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FILM
Rare Interviews with 16 important Indian spiritual Masters on the teachings of Sri Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi. I am very much touched by the presence of the Indian Masters, their special energy and radiance. At the beginning and at the end of the film I had tears in my eyes. Thank you so much! This is a wonderful film on Spirituality and Realization. Getting access to these great Masters is a great experience. Many thanks to Premananda for his wonderful effort. Speechless. I have watched it at least 20 times. Today again. Again deeply touched. Lovely. Our journey through life begins when we start looking within for what we need. We already are what we are looking for....Thanks for this wonderful documentary. You can read many books about Advaita, Non-Duality, or Enlightenment, or perhaps take your search to the original land of much of this material, India. This DVD took me directly to this tradition, and to this powerful and sacred place without me having to take a 20 hour flight. The film is a series of intimate dialogues with Indian sages, gurus, masters, and also just normal people who have awakened to their nature.
Dieter Broers, Biophysicist "This is a brilliant film, packed full of invaluable spiritual advice. It serves as a vivid introduction to the spiritual wisdom of India." Alan Jacobs
Alan Jacobs
BOOK
Sri Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi. "This is arguably the best and finest introduction to the hallowed teaching of Advaita Vedanta that has ever appeared. A marvellous collection of authentic Sage wisdom-teaching, perfectly designed to give the correct pointers to Self-realisation for today's seekers after essential Truth." Alan Jacobs This is arguably the best and finest introduction to the hallowed teaching of Advaita Vedanta that has ever appeared. Sixteen enlightened Indian Masters are skilfully interviewed by the gifted Western Advaita teacher Premananda. He asks each chosen Sage the same twelve pertinent questions, which penetrate straight to the core, examining the vexed questions of 'What Is Enlightenment?' and 'How does one reach that exalted state?' Fortunately for the reader the great Masters selected are Indian, deeply steeped in their country's magnificent Advaitic tradition, a tradition which has blessed India and has been her great gift to humanity since the days of the ancient Rishis. The Masters who Premananda painstakingly interviewed and filmed over several years, read like a roll call of the renowned modern Masters of non-dual wisdom. This finely printed and beautifully designed book is lavishly illustrated with striking portraits of all the Sages who are interviewed. The book commences with Sri Hans Maharaj who opens this grand Satsang with a clear message of refined spirituality, peace and love. He stresses the need for ardent determination to probe inwards to the centre of one's being, so as to find one's own Truth behind the veil of accumulated tendencies. Then there is the aged, highly respected and wise Sri Ajja from Karnataka who emphasises the great efficacy of Self-enquiry. Next, we move on to Mumbai, home of that eloquent pupil of Nisargaddata Maharaj, Ramesh Balsekar, who fundamentally attacks the mistaken notion of 'personal doership' out of compassion for the thousands of seekers and devotees who knock at his ever - open door. Then there is Sri Brahmam, who can often be found sitting in the Jubillee Hall at Ramanasramam. He stresses the need for finding inner peace before the serious sadhana (spiritual practice) of Self-enquiry can commence. Then comes Swami Dayananda, perhaps the most traditional of modern Indian Masters. He is steeped in the wisdom of the Vedas and Upanishads and teaches the time tested, traditional approach to this whole question of 'Awakening'. Also from Tiruvannamalai is that great soul, the eloquent Sri V. Ganesan, grand nephew of Sri Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi, whose teaching he has scrupulously followed and practised since his youth. He is followed by D.B. Gangolli, author of many important books on Vedanta, and once the senior sports writer for the Times of India! He masterfully teaches the way of the householder. Then we have Kiran, a former industrialist, a pupil of Osho, and admirer of the late, radical teacher U.G.Krishnamurti. Next comes Nannagaru, who has a large following in Andhra Pradesh. He is a devotee of Ramana Maharshi, and now , thanks to his Master's grace , exhibits the amazing power of that silence which can evoke a sense of the real Self in the fortunate recipient of his grace. The first woman Master in this book, is the youthful Swamini Pramananda, a gifted pupil of Swami Dayananda Saraswati. She also teaches the well tested, traditional approach to this whole question. A new and radiant face on the scene is the gracious Rhada Ma, who occasionally gives satsang in Tiruvannamalai where she has several devotees studying in her Advaita Monastery. Then we have Samdarshi from Kanpur, whose Master was Osho. He teaches a Seven Steps to Enlightenment Programme. Next in this inspiring galaxy of spiritual Masters comes Swami Satchidananda, a pupil of the celebrated Swami Ramdas, the Sage of unconditional love, who now runs his former Master's ashram. A third feminine guru is the venerable Ma Souris, who, like her father, was an earnest devotee of Ramana Maharshi. Her teaching can be found in her book A Memory . Next we have an interview with Swami Suddhananda, a pupil of the esteemed Swami Chinmayananda, also a world traveller teaching his Master's pure Advaita Vedanta. Finally there is the venerated Thuli Baba, a pupil of his father Sri Gurudev . The twelve questions that Premanda asked these Masters were skillfully designed to unfold and explain the teachings of Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi as set out in his original, seminal essays Who Am I? and Self-Enquiry . The full text of the invaluable Who Am I? essay, is given at the close of this book. Ramana Maharshi has probably been, more than anyone else, responsible for the Advaita renaissance now sweeping India and the Western world. This book is a marvellous collection of authentic Sage wisdom-teaching, perfectly designed to give the correct pointers to Self-realisation for today's seekers after essential Truth. Premananda, himself a gifted teacher of Advaita, is to be congratulated on his dedicated work in interviewing these great Sages so capably, and eliciting from them the fruit of their practical experience. This book is strongly recommended as a superb introduction for all those who find themselves drawn to this great inner quest, to their True Nature, who they really, really are! These interviews have been collated into a brilliant ninety minute DVD film, Blueprints for Awakening - Wisdom of the Masters. It is packed full of invaluable spiritual advice and it serves as a vivid introduction to the spiritual wisdom of India. As an added bonus the book also contains a delightful DVD sampler for this film and introduces a website where you can view each of the sixteen Masters answering the twelve questions: www.blueprintsforawakening.org Alan Jacobs
PROJECT
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