Month: May 2016

An inspiring account of a western monk and his life’s travels; the ‘stops’ he makes along the way and the wisdom he gathered. Includes many of the Swami’s teachings to different audiences in the United States.

Introduction & Chapter 1  Hinduism – England

Chapter 2  Experience – Chicago and Ganges, MI

Chapter 3  The Goal of all Experience – Chicago

Chapter 4  Why we are what we are – Chicago and Beyond

Chapter 5  Consciousness – Michigan

Chapter 5   Practical Vedanta – Atlanta

Chapter 6 Suffering – Visit in Virginia

Chapter 7 pt 1 Identity – at “the Mountain”

Chapter 7 pt 2  Identity

Chapter 8  Creativity –Chicago Museum

Chapter 9 Onward and Upward – Back to Atlanta

The author’s memories of four additional swamis who were alive when  Six Lighted Windows was published, but are now deceased.

Here are stories of

Swami Lokeshwarananda (Ramakrishna Institute of Culture)
Swami Aseshananda (Vedanta Society of Portland)
Swami Shantaswarupananda (Vedanta Society of Northern California)
Swami Shraddhananda (Vedanta Society of Sacramento)

These were all marvelous swamis who had a tangible spiritual presence. This book enables you to meet these very different yet spiritually inspiring people.

Vedanta Media is happy to present Four More Lighted Windows, read by  its author: Swami Yogeshananda.

Introduction

1 Swami Shanta-Swarupananda

Part 2 Swami Aseshananda

Part 3 Swami Shraddhananda

Part 4 Swami Lokeswarananda

“This book unfolded in the following way: in my capacity as an assistant minister of the Ramakrishna Vedanta Society of London, England in 1973, my work often consisted of visits to colleges and to both public and government schools. They would request someone to come to speak on the subject of “Hinduism,”—always Hinduism, not Vedanta. An item of the school curriculum, Religious Studies, was compulsory and had been for many years: it consisted of Bible, dogmas and church history. But at the time we are speaking of the Empire had ended and the Commonwealth was forming, with its policy of open immigration to former members of the Empire. The schools now had to teach many children who were not Christians.

Religious Studies teachers fortunately realized that they could not force their curriculum on children of other faiths, and were agitated over their lack of training in non-Christian religions. The demand for information was pressing. The government engaged Hilton Educational Publications to create a set of small books as primers for middle school children (American junior high school age). The company asked a bona fide representative of the faith–Buddhism, Islam and so on, to produce a simple introductory book for both teachers and students.

A request came to us at the London Vedanta center to produce (within 30 days !) an illustrated booklet on Hinduism, for which we would of course be paid. Swami Bhavyananda asked me to write the text, find a suitable illustrator, and make it quick!  The final result: a set of five or six books by faith representatives: “The Way of the Jew,” “The Way of the Christian” etc.

That is how “The Way of the Hindu,” was born and the rather remarkable fact is that it is still being printed and used in British schools today.”

-Swami Yogeshananda

1. Introduction

2. The Way begins at dawn

3. Purification

4. Yoga, purification of mind

5. The Yogas of Love, Work, Wisdom, Purification of Mind

6.Hindu Temples

7.God’s presence in the image

8. The Avatar, or human form of God

9. The day’s work begins

10. Dusk and the holy men

11. Where it all began

12. Cosmic Cycles

13. The Aryans

14. The Vedas – worlds oldest religion

15. The Seers of Truth

16. A dialog from the Upanishads

17. The Dravidians

18. The Pilgrimage of Life – Reincarnation

19. The Great Epics – Mahabarata

20. The Baghavad Gita

21. The Four Goals of Life

22. Karma

23. Freedom from Ignorance and Ego

24. Marriage

25. Death – Changing of the Chariot

26. India’s own pilgrimage

27. Religious festivals