India Books

Alain Daniélou (1907-1994) spent nearly two decades immersed in the traditional society of India. Using only the Sanskrit and Hindi languages he had mastered to fluency, he studied music, philosophy and yoga with eminent scholars and practitioners, ultimately becoming a professor at Benares Hindu University and director of its College of Indian Music. He was in the course of his sojourn in India duly initiated into an esoteric lineage of Shaivism - to which he was an enthusiastic convert - which gave him unimpeded access to authentic texts transmitted through the oral tradition alone for countless generations, an access unique for a Westerner. He was the author of more than thirty books on the religion, history, society, culture and arts of India and while calling Alain Danielou one of the twentieth century's greatest Orientalists says says something about the man, it falls far short of encompassing the breadth and depth of his knowledge and vision.

Based on original Sanskrit sources, "Yoga: Mastering the Secrets of Matter and the Universe" gives an authentic account of the scope and methods of yoga in its different forms, including the challenging "left-hand" paths, as well as practices best suited to Western students.

Hatha yoga is the name given to the technical practices and disciplines by which the body and the vital energies can be brought under control. Far from being a simple system for the promotion of physical fitness, yoga is a complete system of self-development, embracing the body, mind, spirit and beyond. It is exhaustive in its elaboration, owing this to meticulous research into the ancient texts such as the Upanishads. On the macrocosmic level of conception, yoga is alchemy, pure if not simple: that is, the means by which matter can be trained to run in harness controlled by the will of the practitioner via the cultivation of "Siddhis," or mental powers of special potency and efficacy.

First published in 1949 under the title "Yoga: The Method of Reintegration," this is one of the first detailed texts that outlines the purpose and practice of all aspects of yoga for the Western reader. "Yoga: Mastering the Secrets of Matter and the Universe" brings this very ancient and important science to a level that is easier for the Westerner who has not grown up in the presence of the thinking that characterizes yoga's practice to understand. Translations of original Sanskrit texts, a bibliography, and useful illustrations are included in the book which further clarify its subject.

This small volume (192 pages) is arranged into an introduction and three main sections with appendices that provide superlative references. The Introduction leads into the historical and philosophical underpinnings and practical applications of yoga. This is not the yoga that Westerners tend to substitute for jogging or visits to the gym, but the fruit of ancient knowledge gleaned from the Vedas and their expositors. Danielou provides a sketch of the cosmology of the ages, or Yugas, and a detailed explanation of the current age - the Kali Yuga, or the "Age of Conflicts." Yoga - as it is understood by its revelators and by the author - is that which allows the individual to comprehend and control his being and his world - a special knowledge required in this current age.

The book's first part deals with the aims and objectives of Hatha Yoga, the yoga most familiar to the West.. There are eight steps in its goal of mastering the physical body and these include the postures (asanas), muscular contractions (bandhas), and gestures (mudras). The critically important techniques of breathing (pranayama) are described here as well as acts of purification (kriyas). Advanced steps include withdrawal of sensory awareness from external stimuli, intensely focused concentration, contemplation and identification. Also described are the other main methods of yoga including Raja Yoga, Mantra Yoga in an especially excellent chapter ("Reintegration through Hermetic Formulae"), Laya Yoga and Shiva Yoga. These all have the same general introductory steps and practices, but diverge into distinctiveness in their later, more advanced practices.

Part Two explains forms of yoga apart from hatha yoga that also promote mastery and integration: karma yoga is integration through action (i.e., right action without thought of merit as outlined in the Bhagavad Gita), jnana yoga (integration through knowledge, study and reflection), and bhakti yoga (integration through loving devotion). These different forms of yoga (along with many others) reveal that even in the remotest past, the goal of self-development and mastery was unity with the absolute, as reflected in the concept of Satchitananda (Sat-chit-ananda, Being-Consciousness-Bliss). The diverse forms of yoga provide the aspirant of any given temperament a path that suits her or him.

Part Three deals with the concept of "initiation." The author emphasizes that in every stage of yoga the chela or student must have a guru or guide. The nature of the student and teacher is addressed here. The rules relating to the aspirant's manner of living, diet, conduct, social relations and relations with the guru are also outlined, and there is a section on obstacles encountered on the student's path.

