Books on Eastern Spiritual Concepts and Experiences

 

A Policy of Kindness - H.H. the Dalai Lama, compiled & edited by Sidney Piburn 1990

Google Synopsis: Who is the Dalai Lama? Beginning with his Nobel Peace Prize lecture, this collection of addresses, interviews, and biographical essays affords readers an in-depth view of His Holiness's personal life, his wide-ranging interests, and his thoughts on issues of global concern. The portrait that emerges is of a highly pragmatic man dedicated to finding non-violent solutions to human problems in all arenas--personal, political, and environmental.

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Autobiography of a Yogi - Paramahansa Yogananda 2000

Amazon Synopsis: Autobiography of a Yogi is at once a beautifully written account of an exceptional life and a profound introduction to the ancient science of Yoga and its time-honored tradition of meditation. This acclaimed autobiography presents a fascinating portrait of one of the great spiritual figures of our time. The quality paperback edition offered here includes a bonus CD, The Voice of Paramahansa Yogananda, featuring excerpts from the Self-Realization Fellowship Collector's Series of rare recorded talks by Paramahansa Yogananda, and includes 80 quality archival photographs.

With engaging candor, eloquence, and wit, Paramahansa Yogananda tells the inspiring chronicle of his life: the experiences of his remarkable childhood, encounter with many saints and sages during his youthful search throughout India for an illumined teacher, ten years of training in the hermitage of a revered yoga master, and the thirty years that he lived and taught in America. Also recorded here are his meetings with Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, Luther Burbank, the Catholic stigmatist Therese Neumann, and other celebrated spiritual personalities of East and West. The author clearly explains the subtle but definite laws behind both the ordinary events of everyday life and the extraordinary events commonly termed miracles. His absorbing life story becomes the background for a penetrating and unforgettable look at the ultimate mysteries of human existence. Selected as One of the 100 Best Spiritual Books of the Twentieth Century, Autobiography of a Yogi has been translated into 20 languages, and is regarded worldwide as a classic of religious literature. Several million copies have been sold, and it continues to appear on best-seller lists after more than sixty consecutive years in print.

Profoundly inspiring, it is at the same time vastly entertaining, warmly humorous and filled with extraordinary personages. Self-Realization Fellowship's editions, and none others, include extensive material added by the author after the first edition was published, including a final chapter on the closing years of his life.    Read online or download

A Treatise on Cosmic Fire - Alice A. Bailey 2005

Amazon Synopsis: A Treatise on Cosmic Fire deals with the underlying structure of occult teaching for the present era and with those vast cosmic processes reproduced through all areas of life from universe to atom. A large section of the book is directed to a detailed exposition of Solar Fire, the Fire of Mind, since this is the dominant energy to be understood and controlled during this second solar system.  Among other values, the book provides a compact outline of a scheme of cosmology, philosophy and psychology which serves as a basic reference and text book. A Treatise on Cosmic Fire is part of a set of 24 books by Alice A. Bailey, written in collaboration with a Master of the Wisdom, a Tibetan teacher, Djwhal Khul. These books constitute a continuation of the Ageless Wisdom, a body of esoteric teaching handed down from ancient times in a form which always suitable to each period.  Intended to precede and condition the coming era, the Alice A. Bailey writings offer an unparalleled spiritual approach to such subjects as the teaching on Shamballa and the Path of spiritual evolution; the spiritual Hierarchy; the new discipleship and training in meditation as a form of service; the teaching on the seven rays and the new psychology of the soul; and the common thread of truth linking all the major world faiths.

Other books by Alice Bailey

The Cave of the Ancients – Lobsang Rampa 2009

Amazon Synopsis: THERE ARE THOSE WHO WOULD LIKE TO LEAD HUMANKING IN A MORE SPIRITUAL DIRECTION. . .AND THEY ARE RESIDING ON THIS PLANET EVEN THOUGH MOST OF US DO NOT KNOWLEDGE THEIR EXISTANCE!

The Monks entered the subterranean abode to meet with the Masters of Universal Wisdom in the Halls of The Akashic Records.

While deep inside the Earth, it was revealed to them fascinating accounts of ancient space visitors, lost civilizations, advanced gravity ships, thats that could appear as pictures. . and much more knowledge long forgotten by humankind.

