Born in a village in Kerala, India in December of 1910, Eknath Easwaran was an Indian-American professor, author, translator, and religious teacher. His translations of the Bhagavad Gita, the Upanishads, and the Dhammapada are critially acclaimed. His best-selling book is called Meditation: A Simple Eight Point Program for Translating Spiritual Values into Daily Life. He was influenced by Gandhi, whom Easwaran met when he was a young man. Kerala is bounded by the Arabian Sea on the west and the Western Ghats on the east. ... Bhagavad Gīta भगवद्गीता, composed ca the fifth - second centuries BC, is part of the epic poem Mahabharata, located in the Bhisma-Parva chapters 23–40. ... The Upanishads (उपनिषद्, Upanişad) are part of the Hindu Shruti scriptures which primarily discuss meditation and philosophy and are seen as religious instructions by most schools of Hinduism. ... The Dhammapada (Pali, translates as Path of the Dharma. ... Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (October 2, 1869 – January 30, 1948) (Devanagari: मोहनदास करमचन्द गांधी, Gujarati મોહનદાસ કરમચંદ ગાંધી), called Mahatma Gandhi, was the charismatic leader who brought the cause of Indias independence from British colonial rule to world attention. ...

Eknath Easwaran developed a method of meditation that he called "Passage Meditation" - silent repetition in the mind of memorized inspirational passages from the world's great religions. As Easwaran says, "The slow, sustained concentration on these passages drives them deep into our minds; and whatever we drive deep into consciousness, that we become." Meditation usually refers to a state in which the body is consciously relaxed and the mind is allowed to become calm and focused. ... Silent repetition in the mind of memorized inspirational passages from the world’s great religions. ...

Easwaran's program for spiritual growth consists of eight points:

• Passage Meditation
• Japam, or mental repetition of a mantra'
• Putting others first
• One-pointedness
• Training the senses
• Slowing down
• Satsang, or a spiritual fellowship
• Reading the writings of the mystics

Easwaran founded the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation and Nilgiri Press. Easwaran died in October, 1999. Silent repetition in the mind of memorized inspirational passages from the world’s great religions. ... In Tibet, many Buddhists carve mantras into rocks as a form of devotion. ... The company of the highest knowledge and Truth; the company of a Guru; contact with a person or an assembly of persons who listen to, talk about, and assimilate the Truth. ...

Quotations

"What we think about constantly, we become; that is the secret of meditation and prayer." —The Constant Companion

Bibliography

• Meditation: A Simple Eight Point Program for Translating Spiritual Ideals into Daily Life, 1978
• The End of Sorrow (The Bhagavad Gita for Living, Vol. 1), 1979
• Like a Thousand Suns (The Bhagavad Gita for Daily Living, Vol. 2), 1979
• To Love Is to Know Me (Bhagavad Gita for Daily Living, Vol. 3), 1985
• The Bhagavad Gita (Translator), 1985
• The Dhammapada (Translator), 1986
• The Upanishads (Translator), 1987
• The Compassionate Universe, 1989
• Climbing the Blue Mountain: A Guide for the Spiritual Journey, 1992
• Dialogue With Death: A Journey Through Consciousness, 1992
• Love Never Faileth: The Inspiration of Saint Francis, Saint Augustine, Saint Paul, Mother Teresa, with introductions by Carol L. Flinders, 1993
• Seeing With the Eyes of Love: Relfections on a Classic of Christian Mysticism, 1993
• The Play of God: Visions of the Life of Krishna by Devi Vanamali, et al, 1995
• The Monkey and the Mango: Stories of My Granny (Illustrated by Ilka Jerabek), 1996
• Original Goodness: On the Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount, 1996
• Seeing With the Eyes of Love: Eknath Easwaran on the Imitation of Christ, 1996
• The Undiscovered Country: Exploring the Promise of Death, 1996
• Words to Live By: Inspiration for Every Day, 1996
• Gandhi the Man: The Story of His Transformation, et al, 1997
• In Quest of God: The Saga of an Extraordinary Pilgrimage by Swami Ramdas, 2002 (Introduction)
• A Higher Image, 2002
• Love Alters Not, 2002
• God Makes the Rivers to Flow: Sacred Literature of the World, 2003
• Your Life Is Your Message: Finding Harmony With Yourself, Others, and the Earth
• Conquest of Mind: Learning to Think in Freedom
• Take Your Time: Finding Balance in a Hurried World
• Thousand Names of Vishnu : a selection with commentary
• The Unstruck Bell: Powerful New Strategies for Using a Mantram
• A More Ardent Fire: From Everyday Love to Love of God
• Supreme Ambition: Life's Goals and How to Reach It
• The Mantram Handbook: Formulas for Transformation
• The Constant Companion
• A Man to Match His Mountains: Badshah Khan, Nonviolent Soldier of Islam
• Kabir: Stages of Desire
• With My Love and Blessings: The Teaching Years, 1966-1999, in Photographs & His Own Words
• Saint Francis: Becoming an Instrument of Peace

Bhagavad Gīta भगवद्गीता, composed ca the fifth - second centuries BC, is part of the epic poem Mahabharata, located in the Bhisma-Parva chapters 23–40. ... The Dhammapada (Pali, translates as Path of the Dharma. ... The Upanishads (उपनिषद्, Upanişad) are part of the Hindu Shruti scriptures which primarily discuss meditation and philosophy and are seen as religious instructions by most schools of Hinduism. ...

External Links

• Blue Mountain Center of Meditation and Nilgiri Press
• Easwaran biography