Eknath Easwaren a great inter-spiritual teacher

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Eknath Easwaran was a professor of English literature at the University of Nagpur in India

In 1959 he came to the United States as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of California, Berkeley where he taught courses on meditation.

In 1961, Easwaran founded the Blue Mountain Centre of Meditation and Nilgiri Press, based in northern California. Nilgiri Press has published over thirty books that he authored.

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For the last day of 2021 Blue Mountain Meditation Centre posted this wonder-full passage from Saint Augustine

Thought for the Day
Dec 31, 2021
Imagine if all the tumult of the body were to quiet down, along with our busy thoughts . . .. Imagine if all things that are perishable grew still . . .. And imagine if that moment were to go on and on, leaving behind all other sights and sounds but this one vision which ravishes and absorbs and fixes the beholder in joy, so that the rest of eternal life were like that moment of illumination which leaves us breathless.
Saint Augustine
Eknath Easwaran’s Commentary
As I reach the spiritual summit, I hardly feel my body. My mind is still; my ego has been set at rest. The peace in my heart matches the peace at the heart of nature. This is my native state, the state to which I have been striving through the long travail of evolution to return. No longer am I a feverish fragment of life; I am indivisible from the whole.

I live completely in the present, released from the prison of the past with its haunting memories and vain regrets, released from the prison of the future with its tantalizing hopes and tormenting fears. All the enormous capacities formerly trapped in past and future flow to me here and now, concentrated in the hollow of my palm. No longer driven by desire for personal pleasure or profit, I am free to use all these capacities to alleviate the suffering of those around me. In living for others, I come to life.

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Eknath Easwaran teaching what is thought to be the first credit course on meditation offered at a major university in the U.S. at U.C. Berkeley in 1968

see – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eknath_Easwaran
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Easwaran’s program for spiritual growth consists of eight points, and is described comprehensively in his book Passage Meditation – A Complete Spiritual Practice (originally published in 1978 as Meditation). Each point had a dedicated chapter:[58]

  1. Meditation: Silent repetition upon memorized inspirational passages from one of the world’s great religions. Practiced for one-half hour each morning.
  2. The Mantram: silent repetition of a mantram, holy name or hallowed phrase from one of the world’s great religions.
  3. Slowing Down: set priorities to reduce stress and hurry
  4. One-Pointed Attention: give full concentration to whatever matter is currently at hand
  5. Training the Senses: enjoy simple pleasures in order to avoid craving for unhealthy excess
  6. Putting Others First: denounce selfishness and cultivating altruism
  7. Spiritual Companionship: practice meditation in the company of others
  8. Reading the Mystics: draw inspiration from the writings of the scriptures of all religions.

Author: Roger - Dr Roger Prentice

Now I write, teach and coach mainly self-understanding. At advanced levels About 21stC 'interfaith as inter-spirituality' - and how we can grow closer to our True Self. In the past I : . 1) I ran courses and give talks at conferences and in universities and colleges in the UK, China, USA, Canada, Scandinavia etc. . 2) I provided materials, outlines and lessons for Schools. . 3) My range of interests include personal development, learning and teaching, photography and film, the arts generally, spirituality and educational practice and theory. . 4) At the same time I continue developing the human-centred studies SunWALK PDS (People Development System) - a whole-person, high-achievement model for individuals, and for use in, NGOs, schools and other organizations. . 5) The key question that continues to animate me and my work remains, "What is it to be fully and positively human?" . Contact me via onesummit AT gmail DOT com (replace At with@ etc.). . All good wishes Roger (Dr Roger Prentice) . For those interested; My first degree is in English and Education. My masters is in Adult and Community Education. My doctorate presented a new holistic meta-model of education called SunWALK.

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