The Lama opened the again and said, "In a far-off country across the seas the general ability to see Nature Spirits has been lost. If one sees such a Spirit it is a matter for jest, the Seer is literally accused of 'seeing things.' Western people do not believe in things unless they can be torn to pieces or held in the hands, or put in a case. A Nature Spirit is termed a Fairy in the West --and Fairy Tales are not believed!"

This is one of Rampa's most exciting adventures and has been received with a great deal of pleasure by this multitude of readers all over the world.

More Lobsang Rampa books and downloads

 

Dialogues With the Master – Paul Twitchell 1970

Book Jacket: The contents of this book contains the first real study of the works of ECKANKAR which I did a number of years ago. It is the record of the spoken works of Rebazar Tarzs, the great Tibetan ECK Master, who was training me for the future position of the next Mahanta, the living ECK Master in this world.

The spiritual experiences which he made possible for me and the teachings were a painful growth but nevertheless, it all was necessary. Without such growth it would have never been possible to accept the responsibility of the spiritual leadership of the ECK works in this modern world.

Rebazar Tarzs dominates the entire text of this book. Therefore, it is well to study his words for each significance which he is trying to tell me as well as the world. He speaks and acts directly at all times without any wasted motion and effort. It will be found that whatever he has said in the spoken word is of the highest spiritual endeavor.

 

Education and the Significance of Life - Krishnamurti 1981

Amazon Synopsis: The teacher probes the Western problems of conformity and loss of personal values while offering a fresh approach to self-understanding and the meaning of personal freedom and mature love.

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The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita: Explained by Paramhansa Yogananda - Swami Kriyananda 2008

Amazon Synopsis: This revelation of India's best-loved scripture approaches it from an entirely fresh perspective, showing its deep allegorical meaning and also its down-to-earth practicality. The themes presented are universal: how to achieve victory in life in union with the divine; how to prepare for life's final exam, death, and what happens afterward; how to triumph over all pain and suffering. This expanded & revised second edition is now in paperback!

Freedom from the Known - Jiddu Krishnamurti and Mary Lutyens 1975

Amazon Synopsis: Krishnamurti shows how people can free themselves radically and immediately from the tyranny of the expected, no matter what their age--opening the door to transforming society and their relationships. 

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J.Krishnamurti: A Biography by Pupul Jayakar 2003

Amazon Synopsis: This is the biography of J. Krishnamurti, one of the great spiritual leaders of the 20th century. When he was just 14 in 1909, Krishnamurti was proclaimed the world teacher-to-be in which Maitreya, the Bodhisattva of compassion, would manifest. 

Krishnamurti: The Years of Awakening - Mary Lutyens 1997

Amazon Synopsis: In 1909, a boy of fourteen years was designated the savior of our age by the mystic leader of the Theosophical Society. Sent from his native India to study at the finest school in Britain, the charismatic youth was groomed for the messianic role of World Teacher—a mantle he would ultimately cast off, unleashing a storm of controversy within the spiritual community. And through inner doubts and physical agony—through bitter trials of the mind, the body, and the soul—he would follow his own path to enlightenment and become a shining beacon of joy and truth to millions the world over.

 

Life and Teaching of the Masters of the Far East – Baird T. Spalding 1996

From Forward:  In presenting THE LIFE AND TEACHING OF THE MASTERS OF THE FAR EAST, I wish to state that I was one of a research party of eleven persons that visited the Far East in 1894.

During our stay—three and a half years—we contacted the Great Masters of the Himalayas, who aided us in the translation of the records, which was of great assistance in our research work. They permitted us to enter into their lives intimately and we were thus able to see the actual working of the great Law as demonstrated by them. We call them Masters, which is merely our name for them. One living the life described herein is entitled to reverence and consideration as a Master.

Records and manuscripts—our actual experience with the Masters—were preserved. Personally, at that time, I thought the world was not ready for this message. I was an independent member of the research party and I am now publishing my notes under the title LIFE AND TEACHING OF THE MASTERS OF THE FAR EAST, with the thought that the reader may accept or reject, as he wishes.   (It was later discovered that Spalding went on no such expedition in  the far east, but fictionalized all of the volumes.) PDF of Volume One

Interesting FAQ about Spalding from Baird T. Spalding.org

 

The Love Poems Of Rumi - Rumi, Deepak Chopra (Editor), Fereydoun Kia (Translator)

Goodreads Synopsis: Born Jalal ad-Din Mohammed Balkhi in Persia early in the thirteenth century, the poet known as Rumi expressed the deepest feelings of the heart through his poetry. This volume consists of new translations edited by Deepak Chopra to evoke the rich mood and music of Rumi's love poems. Exalted yearning, ravishing ecstasy, and consuming desire emerge from these poems as powerfully today as they did on their creation more than 700 years ago.

