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길은 없지만 가야 할 길 - 최준식 교수, 구루이기를 거부한 유지 크리슈나무르티를 설하다

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길은 없지만 가야 할 길
최준식 교수, 구루이기를 거부한 유지 크리슈나무르티를 설하다
최준식 저 | 하늬바람에영글다 | 2015년 05월 10일리뷰 총점9.0 정보 더 보기/감추기 회원리뷰(2건) 베스트 세계종교 top20 57주

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발행일 2015년 05월 10일
쪽수, 무게, 크기 256쪽 | 490g | 153*224*20mm
ISBN13 9791195369928
ISBN10 1195369921

2023년 12월 29일 ~ 2024년 01월 31일
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책소개
한국인이 쓴 최초의 인도 성자 연구서

그간 인도의 구루나 요기라 불리는 분들의 이야기는 번역서 일색이었다. 이번에 최준식 교수의 [길은 없지만 가야 할 길]은 한국인이 쓴 최초의 인도 성자 연구서다.
인도에는 두 명의 유명한 크리슈나무르티가 있다. 그동안 우리가 알고 있는 성자 크리슈나무르티는 대개 지두 크리슈나무르티를 일컫는 지칭이었다. 그러나 지두가 가진 영성과 지성을 뛰어넘는 안티-성자 유지 크리슈나무르티가 있다는 것을 알게 된 저자 최준식 교수는 한국인의 관점에서 한국인들에게 적합한 메시지를 정리하였다.

책의 일부 내용을 미리 읽어보실 수 있습니다. 미리보기

목차
맨 앞에서 : 왜 그리고 어떻게 나는 이 책을 쓰게 되었을까? 8
유지 크리슈나무르티 전에 지두 크리슈나무르티를 알아야 27

서장 : 지두 크리슈나무르티에 대해
간략한 지두 크리슈나무르티의 사상, 그리고 약간은 신지학회에 대해 30
신지학회는 어떤 단체? 32
지두가 미륵이라고? 35
이른바 쿤달리니 체험이란? 41
드디어 깨어나는 지두의 쿤달리니 에너지 43
대체 이 큰 스승들의 정체는 무엇일까? 48
추종자들을 해산하고 신지학회를 떠나는 지두 52

본장 : 도대체 유지 크리슈나무르티는 누구인가? 60
자신은 보통사람이라고 우기는 최고의 성자, 유지 크리슈나무르티 61

I. 유지의 일생_ 쿤달리니 에너지의 대폭발을 정점으로
유지의 탄생과 유년기 62
구루의 위선을 밝힌 첫 번째 사건 67
유지와 라마나 마하리쉬의 별볼일없는 만남 71
유지와 욕망에 대해서 74
유지와 지두는 어떤 관계? 77
유지와 지두의 본격적인 만남 82
유지는 맹렬히 공격하고 지두는 점잖게 수비하는 그들의 토론 방식 85
병 고치는 신유(神癒)의 능력을 지닌 지두 87
인도를 떠나는 유지 크리슈나무르티 93
가족을 떠나는 유지 95
부유하는 유지 크리슈나무르티 99
평생의 반려자 발렌타인을 만나다! 107
발렌타인은 어떤 사람? 111
사아넨에서 112
서서히 다가오는 대폭발 114
드디어 본격적인 변화가 일어나기 시작하다! 120
이른바 ‘자연 상태(Natural State)’는 어떻게 진행되었을까? 126
첫쨋날 현상 126
둘쨋날 현상 127
셋쨋날 현상 130
넷쨋날 현상 131
다섯쨋날 현상 133
여섯쨋날 현상 134
일곱쨋날 현상 134
그 이후 유지의 몸에 생기는 변화 137
폭발 이후… 142
II. 유지를 알 수 있는 재미있는 이야기들 142
인류는 신에서 해방되어야 142
구루라고 불리는 영적 스승에게서도 벗어나야 152
유지의 몸에 나타난 또 다른 변화 163
소탈하기 짝이 없는 유지 168
유지의 최후 174
III. 유지의 가르침에 대해 176
모든 것은 생각에서 유래한 헛된 것일 뿐.특히 나라는 개념은 망상… 177
모든 것은 생각에서 유도된 것! 180
인간으로 하여금 고통에 빠질 수밖에 없게 만드는 생각! 182
조심해서 받아들여야 할 유지의 가르침 184
너무 단순해 이해하기 어려운 유지의 가르침 187
기존의 명상법에 대한 유지의 견해는? 190
그러면 우리보고 어떻게 하라는 말인가? 192
자연 상태라고 하지만 너무나도 도달하기 힘든, 아니 아예 도달 불가능! 197
유지의 체험이 우리에게 주는 의미는? 202
초보자들에게는 적합하지 않은 유지의 가르침. 지두를 거쳐 유지로 205
그래도 남는 의문점들 . 유지의 가르침에서 드는 의문 208
IV. 남은 이야기. 유지와 동시대에 살았던 다른 구루들 이야기 212
라마나 마하리쉬의 최후에 대해 213
라마크리슈나의 최후는? 217
유지와 지두의 관계를 정리하며. 그리고 지두의 최후에 대하여 224
지두의 최후 234
. 드디어 대단원의 막을 내리면서 239
. 후기 243


2016년 04월 21일

저자 소개
저자 : 최준식
이화여대 한국학과 교수/인간의식연구센터 대표 학부는 서강대학교 사학과에서 한국사를 전공하고 대학원은 미국 템플대 종교학과에서 종교학을 전공했다. 1992년부터 이화여대 한국학과 교수로 있으면서 한국학과 종교학, 그리고 죽음학을 연구했다. 종교적인 주제 가운데에서는 인간의 의식에 가장 큰 관심을 갖고 무의식과 초의식(trans-consciousness)에 집중해 연구하고 있다. 수년 전에 홀로 인간의식연구센터를 ...
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만든 이 코멘트저자, 역자, 편집자를 위한 공간입니다. 독자들에게 전하고 싶은 말씀을 남겨주세요.코멘트 쓰기
접수된 글은 확인을 거쳐 이 곳에 게재됩니다.
독자 분들의 리뷰는 리뷰 쓰기를, 책에 대한 문의는 1:1 문의를 이용해 주세요.

