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Choosing a Path
Describes a range of spiritual disciplines to help you choose the one most appropriate.
- GenresSpirituality
Paperback
First published February 8, 2007
16 people are currently reading
185 people want to read
About the author
Swami Rama
144 books211 followersSwāmī Rāma was born Brij Kiśore Dhasmana or Brij Kiśore Kumar,to a northern Indian Brahmin family in a small village called Toli in the Garhwal Himalayas. From an early age he was raised in the Himalayas by his master Bengali Baba and, under the guidance of his master, traveled from temple to temple and studied with a variety of Himalayan saints and sages, including his grandmaster, who was living in a remote region of Tibet. From 1949 to 1952 he held the prestigious position of Shankaracharya of Karvirpitham in South India. After returning to his master in 1952 and practising further for many years in the Himalayan caves, Swami Rama was encouraged by his teacher to go to the West, where he spent a considerable portion of his life teaching, specifically in the United States and Europe.
He is especially notable as one of the first yogis to allow himself to be studied by Western scientists.
Swami Rama authored several books in which he describes the path he took to becoming a yogi and lays out the philosophy and benefits behind practices such as meditation. One of the common themes expressed in such books as "Enlightenment Without God" and "Living with the Himalayan Masters" is the ability of any person to achieve peace without the need for a structured religion. He was critical of the tendency for yogis to use supernatural feats to demonstrate their enlightenment, arguing that these only demonstrated the ability to perform a feat.
He is especially notable as one of the first yogis to allow himself to be studied by Western scientists.
Swami Rama authored several books in which he describes the path he took to becoming a yogi and lays out the philosophy and benefits behind practices such as meditation. One of the common themes expressed in such books as "Enlightenment Without God" and "Living with the Himalayan Masters" is the ability of any person to achieve peace without the need for a structured religion. He was critical of the tendency for yogis to use supernatural feats to demonstrate their enlightenment, arguing that these only demonstrated the ability to perform a feat.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 14, 2023
AN OVERALL PERSPECTIVE BY A CONTROVERSIAL EASTERN SWAMI
The back cover of this 1982 book states, “Swami Rama came to the complex technological society of America to promote the unification of ancient Eastern teachings and Western science. Raised in the cave monasteries of the Himalayas, he has also been formally educated in prestigious universities of East and West and has conducted research with facilities such as the Menninger Foundation. To promote his aim, he established the Himalayan Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy with its various programs. Having completed his work here, he has returned to this Himalayan retreat to write and meditate.”
The Foreword explains, “This book is derived from transcriptions of the tapes of Swamiji’s lectures delivered during seminars at the Himalayan Institute. We decided to bring these lectures into the form of a book. We are publishing this book for the benefit of those who want to choose a path for self-improvement and unfoldment… This book is a practical guide that describes all the major paths of enlightenment. Though various are the paths, the goal is only one. Every human being has a unique quality, and every seeker is gifted with something extraordinary. Everyone is unique in his or her own way. After realization of that extraordinary quality, one can tread the path and not waste his or her time and energy window shopping in the market of spirituality…
“Swamiji’s clear and profound descriptions of these paths will inspire and guide students in their efforts for attainment. The information and understanding provided in Swamiji’s descriptions of the paths of yoga come from his own direct experience, for he was trained from childhood in all yogic disciplines, and his burning desire to understand the reality and know the truth motivated him to personally examine and experience all the methods reported. Having traversed the entire terrain, he can provide a broad perspective and a detailed knowledge that helps the student see his or her way more clearly and avoid pitfalls and detours.”