'These poems reflect the deepest longings of the human heart as it searches for the divine. They celebrate love. Each poetic whisper is urgent, expressing the desire that penetrates human relationships and inspires intimacy with the self, silently nurturing an affinity for the Beloved. Both Fereydoun Kia, the translator, and I hope that you will share the experience of ravishing ecstasy that the poems of Rumi evoked in us. In this volume we have sought to capture in English the dreams, wishes, hopes, desires, and feelings of a Persian poet who continues to amaze, bewilder, confound, and teach, one thousand years after he walked on this earth' - Deepak Chopra

Access Rumi's poems online

 

Meetings with Remarkable Men – G.I. Gurdjieff 2010

Amazon Synopsis: 2010 Reprint of 1963 Edition. These are the memoirs of the great mystic and teacher who inspired a generation of disciples and followers before, during and briefing after the Second World War. In Meetings With Remarkable Men Gurdjieff introduces us to some of the companions he encountered in his travels to the most remote regions of Central Asia. With colorful episodes from his adventures, he brings to life the story of his own relentless search for a real and universal knowledge. The book can be read as a colorful narrative or psychological autobiography, but the meaning of its contents can be better appreciated in relation to the expositions of his previously published ideas.

 

Metaphysical Meditations - Paramahansa Yogananda 1979

Goodread's Synopsis: In this book Paramahansa Yogananda offers prayers and affirmations that beginners and experienced meditators alike can use to awaken the boundless joy, peace, and inner freedom of the soul. Includes introductory instructions on how to meditate. An encouraging guide that teaches us through our own experience how to spiritually enrich our everyday life.

 

Paths to God: Living the Bhagavad Gita - Ram Dass 2005

Amazon Synopsis: World-renowned philosopher and spiritual teacher Ram Dass—author of the groundbreaking classic Be Here Now—presents the contemporary Western audience with a lively, accessible guide to the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, the classic Hindu text that has been called the ultimate instruction manual for living a spiritual life.

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Poems of Mewlana Jalaluddin Rumi

Rumi was a Sufi poet in the 13th century whose mystical poetry has survived into modern times.

Access Rumi's poems online

Remember Now Be Here Now Here Be - Ram Dass 1971

Amazon Synopsis: Describes one man's transformation upon his acceptance of the principles of Yoga and gives a modern restatement of the importance of the spiritual side of man's nature. Illustrated.   More books by Ram Dass

 

Return to the Center - Bede Griffiths 2002

Synopsis: A Catholic priest's pilgrimage to India to explore Hindu and Buddhist concepts.

 

A Sanskrit Primer - Edward Delavan Perry 2004

Amazon Synopsis: A Sankrit Primer provides a useful outline for a rapid review of Sanskrit grammar and language. It combines in a brief and careful manner Buhler's exercises with explanations of Whitney. The whole subject is covered in forty-five lessons systematically arranged. Vocabularies are prefixed to each exercise. Sanskrit-English and English-Sanskrit glossaries are appended to facilitate easy understanding. 

Islam Her Moral and Spiritual Value - Arthur Glyn Leonard 1909

From Foreword: In the first chapter the author has applied himself to expose the absurdity and hollowness of the Pan-Islamic “bogey.” That the growing rapprochement between Moslem communities, hitherto divided by sectarian feuds, should be viewed with disfavour by Europe as indicating a danger to its predominance and selfish ambitions is intelligible. But that it should be regarded as a deliberate challenge to, or intended as a hostile demonstration against Christendom, is a mere chimera. Major Leonard proves conclusively that the Pan-Islamic movement is no modern political movement; but that morally and spiritually Islam, in its very essence, is Pan-Islamic; in other words, a creed that recognizes in practice the brotherhood of man to a degree unknown in any other religion, and admits in its commonwealth no difference of race, colour or rank.

Moslems, laymen and scholars, will probably not agree with some of Major Leonard’s remarks in his outline of the Prophet’s character and temperament; but they must all acknowledge his sincerity. He describes Mohammed as a great and true man—great not only as a teacher, but as a patriot and statesman; a material as well as a spiritual builder, who constructed a nation and an enduring Faith, which holds, to a greater degree than most others, the hearts of millions of human beings; a man true to himself and his people, but above all to his God.

