Eknath Easwaran

[Goddodin]

I have been using the above for almost exactly a year now, and wanted to pass a comment on them here as I have seen them mentioned in passing but not extensively discussed.

 

It is perhaps testament to how much I have got from this approach that I feel slightly guilty writing a 'product review' style post about it, but I'll ignore that and write it anyway!

 

For those that have never heard of him, go here: http://www.easwaran.org/eknath-easwaran.html

 

 

His 8 points program basically covers several of the main spiritual practices found in many of world's wisdom traditions. I can't be bothered to list them all, so check the link.

 

The bedrock of his program lies in his passage meditation technique; slow, mental repetition of a spiritual passage for 30 mins daily. This seems to be unique (ish) to him, although there are similarities in many other traditions.

 

Compared to what I have previously done, this is a very different approach. It is totally mental, where as usually I had always worked with the body or breath in order to access the mental aspect of experience. It doesn't appear to have as much to do with understanding your direct and current experience, and perhaps has more in common with prayer than meditation, as I understood them.

 

I have to confess i was sceptical at first. It seemed a bit one dimensional and limited, but in practice it has lead to some very quiet states. It is simply quite a pleasant experience to partake of.

 

Perhaps the greatest value though for me has been simply committing to following someone else's rules for a good period of time. I have been able to let go of a lot of my concerns and anxieties about these things and just focus on ringing out maximum depth from these practices as written.

 

Anyone else used these before?

[amoyaan]

I'd heard of Easwaran from his translations of the Gita and Upanishads, both of which I love. I didn't know much else about him. I liked his 8 point program, it lays things out in a nice and clear way and seems like a great sadhana. I think adding the karma yoga mindset would have benefited it.

 

Thanks for sharing, I'll refer to his website again I think