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Swami Abhayananda
writes:
Greetings to my friends
and to all those who have requested my free ebooks:
I am happy to inform you
of the publication and availability of my latest book, Body
And Soul: An Integral Perspective. This book
reaffirms the perennial values of the mystics and sages of both
ancient and modern times in a manner consistent with the latest
findings of empirical science. It examines the perspective of the
Biblical, Platonist, Vedantist, Buddhist, and scientific
worldviews regarding the soul, and provides a unique mystical
perspective on the origin of both body and soul. Whether you are
an empiricist or a religious, a Christian or a Hindu, an atheist
or an agnostic, I believe you will find that this book challenges
many of your fundamental assumptions and most cherished opinions,
while opening up to you an unexpectedly revealing and
joyfully satisfying perspective on the Divine reality and the
nature of your own body and soul. Really! Check it
out.
You may sample this book
or read it in its entirety online simply by visiting my website
at: www.themysticsvision.com; or you may purchase it as a paperback book at: www.amazon.com by typing in the title, “Body And Soul by
Swami Abhayananda.”
I wish you all God’s
blessings.
Yours
sincerely,
Swami Abhayananda
Excerpt from Body
and Soul, by Swami Abhayananda:
There have been, over the
centuries, many well-known and unknown souls who have experienced
union with God; and it may be useful to look to some of the best
known seers who have described this experience, in order to piece
together a consolidated description of what has been seen:
From the
Upanishads [10th to 4th century B.C.E.]:
He cannot be seen by the
eye, and words cannot reveal Him. He cannot be realized by
the senses, or by austerity or the performance of rituals. By the
grace of wisdom and purity of mind, He can be seen in the silence
of contemplation.
When a wise man has withdrawn his mind from all things without,
and when his spirit has peacefully left all inner sensations, let
him rest in peace, free from the movement of will and
desire. ... For it has been said: There is something beyond
our mind, which abides in silence within our mind. It is the
supreme mystery beyond thought. Let one's mind and subtle
spirit rest upon that and nothing else.
... When the mind is silent, beyond weakness and distraction,
then it can enter into a world, which is far beyond the mind: the
supreme Destination. ... Then one knows the joy of
Eternity. .... Words cannot describe the joy of the soul whose
impurities are washed away in the depths of contemplation, who is
one with the Atman, his own Self. Only those who experience
this joy know what it is. ... As water becomes one with
water, fire with fire, and air with air, so the mind becomes one
with the infinite Mind and thus attains Freedom.
When in inner union he is beyond the world of the body, then the
third world, the world of the Spirit, is found, where man
possesses all—for he is one with the ONE.
From the Bhagavad Gita [5th century B.C.E.]:
When the mind of the yogi
is in peace, focused on the Self within, and beyond all restless
desires, then he experiences Unity. His mind becomes still,
like the flame of a lamp sheltered from the winds. When the
mind rests in the prayerful stillness of yoga, by the grace of
the One, he knows the One, and attains fulfillment. Then he
knows the joy of Eternity; he sees beyond the intellect and the
senses. He becomes the Unmoving, the Eternal.
... In this experience of
Unity, the yogi is liberated, delivered from all suffering
forever. ... The yogi whose heart is still, whose passions
are dissolved, and who is pure of sin, experiences this supreme
bliss and knows his oneness with Brahman.
Maximus of
The eye cannot see God,
words cannot name Him, flesh and blood cannot touch Him, the ear
cannot hear Him; but within the soul That which is most fair,
most pure, most intelligible, most ethereal, most honorable, can
contemplate Him because it is like Him, can hear Him because of
their kinship.
... The soul holds herself erect and strong, she gazes at the
pure light [of the Godhead]; she wavers not, nor turns her glance
to earth, but closes her ears and directs her eyes and all other
senses within. She forgets the troubles and sorrows of
earth, its joys and honors, its glory and its shame; and submits
to the guidance of pure reason and strong love. For reason
points out the road that must be followed, and love drives the
soul forward, making the rough places smooth by its charm and
constancy. And as we approach heaven and leave earth
behind, the goal becomes clear and luminous—that is a
foretaste of God's very self. On the road we learn His
nature better; but when we reach the end, we see Him.
Read the entire book at http://themysticsvision.com