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More Reviews of SHAFTS OF LIGHT
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| “Sister
Gargi gathered notes she and other disciples had taken
during her Guru’s lectures and received her Guru’s
permission to edit them into a book form. For forty years
she kept this treasure until the last year of her life
when, with the collaboration of fellow Vedantin Shelley
Brown, the notes were compiled and edited into this illuminating
book of eight hundred aphorisms. These quotations are
for the mind and soul like the calm within the storm—deeply
permeated with the grace and radiance of God-Realization:
‘When the mind is perfectly still, the soul becomes
Spirit.’” |
—Light
of Consciousness |
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| “Selections
are choice and provocative indeed and they convey much
humour, depth and inspiration. . . . This is a book from
which passages can be read either in the morning to set
the tenor of the day or in the evening to lift and revitalize
the consciousness after a busy or trying day.” |
—The
Beacon |
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| “Swami
Ashokananda’s instructions and teachings are written
in an easy spoken manner for spiritual seekers who want
to find their way to a higher state of being. Simple instructions
urging us to change our way of life, of the way we think,
so we can find the Spirit and reach the goal of experiencing
God.” |
—Samvit |
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| “Vedanta’s
eternal truths come alive in Swami Ashokananda’s
down-to-earth words of encouragement and advice. These
practical teachings can help readers from all faiths enjoy
a deeper spiritual life.” |
—Leading
Edge Review (Summer 2004) |
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“This
book consists of spiritual teachings and practices based
on Vedanta. It is meant for those who have developed distaste
for a worldly life, characterized by sense enjoyments,
and are, therefore, seeking the true meaning and purpose
of human life. Equally useful for beginners as wee as
advanced aspirants, the book does shed shafts of light,
dispelling the darkness of ignorance from the reader's
heart. For a beginner, the book is a path-breaker; for
an advanced aspirant, reassuring and strengthening; and
for one already established in the goal, well, it should
be a sheer delight. The book will benefit aspirants at
any level, since it deals with Self-knowledge and the
means to attain it.
. . . These meticulously
recorded sayings have a rare appeal; their conversational
tone and their superb topical classification make this
book a spiritual manual of rare worth. There is a clear
and steady flow in the subject from the beginning of the
spiritual pursuit to its end.
Inspiring and illuminating,
this book is highly commended for anyone who has heard
the call of the Spirit.” |
—
Prabuddha Bharata (November 2004) |
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“This
book could take you a hundred years to read properly.
I do not mean this in any pejorative way—quite
the reverse, in fact. For it is a collection of the
most wonderful aphorisms, many spoken off the cuff by
one who lived their meaning.
Shafts
of Light is the last tribute to Swami Ashokananda
by Sister Gargi before she died, and published posthumously.
Collected from the notes taken over 40 years by disciples
of Swami Ashokananda, including Sister Gargi, the aphorisms
have been elegantly assembled into a number of different
subject headings. Part One, called Spiritual Perspectives,
includes sections on The Interference of the Ego and
The Resplendent Self. Part Two, Spiritual Practice,
has sections such as Change Yourself and See God in
All, and so on.
Below
I will mention three or four of the hundreds of gems
within this small book, each of which would be good
fro a day’s (if not a week’s) meditation:
“All
great love becomes reverent. It is like the clam ocean
reflecting the full moon and rising to it in the tides.”
“Purity
in the highest sense comes when we are not aware of
any kind of conflicting element within ourselves; when
our being flourishes and functions without impediment,
and on the highest level.”
“Be
calm and accept with grace whatever comes. If you can
make the mind perfectly calm, you will hear His voice
deep within your heart.”
“I
am fully convinced that until one has learned to serve
a noble cause unselfishly, one is not fit for the deeper
life of contemplation and meditation.” |
—Vedanta
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| “This
book is a valuable guide to the practice of Vedanta. More
than 800 spiritual instructions—expressed in Swami
Ashokananda’s engaging vernacular—illuminate
the path to Self-Knowledge and bring Vedanta’s eternal
truths to the modern mind . . . witty and wise, and down-to-earth
words of encouragement and advice.” |
—ONE!
