THE RICHEST MAN IN BABYLON – GEORGE S. CLASON

Desert stories are absolutely fascinating. What makes this book stand out from its counterparts is that it is a financial/money management book without heavy principles. It has practicability and effortlessness. The ways to financial security is story told. How did the richest man in Babylon acquire and sustain wealth? How the needy followed the advice to become rich personally is something this book speaks about.

One may think what is so different in first paying ourselves ten percent of monthly (regular) income (investing this in good/sound projects that can multiply the money), spending within seventy present of our earning and then clearing off debts from remaining twenty percent? It may sound very well know and too easy yet it is a powerful method. The regularity and cumulative effect that it creates and a clear cut structure it leads to is what makes the difference to our monetary situation also to standard of living.

 The five people you meet in Heaven – Mitch Albom

While there are high talks on the concepts of heaven and hell, Mitch in his yet another uniquely imaginative book speaks of heaven to be a place to understand one’s life lived on earth. The people who went ahead of us, tell us why they were present in our life and how it impacted us and in turn how we converged with others around … a place where we understand why we felt a certain way and that in order to go ahead we no longer need to feel it (anger, fear, hatred…) – “That’s what heaven is. You get to make sense of your yesterdays.”

These five people met in heaven can be considered five major events in our life never to leave it same again. Nothing happens in life without a reason, a place named hell doesn’t exist to punish us! And for Heaven, it is looked through different lenses here.

Tibetan book of the dead – Karma Lingpa

Consciousness is beyond sentient- limited duration stay on earth. While the wholeness of creation, decline or growth, and dissolution of consciousness is ineffable, this manuscript makes all the thinkable attempts to speak and remind us of our true nature, its phase and continuity.

Clear in answering several doubts that one may have about “what..after death?” It is verbalized in the form of prayer and explanation, has in it an element of mysticism which make it even more enchanting to read for those who have a leaning to it. 

It surely goes into the list of must reads (at least once) during a life time and in several lines I definitely had ahh ! moments.

A Return to Love - Marianne Williamson

The first idea presented in the book: A course in miracles is “Nothing real can be threatened, nothing unreal exists.”

‘A return to love’ is built around this idea. Marianne’s book is all about positivity and prayer. It helps us in understanding what are the blockages in thinking right, why we think in a certain way and how to receive atonement by bringing it to the holy-spirit.

 I so love her way of presentation..its like bang on, the authority in her voice and firmness in her belief. If we tend to follow the books of an author then there is a possibility of us coming across same idea but I must say it just impresses on our minds and if we truly follow the suggestions given here, we can emerge as better persons.

 From this book, we all can do one thing when caught up in a situation and that is, to pray to our higher self (holy spirit) to bring to us an understanding of the situation that would enable us to see things from various perspectives and clearly, submit our concerns and request for guidance. This simple yet powerful act takes away our load and lives us with immense...immense peace.

 I would conclude by saying,  ‘A return to love’  is an extraordinarily workable book..

Finding Chika – Mitch Albom

 

At first I thought the story to be a fiction but when I googled I came to know the story to be true, I don’t know what to say about this.

Finding Chika, while being painful presents us a braving, beautiful child’s heart, caring and patient older souls. Mitch has always taught us in his books how to respect, support, what we can learn, at the same time how to be strong when being with departing kinfolk. Also that if we really wish there is a lot we can offer/contribute to the world.

Human connection is beyond comparison, it is not bound by the blood, doesn’t make any distinction. Although children come with a set of responsibility like any relation in the world, each moment spent together is priceless. It is said, every experience in life is either a learning or a cherished memory, here it was both.

milk and honey – rupi Kaur

 

An honest, contemporary poetry. There is nothing superficially fancy here. I felt it takes an amount of courage and frankness to publish an open book like this that brings out to light still silenced subjects like child abuse and safeguarded matters as bruised heart, going through highs and lows of love.

Through plain language, Rupi  pens down the reveries of thoughts at the same time heedlessness in (the book is said to be about) love, loss, trauma, abuse, healing and femininity.