Read online or download free   

 

Sacred Books of the East - Aśvaghosha et al.

Synopsis: Including Selections from the Vedic Hymns, Zend-Avesta, Dhammapada, Upanishads, the Koran, and the Life of Buddha, with Critical and Biographical Sketches by Epiphanius Wilson, A.M.   Read online or download free   

Tantra In Tibet: The Great Exposition of Secret Mantra Volume I - Tsong-ka-pa 2008

Amazon Synopsis: Tantra in Tibet consists of three parts published under the auspices of the Dalai Lama: Essence of Tantra by H.H. the Dalai Lama reveals the highly practical and compassionate use of this science of spiritual development. Contents include: Tantra for Practice, Refuge, The Three Paths, Greatness of Mantra, Clear Light and Initiation. The Great Exposition of Secret Mantra-Part 1 by Tsong-ka-pa, is one of the principal classic texts on tantra. It presents the main features common to all the Buddhist tantra systems as well as the difference between sutra and tantra. Contents include: Paths to Buddhahood, Vajra Vehicle, Deity Yoga and Method in the Four Tantras. A Supplement by Jeffrey Hopkins discusses the Meaning of Emptiness, Transformation, and the Purpose of the Four Tantras. 

The Third Eye – T. Lobsang Rampa 1956

Synopsos: Is Rampa's first book about his young life becoming a medical lama at the Chakpori Lamasery in Tibet.

More Lobsang Rampa books and downloads

 

The Tibetian Book of the Dead – W.Y. Evans-Wentz 2000

Amazon Synopsis: The Tibetan Book of the Dead is one of the texts that, according to legend, Padma-Sambhava was compelled to hide during his visit to Tibet in the late 8th century. The guru hid his books in stones, lakes, and pillars because the Tibetans of that day and age were somehow unprepared for their teachings. Now, in the form of the ever-popular Tibetan Book of the Dead, these teachings are constantly being discovered and rediscovered by Western readers of many different backgrounds--a phenomenon which began in 1927 with Oxford's first edition of Dr. Evans-Wentz's landmark volume. While it is traditionally used as a mortuary text, to be read or recited in the presence of a dead or dying person, this book--which relates the whole experience of death and rebirth in three intermediate states of being--was originally understood as a guide not only for the dead but also for the living. As a contribution to the science of death and dying--not to mention the belief in life after death, or the belief in rebirth--The Tibetan Book of the Dead is unique among the sacred texts of the world, for its socio-cultural influence in this regard is without comparison.

This fourth edition features a new foreword, afterword, and suggested further reading list by Donald S. Lopez, author of Prisoners of Shangri-La: Tibetan Buddhism and the West. Lopez traces the whole history of the late Evans-Wentz's three earlier editions of this book, fully considering the work of contributors to previous editions (C. G. Jung among them), the sections that were added by Evans-Wentz along the way, the questions surrounding the book's translation, and finally the volume's profound importance in engendering both popular and academic interest in the religion and culture of Tibet. Another key theme that Lopez addresses is the changing nature of this book's audience--from the prewar theosophists to the beat poets to the hippies to contemporary exponents of the hospice movement--and what these audiences have found (or sought) in its very old pages.

 

To Live Within – Lizelle Reymond 2007

Amazon Synopsis: Originally published in France in 1969 and in America in 1972 and again in 1995, To Live Within is a thoughtful, beautifully written record of Lizelle Reymond’s five years spent in a hermitage in Northern India. Reymond studied with guide and mentor Shri Anirvan, a master of the ancient Samkhya tradition. As presented to Reymond, Samkhya is a source teaching previously unknown in the West and universally relevant regardless of one’s tradition or cultural background.

Anirvan’s teachings of this discipline centered on the concentrated purity of silence that nourishes the Self, allowing his pupil to achieve an unfettered understanding of her life and achieve an inner awakening. In five parts, the book covers Reymond’s life in the Himalayan hermitage; lessons for a spiritual life; facing reality; rambling thoughts; and mystic poetry of the Bauls. This new edition contains two additional chapters drawn from Reymond's lifelong correspondence with Shri Anirvan after the retreat.

The Way of Life (Tao Te Ching) – Lao Tsu

Book Jacket: Tao Te Ching here translated under the title The Way of Life, is ancient Chan's great contribution to the literature of philosophy, religion, and mysticism.