Several detailed and useful appendices are provided by the author, dealing with the structure and function of the subtle or energetic body, the Siddhis or special yogic powers, the 84 asanas (postures) and the result of their practice, references from the main Sanskrit treatises on yoga, and footnotes in Sanskrit, useful for the scholar.

The deep knowledge and scholarship that are the fruit of the decades spent by the author studying with Indian pandits of the Hindu tradition are revealed in a work that is detailed and painstakingly researched. "Yoga: Mastering the Secrets of Matter and the Universe" will appeal to the serious student of yoga from any tradition or lineage. It contains the distilled wisdom and experience of countless millennia and innumerable generations of practitioners, seekers and teachers, but is completely relevant to the present day.

For those just beginning to tread the path of yoga not everything will be understood upon first reading. There are steps to be followed in any process of growth, and followed with right intention and purposeful striving, this book will help you on your way along a genuine path of growth for body, mind and spirit.

Brings this very ancient and important subject to a level that is easier to understand. The author has an in depth knowledge of all things related to the traditions of India.

Finally! A book that's completely devoted to an explanation of the Yamas and Niyamas of Ashtanga Yoga. Ashtanga Yoga (the eight-limbed path of yoga) is comprised of the yamas, niyamas, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and samadhi. Yogabhumika fully fleshes out the ideas behind the yamas and niyamas. These relate to particular disciplines or ways to live in the world. The yamas relate to external disciplines (non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, etc.) while the niyamas relate to internal disciplines (cleanliness, contentment, study of the Self, etc.).

The yamas and niyamas have been discussed in many texts on yoga, but they have never made as much sense as they do in Dr. Shankaranarayana Jois' (a.k.a. Acharya) text. Mostly this is due to the contemporary style and language that he uses to convey his ideas, his comand of the english language, and his understanding that he is wrting to a mostly western audience. Acharya uses very clear examples to explain the yamas and niyamas, with a healthy mix of ancient stories and modern-day life experiences.

But the real genius of this book isn't simply an intellectual exercise in understanding yoga. Because K. L. Shankaranarayana Jois holds a Ph.D in yoga, is a recently retired professor of Sanskrit, has a degree in Ayruveda, and is a hereditary Vedic astrologer, his understanding and depth of being are communicated through his words in this book, acting as a "shaktipat" of sorts to the attuned reader.

This book is an absolute 'must' for any serious student of Yoga.

Dr. Jois has "written a book" in the everyday sense of that phrase, but the ideas will fly from the page directly into your heart. Dr. Jois expounds on the usual five yamas and niyamas, communicating ancient keystones of the Ideal Life with energetic prose. He goes further, however, by expanding the yamas to include ten and the niyamas to include twelve. These rarely explicated gems alone make the book worth reading, but Dr. Jois also includes a chapter on "The Purpose of Human Life" and "Path to Realization". This is the Desert Island Book for me (if I only had one book on a desert island...).

There are two books you should own for referencing vedic yogas, B.V Raman's 300 Important Combinations and Charak's Yogas in Astrology. Both are excellent books, but I do notice that I typically grab Charak's book from the book shelf first.

His style of writing is clear and concise. I have many of his other books as well and I have not been disappointed.

A need for a good,modern,and carefully written book on Yogas in (Hindu)Astrology was long due,Dr.Charak has done the required work in brilliant way.The book has complete systematic method for analsyis and interpratation of various Yogas.(Planetary Combination,in Hindu Astrology)The book is based on Parashari system of Astrology.The book is well written and constructed.The much ignored Nabhasas Yogas are also investigated in the book.In order to make the art of Yogas interpratation very clear, Dr.Charak has very wisely used the famous Gaja Kesari Yoga,as an example to explain the whole approach to interpret and analysis the yogas. It would not be out of place to mention that after long long time,ever since late Prof.B.Suryanarayana Rao wrote a book on Yogas in early 1900,s this is the only quality book,available in the market,written by a deeply serious writer who is also known for his clarity of expression and richness of material. A dispassionate reader will not be slow to recognise the fact that the book as written furnishes good food for reflective minds,especially because the book is written by Dr.KS Charak,in his own inimitable style.I heartily recommend the book to all lovers of Indian Astrology.