출판사 리뷰
한국인이 쓴 최초의 인도 성자 연구서


그간 인도의 구루나 요기라 불리는 분들의 이야기는 번역서 일색이었다. 이번에 최준식 교수의 [길은 없지만 가야 할 길]은 한국인이 쓴 최초의 인도 성자 연구서다.
인도에는 두 명의 유명한 크리슈나무르티가 있다. 그동안 우리가 알고 있는 성자 크리슈나무르티는 대개 지두 크리슈나무르티를 일컫는 지칭이었다. 그러나 지두가 가진 영성과 지성을 뛰어넘는 안티-성자 유지 크리슈나무르티가 있다는 것을 알게 된 저자 최준식 교수는 한국인의 관점에서 한국인들에게 적합한 메시지를 정리하였다. 불안한 시간을 견디고 있는 우리들에게 유지 크리슈나무르티 사상의 정수를 뽑아 친절하게 설명한다. 유지 크리슈나무르티는 그 어떤 저서도 남기지 않았고, 그 어떤 조직도 만들지 않았고, 추종자들의 스승, 구세주이기를 거부한 이 시대 최고의 성자였다. 성자라는 말을 쓸 수 없는 안티-성자라는 말이 더 어울릴 것이다. 인도의 성자, 구루라 불리는 사람들의 삶은 유지에게 걸리면 여지없이 발가벗겨져 위선적인 모습이 그대로 대중들에게 공개되어 안티-성자라는 말이 전혀 어색하지 않다.
쿤달리니 각성을 통해 그 누구도 경험하지 못한 깨달음을 얻었지만, 그런 깨달음은 없다고 주장하는 유지의 목소리를 통해, 현대적 의미의 깨달음이 뭔지, 그렇다면 깨닫지 못한 우리들은 과연 어떻게 살아야 하는지를 함께 고민하는 시간을 가졌으면 하는 바람이다.
육체의 변화를 통해 기존의 영성이나 정신세계의 관념과 지식을 철저히 부숴버리고 새로운 지평을 열어준 유지 크리슈나무르티의 한국어 연구서 출간은, 이제 우리 의식이 한 단계 도약했음을 보여주는 의미 있는 일이라 할 수 있다.

책 속에서 한마디

그와 추종자들의 모습에서는 스승에 대한 신성한 존숭이나 복종, 경배 같은 것은 아예 보이지 않는다. 추종자들이 그를 부를 때에도 그저 ‘유지’라고 부를 뿐이지 선생님이니 스승님이니 하는 그런 경칭이 없었다. 서로 논쟁을 하다 낄낄거리며 웃고 그러다 한동안 가만히 있다가 질문이 생기면 아무 부담 없이 질문을 던지고 또 그 질문에 대답한다. 또 그러다 가고 싶으면 떠나고 다 그런 식이었다. 이런 사람이 지구상에 있었고 같은 하늘 아래에서 살았다는 것이 신기하기만 하다.
그동안 이 책을 쓰면서 유지에 관한 책은 말할 것도 없고 그를 찍은 동영상을 많이 보았는데 그가 진실로 이 시대 최고의 성자라는 것을 인정하는 데 인색하고 싶지 않다. 독자 여러분들도 이 책을 읽고 나면 그런 느낌이 날 것이다. 여러분들이 이 책에 서술된 유지의 모습에서 진정한 성자 혹은 종교인이 어떤 사람인지를 깨닫게 된다면 더할 나위 없이 좋겠다. 이렇게 그를 높이 평가하지만 나는 개인적으로 그를 만나고 싶은 생각이 전혀 없다. 물론 그는 이미 타계하고 없으니 만날 수도 없지만 만날 수 있다 하더라도 만날 필요가 없다. 그가 항상 밝히듯이 자신은 줄 것이 아무것도 없다는데 만나서 무엇을 받겠는가.



원문주소 : https://blog.yes24.com/document/9845729


그가 지적하는 우리들의 문제는 다음과 같다. 우리가 하는 것은 모두 생각의 소산이다. 우리는 이 생각을 멈추게 해야 한다. 왜냐하면 이 생각은 자기의 유지에만 관심이 있어서 나와 남을 갈라놓아 남에게 배타적으로 만들기 때문이다. 그래서 폭력적일 수밖에 없다. 우리는 생각을 해야 인간이 되는 줄 알지만 우리 인간은 바로 이 생각 때문에 항상 고통 속에 살고 있다. 따라서 생각을 멈추어야 진정한 해방을 얻을 수 있다. 그러면 이 생각을 멈추기 위해서는 무엇을 어떻게 해야 할까? 그에 따르면 방법은 없다.

인연이 오는 대로 하기만 하면 된다. 어떤 일이든 크게 집착할 필요 없다. ‘그저 그러려니’하면서 수용하면 된다. 그러다가 화가 나면 나는 것이고 기분이 좋아지면 그저 좋으면 된다. 유지 가르침의 역설이 여기에 있다.
1명이 이 리뷰를 추천합니다.공감1 댓글 0접어보기


종이책 유지라는 명상가에 대한 책.
평점10점 | YES마니아 : 골드 a********r | 2015-09-13


원문주소 : https://blog.yes24.com/document/8199337


인간을 초월하는 것은 무엇일까?

깨달음은 무엇일까?



그것에 대한 대답은 누구나 쉽게 말하기 어렵다.

어쩌다 글을 쓰고 말을 해도 이미 누군가 이야기하고 글을 쓴 경우가 대다수다.



