Spiritual Adventure Tales

[forestofsouls]

Lately I've been looking for memoirs/travelogues of spiritual adventurers. It is one thing to read about techniques, meditations, ethics, etc. and quite another to come across with actual flesh-and-blood life stories.

I'm waiting for Red Pine's Road to Heaven to get into a second printing. I know Michael right now is reading the Gods Drink Whiskey. Any suggestions?

[thelerner]

I just downloaded a free ebook (340 pages) that looks like an interesting Spiritual adventure. I found it yesterday on a site Mat Black posted. Its http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma9/merit.html , on the bottom is the ebook.

 

Its 1977 a couple of American Buddhists are following there teacher on a northward pilgrimage up California to a monastery. They're doing it the old fashion way, begging for food and bowing deeply on hands and knees very frequently, like every few feet!! I looked through the first couple pages and found it to be pretty interesting.

 

I got 'The Gods drink Whiskey' out of the new book section of my library last week. Great book. A Chicago area professor gets a chance to teach Buddhism in Cambodia. He's been a scholar of it for 20 years, and wants to get his hands dirty, as he says he gets them filthy.

 

Its refreshing to see someone quoting the Buddha and saying which sutra its coming from. He knows his Buddhism, but its the conversations with drug dealers, in massage parlors, bars, his students, monks and masters.. that the writing shines, critiquing there society and ours through western eyes and from a Buddhist viewpoint.

 

First thing he makes clear is there is no Buddhism. Its old and its schismed into many Buddhisms, many far apart from each other. He dislikes Christian missionaries and greatly dislikes magic Buddhism which he finds corrupts the authentic and at its worst leaves people superstitious and leads to death. His writing brought to my mind Mak Ti Sin's work, how MTS lives in a world of luck, spirits and spells.

 

Michael

[bindo]

It's Here Now (Are You?) by Bhagavan Das

 

Here's the opening sentence; "Arriving in India in 1964 was like walking into a concert that had been playing for five thousand years with seven hundred million people in the band."

[Anabhogya-Carya]

I just downloaded a free ebook (340 pages) that looks like an interesting Spiritual adventure. I found it yesterday on a site Mat Black posted. Its http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma9/merit.html , on the bottom is the ebook.

 

Its 1977 a couple of American Buddhists are following there teacher on a northward pilgrimage up California to a monastery. They're doing it the old fashion way, begging for food and bowing deeply on hands and knees very frequently, like every few feet!! I looked through the first couple pages and found it to be pretty interesting.

 

I got 'The Gods drink Whiskey' out of the new book section of my library last week. Great book. A Chicago area professor gets a chance to teach Buddhism in Cambodia. He's been a scholar of it for 20 years, and wants to get his hands dirty, as he says he gets them filthy.

 

Its refreshing to see someone quoting the Buddha and saying which sutra its coming from. He knows his Buddhism, but its the conversations with drug dealers, in massage parlors, bars, his students, monks and masters.. that the writing shines, critiquing there society and ours through western eyes and from a Buddhist viewpoint.

 

First thing he makes clear is there is no Buddhism. Its old and its schismed into many Buddhisms, many far apart from each other. He dislikes Christian missionaries and greatly dislikes magic Buddhism which he finds corrupts the authentic and at its worst leaves people superstitious and leads to death. His writing brought to my mind Mak Ti Sin's work, how MTS lives in a world of luck, spirits and spells.

 

Michael

 

That sounds very interesting. Is this book well known? enough that I would be able to find it in a local book store?

[fiveelementtao]

Lately I've been looking for memoirs/travelogues of spiritual adventurers. It is one thing to read about techniques, meditations, ethics, etc. and quite another to come across with actual flesh-and-blood life stories.

I'm waiting for Red Pine's Road to Heaven to get into a second printing. I know Michael right now is reading the Gods Drink Whiskey. Any suggestions?

 

http://www.amazon.com/AGHORA-Left-Hand-God...a/dp/0914732218

http://www.amazon.com/Wandering-Taoist-Den...o/dp/0062502263

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/080.../lastwizards-20

[Spectrum]

A great body of evidence exists that there is a much larger story at hand...

 

aWzyGjAan2M

Edited January 26, 2009 by Spectrum

[Tactile]

Not sure if this matches 100% the requirements but.. have you read C. G. Jung's Dreams memories and Reflections? Oldie but goodie

[minkus]

Magic and mystery in Tibet by Alexandra David Neel !

[hagar]

Magic and mystery in Tibet by Alexandra David Neel !

 

On the same note;

 

"The secret and sublime : Taoist mysteries and magic" by John Blofeld

 

Couldn't put it down. Must read!

 

h

[rookie]

A great body of evidence exists that there is a much larger story at hand...

 

 

What's the story?

[Eric23]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm in the middle of Dance of Stones, a Shamanic Road Trip by Kenn Day. Will report back when finished. The Gods Drink Whiskey sounds like a great read, will definitely check that out.

[i_am_sam]

"Arriving in India in 1964 was like walking into a concert that had been playing for five thousand years with seven hundred million people in the band."

 

fantastic

[thelerner]

fantastic

 

Its fantastic, but I wonder if its a little starry eyed. Sounds like you can learn a lot from it, but it probably won't be a balanced view. The great is trancendental, the Good is great, the so so is glossed over and any dark sides are omitted.

 

I like a seeing all sides or maybe I just like reading the gossip.

 

 

Michael

[i_am_sam]

just meant that one sentence a fantastic expression of experiencing India for the first time

[shontonga]

On the same note;

 

"The secret and sublime : Taoist mysteries and magic" by John Blofeld

 

Couldn't put it down. Must read!

 

h

 

MMmmm???

Seems to be outta print here abouts?

 

Looks interesting what I could find about it though

[shontonga]

Magic and mystery in Tibet by Alexandra David Neel !

 

Have you read any of his other books?

POWER OF NOTHINGNESS

by Alexandra David-Neel

the name of this one sounds good to me???

 

 

 

 

 

*edit*

Whoops, sorry for double posting like this!!!

 

 

... i like books

 

Thanks for this thread!!!

Edited January 27, 2009 by shontonga

[Mal]

Lately I've been looking for memoirs/travelogues of spiritual adventurers. It is one thing to read about techniques, meditations, ethics, etc. and quite another to come across with actual flesh-and-blood life stories.

 

This try one. Very interesting, well worth the effort to find and read a copy.

 

This may not be for everyone, but I can vouch that that chap who wrote it is very real.

 

Appallingly proof-read, at least the copy I had, may be better now, and if you're not in England you may need to email them about postage.

 

But anyway, have a look. I wept.

 

Book details here

 

Previous stuff I posted about the man in question here

 

(Smile, you particularly will want this, if you're doing Vipassana style stuff. Not a how-to, but some important insights. In fact, if you pm your address I'll buy you a copy)