Ramana Maharshi-Upadesa Saram by Ramesh S. Balsekar And WHO AM I? - Sri Ramana Maharshi

 

Must read because these works are so direct and literally enlightening.

 

Ramana Maharshi, was one of the greatest Gurus who traversed the path of realization through self-enquiry. Highly evolved soul himself, Balasekar in this book Upadesa Saraam expounds the work of Ramana Maharshi.

Ramana Maharshi’s book Who am I ?– Nan yaar? Is translated and explained by several writers.

Both of these books, Upadesa Saram and Who am I, wrapped up in a few pages are bullseye on the matters of self-enquiry.

If I am not my name, my education, my body, my work, my senses, my relationships, my mind, my possession, my achievements then who….. am….. I …..? this constant quest is the pointer and the answer to it is the essence of self-enquiry.

It is very evident that all means to realization leads ultimately to heightened knowledge of unanimous self.

The entirety of self-enquiry cannot be summed up better than by the words of Ramana Maharshi – “The “I”-thought is the first to arise in the mind. When the enquiry “Who am I?” is persistently pursued, all other thoughts get destroyed, and finally the “I”-thought itself vanishes leaving the supreme non-dual Self alone.”

Tattwa Shuddhi – Swami Satyasangananda

Many a religion and beliefs see human body as a sanctified temple to perform the great penance of life to realize one and same god dwelling in each... within.

Tattwa or Bhootha shuddhi – cleansing of the five elements earth, water, fire, air and ether that our body is made up of, by which mind and spirit also attains naturalness and one can become more receptive to the flow of pure and blissful cosmic energy in us.

Even though this is to be practiced on guidance of a master and not just by reading book, the substance presented is very insightful to know one’s own composition and its mechanics. It is compelling how ancient, withstanding wisdom placed and drew all human actions and life forces in the attainment of the ultimate, of course through various methodologies.

The Great Gatsby – F. SCOTT FITZGERALD

The love and the waiting of a person may go un-taken in an indifferent world where characters meet only for the lavish show of life that flee by the turn of an event and when the party is over.

A fiction of America from early 20^th century when many of the present gadgets like the CCTV, cell phones when undreamed of. Instead golf, yachts, villa kind of houses, drinks and cigars reached at the disposal as luxuries and exuberance.

This piece of literature seems to be more conspiring at the second thoughts, paving way to the readers to form several theories and conclusions about the story and it stars. Ghostly it takes us on the roads of suspense, tragedy and romance.

The Yogi Code - Yogi Cameron:

Many in the world forever have been looking for fulfilment than mere fame…

It is straight to the point from the very start. Whoever said, “more than that meets the eye” is appropriate in the context of Hinduism – that is, way of life in accord to true and highest value of humans. This piece of work compels us get on our toes, decide once and for all, our drive, our commitment and then practice with consistency and continuity to live as per dharma.

Observable through this book, how the groundwork is silently laid during our younger years, on which much of our future depends, listening to our inner guide sculpts us.

 Despite all great features it has to be told, how much ever elaborate be the text on yoga, spirituality, self-improvement and similar ones, things would remain as open ended questions and eclipsed answers if not experienced first-hand. 

An invitation to freedom –Mooji

If anyone is looking for even a momentary introduction to their true self or frequently exist in the space of self, to put it in the words of Mooji baba, so that gradually even the efforts fall away and self- evident truth shines as one true self, this book is a must…must pick up.

Rather than to read on own, moving would be to listen to the narration in the words of Mooji as an audio book in Scribd or similar apps or to his words in you tube.

Listeners are spontaneously transported to the place of peacefulness and isness. Books like these are the primary foundation of information and are to be read over and again to win over the backlash of low awareness.

