Spiritual Book Reviews After
September 2011
Reviews
Before
September 2011
Contents
1. The
Divine Romance by Paramhansa Yogananda
2. The
Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna
1.
The
Divine Romance by Paramahansa Yogananda
There are a few books
stacked on my night table and this one has a permanent presence. The Divine Romance by
Paramahansa Yogananda (1893
to 1952) never fails to deliver uplifting reading. The contents are arranged as
50 articles on individual subjects, though all aspects of practical
spirituality as I call it, or how-to-live each day in the world while
maintaining Divine ideals.
Yogananda writes the Truth using a large dose
of stories with humor. What this does for me is make the lessons stick, because
I can more easily recall a story than remember an esoteric sentence.
By breaking
the book up into sections about 9 to 10 pages each it is easy to read a chapter
when you just have a small block of time. Or if the afternoon is yours, then
several stories could be absorbed. I recommend one or two at a time, though, to
keep the lessons fresh in mind.
It is worthwhile to read a chapter,
begin regular meditation, and contemplate the content during the quiet time
with yourself. Then finish the meditation with appreciation for the Divine
insight imparted.
The book is
easy to read and not limited to scholarly study, though any student on the
spiritual path would learn many lessons and advance in consciousness from the
lessons.
To give you
a taste of the contents some of the titles include: Finding the Joy in Life;
What Is Fate?; The Spectrum of Spiritual
Consciousness; The Unknown Potential of Memory; Do Souls Reincarnate? Where Are
Our Departed Loved Ones? Reflections on Love.
Additionally,
an account of Yogananda’s remarkable samadhi is included following the chapters. At the end of
the volume is a very complete glossary of spiritual terms. Scattered throughout
are black and white photos of saints and places Yogananda
visited. I’ve owned my precious copy of this book for many years.
The Divine Romance is the 2nd book in the 3
part series of Yogananda’s essays.
For the
sincere seeker I give my highest recommendation, it is a treasure!
Details:
Paperback: 507
pages; Publisher: Self-Realization Fellowship (November 1, 1986); Language:
English; ISBN-10: 0876122411; ISBN-13: 978-0876122419; Product
Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches.
Review copyright Susan Helene Kramer
2.
The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna
Sri
Ramakrishna (1836 to1886) was and is a spiritual teacher for all generations. I
came to his teachings in a roundabout way as I loved the teachings and
vibration of his wife and consort, Sri Sarada Devi. I
lived near the Vedanta Temple, perched on a mountain side in Montecito,
California, where I went to visit with the Sarada
convent nuns who ran the bookstore and took care of the grounds of the temple.
The view from the front stoop looks over the Santa Barbara coastline and ocean,
with the smell of the surrounding eucalyptus trees and sage doing their part to
uplift the visitor.
The message
I’ve always received from Sri Ramakrishna and Sri Sarada
Devi is practical spirituality. The lessons I’ve taken from his book, The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, is how to
incorporate spirituality at the purest and highest level into daily living.
After all, what good is it to read spiritual teachings if we can’t figure out
how to apply the lessons. Fortunately for me, when I met my husband the book
was already handily installed on his bookshelf.
Here is
where the gospel comes to the rescue: the lessons are given through the
interactions of Sri Ramakrishna and his disciples and visitors. In this way one
can assimilate more easily how to act rightly in the highest manner with others
and our world.
The book is
divided into 52 chapters and also includes text to devotional songs, a summary
of the Master’s life, a glossary and index.
The serious
and scholarly student has plenty of material to mull over. But, as I and maybe
more frequently the case, the devotional student need only open the book to any
page to receive universal spiritual teachings applicable for all tastes and
tempers. It is an ultimate divine reference manual.
Here is a
quote and explanation of one of his songs:
“As is a
man’s meditation, so is his feeling of love;
As is a
man’s feeling of love, so is his gain;
And faith is
the root of all.
If in the
Nectar Lake of Mother Kali’s feet
My mind
remains immersed,
Of little
use are worship, oblations, or sacrifice.”
“What is
needed is absorption in God - loving Him intensely. The ‘Nectar Lake’ is the
Lake of Immortality. A man sinking in it does not die, but becomes immortal.” Passage from page 108.
A must read
for spiritual seekers!
Details
- Hardcover: 1062 pages; Publisher:
Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center (June 1, 1985); Language: English; ISBN-10: 0911206019; ISBN-13: 978-0911206012; Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1.9 inches
Review copyright Susan Helene Kramer
Ebooks
or Books - click covers
|
|
|
page created October 1. 2011; updated July 4, 2015 | email: susan@susankramer.com
All reviews are copyright Susan Helene Kramer; permission for
reprints required.
DISCLOSURE:
I am an Associate of Amazon.com and bought my own products.