It's a real shame that this book is out of print. This is one of the great, classic studies of the history of the development of Zen. Volume 1 (this one) covers the antecedents of Zen in India to its development in China. Volume 2 covers Zen in Japan. I've only read volume 1, but I learned a lot about both the history of Zen and also its philosophy. Dumoulin is one of the great scholars of the history of Zen, and although he is not always philosophically acute, you will get some genuine insights into Zen doctrine by reading this. (Of course, according to Zen, the doctrine isn't really what's important!)

A detailed survey that begins in India with the historic Buddha, Sakyamuni, and finishes with the decline of Zen in China. The amount of detail would be overwhelming if Dumoulin hadn't digested it so well and hadn't written so well. Packed no only with historical events and persons, there are many observations and insights that reveal not only how Zen developed but the extent of diversity and challenges within it.

There were some highlights for me: the roots of Zen in yoga (hence the emphasis on the lotus pose for zazen), the importance of the Mahayana sutras with all the work to translate them into Chinese, the interplay of Buddhism with Taoism in China that led to Zen, the persecution of Buddhism in China that only Zen and Pure Land survived, and the settling down into the methods of regular zazen and koan practice. The differing views on enlightenment and other key Buddhist concepts as well as on meditation practice reveals that Zen was ever exploratory and many things to many of its masters and those who followed them.

Remarkably NeoConfucianism eventually gathered strength so as to be able to successfully pushed Zen into decline. This volume closes with Chinese Zen in a decline from which it never recovered. Dumoulin explains how NeoConfucianist scholars were able to weaken the hold of Zen upon the Chinese such that Zen only was able to progress outside of China. Thar Zen later prospered in Japan did not lead to its rehabiilation within China so one is left wondering if Japanese Zen largely succeeded due to not facing a NeoConfucian challenge within Japan: all the more reason to read carefully Dumoulin's history of why Zen declined in China. I find it impossible to wonder if Japanese Zen, however much it flourished there, did so to some extent by avoiding the challenges that Zen faced in China. Any such questions may be answered by a careful reading of both this Volume 1 and the companion but consensus seem less to be found than a struggle by many that shaped the tradition without bringing it closure.

Zen Buddhism, Volume 2: A History (Japan) (Treasures of the World's Religions)

700 million Indians... none of whom are currently wearing deodorant. What an untapped market this is. Thanks to this book, I'll be rich beyond my wildest dreams. Worth every penny.

If you cherish "As a Man Thinketh," then "Above Life's Turmoil" will not fail you. In this book, Allen disects the human condition and like a master physician, he offers solutions in his haunting and truthful style. This book is beautiful. As with Allen's other works, I re-visit the pages of this book often. Read it yourself and see why.

In this work, Babb asks an interesting question. Why would Jains fast and starve themselves when they believe that the beings they worship are not only unaware of their existence but also can in no way help them even if they wanted? It is a fascinating book that explores this as well as ritual in jain culture. It is based mostly on the authors work in India. It is quite descriptive and can be understood by all as he expains many aspects of Jainist thought.

In addition to describing the various rituals in play, the author also gives a very thorough explanation of the dieties and their roles. Furthermore, he effectively compares Jainism with Hinduism and Buddhism making the distinction much clearer. This is a difficult task when dealing with Indian religions. Finally, Babb does an excellent job of incorporating the ideas and stories of the people he interviewed into the work.

This is a path-breaking study of tribal-hinduism cultural interface, hopefully students and scholars will make use of it to reject the notion of "great" v/s "little" traditions of Hinduism.

Yes, this book is written by V.S. Naipal's father. I found when I sought out and read it, after studying "A House for Mr. Biswas" in university, that it read very much like the landmark book of V.S. Naipal. I learned more about the relationship between father and son, and how finally the father's book came to be published, and it put "A House for Mr. Biswas" in a whole new light. I highly recommend reading these two books together for anyone that "A House for Mr. Biswas" really appealed to, as it did me. I will not say more about Seepersad Naipal's book, so as not to influence the reader, and as well, I recommend learning more about the relationship between these two men. The father's seeming obscurity as compared to his son's being very well known juxtaposes in a very interesting way while reflecting on their respective literary works. Edna K.

After Empire is a revealing window into identity and displaced cultures. The novelists featured are themselves unique writers and have interesting personal journies that are reflected in the book. While at first reading the book may appear academic in approach, it is certainly not an intimidating read for those with an interest in literature and the way in which race, ethnicity and culture form individual and national identity. An intellectually challenging and fascinating exploration of the perspectives of the colonisers and the colonised .