Magazine |
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“Huston
Smith called Swami Ashokananada (1893–1969), head of
the Vedanta Society of Northern California, ‘a brilliant
and accomplished spiritual teacher in the West.' Sister
Gargi, one of the editors of this illuminating collection
of over 800 spiritual directives to his disciples over
three decades, wrote a biography of him titled Shafts
of Light. Here is a rich deposit of Hindu wisdom
on all dimensions of a life lived in service of God:
‘This is a book about inner light—enlightenment—the
light that floods the center of one's being in deepest
meditation to bring peace and joy; the moment when all
the knots of the heart unravel and one knows truly,
who one is.' It is an excellent resource for anyone
on the spiritual path with sections on spiritual perspectives,
spiritual practice, and the experience of God. As an
adherent of Advaita (nondual) Vedanta, Swami Ashokananda
was a believer in the divinity of all life and he constantly
tried to alert his disciples to the presence of the
Supreme One within. He taught meditation and always
emphasized the importance of attention and patience.
“'Spiritual
growth is very, very slow.' Said Swami Ashokananda.
‘What is needed is continuity of effort.' There are
many teachers in the people, places, and things around
us. It is good to stay alert less we miss the divine
speaking to us. ‘Suffering and misery are part of existence;
let them do their job. Rise above them; then comes exultation.'
Most of us squirm and try to evade the troubles that
come our way. Here the advice is to move through them
let them teach us what we must learn.
“We
are glad to see that Swami Ashokananda emphasized enthusiasm
as a virtue: ‘Our troubles in spiritual life are symptoms
of our lack of enthusiasm. One sure way to overcome
spiritual difficulties is to come in contact with people
who are eagerly seeking God and learn from them.' Equanimity
is another virtue: ‘Attachment to God—that is what is
called detachment.'
“These
wise teachings by Swami Ashokananda can be used as a
light by all those on the path of spiritual maturity.” |
—Frederic
and Mary Ann Brussat in Spirituality & Health
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(NOTE:
Shafts of Light was reviewed in conjunction
with The Vedanta Way to Peace and Happiness
by Swami Adiswarananda in the SPIRITUAL READING section
of the July 15, 2004 issue of Library Journal .)
“Vedanta,
a kind of essentialized successor to Hinduism, and once
a highly fashionable path, has been somewhat in abeyance
of late; two recent publications suggest that its stock
may once again be on the rise . . . While Vedanta itself
may be a tough sell in the materialistic West, these
works form an able introduction.” |
—
Library Journal |
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| “Every
so often a special book comes out that we enjoy reading
and is worth a special spotlight in our newsletter. We
are therefore pleased to present Shafts of Light:
The Selected Teachings of Swami Ashokananda for Spiritual
Practice .” |
—
Newsletter@vedanta.org. |
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| "Gleaned
from the notes taken by Sister Gargi and other disciples
of Swami Ashokananda, the passages in this volume, many
no longer than a sentence, are a treasury of guidance,
clarity, and encouragement to spiritual sojourners. Vibrant
and practical in style, the Swami’s words were especially
directed to and for the Western mind and heart. . . .
The section on spiritual practice is brimming with helpful
tips." |
—Sri
Sarada Society Newsletter |
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| “Indeed
[ Shafts of Light ] is a very valuable presentation
for the spiritual aspirants. They need lights—‘Lead kindly
light, Lead thou me on.' For the seekers of light, this
is a very valuable presentation.” |
—SWAMI
ATMASTHANANDA, Vice-President of the Ramakrishna Math
and Ramakrishna Mission |
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| “To
me the book is really illuminating. I sincerely appreciated
Sister Gargi's describing the talks of Swami Ashokananda
as a ‘spiritual treasure trove.'” |
—SWAMI
MUMUKSHANANDA, Head, Advaita Ashrama |
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| “Shafts
of Light is a beautifully compact publication and will,
I am sure, be of great value to spiritual seekers around
the world.” |
—DR.
KARAN SINGH |
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| “Those
shafts of light emanating from a realized person are destined
to enlighten immumerable souls.” |
—PROFESSOR
SANKARI PRASAD BASU |
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| “Thanks
very much for your thoughtfulness in sending me a copy
of “Shafts of Light.” I’m glad to
have it. I remember when you [Shelley Brown] were first
wrestling with the daunting task of distilling the vast
stores of learning and teaching embodied in these beliefs.
Congratulations on this huge achievement.”
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—WILLIAM
ZINSSER, author of On Writing Well and Writing
About Your Life |
