At the Source of Life (Paperback)

by Raphael - Asram Vidya Order (Author) "Q. I have always set for myself an Ideal, but sooner or later it has failed me..." (more)
Key Phrases: relative truth, Bhakti Yoga

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Product Description

Against modern man's anxious uncertainty, against his inner void filled only with confusion, with solitude, with fear, Raphael offers the solid and safe rock of a valid reason for living and shows us that by stopping at one's gross state means losing contact with the Universal Reality, becoming a «living corpse, creating «a society already dead». The concept now expands into the social and political fields.

The solution to all these problems is briefly, though clearly, indicated as consisting in a policy, the only one possible, which is based on an ethical conduct that transcends individuality and is linked to the universal laws. But in order to arrive at this man must seek in himself and unveil the essence of his being.

From the Publisher

Every work of Raphael is precious because it represents an important means, a relevant "channel". In his writings he is offering us what he has experienced and realized in his own life, through them many could be reached by a voice that especially here in the West, may prove of invaluable help.

The first part of the book is presented in dialogue form. Wherever there is a question there is usually a void that needs to be filled, a lack of knowledge to highlight, a doubt to clarify, hence a truth that needs only to be unveiled, because "all is within ourselves" and that truth will be found in the depths of our being. Based on this certainty Raphael often answers one question with another question, and with an ability akin to Socrates' maieutic art, he forces the inquirer to delve into himself until he finds what he was looking for.

Evidently Raphael's question-answers are the same ones he once asked himself and which were the beginning of his own quest. Even now, though all that is past, the echo of the long spiritual struggle which brought him to the oriental doctrines, and to the Advaita Vedanta and the Asparsa-vada, still resounds in the urgency of his pressing statements.

The second part is in sutra (verset) form. In these sutra Raphael expresses himself in the same modality used by the best known commentators of the Vedanta doctrines. While the questions-answers possess a more conversational tone well suited to the dialogue form, in the sutras we find the incisive certainty of the Teacher who, having attained the realizative synthesis of the Unity of Tradition, knows how to direct those who are still far from man's ultimate goal, onto the path towards attaining it. And he points this way with a strength and a vibration of such power as to shake and penetrate the reader almost physically.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: The Aurea Vidya Foundation, Inc. (November 2001)
• ISBN-10: 1931406014
• ISBN-13: 978-1931406017
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,402,306 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Review of "At the Source of Life", April 25, 2009

By	Alan Berkowitz (Trumansburg, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In the first half of this book Raphael engages in a dialogue with his students about philosophic issues, including the nature of reality, love, the mind's role in projecting and creating illusory experience, the role of desire in causing unhappiness, spiritual teachers, art, and the Advaita Vedanta philosophy. The discussion is rich and engaging. The students present Raphael with questions that could easily be our own. Raphael's answers are surgically precise in identifying and peeling away the fundamental confusions and unexamined assumptions that combine to alienate us from ourselves and prevent us from achieving true peace. The reader will appreciate the dialogic approach (also used in his book "Tat Tvam Asi") and Raphael's willingness to explain so as to foster understanding and comprehension. For Raphael, "comprehension" - or deeper understanding - is the true basis of change and is what allows us to transform ourselves. His books are designed to foster such "comprehension" through a combination of dialogue and careful explanation. Part Two of the book uses a different format to approach these subjects, presenting each topic in the form of short sentences or paragraphs - i.e. "sutras" - that can be used for meditation and contemplation. This more intuitive format provides a nice balance to the more analytic, dialogic style of the first half of the book. Throughout Raphael reminds us that realization is not an academic or intellectual undertaking, rather, it is a "realizative" undertaking that should transform the way we live and our fundamental assumptions about the source of life.

About the author. Raphael's books demonstrate a deep inner understanding of the world's sacred traditions. He brings them alive and gives them a contemporary expression while remaining true to their original inspiration. Raphael reminds us that Occidental and Oriental sacred traditions are not to be approached academically or intellectually, but rather, that they are living spiritual pathways to truth that remain relevant today. His books provide the reader with the understanding and tools to follow these sacred paths, including Alchemy, Kabbalah, Orphism, or Platonism in the Western Tradition, or Yoga and the Advaita Vedanta of Sankara in the Eastern Tradition. Raphael is recommended to all spiritual seekers who want to ground their search in ancient wisdom while seeking a contemporary expression that appeals to reasoned analysis and which integrates modern philosophy, science and psychology. Raphael's books challenge us to see these traditions, ourselves and the world differently, and to take our spiritual seeking seriously. If you are willing to do so, his books are for you.

5.0 out of 5 stars consolidation of the teaching, August 11, 2008

By	dk - See all my reviews

i particularly love the second part of this book: on just 65 pages Raphael introduces the Pathway of Fire, pathway to the True Self. 116 aphorisms explain the teaching in brief and very concise, profoundly philosophical and at the same time practically useful. Here it becomes obvious (& disillusioning in a shocking way) how we got in our own way and what we have to do: "The greatest conflict man has is not the fact that he cannot solve his social problems, but that he lives in ignorance (avidya); ignorance concerning the nature of his own essence. . . . Those who still identify too much with their passions (whether noble, less noble, ignoble), their ideals, their relative realities; those who still are disheartened by the hammer of necessity and reactive despair, those who are still too engrossed in their mental and imagining philosophical discourses, are not ready for brahmanic Bliss." (p. 123 f.)
These aphorism-sutras can serve as enlightening meditations-impulses. Again and again new dimensions of perspective are unfolding whilst reading. And beyond all these profound explanations und practically helpful suggestions this text transports (for those that are open to it) vibrations of unconditional non-dual love and support of a realized master.
Presumably already these few pages would be a sufficient aid for the Pathway of Fire. However, anyone who needs more of this (like me), should definitely also read & know Raphael's book "The Threefold Pathway of Fire"!