India Books

To the Western mind raised around religions where a supreme being is constantly appealed to and expected to intervene favorably in your lives, Eastern religions can appear baffling. The symbolism, images and beliefs seem contradictory to the Judeo-Christian theses. However, there is a lot of similarity between the religions, as all have as their basis a fundamental code of ethics.
Hawkins covers the origin of Buddhism from the time of Gautama, the spread throughout the Asian continent, the major variants and the extent to which it is currently practiced. No short book could possibly cover all aspects of a complex religion, and this book is no exception. However, if you are someone who was raised in a Judeo-Christian culture and are interested in learning the basics of Buddhism, this book is an excellent choice of material.

This book is an exceptional introduction for the beginner in Buddhism. It covers all the major points in a form that is easily understood. The author clearly has a deep understanding of Buddhism, but has gone to great lengths to write in a style that is accessible to the average person. Highly recommended for those beginning their study of this fascinating religion.

A brilliant collection of essays. Excellently selected, well edited and full of ideas which demand attention. Perhaps the net effect can best be summed up as scraping away of some old and spreading out smoothly of fresh clean gomaya - the result is a whole new set of answers, questions and provocations. Most of us will have copies of some of the papers, but almost certainly not all and certainly not in such a handy format. This book is an essential item on any buddhologist's bookshelf (come to think of it perhaps Greg can send his niece - see the nice anecdote in his introduction - a copy so she will learn what a good buddhologist does)

This book is every bit as excellent as Schopen's prior publication. He has an incredible knack for taking what you'd think are boring, dusty details and breathing life into them in order to really explore what Buddhism was in India. This guy never assumes anything, and you never come away from his books with the same view of Buddhism as you had before. And he writes with clarity and verve, which is so painfully rare in the scholarly world today.

Some people suffer many diseases and try to find a therapist for their own. Somehow it's not possible , they died before they discovered a real therapist.
You can make a try to be a Buddhist.
By reading this book and some more good titles.
You can read some sutta online appeared in
www.accesstoinsight.org
Let's give it a try.
This book contains many years of psychotherapy experiences.
Why not try to do it with your own case.

This book is written by A Fulbright scholar, Dr. Nissanka.
It contains a real case with reference to 2500 years old scripture.

No matter how long it takes from now,
Buddhist Psychotherapy never dies.
Pali Canon (Buddhist Tipitaka )contains lots of hidden assets.
It just depends on who can apply it. The author understand Buddhist Pali Canon very well and it lead to many successful cases.

Mark Epstein, M.D. wrote "Going to Pieces without Fall apart ", "Thought without a Thinker" also is a Buddhist Phyisican too!

There are a lot of books in print on Burma's current problems, and the struggle for human rights. Shelby Tucker's book is the only one that I have seen that shows how Burma's current struggles are not merely the result of the current junta's misrule, but also grow out of Burma's post-war history. He also discusses both Aung San's strengths, and his failings, making him much more human than much of the current literature. He also covers the struggles of Burma's minorities, and the drug trade, giving one a good overview of a troubled country.

'A punchy, well-balanced history ... He packs in a lot of information about geography, ethnicity and the details of Burma's tumultuous past.' Literary Review

'This book is a rare treat ... Interwoven with Tucker's stylish and humorous chronicle, is an informative account of Kachin history and culture, and a lucid exposition of the complex subject of Burma's troubled political history and decades of civil war and suffering'. Bulletin of the Burma Studies Group

'One of the most comprehensive accounts of modern Burmese history written in recent years. He outlines Burma's descent into chaos after independence from Britain in 1948, and gives his view on why the country has been engulfed since then in civil war.' Far Eastern Economic Review

'Written with fluency and verve, the book has to be regarded as a standard work and is indispensable for the understanding of the travails of modern Burma.' John McEnery, author of 'Epilogue in Burma'

'He is endlessly fascinating and well-informed on this little known region of Asia'. Times Literary Supplement

By His Grace, is a true story based on the belief that advanced souls, actual divine beings, come into our lives, unbeknownst to us at first, to help us advance spiritually. "We are not following the guru; the guru actually is following us. I say this because I have found it in my own life, my own personal experience, and I have seen it in the case of others, too. Babaji came to me himself, unsought, unknown."

So begins the story of Dada Mukerjee, economics professor at respected Allahabad University and responsible family man, as he describes his struggle to come to terms with his faith when a wandering sadhu, a barefoot holy man dressed in a plaid blanket, walks into his life. Read Dada's honest and sensitive sharing of both, his transformation from a skeptical professor to a close devotee, and the divine being who inspired such devotion, Neem Karoli Baba.

How do you describe Neem Karoli Baba? It is said his very name was associated with miracles and mystery. He was often seen in more than one place at one time. He existed only to serve others. He helped alleviate the suffering of so very many people... and reportedly still does, though he left his body in 1973. He had the power to open people's hearts. He was kindness itself. Dada wrote, "His great power, the miracles and such, no doubt were there, but the very soft, delicate, sweet and innocent impressions left by him provided a perennial source of joy- the human aspect."