자신의 것이 아닌 다른 이의 생각에 영향을 받아서 앵무새처럼 말하고

심지어 스스로를 속이고 다른 이들을 속인다.



나 같은 경우도 예외는 아니어서 생각보다 문제가 있는 편이다.

그나마 조금은 정리를 한다는 마음에 그러한 위험을 감안하고 쓴다.



이 책은 저자가 유지 크리슈나무르티에 대해서 서술한 책이다.

명상계를 조금은 아는 사람들은 크리슈나무르티라고 하면 지두를 말한다고 생각한다.



동전의 양면으로 불리던 유지에 대해서는 국내의 자료는 거의 없다.

이 책에도 나오듯이 오래 전에 절판이 됐고 최근에 와서야 한 권이 발간됐다.



이 책은 그 유명한 신지학회의 지두에 대해서도 서술하는데

저자는 유지를 지두보다 높은 단계에 있다고 보고 나름대로 서술한다.



유지의 경계에 대해서는 20세기 최고의 스승이라고 저자는 자평하고 그에 대해서 서술한다.

유지의 깨달음은 대단히 간단하고 명료하다.



모든 것은 생각에서 비롯된 헛된 것이다.

모든 가르침에 대해서 부정을 하는데 절대의 영역에서 절대적 부정에 속한다.



그리고 쿤탈리니(차크라) 각성의 경험을 통해서 자연 상태에 도달했다.

여러가지가 있지만 생략을 하고 저자는 대단히 그러한 점에서 유지에 매료됐다.



우리나라 선사들에 대해서도 간략하게 비판을 하는데

나름대로 일리는 있다.(물론 선사들의 뜻은 알아서 판단하는 것이 좋다.)



재미있게 읽었고 흥미로운 것들이 많이 보였다.

특히 명상의 한계를 제대로 이야기한다.



얼마 전에 쓴 의심법과 유지만의 독특한 가르침이 비슷하다고 느꼈다.

사실 의심법도 그렇고 유지의 가르침도 그렇지만 부정이나 의심은 독과 같아서



초보자가 접근하면 반드시 중독되고 죽음에 이른다.(나도 초보자니 부정보다 긍정이 좋다.)

이 책 저자도 말했듯이 지두의 방법을 먼저 택하고 부족한 부분을 유지로 완성하라는 식으로 말한다.



부정보다는 긍정이 보다 좋은 에너지를 발휘하기 쉬운 것을 누구나 아는 사실이듯이 말이다.

차크라(내분비선)에 관한 것들이나 저자에 대한 비판은 글이 길어지니 생략을 한다.
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Comic Book Paramhansa Yogananda | PDF | Paramahansa Yogananda | Yoga

Comic Book Paramhansa Yogananda | PDF | Paramahansa Yogananda | Yoga


https://archive.org/details/117706004comicbookparamhansayoganandaamarchitrakatha_778_U




Paramahansa Yogananda: A Saint for East and West

Amar Chitra Katha

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Paramahansa Yogananda - A Saint for East & West - is a short comic presentation of Spiritual Classic "Autobiography of a yogi" by Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda. From the India Book House Education Trust, which honoured Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda by including his life story in their Illustrated Classic Series - a library of comic-book-style biographies of Indian saints and heroic figures, designed to acquaint children with the spiritual heritage of India.




31 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1973
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Saurabh Kumar
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August 4, 2019
A lovely condensation of occurrences from Autobiography of a Yogi in a mere 31 pages portrayed in the classic Amar Chitra Katha style of comic book storytelling.

Also, I know one’s not really supposed to judge a book by its cover, but the cover of this one is quite splendid. Sure, you’ve got Yogananda in the famous and familiar standard pose, but there’s also Luther Burbank, Sister Gyanamata and Saint Lynn in addition to the skyscrapers of the United States on the left and a Himalayan peak on the right with a Hindu temple in the foreground. Very cool.


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Belief and Beyond: Adventures in Consciousness from the Upanishads to Modern Times : Mukunda Rao: Amazon.com.au: Books

Belief and Beyond: Adventures in Consciousness from the Upanishads to Modern Times : Mukunda Rao: Amazon.com.au: Books

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Belief and Beyond: Adventures in Consciousness from the Upanishads to Modern Times Paperback – 18 February 2020
by Mukunda Rao (Author)
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 29 ratings

Belief and Beyond delves into the realm of the mystic - Adi Sankara, Allama Prabhu, Kabir, Nagarjuna, Gaudapada, Akka Mahadevi, Lalleshwari, Anandamayi Ma, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Sri Aurobindo, Ramana Maharshi, Nisargadatta Maharaj, Jiddu Krishnamurti, U.G. Krishnamurti, and the Buddha - bringing to life their spiritual quests and the philosophical messages they left behind for humanity. The book explores the search for the non-dual state of being - sahaja sthithi or the natural state - which is not in the realm of experience at all, but a state of being where the borders and boundaries of the divided self have been transcended. The author also weaves in narratives from many difficult-to-access texts, including the Upanishads, the Ashtavakra Gita and the Avadhuta Gita. Written with depth and simplicity, this book is for the seeker and the curious alike.

