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An Ordinary Life Transformed
Lessons for Everyone from the Bhagavad Gita. A new translation by George Thompson is the backdrop for commentary and study guide by Stephanie Rutt. It can be used for individual or for group study. "This book is filled with real-world stories and examples of how ordinary people have found the courage to stand up and do what needs to be done." (Preface)
272 pages, Paperback
First published October 10, 2006
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About the author
Stephanie Rutt
13 books3 followersI'm the author of five books - four published by Wipf and Stock Publishers:
1) "The Call of the Mourning Dove: How Sacred Sound Awakens Mystical Unity," in its original form won the Frederick Buechner Award for Excellence in Writing, Forward by nationally aclaimed theologian, S. Mark Heim.
2) "Living the Prayer of Jesus: A Study of the Lord's Prayer in Aramaic."
3) "An Ordinary Life Transformed: Lessons for Everyone from the Bhagavad." 2nd Edition
4) "Lovers in the Wilderness: Awaken Mystical Unity and Create a Joyful Life with Mantra Prayer," Forward by Dr. Robert A. Jonas.
5) "The Interfaith Worshop Manual: The Resource for Creating Interfaith Worship Services," originally written for students in my interfaith seminary.
I've also contribued many Op-eds (20+ at this writing) to our State's largest newspapers and have been published in journals and anthologies.
1) "The Call of the Mourning Dove: How Sacred Sound Awakens Mystical Unity," in its original form won the Frederick Buechner Award for Excellence in Writing, Forward by nationally aclaimed theologian, S. Mark Heim.
2) "Living the Prayer of Jesus: A Study of the Lord's Prayer in Aramaic."
3) "An Ordinary Life Transformed: Lessons for Everyone from the Bhagavad." 2nd Edition
4) "Lovers in the Wilderness: Awaken Mystical Unity and Create a Joyful Life with Mantra Prayer," Forward by Dr. Robert A. Jonas.
5) "The Interfaith Worshop Manual: The Resource for Creating Interfaith Worship Services," originally written for students in my interfaith seminary.
I've also contribued many Op-eds (20+ at this writing) to our State's largest newspapers and have been published in journals and anthologies.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 28, 2019
What all of us can learn from the Bhagavad Gita
It might seem a bit of stretch to reconcile the Bhagavad Gita, the sacred Song of the Lord of Hinduism to, say, the Christ Consciousness of Christianity, but that is part of what the Rev. Stephanie Rutt is about in this deeply spiritual interpretation and rendering of the most important holy book of the Hindus. Hers is a grand project as wide as the sky and deeper than any ocean. She seeks not only to join Christians with yogis, but to bring the Gita to the way of the Sufi, to see Arjuna's enlightenment as relevant to the practice of Judaism and Islam. She strives to find the love and intelligence of God in every religion with the Gita as her workbook.
Arjuna sits before a great battlefield and pauses to question what he is about to do. That battlefield is the field of life itself, and what he is being pressed to do is simply to live in a way that is consistent with his nature. That is the test we all face. Rutt has it that he hesitates, and most interpretations of the Gita would concur. But I don't think Arjuna is afraid of dying or is the victim of "cowardice" as Krishna warns him not to be. Arjuna is a deeply sensitive and ultimately spiritual young man who rightly sees that killing his relatives or dying himself is not an enterprise to be lightly undertaken. What Arjuna is afraid of is doing the wrong thing or of not understanding why he is doing anything at all. His is an existential query as well as a moral one. And so he asks Krishna's council, and what Krishna tells him constitutes the essence of Hinduism. As such the Gita is an elaboration on the four traditional yogic ways to God, through faith and devotion, through good works without consideration of reward, through knowledge of the real, and through the discipline of mind and body. Krishna is, as Rutt is careful to tell us, a manifestation of God, or Brahman, as the Ineffable is termed in Hinduism. His authority is like that of Christ in Christianity.
Krishna explains to Arjuna that it is first of all his duty as a warrior (read "as a human being") to fight in a just cause (read "to live righteously") and furthermore, he advises, you have no choice. You will be shamed and dishonored should you fail to act. Nothing good will come of inaction. Not only that but everyone will misinterpret your behavior as cowardice.
