An extraordinary rendering of an American's spiritual transformation "Walking With A Himalayan Master, S/C" tells of a theologian's meeting, and life with, a great saint. Dr. O'Brien reveals his doubts, learnings, devotion, and ability to apply all the teachings to a Western lifestyle, and teaches us to achieve the same.
Along with the famous books - Autobiography of a Yogi, and Living With the Himalayan Masters, I wholeheartedly recommend anybody interested in Eastern Philosophy and mysticism to read this book!
The book is a detailed account of the time spent by the author with Swami Rama. It is full of interesting incidents in the eventful period the author and his wife spent with the Himalayan Master.
If one finds it difficult to believe some of the acts described in the book can be performed by a human, then one can treat this book as a work of fiction and enjoy ;)
Some of the anecdotes are pretty hilarious and will definitely put a smile on your face, if not make you laugh :) However, the most important parts of this book , according to me, are in those pages where the author describes the teaching of Swami Rama. These teachings, if sincerely followed, I believe, will be quite useful in practical life of any person in any walk of life. The style of writing of the author makes you wanna hold the book in your hands and read till you finish :)
As a descriptive account of the Author's(as well as his wife and a chosen few) interactions with his master , this book is a good read to get insight on the bottom-up perspective that a disciple so often starts his/her journey with. While some of the daily life expositions and inner turmoil seem to get a lot of space and might even seem mundane and "unworthy" of being seen in the same chapter as some brilliant exposition on life shared by the master, it is to be seen as a parallel to what any seeker experiences in today's age and time. Earthly life tugs and pulls in ever constricting ways and will not go easy on us just because we are living the dharmic life or in accordance to one's master's eccentric but ultimately correct ways.
Any chapter detailing the master's numerous tidbits of anecdotes are worthy of being remembered, and the chapters that delve into the Kumbh experiences are quite memorable. My absolute favorite chapter would be the one in which all the main disciples are put in the wooden house atop the hill, for a few weeks, to spend their days in a vow of silence, reconnecting with their inner selves and with the verdant nature outside. All in all, it is ultimately a peek into the diary/journal of a disciple, one who would strike you as an average everyday joe, but as we go thru the book, is seen to be so much more .
Amazing book. Loved reading it esp if you have that spiritual quest. It was like an American was teaching me, an Indian, the age old wisdom of India and Himalayan Yogis. Some people might have found it boring or just glorification of teacher, as I read, because of their faith in the unreal world they live in. But the book actually reveals the age old tradition and relationship of guru shishya. It's just that the shishya here is American.
couldnt enjoy it. too much glorification of the swami by a devoted disciple. difficult to believe that this is an objective account. however an interesting book if you are prepared to believe what you read.