Print length

360 pages
Product description

Review
What thing I am I do not know. I wander secluded, burdened by my mind, When the Firstborn of Truth has come to me, I receive a share in that selfsame Word. The book, Belief and Beyond, opens with above lines from Rig Veda. This is a very profound book and has provided me many new perspectives. I will re-read it because the idea density is so high! It offers many tools for improving self-awareness. Author writes in an efficient manner that gets quickly to the message. I'm so glad to have encountered this on my nascent spiritual journey. I found Belief and Beyond to be a very valuable and insightful discussion on non-duality, Vedanta, enlightenment etc. It was clear, concise, and interesting to read. There is some excellent discussion on what enlightenment is NOT. The book of returning to the simple state of nothingness. This is a direct guide to your true nature of existing, from nothing, to the whole essence of just being. Author Mukunda Rao explains step by step the profundity of how our community, thinking, reasoning and everything we know externally, determines our reality. Returning to a state of complete joy and fulfilment is what every human being is in search for, and here Author tells us that this state we are in search of is located deep within our conscious mind, we just need to learn how to let go of all our perceptions and begin to contemplate how not knowing is the beginning of it all. Author Mukunda Rao stats, "Consciousness is the only reality but appears as objects..." The format of this book is laid out in such an accessible way for such an inaccessible subject matter. Author Mukunda Rao gives the reader plenty of time to come to terms with the topic and argument of understanding for each chapter. But the goal of the book isn't to give yet another map or belief around what self, mind and consciousness are. It's to directly challenge your beliefs on them, and open the door towards directly experiencing them. This isn't a book to read. It's a book to study. The deeper you go into the contents, the more the depth of the contents becomes apparent. I recommend it for anyone looking to deepen their understanding consciousness from a different perspective. --By The Bookish Elf on 2 August 2019


About the Author
Mukunda Rao is the author of several insightful philosophical works including The Buddha, and several works of fiction. After taking voluntary retirement from a teaching job in a college in 2000, he now lives on a farm outside Bengaluru. He can be contacted at mukunda53@gmail.com.

Product details
Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins India; 1st edition (18 February 2020)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 360 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9353028477
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-9353028473
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13.97 x 2.29 x 21.34 cmCustomer Reviews:
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 29 ratings




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Krishna Rao
5.0 out of 5 stars "Pathless Path"Reviewed in India on 16 December 2020
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“It is ever an enigma for a genuine seeker of Truth as to how to get ahead when doubts and questions keep troubling the mind. In the absence of any beaten track, he is likely to get stuck up at some point, not knowing what to do and what not. A glance at the sacred scriptures would only leave him in a state of wilderness. The gurus, with their divergent views, would further aggravate his confusion. Being helpless he struggles hard to hold on to something that would lead him to the right path.
Sri Mukundarao takes up a huge responsibility to go through the entire saga of Indian spiritual traditions that stretch over a period of three thousand years. He, then, comes up with the quintessence of spirituality that shines forth in an unbroken continuity in the lives and talks of the sages and seers of the past and present. He brushes aside all controversial issues only to put us on the direct path that has been illumined by those spiritual luminaries. They stand as timeless guiding lights to humanity. Sri Mukundarao , himself, having journeyed through this path for over four decades and arrived at the peak of his quest, is truly competent to trace the ‘enlightenment traditions’ set up by those great Masters.
Sri Mukundarao’s ‘Belief and Beyond’ deserves to be placed among the very few books that a seeker would immensely benefit from. I read and re- read this book and would prefer to go back to it again and again for the needed rejuvenation. These seers of the ancient and modern times would ever be a source of inspiration and help us come upon that ‘pathless path’ towards unraveling the great ‘Mystery of Life’.
With all my heart, I feel thankful to Sri Mukundarao for this priceless contribution he has made for the benefit of all seekers of Truth.”
Krishna Rao
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Santhosh Naik R
5.0 out of 5 stars Must readReviewed in India on 29 July 2019
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Must read... Excellent work by Mukund Rao
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Belief and Beyond: Adventures in Consciousness from the Upanishads to Modern Times
Mukunda Rao
4.13
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Belief and Beyond delves into the realm of the mystic - Adi Sankara, Allama Prabhu, Kabir, Nagarjuna, Gaudapada, Akka Mahadevi, Lalleshwari, Anandamayi Ma, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Sri Aurobindo, Ramana Maharshi, Nisargadatta Maharaj, Jiddu Krishnamurti, U.G. Krishnamurti, and the Buddha - bringing to life their spiritual quests and the philosophical messages they left behind for humanity. The book explores the search for the non-dual state of being - sahaja sthithi or the natural state - which is not in the realm of experience at all, but a state of being where the borders and boundaries of the divided self have been transcended. The author also weaves in narratives from many difficult-to-access texts, including the Upanishads, the Ashtavakra Gita and the Avadhuta Gita. Written with depth and simplicity, this book is for the seeker and the curious alike.

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360 pages, Paperback

Published February 18, 2020


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The Bookish Elf
402 reviews · 48 followers

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July 31, 2019
What thing I am I do not know.
I wander secluded, burdened by my mind,
When the Firstborn of Truth has come to me,
I receive a share in that selfsame Word.
 
The book, Belief and Beyond, opens with above lines from Rig Veda. This is a very profound book and has provided me many new perspectives. I will re-read it because the idea density is so high! It offers many tools for improving self-awareness. Author writes in an efficient manner that gets quickly to the message. I'm so glad to have encountered this on my nascent spiritual journey.
 
I found Belief and Beyond to be a very valuable and insightful discussion on non-duality, Vedanta, enlightenment etc. It was clear, concise, and interesting to read. There is some excellent discussion on what enlightenment is NOT.
 
The book of returning to the simple state of nothingness. This is a direct guide to your true nature of existing, from nothing, to the whole essence of just being. Author Mukunda Rao explains step by step the profundity of how our community, thinking, reasoning and everything we know externally, determines our reality. Returning to a state of complete joy and fulfilment is what every human being is in search for, and here Author tells us that this state we are in search of is located deep within our conscious mind, we just need to learn how to let go of all our perceptions and begin to contemplate how not knowing is the beginning of it all. Author Mukunda Rao stats, "Consciousness is the only reality but appears as objects..."
 
The format of this book is laid out in such an accessible way for such an inaccessible subject matter. Author Mukunda Rao gives the reader plenty of time to come to terms with the topic and argument of understanding for each chapter. But the goal of the book isn't to give yet another map or belief around what self, mind and consciousness are. It's to directly challenge your beliefs on them, and open the door towards directly experiencing them. This isn't a book to read. It's a book to study.
 