Such is the predicament we all face. We must live. Although the Buddha said that life is unsatisfactory ("suffering, impermanent"), he did not suggest that we give up. That would be misinterpreted as ignorance, which to Buddhists is ultimately the source of all suffering.
While Rutt emphasizes surrender to God (the way of bhakti yoga) as the means of liberation, which of course is central to the message of the Gita, others might emphasize faith, which is also a way to liberation and part of bhakti. Where Rutt uses the word "sacrifice" (part of karma yoga, also central to the message of the Gita) others might omit such a term as inexact and insist on "fruitless action" alone. Whereas Rutt sees a third way to the God in the Gita, that of jnana yoga, others would add a fourth, that of raja/hatha yoga, as alluded to above, the way of personal discipline of mind and body.
Any interpretation of the Gita so intricately presented would have preferences and an emphasis that some other interpretations might not. One has only to read the interpretations of Krishna Consciousness alongside say that of a secular academic scholar such as Max Muller from the 19th century to see some differences of opinion. But what Rev. Rutt does so well is to make such distinctions insignificant compared to the overall message of the Gita.
Rev. Rutt's plan for the book is to follow the Gita verse by verse, chapter by chapter while commenting and interpreting as she goes along, pulling in similar ideas from other religions while using apt quotations from people from all walks of life to show the universality of the message of the Gita. She recalls experiences from her own life and quotes from other interpretations to clarify certain verses. Above all Rutt's intention is to show how the Gita is relevant to the life of everyone, regardless of religion, station or culture.
There is a glossary of Sanskrit names and terms with a guide to pronunciations. My tin ear especially appreciates the pronunciation guide! A highlight of the book is the translation by George Thompson. He brings a contemporary feel to the Gita while emphasizing clarity and fidelity. I have read at least half a dozen translations of the Gita, and Prof. Thompson's is among the best of those.
I wish that more religious leaders would follow the example set here by Rev. Rutt. Instead of finding differences and insisting dogmatically and divisively that "mine is the only true religion," what Rev. Rutt does is find the essential oneness of all religions as they relate to the Gita. If I had to choose one word that signifies the oneness, I would say, along with the Beatles, that the word is love. It is through the spiritual experience (as distinct from the merely religious) that we find love, and with it the joy and the peace that passeth understanding.
--Dennis Littrell, author of “Understanding Religion: Reviews, Essays and Commentary”
It might seem a bit of stretch to reconcile the Bhagavad Gita, the sacred Song of the Lord of Hinduism to, say, the Christ Consciousness of Christianity, but that is part of what the Rev. Stephanie Rutt is about in this deeply spiritual interpretation and rendering of the most important holy book of the Hindus. Hers is a grand project as wide as the sky and deeper than any ocean. She seeks not only to join Christians with yogis, but to bring the Gita to the way of the Sufi, to see Arjuna's enlightenment as relevant to the practice of Judaism and Islam. She strives to find the love and intelligence of God in every religion with the Gita as her workbook.
Arjuna sits before a great battlefield and pauses to question what he is about to do. That battlefield is the field of life itself, and what he is being pressed to do is simply to live in a way that is consistent with his nature. That is the test we all face. Rutt has it that he hesitates, and most interpretations of the Gita would concur. But I don't think Arjuna is afraid of dying or is the victim of "cowardice" as Krishna warns him not to be. Arjuna is a deeply sensitive and ultimately spiritual young man who rightly sees that killing his relatives or dying himself is not an enterprise to be lightly undertaken. What Arjuna is afraid of is doing the wrong thing or of not understanding why he is doing anything at all. His is an existential query as well as a moral one. And so he asks Krishna's council, and what Krishna tells him constitutes the essence of Hinduism. As such the Gita is an elaboration on the four traditional yogic ways to God, through faith and devotion, through good works without consideration of reward, through knowledge of the real, and through the discipline of mind and body. Krishna is, as Rutt is careful to tell us, a manifestation of God, or Brahman, as the Ineffable is termed in Hinduism. His authority is like that of Christ in Christianity.
Krishna explains to Arjuna that it is first of all his duty as a warrior (read "as a human being") to fight in a just cause (read "to live righteously") and furthermore, he advises, you have no choice. You will be shamed and dishonored should you fail to act. Nothing good will come of inaction. Not only that but everyone will misinterpret your behavior as cowardice.
