神聖旅程：揭開生命與死亡的奧祕

by Swami Rama, Sujata (Translator), 斯瓦米‧拉瑪

New

Genres: Religion

137 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 4, 2020

About the author

Swāmī 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.

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.