THE MONK WHO SOLD HIS FERRARI – ROBIN SHARMA

Overflowing with quotable quotes (95% of the pages in this book had at the least a few phrases worth highlighting), meditative techniques and rituals. It is a great collectible and carry along. It makes the readers to review their current stand in life and to aspire for higher purpose though personal contribution to the world around, offers a great deal of assurance in terms of how magical things can be, by asking us to get out of the vicious rut, thoughtless, monotonous and stressful living; moreover, managing our inner space and focusing on focal areas of our lives.

The 7 timeless virtues of enlightened living:

1. Mind is a garden to be nurtured 2. Follow towering life purpose 3. Build on kaizen - Continuous self- improvement 4. Practice discipline 5. Time is precious respect it 6. Selfless service is like fragrant rose 7. Relish the present moment

MANY LIVES, MANY MASTERS – DR BRIAN WEISS

Streams of knowledge is so diverse and the ocean so vast that we can only try to know more about ourselves and the world around through one of the greatest resource, books! Otherwise effort towards inquiry and understanding could be quite overwhelming.

And this one specifically is for those interested in past-life therapy and psychiatry. Books like these make readers fearless and make them look at life from an uncommon place. One can see relatedness in the messages from the books that talk about calling for abundance and wholeness into life, be it financial or emotional abundance. So if asked, where is the point in reading correlated materials? perhaps this is so that the knowledge is soaked up by our psychic thus preventing it from fading away.

THE ART OF WAR – SUN TZU

Entire book is in the form of numbered pointers which makes it easy to remember. This detailed literature relating to military, warfare strategy to have penned down from far-flung past is really admirable.

Learnings from the book:

Preparedness/planning : Preparedness has magnitude in life like in war. This is of relevance even to those following a defensive workflow. It is a guard against situations considering the competitiveness and adversaries prevailing in the world of today. And preparedness in turn calls for planning based on forward thinking and predictability.

Knowledge: Knowing the strength and weakness of oneself, allies and foes alike is believed to bring success in a hundred battles. Consider business of modern times… how much of time and effort goes into market study (in understanding customer preferences, likes and dislikes, needs, number of competitors in the market,  reforms and policies, availability of resources to carry out business viz. material, manpower and money, ability to adapt to changing circumstances and so on). All of which means that strategies explained in the book even has a daily applicability.

Resources : Gathering of resources, allocation of resources, reassessment of those at disposal, monetization of resources and its continuous supply is also dealt with.

Timing: Success is a resultant not always of head on battles but of tactfulness. Forming ties, confronting, withdrawing and reassessing a warrior determines success.

STEPHEN W

HAWKING

The theory of

Everything

This book is an evidence of the gift Stephen has been to the field of physics and anyone willing to look deeper into the worlds beyond the one we live in.

Certain amount of knowledge about how our universe was created is required to understand any aspect of life. It isn’t less than a marvel while we contemplate on the formation, advancement, the present and the future of our cosmos. While not everything (related to black holes and principles) mentioned in the book could be comprehended by everyone other than the ones involved in intense study of physics and related areas for years, several concepts like other dimensions, arrow of time, Doppler effect, Entropy, creation of stars, planets and stages of these, empty spaces are explained through everyday examples making it easier to grasp.

How an attempt is being made in the book to arrive at a link between science, philosophy, understanding the universal laws and mind of the god is delightful.

To a person quite turned aback to existentialities of life, it could be difficult to comprehend Metamorphosis. It was a difficult read (explanation of changed form, esp.)
Kafka has made an analogy between human in depression and trauma (provides insight as to what could probably be going on in the mind of a person caught up in this state) arising from situations like hostility in family wherein the person faces helplessness in spite of being utterly considerate of those around him. Thus making him feel like oneself is something that is dreaded and tried to get ridden off.
Only a strong reason to keep on keep on going that comes with a purpose and not letting go on the part of self and those who dear can make it liveable and possible to move out of that condition. 

Depicts simplicity of rural, rustic life and how even mortal materialistic things could drive and consume significantly in a man. Not only children are charmed by fancy fixations but also adults. Don’t we find ourselves often plunged in passions just for it to be replaced by something even more powerful on its reaching state of obsolete?!