Such is the predicament we all face. We must live. Although the Buddha said that life is unsatisfactory ("suffering, impermanent"), he did not suggest that we give up. That would be misinterpreted as ignorance, which to Buddhists is ultimately the source of all suffering.
While Rutt emphasizes surrender to God (the way of bhakti yoga) as the means of liberation, which of course is central to the message of the Gita, others might emphasize faith, which is also a way to liberation and part of bhakti. Where Rutt uses the word "sacrifice" (part of karma yoga, also central to the message of the Gita) others might omit such a term as inexact and insist on "fruitless action" alone. Whereas Rutt sees a third way to the God in the Gita, that of jnana yoga, others would add a fourth, that of raja/hatha yoga, as alluded to above, the way of personal discipline of mind and body.
Any interpretation of the Gita so intricately presented would have preferences and an emphasis that some other interpretations might not. One has only to read the interpretations of Krishna Consciousness alongside say that of a secular academic scholar such as Max Muller from the 19th century to see some differences of opinion. But what Rev. Rutt does so well is to make such distinctions insignificant compared to the overall message of the Gita.
Rev. Rutt's plan for the book is to follow the Gita verse by verse, chapter by chapter while commenting and interpreting as she goes along, pulling in similar ideas from other religions while using apt quotations from people from all walks of life to show the universality of the message of the Gita. She recalls experiences from her own life and quotes from other interpretations to clarify certain verses. Above all Rutt's intention is to show how the Gita is relevant to the life of everyone, regardless of religion, station or culture.
There is a glossary of Sanskrit names and terms with a guide to pronunciations. My tin ear especially appreciates the pronunciation guide! A highlight of the book is the translation by George Thompson. He brings a contemporary feel to the Gita while emphasizing clarity and fidelity. I have read at least half a dozen translations of the Gita, and Prof. Thompson's is among the best of those.
I wish that more religious leaders would follow the example set here by Rev. Rutt. Instead of finding differences and insisting dogmatically and divisively that "mine is the only true religion," what Rev. Rutt does is find the essential oneness of all religions as they relate to the Gita. If I had to choose one word that signifies the oneness, I would say, along with the Beatles, that the word is love. It is through the spiritual experience (as distinct from the merely religious) that we find love, and with it the joy and the peace that passeth understanding.
--Dennis Littrell, author of “Understanding Religion: Reviews, Essays and Commentary”
June 12, 2025
Read as part of a course with the author which was magical.
January 22, 2009
"The Bhagavad Gita" is the "Iliad" of ancient India. Based on the Mahabharata War of the 4th millennium BC, it is an allegory of life experience. It teaches that each of us has a unique part to play in the Divine Plan. Through the allegory of the warrior Arjuna and Lord Krishna we understand how to overcome perceived obstacles—our enemies within—and offer our gifts in service of the greater good. “An Ordinary Life Transformed” is a study guide for everyone interested in pursuing their spiritual journey through this beloved Hindu masterpiece.
June 9, 2008
This was another book for Yoga school. I actually participated in a 7 people forum with the author at my yoga studio this past Saturday. This one could scare people away b/c of the use of the word God. I just read that word as what it means to me. It does not need to mean this guy who lives in the clouds, like the ol' catholic way. It could to some, but that is not what God is to me. Anyways...this was one of the most unique and amazing days of my life. It was philosophically breath taking. When I say philosophical, I don't necessary mean it in the intellectual aspect, but the read it and it makes the hair on the back of you neck stand up, and hits your heart & soul with such a force that you just sit in aw. I would love to chit chat with people about this reading. We are actually studying the Gita for the next 8 weeks at school. Everyone should read some translation of the Bhagavad Gita, you will never think the same parallel way again!
February 4, 2013
Although I - as a fairly strict pacifist - had a difficult time with the spiritual allegory of the Bhagavad Gita, Rev. Stephanie Rutt takes the dense and sometimes confusing story and clarifies it beautifully. Not only did I come away understanding the Gita, but I was able to understand the underlying lessons within it for all of us on our various spiritual paths.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews