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This is my first review though I purchased 100+ books from Amazon in last 10+ years...all on religion and spirituality...
Swami Vivekananda is my first and forever teacher in my life.
Back in 1986 I had my first personal life crises. Raised as atheist in former Soviet Union, I suddenly found myself without family, without home, money and most importantly all my reasons for life crumbled... All habitual way of thinking collapsed and I could not understand what was the purpose to be alive...
One day through miraculous circumstances somebody (whom I didn't even know) brought me the old book...actually not even a book - it's a copy of the old Russian translation of the book "Raja Yoga" which was published in Russia in 1913 before bolshevik's revolution. Such books were banished from all the libraries in Soviet Union but people who had special privileges to access closed vaults in public libraries were making their own copies... Most of spiritual and religious books were removed from public in those years.
When I got this book I was not in the mood to read anything but only because I had to somehow fill my time I started reading it...
From the first night on, I was gradually transformed... for the first time in my life, the atheist in me started seeing that the Life actually does have meaning because it is not random, not accidental neither incidental !
My transformation that first years was nothing less than magical. People around me told me the same...Many synchronicity happened. Since then every time when I am in deep trouble - I grab this book. I can't say how many times it pulled me out of despair into the meaningful life.
Now I will try to explain (is it even possible?) why it is so special.
There are many good books on Raja yoga and good comments on Yoga Sutras of Patanjalli which I have in my library.
Swami Vivekananda's language is not academic - it reflects his own development - from logic of analytical analyses, which does not include any traces of presumption of religious doctrine, all the way to inevitable rise of the spiritual concepts to explain the worldly phenomena, up to spiritual awakening. For people like myself, his language was the only language which I could understand and if only individual has brains with open mind, he simply cannot refuse the rock solid logic of Swami Vivekananda.
The end result - from logical deliberation he pulls you into the most complicated aspects of Advaita Vedanta, nature of human mind and human behavior, up to practical methods to get control over your mind and have experience beyond worldly phenomena. He leads you gently and slowly like a baby on the path towards the highest expansion of consciousness.
After reading so many wonderful books on the same topics, I still check all the information coming my way against the opinion of Swami Vivekananda, - in the end it appears always true.
As of today I have all his printed lectures in my library. The other book which I always keep next to me is his Jnana Yoga. These two books should go together.
I think everybody who wants to self develop must read these books. Even if the methods described in them do not resonate with you (all people are different), still the information about WHO YOU ARE will help you to choose your path.
This review should be my negligibly small pay off due to the man who awoke spirituality in me and revealed the meaning of life.
My sincere wishes to all the seekers.
- Paperback: 192 pages
- Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (December 6, 2015)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1519718802
- ISBN-13: 978-1519718808
- Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.4 x 9 inches
- Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
- Average Customer Review: 136 customer reviews
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Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
#515,812 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #183 in Indian Eastern Philosophy
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