He wrote in the Introduction, “The question, ‘Do the existing religions serve the purpose of modern man or do they create more obstacles for him?’ should carefully be examined. I am not against any religion as such, but if there is not freedom of thinking, it is not possible for individuals to understand the way of life nor to attain its purpose. Therefore the first requisite is mental freedom, and that is possible only when one has the opportunity to contemplate on the prime questions of life: Who am I? From where have I come? What is the purpose of my existence here? Where will I go from here? The religious bibles of the world have their conclusions based solely on faith. But blind faith is more dangerous than being an atheist. Having faith in God is wonderful, but the way it is explained to us is shallow and does not satisfy the curiosity of the learned aspirants…
“The religionists out of fear believe in God; the modern scientists out of ignorance do not believe in the existence of the ultimate reality; the atheists out of disgust do not want to search for the truth because they see that religionists have been exploiting human beings in the name of God for ages. But atheists have no philosophy to support their belief… I am with them as far as not being influenced by formulas, dogmas, and doctrines. But I take one step ahead and say that the interior research should be continued. Scientists and atheists have no proof that the ultimate reality does not exist. And religionists cannot prove that it does because they lead their followers through that faith which remains unexamined.
“There is a vast difference between religion and spirituality. A religion is a set of dogmas, doctrines, and rituals. A student of religion is not allowed to think or search beyond these sets of rules. But in spirituality, all the human resources are directed toward the search for the spirit only---ultimate truth. In religion, faith is never challenged, but in the path of spirituality, faith is established with the help of reasoning based upon direct experience. A spiritual human being can be religious, but a religious human being is not necessarily spiritual. This book does not offer religious rules, dogmas, or rituals, but leads the seeker to choose a path for himself by examining his potentials and abilities… Real spirituality dawns through self effort, sincerity, and inner vision…
“Some of these paths will be explained in this book in order to inspire the seekers to choose for themselves. The desire for seeking should not die. With the seeking dies a human being still remains alive, but such a state of complacency is injurious for his growth and ultimately for humanity. In such a case prolonging the span of life becomes worthless. The search for truth alone provides a ray of hope for the individual and for humanity as a whole… This book gives a glimpse and creates a provocative atmosphere for the intelligent and learned so that they will begin studying their inclination to follow a particular path, and so that they don’t waste time and energy in the prevailing confusion of our times, but choose a definite path for themselves.”
This book may interest those studying Swami Rama.
The back cover of this 1982 book states, “Swami Rama came to the complex technological society of America to promote the unification of ancient Eastern teachings and Western science. Raised in the cave monasteries of the Himalayas, he has also been formally educated in prestigious universities of East and West and has conducted research with facilities such as the Menninger Foundation. To promote his aim, he established the Himalayan Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy with its various programs. Having completed his work here, he has returned to this Himalayan retreat to write and meditate.”
The Foreword explains, “This book is derived from transcriptions of the tapes of Swamiji’s lectures delivered during seminars at the Himalayan Institute. We decided to bring these lectures into the form of a book. We are publishing this book for the benefit of those who want to choose a path for self-improvement and unfoldment… This book is a practical guide that describes all the major paths of enlightenment. Though various are the paths, the goal is only one. Every human being has a unique quality, and every seeker is gifted with something extraordinary. Everyone is unique in his or her own way. After realization of that extraordinary quality, one can tread the path and not waste his or her time and energy window shopping in the market of spirituality…
“Swamiji’s clear and profound descriptions of these paths will inspire and guide students in their efforts for attainment. The information and understanding provided in Swamiji’s descriptions of the paths of yoga come from his own direct experience, for he was trained from childhood in all yogic disciplines, and his burning desire to understand the reality and know the truth motivated him to personally examine and experience all the methods reported. Having traversed the entire terrain, he can provide a broad perspective and a detailed knowledge that helps the student see his or her way more clearly and avoid pitfalls and detours.”
He wrote in the Introduction, “The question, ‘Do the existing religions serve the purpose of modern man or do they create more obstacles for him?’ should carefully be examined. I am not against any religion as such, but if there is not freedom of thinking, it is not possible for individuals to understand the way of life nor to attain its purpose. Therefore the first requisite is mental freedom, and that is possible only when one has the opportunity to contemplate on the prime questions of life: Who am I? From where have I come? What is the purpose of my existence here? Where will I go from here? The religious bibles of the world have their conclusions based solely on faith. But blind faith is more dangerous than being an atheist. Having faith in God is wonderful, but the way it is explained to us is shallow and does not satisfy the curiosity of the learned aspirants…
“The religionists out of fear believe in God; the modern scientists out of ignorance do not believe in the existence of the ultimate reality; the atheists out of disgust do not want to search for the truth because they see that religionists have been exploiting human beings in the name of God for ages. But atheists have no philosophy to support their belief… I am with them as far as not being influenced by formulas, dogmas, and doctrines. But I take one step ahead and say that the interior research should be continued. Scientists and atheists have no proof that the ultimate reality does not exist. And religionists cannot prove that it does because they lead their followers through that faith which remains unexamined.
“There is a vast difference between religion and spirituality. A religion is a set of dogmas, doctrines, and rituals. A student of religion is not allowed to think or search beyond these sets of rules. But in spirituality, all the human resources are directed toward the search for the spirit only---ultimate truth. In religion, faith is never challenged, but in the path of spirituality, faith is established with the help of reasoning based upon direct experience. A spiritual human being can be religious, but a religious human being is not necessarily spiritual. This book does not offer religious rules, dogmas, or rituals, but leads the seeker to choose a path for himself by examining his potentials and abilities… Real spirituality dawns through self effort, sincerity, and inner vision…
“Some of these paths will be explained in this book in order to inspire the seekers to choose for themselves. The desire for seeking should not die. With the seeking dies a human being still remains alive, but such a state of complacency is injurious for his growth and ultimately for humanity. In such a case prolonging the span of life becomes worthless. The search for truth alone provides a ray of hope for the individual and for humanity as a whole… This book gives a glimpse and creates a provocative atmosphere for the intelligent and learned so that they will begin studying their inclination to follow a particular path, and so that they don’t waste time and energy in the prevailing confusion of our times, but choose a definite path for themselves.”
This book may interest those studying Swami Rama.
September 11, 2012
I really liked the first few chapter of the book, but it felt to the end, that he has a bit tired or don't have enouhg knowledge of the areas of Laja and Tantra yoga. Those chapters were short and a bit confused.
March 27, 2020
Swami Rama's clarity cuts thought any needles over-complications and provides you with the simplicity needed to understand the Yogic paths.
At the same time I was hoping for this book to be even a bit more inclusive as there are yogic lineages that are not mentioned in the paths. For ex. when talking baout the Kundalini path, Yogi Bhajan was not mentioned; It's a newer teaching but nonetheless very relevant today.
Here are some of my favorite pieces:
"After careful study of the objects and forms of the external world, the student comes to know that anything that happens in the external world has already happened long before in the inner world."
"Love actually means renunciation of individual joys and non attachment to the objects of joy"
"When one is not truthful, one creates a dual personality, which weakens potential. "
At the same time I was hoping for this book to be even a bit more inclusive as there are yogic lineages that are not mentioned in the paths. For ex. when talking baout the Kundalini path, Yogi Bhajan was not mentioned; It's a newer teaching but nonetheless very relevant today.
Here are some of my favorite pieces:
"After careful study of the objects and forms of the external world, the student comes to know that anything that happens in the external world has already happened long before in the inner world."
"Love actually means renunciation of individual joys and non attachment to the objects of joy"
"When one is not truthful, one creates a dual personality, which weakens potential. "
October 6, 2025
Ufff kakva sjajna knjiga, sa uživanjem sam je čitala. Za uspeh je potrebno imati goruću želju za praćenjem puta. Treba biti rešen i činiti odlučne napore redovno vežbati, a kada čovek postaje svestan stvarnosti, tada se posvećuje putu - samo takvi će doseći svoj cilj. Putevi se razlikuju, ali cilj je samo jedan.
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August 12, 2015Different paths explained clearly by swamy rama in a most simplified language...worth reading book
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews