer, he produced six small books (which contained much of the material used in this compilation), perhaps solely because admirers urged him to. Yet he offers an elegant economy of words, using familiar objects of the natural world as illustrations for his allegories and parables. His "warning to the West" remains a telling indictment of the spiritual numbness of Western materialism and of western "Christians" who embrace the doctrines of culture more dearly than the teachings of Christ. When, during a trip to Europe, Singh was chided for not being more concerned with twentieth century science, he asked his questioner to what he referred. "Natural selection, you know, survival of the fittest," blustered the questioner. "Ah," Singh responded, "but I am more interested in divine selection, and the survival of the unfit."

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Compilation, July 2, 2001

By 

John Parsons - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wisdom of the Sadhu: Teachings of Sundar Singh (Paperback)

Sundar Singh, a Sikh convert to the Christian faith, offers occidental readers a unique perspective of what it means to follow Jesus Christ as the Master or Guru of one's life.

This anthology contains anecdotes, sermonettes, aphorisms, and interviews with Sundar Singh which, if read with opennesss and sincerity, should move you to reflect on the ways you are approaching the person of Jesus of Nazareth in your own spiritual life.

Sundar Singh's teaching is filled with both the passion of christian committment and the insights of ancient

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reminds me of Jesus, May 8, 2005

By 

Wayne Mcdaniel (Lawrence, KS USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Wisdom of the Sadhu: Teachings of Sundar Singh (Paperback)

I was first introduced to the character of Sadhu Sundar Singh through the writings of Charles F. Andrews, Anglican missionary and friend of Ghandi. Singh was a contemporary of both Andrews and Ghandi.

The life and writings of Singh have a depth that is rare today. No modern person has influenced my thought and direction in life more than Singh. He caused me to think about what it really means to be a Christian.

I strongly recommend reading this book and any others you can find about him. A more complete book (664 pages) is "The Christian Witness of Sadhu Sundar Singh; A Collection of His Writings," published by The Christian Literature Society in India.