Richard's IT Blog

Big Yoga Read: Modern classics & ancient texts The Upanishads are a profound and revolutionary statement on the nature of reality. Some 3000 years old they begin with such questions as "What is that by knowing which all things are known?", "What makes my mind think, my eyes see, my tongue speak, my body live?", "What happens when this body dies?". Vivid, inspired and highly personal, not so much philosophy as an ecstatic slide show of reality in which all things are one in a world aflame with God.

According to Eknath Easwaran, if all of the Buddhist sutras had been lost and only the Dhammapada remained, that would be enough to understand and appreciate the wisdom of the Buddha. Easwaran's version of the Dhammapada goes a long way to proving this. In a lengthy introduction, Easwaran summarises the life of the Buddha and the main tenets of his thought, including key concepts, such as dharma, karma and nirvana. The language of the Dhammapada is as lucid and flowing as the Psalms or the Sermon on the Mount, and this is why it is one of the most loved and remembered of all Buddhist sutras. Its subject matter, put succinctly, is the training of the mind, which leads to kind thoughts and deeds, which bring peace and freedom from suffering. If you are interested in reading one of the gems of Buddhist literature, this is a good place to start; and if you are looking for a great version of this beloved scripture, you can't do better. Like all great world scripture, the verses here reward re-reading and reflection, prompting you to "strive for wisdom always". --Brian Bruya

Prince Arjuna faced a dilemma that many face sooner or later--whether or not to take action that is necessary yet morally ambiguous. The difference is that Arjuna's action was to wage war against his own family. With the armies arrayed, Arjuna loses his nerve. Krishna, his charioteer and incarnation of divine consciousness, begins to teach him the nature of God and of himself, that Arjuna can attain liberation through union with God, and that there are several available paths. And so the most famous and revered of all Hindu scriptures goes on to teach the paths of knowledge, of devotion, of action, and of meditation, becoming the seed for all the Hindu systems of philosophy and religion that followed. For all of its profundity, Eknath Easwaran manages to translate the Gita in easy prose that neither panders nor obscures. Coupled with his thorough introduction, Easwaran's version comes off on all the levels it should: as a guide to action, as devotional scripture, as a philosophical text, and as inspirational reading. So what does Arjuna finally do? He follows his dharma, of course, as we all must. --Brian Bruya