Sacred Journey: Living Purposefully and Dying Gracefully

by Swami Rama Himalayan Institute

A book about the relationship between life and death, and the how and why of organizing one's life in a way that leads to expansion and growth, and that is helpful in preparing for the transition we call death.

Genres: Religion

133 pages, Paperback

Published April 11, 2003

Reviews

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A practical manual. After several experiences that came 'out of the blue' a few years ago, my mind was opened. Unfortunately there is a lot of rubbish to sift through to get further information. Most 'New Age' books contain some glimmers mixed with a lot of nonsense, as well as information that is just wrong, possibly harmful. Swami Rama is the real deal, one of the few. His writings are based on personal experience gleaned from his upbringing in a treasured tradition of Himalayan masters. What marks them out from the rest is their pedigree and the absolute discipline they impose on themselves to investigate the meaning of life. Nothing is theoretical, all is experienced by those who can withstand the rigours. This information is hard won, but it may leave the casual reader wondering what to make of it.

[Leonard Perlmutter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book represents the final work by a rare tantric master. Throughout its pages, Swami Rama has taught me about the relationship between life and death, and the hows and whys of philosophically organizing one's life in ways that lead to true happiness, health and security.

[Judy Lindow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sacred Journey talks about the Kathopanishad (one of the shortest, early on 108 upanishads which is one of the basic Vedic classic texts) and it is, as the title purports, about living purposely and dying gracefully. Another book you could easily read twice back to back. Because thinking about How to Die, how to prepare for it, what happens when we die are difficult and easy to avoid - the brevity and retelling of some ideas is actually very helpful. That being said, I still found that reading one chapter at a time, leaving it, and coming back after a break was easier than reading the book straight through. I have a lot of work, much to get rid of, far more practice and commitment to Sadhana if I ever want to consciously prepare for my own Mahasamadhi.

On to Eknath Easwaran's Chapter in The Upanishads, Katha, Death as Teacher.