The deeper you go into the contents, the more the depth of the contents becomes apparent. I recommend it for anyone looking to deepen their understanding consciousness from a different perspective.
 


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Wanderingg__soul
403 reviews · 41 followers

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September 6, 2019
A belief system helps us interpret our everyday reality.
Belief and beyond: Adventure in Consciousness from the Upanishad to Modern Times by Mukunda Rao is an insightful collection of beliefs and ideas, insights and revelations, spiritual authority that exists in India to this day.
The book explores the search for the non dual state of being-sahaja sthithi or the natural state- which is not in the realm of experience at all, but a state of being where the borders and boundaries of the divided self have been transcended.

Vedic culture has propogated the importance of spiritual awakening from thousands of years. The interpretations of these teachings have changed over the years. Through this book the author weaves narratives from many difficult to access texts like the Upanishads, Ashtavakra Gita, Avadhuta Gita and mystics like Kabir, Akka Mahadevi, Lalleshwari, Anandamayi Ma and many more.

This book gives you an opportunity to dive deeper into the unknown realms of consciousness.
Written with depth, it's a heavy read. Pick this up if are curious and patient.

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Balbir Bajaj
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May 14, 2021
“A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma”, this is how I can describe the contents of this book (not sure whether it is a fiction nonfiction book.)

Though the writer has taken great pains to explain various religious spiritual philosophies from amongst various Hindu streams, yet one does not get any wiser after reading the book as it seems to be very difficult to go to the depths of the views expressed therein and become more aware therefrom. It is your own pick as to what could be the ultimate truth if at all there is one. I lost my interest after reading 2/3rd of the book as I could not make out much of the paradox that the life on the universe as described in this book.

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Anindita Sinh
18 reviews · 9 followers

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May 3, 2020
Definitely a book I will keep going back to. It offers an insight into various strains of philosophical thought in Hinduism through the teachings of the various developers of those perspectives. Very well researched and provides a good introduction to the deeply philosophical topics at hand, while not dumbing down the teachings of the same.
non-fiction

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David
559 reviews · 9 followers

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March 11, 2021
I really enjoyed this book as I have not previously explored Indian spirituality.

This is a carefully curated collection of Indian spiritual wisdom over the centuries.

Beautiful and thought-provoking.

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Chresann Dsouza
194 reviews · 9 followers

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August 27, 2019
Belief and beyond by Mukunda Rao is a nonfiction book. It fits moreover into the nonfiction- philosophical genre a very small part of this book caters to the field of self help.

This book is divided into various chapters and subcategories to help a reader filter out information based on his liking and curiosity more effectively.

The writing style of the author is pretty impressive, it is simple and yet keeps one engaged with it.

The language is simple and unsophisticated. It was amazing to learn how such deep topics were presented with such simplicity that it doesn't overburden the reader , yet it covers all the major aspects of the chapter.

The cover and the title are pretty innovative and appropriately chosen.

The book is divided into various parts such as the upanishads, songs in dualism and non dualism ,beyond gender etc, my personal favourites are the word and birth of self and coming of the buddha.

Speaking about the pace, it's a pretty slow paced read.

The only part wherein this book disappointed me was when it became too slow and some chapters seemed over stretched.

Overall, I had a fairly good time reading this book. It was a pretty informative and an insightful read. Definitely recommend if you're looking for a unique non fiction read.

MY RATING : 4/5

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Diti Shah
189 reviews · 11 followers

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July 29, 2019
"I saw a lion come,
Devour another
And itself die.
I saw inwardness
Without an interior,
Outwardness without refuge.
I saw in a field
Flowers without petals, and
Beheld a magnificent form
Take shape,
And the whole world.
O Allama Prabhu,
Salutations to you. "
.
.
This was a totally different read for me. While I do believe that there does exist an external power which looks upon us, someone who takes care of us, I have never given much thought to this.

The author with very simple words, with very lucid language explains to us various messages that Upnishads, Bhagwad Gita other sages and mentors like Adi Shankara, Allama Prabhu, Kabir, Lalleshwari, Sri Aurobindo, Ramana Maharshi and others have given.

From ancient times to modern times sages, how the interpretations of their messages have changed, how the ways of mentoring have changed, what remains mutual and such have been discussed. The author has given plenty of illustrations and has thoroughly discussed various topics in this domain.
I must say the author has done a fabulous job in researching and penning it all down. Kudos to the author for bringing ancient messages that Upnishads give to today's generation, something that is not discussed commonly.

Overall, a great and different read. Much wanted change. .

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Dev
7 reviews

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December 4, 2019
I would say this book is a dictionary for spiritual seekers...it covers bhakti, jnana and other streams of spirituality!
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Biology Of Enlightenment by Mukunda Rao (Ebook

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Biology Of Enlightenment


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In this book we meet with the modern sage, U.G. Krishnamurti, and listen to his penetrating voice describing life and reality as it is. What is body and what is mind? Is there a soul? Is there a beyond, a God? What is enlightenment? Is there a life after death? Never before have these questions been tackled with such simplicity, candour and clarity. In these unpublished early conversations with friends (1967-71), U.G.discusses in detail his search for the truth and how he underwent radical biological changes in 1967. Preferring to call it the natural state over enlightenment, he insists that whatever transformation he has undergone is within the structure of the human body and not in the mind at all. It is the natural state of being that sages like the Buddha, Jesus and, in modern times, Sri Ramana, stepped into. And U.G.never tires of pointing out that 'this is the way you, stripped of the machinations of thought, are also functioning.'
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Body, Mind, & Spirit

LanguageEnglish
PublisherHarperCollins
Release dateJul 21, 2012
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In this book we meet with the modern sage, U.G. Krishnamurti, and listen to his penetrating voice describing life and reality as it is. What is body and what is mind? Is there a soul? Is there a beyond, a God? What is enlightenment? Is there a life after death? Never before have these questions been tackled with such simplicity, candour and clarity. In these unpublished early conversations with friends (1967-71), U.G.discusses in detail his search for the truth and how he underwent radical biological changes in 1967. Preferring to call it the natural state over enlightenment, he insists that whatever transformation he has undergone is within the structure of the human body and not in the mind at all. It is the natural state of being that sages like the Buddha, Jesus and, in modern times, Sri Ramana, stepped into. And U.G.never tires of pointing out that 'this is the way you, stripped of the machinations of thought, are also functioning.'
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Product description

About the Author
Mukunda Rao is the author of several insightful philosophical works including The Buddha, and several works of fiction. After taking voluntary retirement from a teaching job in a college in 2000, he now lives on a farm outside Bengaluru. He can be contacted at mukunda53@gmail.com. --This text refers to the paperback edition.

