In my two nonfiction books (“Beyond the Power of Now†and “Electrical Christianityâ€), I provide a Spiritual Reading List (of Highly Recommended and Recommended texts in the “Great Traditionsâ€). I made a few changes to the List between “Beyond the Power of Now†and “Electrical Christianity,†and there will be more changes to the List in my forthcoming book “The Power of Now Meditation Guide†(which should be published later this year).
My Spiritual Reading List is divided into nine categories – Advaita Vedanta, Buddhism (Original), Buddhism (Tibetan), Buddhism (Zen), Christianity, Judaism, and Gnosticism, Daism, Hinduism (Yoga), Kashmir Shaivism, and Miscellaneous. In a nine-part series, I will, in turn, consider each category and provide its latest edition.
Herewith is the seventh category, Hinduism (Yoga), followed by my consideration.
Hinduism (Yoga)
Highly Recommended
The Bhagavad Gita, translations by Eknath Easwaran, Swami Prabahvananda and Christopher Isherwood, S. Radakrishnan. (Many other fine translations/annotations also available.)
The Yoga of Spiritual Devotion: A Modern Translation of the Narada Bhakti Sutras, Prem Prakesh. (A simple, inspiring text on the spiritual path of love and devotion.)
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Edwin F. Bryant. (A 600-page tome that provides a wealth of information on the history, philosophy, and practice of classical yoga. Serious students of yoga will want to read this text as well as Swami Hariharananda Aranya’s Yoga Philosophy of Patanjali.)
Yoga Philosophy of Patanjali, Swami Hariharananda Aranya. (A unique and profound account of classical yoga by a scholar-monk.)
Recommended
Be Here Now, Baba Ram Dass. (Classic introductory book on Eastern philosophy. An easy and entertaining read.)
How to Know God, Prabhavananda and Isherwood. (Best introduction to the yoga philosophy of Patanjali.)
The Essential Swami Ramdas, Swami Ramdas. (Inspiring writings of a great twentieth-century bhakti yogi.)
The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Nikhilananda. (A revered bhakti classic.)
The Synthesis of Yoga, Sri Aurobindo. (Profound essays on yoga by Sri Aurobindo, the renowned twentieth-century Indian guru-philosopher. If you appreciate this book and crave more Aurobindo, get a copy of The Life Divine.)
The Upanishads, translations by Mascara, and by Prabhavananda and Isherwood. (Other fine translations also available.)
The Yoga Tradition, Georg Feuerstein. (Outstanding reference book on the history, literature, philosophy, and practice of yoga.)
Consideration
The only change I have made to this category since “Beyond the Power of Now†is to add Edwin F. Bryant’s “The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali,†which serves to complement Aranya’s “Yoga Philosophy of Patanjali.â€
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I’m a little surprised not to see (any of) the Vedas on this list? Is there any particular reason for that?
The Upanishads are on my List:
“The Upanishads (/uːˈpænɪˌʃædz, uːˈpɑːnɪˌʃɑːdz/;[1] Sanskrit: उपनिषद् Upaniṣad [ˈʊpɐnɪʂɐd]) are ancient Sanskrit texts of spiritual teaching and ideas of Hinduism. [2][3][note 1][note 2] They are the part of the oldest scriptures of Hinduism, the Vedas, that deal with meditation, philosophy, and spiritual knowledge; other parts of the Vedas deal with mantras, benedictions, rituals, ceremonies, and sacrifices.[6][7][8] Among the most important literature in the history of Indian religions and culture, the Upanishads played an important role in the development of spiritual ideas in ancient India, marking a transition from Vedic ritualism to new ideas and institutions.[9] Of all Vedic literature, the Upanishads alone are widely known, and their central ideas are at the spiritual core of Hinduism.[2][10]
The Upanishads are commonly referred to as Vedānta. Vedanta has been interpreted as the “last chapters, parts of the Veda” and alternatively as “object, the highest purpose of the Veda”.[11] The concepts of Brahman (ultimate reality) and Ātman (soul, self) are central ideas in all of the Upanishads,[12][13] and “know that you are the Ātman” is their thematic focus.[13][14] Along with the Bhagavad Gita and the Brahmasutra, the mukhya Upanishads (known collectively as the Prasthanatrayi)[15] provide a foundation for the several later schools of Vedanta, among them, two influential monistic schools of Hinduism.”
Mr Gardner, it feels really difficult to find a good teacher or group to learn yoga from.
Do you know of any? Do you have any recommendations? Preferably Patanjali, Samkhya centered, with Samadhi as the key to liberation.
Nope, at this time I’m not moved to recommend anyone. I’m probably the only person who has “cracked the code” of the samadhis pertaining to the Yoga Sutras, but it will be a few years before I turn my attention to writing on the Hindu yogic traditions, though I may do so (to a degree) in relation to the subjects of nonduality and Consciousness-Only.
Hi Mr Gardner – just wondering what you think of the Yoga Vasishta and whether you recommend any particular translations of it?
Cheers, and with deep gratitude for all the work you’ve done spreading your knowledge, which has helped me immensely immensely immensely.
Love,
Anon
I tried reading it many moons ago, but it didn’t float my boat. I don’t care for spiritual stories, which is why I also have no affinity for the Zohar.