Books in the Essential Easwaran Library series

Easwaran's classic manual on meditation and spiritual living is a unique source of practical spiritual support for new and experienced meditators. Easwaran taught passage meditation for over forty years, and his class at the University of California, Berkeley was the first accredited course on meditation at any Western university. He is the author of the best-selling translation in English of the Bhagavad Gita, India's best-known scripture. In passage meditation, you focus attention on passages or texts from the world's wisdom traditions that are positive, practical, and uplifting, and that fit with your own religious or non-religious beliefs. This universal method of meditation stays fresh and inspiring, prompting you to live out your highest ideals, and the mantram and six other spiritual tools help you to stay calm, kind, and focused throughout the day. This book shows how, with regular practice, you gain wisdom and vitality, and find a life that fulfills. This fourth edition of Passage Meditation has been extended by over thirty percent to include Easwaran's answers to more than 100 questions posed by his students in question and answer sessions. It gives all the instruction needed to establish a vibrant meditation practice and keep it going.

Easwaran takes the timeless teachings of the Buddha and other mystics and shows how we can train the mind not just during meditation but throughout the day. Feeling trapped by unwanted thoughts and emotions can seem an inevitable part of life. But Easwaran, who taught meditation for nearly forty years, shows a way to break free. Just as a fitness routine can create a strong, supple body, spiritual disciplines can shape a secure personality and a resilient, loving mind. Writing as an experienced, friendly coach, Easwaran takes the timeless teachings of the Buddha and other mystics and shows how we can train the mind not just during meditation but throughout the day. Working with difficult colleagues, choosing what to eat, and listening to a child's needs are all opportunities to try out different, wiser responses. Easwaran shows how training the mind is a glorious challenge - one that brings joy and purpose to life.