Product details
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B008V8GU4S
Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins; Illustrated edition (21 July 2012)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 747 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 436 pagesBest Sellers Rank: 779,465 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)840 in Hinduism (Kindle Store)
2,919 in Spiritual Self-Help (Kindle Store)
3,594 in Hinduism (Books)Customer Reviews:
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Starr
5.0 out of 5 stars Anxious to share this treasureReviewed in the United States on 14 February 2017
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One person commented that this is the best book on UG ever written. While I haven't read them all and therefore can't give a definitive affirmation to this claim, I have completed a few good ones . This book is in a class by itself. It told me everything I was aching to know about UG and couldn't find anywhere else.

Anxious to share this treasure, I was disappointed that I couldn't even get my husband to read a few pages or listen to more than five minutes of UG talking on a video. This surprised me because he is very interested in some of the themes touched on in this book. Also, like the author, he has an advanced degree in Western Literature and is an English Professor. He is also a lifelong Science Fiction fan, even teaching the occasional course using books that deal with subjects given historical basis and value in Rao's book. Themes such as Borg mind, the evolutionary potential of man, superheroes with superpowers, mutant life forms, half human/half alien presence as the basis for a new religion, the history and synthesis of world religions in Theosophical type movements, spiritual literature mirroring Rennaisance Alchemy's obsession with transformation of base material into gold....So how could he say, as he so unequivocally had after only five minutes of the best of UG, "he doesn't interest me"?

It really wasn't that hard to understand. I'd had a similar reaction to UG when first encountering him in my obsessive quest to find the next best spiritual teacher. Who was this man with the same name as the first of these teachers I'd discovered as a teenager (J. Krishnamurti)? Was he some relative taking up his mantle? Far from it! He seemed to be attacking JK and everything he represented. This was an angry, at times foul-mouthed, hater of all spirtual teachers. I immediately dismissed him as a charlatan. His main message that thought itself was materialistic and had its basis in our cells--and that there was no way out except to eradicate it on the microbiological level--sounded like Scientology to me. "Stay away!" screamed every fiber of my being--or should I say, every cell in my body?

But I couldn't. The man had a grounding effect on my untethered spiritual pursuits that calmed the anxieties that drove them. I had to satisfy my curiosity about why this was so and as I did the pieces began to add up and were consistent with a fierce honesty and self-reliance that I grew to admire. UG's temperament, even before his metamorphisis was that of an iconoclast and radical rebel against authority and every form of knowledge it represented. It was his skepticism and questioning the source of all knowledge that seemed to lead him to the natural state, a state he said only one in a billion could realize. If, however, as UG describes, words are vibrations that can produce energies in our bodies even when silently voiced, perhaps Rao's book can increase the odds a little.
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Beck Hanninen
5.0 out of 5 stars Ending It.Reviewed in Canada on 6 July 2015
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Stark, unrelenting, cuts to the core. Stop looking elsewhere. Just stop.
No room for pretence. It's all there in your cellular movement.
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Manas Dutta
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read!Reviewed in India on 6 January 2016
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The Biology of Enlightenmen: Unpublished Conversations of U.G. Krishnamurti After He Came into the Natural State
Finally, a book that is worth its price. If you want to be freed from all limitations of life created by the beliefs imposed by society and culture, then this is the book you need to read. RIP UG.

One person found this helpfulReport

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars very nice book.Reviewed in India on 8 September 2016
Verified Purchase

very nice book...a different UG...videos of UG are displaying his very raging sage image and not the one of his early years after his coming to natural state. A must for one who wants to delve deeper into UG whom i call under ground or unidentified grounds.

2 people found this helpfulReport

Michael R. Young
5.0 out of 5 stars An early transmission but a more recent publicaionReviewed in the United States on 21 March 2013
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This book was transcribed from early conversations following UG's "calamity." His calamity is how he described the biological mutation of every cell in his body resulting in his entire thought system being completely purged from his system. Following that he experienced no thought at all and only needed to speak if spoken to. This book goes into that and much more as those questioning him attempt to understand what can only be described as un-understandable within the contex of the egoic based self centered mind. According to UG there is only one question and one answer. To continue to question means that we did not truly hear the answer. If fact, all questions are the same question and all answers that do not put an end to all questions are not answers at all but just the on going process of asking the same question over and over again. In my mind, such questions are merely the on going reincarnation, if you will, of the same question until we eventually tire of asking and hear the one amd only answer that we have been avoiding all along.