The pages of the book, filled with rare photographs printed on smooth paper, satiny and cool to the touch, are as easy to keep turning, as are the stories easy to keep reading. Lovingly edited, with a glossary of Hindu terms, you find yourself effortlessly drawn into life with Dada, his fellow devotees, and Neem Karoli Baba himself.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book. We know there are many valid paths to God, and By His Grace is a first class story about the path of love and devotion to the divine, devotion to guru, and conversion of the human heart. Here I got my questions answered about how to tell whether a being is actually worthy of your devotion and whether someone actually is your guru, both crucial to your spiritual path. This is an interactive book, too, because it will make you question your faith, and then help you build it, too. "When Maharajji had drawn anyone to him, he cared for and protected that person. He would provide whatever was needed."

Two more books I highly recommend about Neem Karoli Baba, are Miracle of Love, compiled by Ram Dass, and The Near and The Dear, also by Dada Mukerjee. Miracle of Love, I read almost twenty years ago and the deep faith I found within those stories has sustained and comforted me ever since.
I hope you will read one of these books, and that you will find within them much spiritual fulfillment, comfort and guidance. Peace.

This is one of those rare books that is often overlooked. This book is a compilation of stories and accounts of the author's life with Neem Karoli Baba, also known as Maharaji or "The Great King." Dada Mukerjee was renowned as one of Maharaji's closest hands of divine devotion in the Indian community. This book aligns with the lineage of devotional writings from such inspirational people as Ram Dass and Bhagavan Das among others in recounting timeless experiences spent with this great saint of India! Check this one out if you will! Hari Hari Hari RAM!
Peace to all!

This book is extraordinary. The multiple prefaces and introductions alone are worthy of five stars. I find the translations of the text itself to be well-balanced.

Dimock and Stewart's translation of the Caitanya Caritamrta (The Nectar of the Acts of Caitanya) is a readable and extremely well-researched edition of the biography of Sri Caitanya, a 16th century Bengali ascetic who is believed by Gaudiya Vaisnavas to have been the androgynous dual incarnation of Krsna and Radha. The lengthy introduction and notes on translation provide readers unfamiliar with the tradition with all the background they need to appreciate the layers of meaning hidden in the text and the narrative strategies of Krsnadasa that come across so well in this translation. For more background, read Dimock's 1966 book, "The Place of the Hidden Moon". a true classic in the literature of South Asian studies. Highly recommended.

Having similar background & experienced "emigrating" experiences to Canada & US, I connected easily to the experiences of the immigrant. So little has been written about Guyana, its people & its trials thus far. This is insightful,informative,descriptive, humourous,& moving,tinged with exotic Indian flavor & romance.

Having similar background & experienced "emigrating" experiences to Canada & US, I connected easily to the experiences of the immigrant. So little has been written about Guyana, its people & its trials thus far. This is insightful,informative,descriptive, humourous,& moving,tinged with exotic Indian flavor & romance.

Told from the cat's point of view -- a lovely story of the love and yearning of a wild animal to coexist with Man "kind" -- but is man really kind in this book? Cat, who has to prove his worth, and even then needs to keep his wits about him, seems to be the nobler animal in this book.

And speaking of noble animals, those animals that the cat speaks to, who "surely" have a good life in this world, shock him by letting him know exactly how -- "sacred" and stray alike -- they are really treated by humanity: ignored or brutalized or both....

Shows that human nature has not changed over the eons, eh?

A great read. A sobering read.

Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson's Billi engaged me right away and kept me engaged in a wonderful journey into the psyche of one amazingly enticing cat. I have people buying this book for relatives and friends for Christmas and reading it themselves, of course.

Everyone can learn something from listening to this wise cat go on its journey from the wilds into society.

Some, like me, will fall in love with him, understand his struggles and give him a special place in our hearts.

This book is a superb book for those with an open mind and for those who are not aware how the christian missionary appratus is working for the past two millenia in the process of annihilation of native religions, cultures and nations. For those who enjoy the books of Ram Swarup, Goel and Koenrad Elst, this book is one more brick in the ideological strengthening of hindu nationalism and their appreciation of other peaceful nonsemetic national cultures. The author is a great original thinker.His writings will definitely open readers mind and made them to think more. A must for any indologistas to a gullible reader, who is fed by the staple stuff written by marxists,mullahas/missionaries/hindu baiters/alieanted hindus. This book is not to be read but need to be preserved in the personnal collections of all truth seekers. This is is one of my personaal clooections and I read it many times.

