Eknath Easwaran

28 Feb Eknath Easwaran

Eknath Easwaran (1910 – 1999) was a exceptional spiritual teacher and author.

His books on meditation and ways to lead a meaningful and purposeful life have changed many people for the better. They rank amongst my all time favourites. They are crystal clear and full of wisdom on every page. They reflect the fact that they were written by someone who practices what he preaches and has a deep and intimate understanding of everything he writes.

He was also a talented translator and interpreter of Indian literature. In 1961 he founded the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation and Nilgiri Press, which has published over two dozen books he authored.

I was first introduced to the life and work of Eknath Easwaran by Sandeep Gupta who is a regular at Sefali’s Saturday morning Yoga class. Sandeep also holds regular satsungs (meetings) for those interested in learning and practising the lessons Easwaran drew from the world’s sacred texts.

Eknath Easwaran developed a method of meditation which involves silent repetition in the mind of memorized inspirational passages from the world’s major religious and spiritual traditions – which later came to be known as Passage Meditation. Sandeep’s satsung usually ends with 30 minutes of passage meditation.

Easwaran experienced the “disease of meaning” after he had achieved everything he had set out to achieve and yet in his own words “All my success turned to ashes.”

The website devoted to his work continues;

“Old, old questions began to come to him unbidden as he lay awake at night: Who am I? Why am I here? What is life for?”

“These questions followed him through years of inner turbulence that would see the breakup of his arranged marriage and eventually the painful separation from his sons. The death of his grandmother in the same year as Gandhi’s assassination prompted him to turn inward. Following Gandhi’s inspiration, he became deeply absorbed in the Bhagavad Gita, India’s best-known scripture, discovering for himself the divine ground of existence described in the verses he used in meditation. Ever the teacher, he wished to share with others these profound experiences, eventually developing the method of passage meditation that today is associated with his name.”

Easwaran closely studied the sacred texts of India looking for ways to bring a sense of meaning to his life. This method of vertical development is called swadhyaya in Yoga. It particularly suits intellectual bookish types who naturally turn to books looking for answers. The information alone is not enough, it has to be put into practice and integrated until it becomes a part of who we are.

Easwaran originally read everything he felt could be relevant, the classics, great literature, psychology, but it was the sacred texts of India such as the Gita and the Upanishads that spoke to him most clearly.

From his reading he formulated an 8 point program for vertical development which he followed to lift him out his “disease of meaning” state. He went on to teach this program to thousands of students.

The next post will look at Easwaran’s 8 point program.

Eknath Easwaran’s website;

http://www.easwaran.org/eknath-easwaran.html