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The Biology of Enlightenment: Unpublished Conversations of U. G. Krishnamurti After He Came Into The Natural State
Mukunda Rao
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In this book we meet with the modern sage, U.G. Krishnamurti, and listen to his penetrating voice describing life and reality as it is. What is body and what is mind? Is there a soul? Is there a beyond, a God? What is enlightenment? Is there a life after death? Never before have these questions been tackled with such simplicity, candour and clarity. In these unpublished early conversations with friends (1967-71), U.G.discusses in detail his search for the truth and how he underwent radical biological changes in 1967. Preferring to call it the natural state over enlightenment, he insists that whatever transformation he has undergone is within the structure of the human body and not in the mind at all. It is the natural state of being that sages like the Buddha, Jesus and, in modern times, Sri Ramana, stepped into. And U.G.never tires of pointing out that 'this is the way you, stripped of the machinations of thought, are also functioning.'
448 pages, Paperback


First published November 1, 2010




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Mukunda Rao
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Dev
7 reviews


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December 4, 2019
A must-read for all those who are seriously into inquiry. The videos of UG on youtube are highly misleading because they give a partial understanding of UG while this book gives the readers a vivid picture of UG


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Nishit Gajjar
10 reviews · 8 followers


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May 17, 2014
A very detailed description about the way UG functioned. Some of the words of UG will hit you and will work on you. Only one thing I feel or would like to share or say is STOP just for a few moments STOP searching and see.... but don't assume something will happen. Just Stop!


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Sudha
16 reviews · 10 followers


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November 11, 2013
Simply started reading this. Like the books that have stayed with me over the years, this one too is meant for the long journey. Found a lot of echoes in this of my own life-experiences.


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The Buddha by Mukunda Rao

The Buddha by Mukunda Rao (Ebook) - Read free for 30 days






Ebook253 pages5 hours
The Buddha: An Alternative Narrative of His Life and Teaching


By Mukunda Rao
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

3/5

(1 rating)

Traditional religious discourses have failed to account for the biological process involved in the attaining of Nirvana. Drawing from sources as varied as the Pali canon, Mahayana texts, Zen Buddhism, J. Krishnamurti, Ramana Maharshi, U.G. Krishnamurti, Nietzsche, postmodernist thinkers and biological sciences, The Buddha retells the story of the Buddha and discusses his teachings in physical and physiological terms. This radical new reading turns most of the central spiritual concepts on their head, and hopes, in the course of time, to put an end to the rivalry between science and religion and, indeed, among the various religions.


LanguageEnglish
PublisherElement
Release dateMay 10, 2017
ISBN9789352644216

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IJ
5.0 out of 5 stars A treasure trove...Reviewed in the United States on 4 May 2020
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An insight into what actually might have happened to Siddharth Gautama on his flowering to a “Tathagatha” . This books retells the story of how Gautama became a Buddha in the language that today’s world can grasp in contrast to the various Buddhists metaphysical texts which are always difficult to understand ...
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J D
5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful BookReviewed in India on 20 July 2023
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What a beautiful book? I loved every word of it. The author explains esoteric concepts in a lucid, unconventional manner. Recommended.
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Ninoslav R.
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book!!!!Reviewed in the United States on 31 October 2019
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Well-written, inspiring and informative book on all relevant aspects of Buddhism. Anyone who sincerely wants to study Buddhism this book will be valuable for all the right reasons.
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Sb
5.0 out of 5 stars Very informative. Well written. Approach it like a spiritual novel.Reviewed in India on 28 October 2022
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I really enjoyed reading this book. Rao is threading through and weaving together a lot of human wisdom history from the Buddha to UG. Never an easy task. I particularly enjoyed the deep dives into what the Buddha thought/said. Thank you Rao. Sb

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Sandeep
4.0 out of 5 stars An essential readReviewed in India on 31 August 2017
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The title aroused curiosity in me. As the title suggests this is really an alternative narrative about Buddha. Probably years of research, learning and insightful thoughts are distilled to form this book. Considered reading too as a journey. When started there was a multi storeyed building, author slowly dismantles it floor by floor with turn of pages. The core of Buddha's /enlightened ones teaching is touched upon with sincerity.
Divulging any other details would be a spoiler.
Happy reading!!

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Pendyala Jayakumar(JK)
5.0 out of 5 stars ExcellentReviewed in India on 31 December 2017
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This book gives the gist of real understanding of what we all call as spirituality.

3 people found this helpfulReport

Muralidharan
5.0 out of 5 stars Five StarsReviewed in India on 26 May 2017
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Excellent book !!! Go for it.
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Satish
2.0 out of 5 stars PassableReviewed in India on 10 December 2023
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It's more of a documentary. The title Buddha should be appended with the names of other great sages like U.G. Krishnamurti and Ramana Maharishi as there quotes are equally highlighted and explained as Buddha's. A lot of open questions without solution/explanation.
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David Guy

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July 12, 2018
I agree with the basic premise of this book. The Buddha’s life is exemplary, not strictly factual, and we can fill it in any way we want. (Thich Nhat Hanh, to mention one more “biographer,” created a much larger story.) Mukunda Rao is knowledgeable about religion and spiritual practice, and has some interesting things to say about both. He focuses on the body, a bias which I share. But by the time we finish this book we have the feeling that he was really writing a biography of U.G. Krishnamurti, the subject of three other books that he has published. He just dropped the details into the story of the Buddha.


U.G. is the man I think of as the “other” Krishnamurti; it’s as if he’s J. Krishnamurti’s evil cousin (the two men met, but were not related). But while J. Krishnamurti sometimes got a little grouchy as he got older, perhaps because he kept saying the same thing again and again and nobody got it—as if he were talking to an overgrown moron called The Human Race and the guy just kept looking at him with a dull expression on his face, drooling a little—U. G. Krishnamurti seemed to become grouchy at the moment of enlightenment. He had a spiritually transformative experience and came out of it saying, Get away from me, I have nothing to talk about, there’s no message, it’s all a lot of horseshit. In a way other spiritual teachers had similar reactions. But no one with as much vehemence as U.G.[1]


I was glad that Rao did away with a number of the details of the early years. Apparently the Buddha came from a well-off family, was sheltered from many of the exigencies of life, had some extreme experience of impermanence right after his first son was born and decided he had to leave his family, wandered among spiritual practitioners for a number of years, trying one thing and another. All of that makes perfect sense, including the story that he learned to go into very deep states of meditation but believed they weren’t what he was looking for. It was after he went too far in an ascetic direction that he decided to do something more moderate, and then made the discovery that would answer his questions and lead to his teaching.