THis Review is BY Scholar, author eminent Indian thinker, Sita Ram Goel (OF VOICE OF INDIA FAME....WEBSITE//WWW.VOI.ORG) *********** ***** "It is a remarkable fact," write Fr. Bede, "that the Church has been present in India for over fifteen hundred years and has had for the most part everything in its favor, and yet in all this time hardly two in a hundred of the people has been converted to the christian faith. The position is, indeed, worse even than this figure would suggest, as the vast majority of Christians are concentrated in a very few samll areas and in the greater part of India the mass of people remains today untouched except in a very general way by the christian faith. It is necessary to go even further than this and to say that for the immense majority of the Indian people Christianity still appears as a foreign religion imported from the West and the soul of India remains obstinately attached to its ancient religion. It is simply not a matter of ignorance. This may have been true in the past, but in recent times there has been a remarkable revival of Hinduism, which is more or less consciously opposed to Christianity, and the educated Hindu regards his religion as definitely superior to Christianity."  The state of things described by Fr. Bede would have caused no concern to a normal human mind. There is nothing obstinate about Hindus remaining attached to their ancient religion which has given them a large number of saints, sages and spiritual giants, and enriched them with an incomparable wealth of art, architecture, music and literature. There is nothing wrong with Hindus who find their own religion more satisfying than an alien faith brought in by imperialist invaders. Moreover, Christianity has yet to prove that it has something better to offer in terms of spiritual seeking or vision and attainment. But the missionary mind, unfortunately has never been a normal human mind. It has always suffered from the hallucination that it has a monopoly on truth and that it has a divine command to strive for the salvation of every soul. That alone can explain why the mission in India, instead of dismantling itself, is making determined efforts to regroup and return for yet another assault on Hinduism.  The mission strategists are now making Christianity drop its alien attire and get clothed in Hindu cultural forms. Christianity is being presented as an indigenous faith. Christian theology is being conveyed through categories of Hindu philosophy; Christian worship is being conducted in the manner and with the materials of Hindu puja; Christian sacraments sound like Hindu samskaras; Christian Churches copy the architecture of Hindu temples; Christian hymns are being set to Hindu music; Christian themes and personalities are being presented in styles of Hindu painting; Christian missionaries dress and live like Hindu sannyasins; Christian mission stations look like Hindu ashrams. And so on, all aspects of Christian thought, organization and activity are being disguised in Hindu forms. The fulfilment will be when converts to Christianity proclaim with complete confidence that they are Hindu Christians.  A remarkable book that in a few pages unravels the wily missionaries' ploys. It is said that a million pounds are being used a day by Great Britain alone for conversion to Christianity. Add to that the huge sums that are being invested by the other western powers for the same purpose and one can roughly visualize the immensity of the problem Hinduism faces. To make matters even more difficult Hindus are now burdened with a self-proclaimed secularist Government from which Hindus can only expect opposition of the worst kind and the most heinous of sabotage and damage.  Every Hindu worth the name should read this book. 

Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy (1877-1947) was really somebody. I've owned and eventually given away at least half a dozen copies of this book over the years. I mean, I tend to force it on people. It changed my life.

The writer I'd compare him to, perhaps weirdly, is Joseph Conrad - if the young Conrad had, instead of going to sea, run away to join a museum and become an art historian, curator, philosopher and intellectual bridge between worlds. Certainly both men have a similar way of making you pay attention to every single word, and - this is so rare - repaying that attention with insight, not only into what the author means by what he's saying, but what he's actually talking about ie. the subject under discussion.

In a novelist this is a great thing, but in a historian of thought, art, mythology, metaphysics etc. it's almost miraculous. He spent his life explaining what we look at when we look at art - and why art matters, what it's for. Every sentence that he wrote was written to assist. And these good intentions are almost tangible.

In 1975, I dropped out of architecture and wandered off to become a poet, to the despair of my family and the amusement of my friends. At first this mostly just involved smoking pot and waiting for something to happen. Then I found this book. Just the footnotes are a virtual study guide to the wisdom of the world. Plato and Shankara, Aquinas and Eckhart and Plotinus and the Upanishads etc. It was all new to me back then, this book my door.

It was like my Yoda. It taught me how to read and think and start to know things for myself, and find the next book too, and the book after that. It also, and this was so important, helped me understand (in a way that didn't fall apart the first time someone called me on it) why art of any kind is not only worth doing, but doing well, the best you can. I love this book.

If you're interested in art (in any form, not just pictures on a wall) you will be interested in what he has to say. You might not accept all of his argument, but in the process you'll have thought harder and more clearly about where you stand than you ever normally get the chance to. And you'll learn things you didn't know. Because in this little book, as in all his work, Coomaraswamy is trying to pass on a vast and ancient and fruitful tradition in the best way that he can. And I'm grateful to him for having tried so hard, and succeeded so well.

I mean, it's just a bunch of essays, but hey - go for the paperback. It's cheap and well made (by Dover, a company that knows how to bind books) and you just might like it.

Definitely one of the most accessible works by A.K. Coomaraswamy and a good introduction to his oeuvre, of which the present book is somehow the sinthesis. Themes such as the meaning of art in its universality, the relationship between beauty and truth, and utility of art are developped to their maximum extent. The strenght of the thesis of the author, the almost perfect rigour of his analisys, the impressive richness of documentation provided, are such as to strike one's knowledge on the matter to the point of being able to change reader's relationship to the present reality.