Tao Te Ching contains the time-honored teachings of Taoism and brings a message of living simply, finding contentment with a minimum of comfort, and the prizing of culture above all else.

This is the classic translation of the eighty-one poems constituting an Eastern classic, the mystical and moral teachings of which have profoundly influenced the sacred scriptures of many religions.   Read online or download 

The Wisdom of Your Child's Face: Discover Your Child's True Nature with Chinese Face Reading - Jean Haner 2010

Amazon Synopsis: People joke that your children don’t come with a user's manual, but they're wrong. It's written in their faces and all you have to do is learn to read them. The secrets of your children's inner nature and personal potential are eloquently inscribed in the curve of their cheeks, the shape of their eyes, the contour of their brows, and the unique language of their original design.

Chinese face reading is based on ancient Taoist principles that teach that each child is born with a soul's intent, a blueprint that is theirs and theirs alone, and this inner architecture is reflected in their outer design. When you can read your children's faces, you can discover their true nature. You can understand what their special gifts are, see where their personal challenges will be, and how to guide them through these issues. You’ll be able to recognize what they need from you in order to feel safe and loved, and you’ll be empowered as a parent to raise them with less stress, more joy, and the confidence that you're helping them fulfill their special purpose in the world!

  

The Wisdom of Your Face: Change Your Life with Chinese Face Reading! - Jean Haner 2008

Amazon Synopsis: What if you could tell, just by looking at others, how they tend to think, feel, and behave? What if your partner’s face revealed the best way to resolve any conflicts between you? And what if you could discover in your own face the wisdom that you need in order to be the best you you can be?

Based on the same ancient foundation as acupuncture and Chinese medicine, face reading has been in the “research and development” phase for over 3,000 years. When translated to make it meaningful for our Western lives, it’s a powerful source of wisdom that we can all access. Chinese face reading shows you how to live your life in alignment with your own natural flow, find the life path that gives you joy, attract relationships that nurture you, and most of all, enable you to feel compassion for yourself and others. This book will forever change how you see yourself . . . and all the people in your life!

 

You Can Get There From Here - Shirley MacLaine 1988

Book Jacket: You Can Get There From Here begins in the never-never land of Las Vegas where Ms. MacLaine is performing her one-woman show and tells an intimate tale of the fascinating world in which she lives.

Shirley MacLaine turned to new adventures. One was a trip on the campaign trail with George McGovern, which turned out to be, at best, mixed blessings. But as always, every experience leads Ms. MacLaine deeper into herself and a positive result. What she learned about political humanity, what she experienced in the eventual disarray and defeat, and, above all, what she discovered about people gives heart to her story.

The second adventure was her trip to the People's Republic of China with a delegation of American women; another profound experience that led to self-rediscovery. What they saw and experienced in China was a deep shock to all of them. Shirley MacLaine, particularly, found a society which seemed both successful and happy in which there was no role for the individual creative impulse. It was a country that had torn down traditions thousands of years old in one generation and rebuilt a more workable society on new grounds - grounds completely alien to everything they, as Americans, had been taught to revere.

"In China I saw an entire nation, once degraded, corrupt, demoralized, and exploited, that was changing its very nature... I realized that if what we call human nature can be changed, then absolutely anything is possible. And from that moment, my life changed..." — Shirley MacLaine

Your Hidden Symmetry: How Your Birth Date Reveals the Plan for Your Life - Jean Haner 2013

Amazon Synopsis: On the day you were born, you were imprinted with a plan and a purpose—elegant patterns that can be read to see who you really are and what your true calling is. And like your own personal tide table, the ebbs and flows of each phase of your life were set into motion on the day of your birth. Based on ancient Chinese principles of balance and health, this book gives you a rich understanding of your hidden symmetry—the intricate inner design that influences who you are and how your life unfolds. This book is not about astrology or numerology; it is based on thousands of years of research about how time moves in natural patterns and profoundly affects your life. You can use this knowledge to discover the themes running through your life experience, tap into your core strengths, find lasting love, and do your best work in the world. Jean Haner shows you how to ride the waves instead of fight the current of your life, learn how to make best use of what’s coming in future years, and understand why things happened as they did in the past. Jean will guide you to discover who you really came here to be, recognize the true nature of everyone you meet, and break free of old limitations—and create a life of conscious vitality, joy, ease and love!

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