Rao has a theory that everyone who becomes enlightened has some kind of near death experience. He cites Ramana Maharshi, Sri Aurobindo’s the Mother, and U.G. himself; he could have mentioned various other people, including Eckhart Tolle, whose awakening was preceded by a dark night. Weirdly enough, though, instead of mentioning that the Buddha nearly died from his ascetic practices, Ray regard his near-death experience as the meditative experience that came before that, when he was young and sat under a tree in a field and experienced a feeling of peace. That was an important moment, but it hardly sounds near death. Rao then says—rightly, I think—that we don’t really know what happened to the Buddha under the Bodhi tree. There are teachings, but they don’t describe an actual experience.


Rao believes that enlightenment involves a physical change. It’s not something that happens just to the mind; it happens to the body. Again, he cites the Mother, Ramana Maharshi, U.G. Krishnamurti (he could just as easily have mentioned J. Krishnamurti, who went through something that he called The Process for much of his life, also involving severe physical pain). He gives the most space to U.G., perhaps because he knows his teaching the best. Here is how he describes that physical transformation.


“His skin turned soft, and when he rubbed any part of his body with his palm, it produced a sort of ash. His eyes stopped blinking and his senses started functioning at the peak of their sensitivity. He developed a female breast on his left side. And the hitherto dormant ductless glands such as the thymus, pituitary and pineal, referred to as chakras in kundalini yoga, were reactivated. On the eighth day, he ‘died.’”


Rao goes into much more detail about this “death,” which lasted for “about” 48 minutes (?). Supposedly his heartbeat slowed down and his hands and feet grew cold. “All thoughts, all experiences undergone by humanity from primordial times, whether good or bad, blissful or miserable, mystical or commonplace—the whole ‘collective consciousness’—were flushed out of his system. He . . . was reborn in the state of ‘undivided consciousness’, untouched by thought. It was a most profound journey and a sudden great leap into the state of primordial awareness without primitivism[2]’.” U.G. preferred to call this the natural state, rather than enlightenment.


I make it a practice not to contradict someone who says something or other happened to them. If someone tells me they had an enlightenment experience, or they saw the truth of all things, or they had an experience of God, I don’t sell all I have and give the guy the proceeds, but I don’t say No that didn’t happen to you. In this case, however, I’m biting my tongue to keep from contradicting the man or bursting into laughter. Especially that part about the left breast. What was that all about?


I can see how that might have made him grouchy. Though it would make auto-eroticism a lot more interesting.


What Rao seems to be saying about all these people is that a physical transformation takes place that wipes away the process of thinking. They don’t sit around having thoughts the way you and I do. They can think if they want but otherwise their minds are blank. That’s what he says happened to the Buddha, and to various other great beings throughout history, including Jesus. They become a different kind of being. Their slate is wiped clean.


That is Mukanda Rao’s central thesis, which contradicts my experience (hardly a reason not to believe it) but also contradicts a number of teachers—including the great Kosho Uchiyama—who say that no such thing ever happens, and that hoping for such a thing, or waiting for it, ruins the act of meditation and makes it just like any other human activity. You’re sitting there wanting things to be other than they are. You’ve turned spiritual practice into suffering.


Rao continues with a number of other chapters with such titles as “Is there a Middle Path?” “Where is the Mind Located?” “Is there a Soul?” but his answers to those questions, though interesting, all seem speculative. By the end of the book he’s completely reductive, seeming to say that there’s no validity in religion or any spiritual path whatsoever; his final chapter, entitled “The Way,” takes incoherence to a new level.


I don’t think it’s a bad thing to re-interpret the life of the Buddha. But you don’t need to turn it into a life of U.G. Krishnamurti.


[1] If I may refer to him thus informally. I have no idea what these letters stand for.


[2] This final phrase, though it sounds deep, is also rather vague. What the hell is primordial awareness with primitivism?


www.davidguy.org


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Srikanth
177 reviews


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March 2, 2018
A nice and refreshing approach to the life and teachings of Buddha without any glorification or suppression of information.


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Sumit
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March 19, 2018
This book is truly a different narrative of life and teachings of Buddha. The author is disciple of U G Krishnamurti and hence each and every chapter reconcile U G teachings with Buddha's teachings.


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Chandrashekar BC
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November 11, 2017
"Physical vision is central to understanding mind and spirituality. This is what many previous spiritual theories have failed to understand," says author Mukunda Rao.
The author in his current book "The Buddha - An Alternative Narrative of His Life and Teaching"- Pali, Mahayana, Zen Writings, J. Krishnamurthy, Ramana Maharshi, U. G. Discusses the Buddha and his teachings through biological foundations, surveying the foundations of Krishnamurti, Aurobindo, Nietzsche and modern thinkers. The reasons for the many decisions he may have taken are found in the same ground of thought. What was Buddha like? How could he be different from other priests? Is he a superhuman? Maharshi? Avatar? A strict person with no sense of humor as described by the Buddhist scriptures? A yogi? Does he believe in reincarnation? Or is the meaning of 'rebirth' different from what he said? Is he the construction of Bhikshu Sangha? Motivated to convert? Many such questions are discussed in this book.
Through the enlightened thoughts of Talasparshi studies of Buddhism, science and philosophy, Mukund Rao presents here many ideas of Buddha from different perspectives. Apart from just Buddhism, meditation, yoga and food practices, which are well-known in today's times, have gained importance in different ways in the religions of the past, and how every religion and philosophy has used them to achieve their goals. Also, in the eyes of today's modern spiritual thinkers, the Buddha and his religion have been reexamined in the light of a scientific attitude. Scientism provides grounds for possibilities to respect spirituality. The ideas here give solid hope to many lay people who are trying to incorporate spirituality into their lives. !!


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