The Buddha never claimed to be anything other than an ordinary human being; he attributed his spiritual search and self-realisation to human effort, understanding and intelligence. But how many of us really take time out to reflect on our potential to usher fundamental changes in our lives and then more importantly, do something about it. This profoundly written book, interspersed with quotes from various masters like Osho, reminds us that the seed of consciousness is already sown - it is our responsibility to make ourselves fertile with practices like meditation to let our true being sprout. The path to follow is of awareness, discovery and transformation. Appa deepo bhava - we are all born with the possibility of becoming a light unto ourselves.
If It Could Happen to Buddha, Why Not You: Understanding the Ancient Secrets of Self Awareness, Dr. Vasant Joshi, Wisdom Tree, Paperback, 149 pages, 2010, $9.95
After completing his Ph.D. from the M.S. University of Baroda in 1966, Dr.
Vasant Joshi left for USA having been admitted for the graduate program in
English Literature at University of Wisconsin, Madison. While he was a
student at University of Wisconsin, Dr. Joshi got an invitation to teach a
course on *The Cultural and Literary Traditions of India *at University of
California, Berkeley. Although the course was to be offered for only one
year, Dr. Joshi ended up teaching it for four years (1967-1971). Those were
the days when the United States was deeply caught up in Vietnam War and the
Berkeley campus was then the bastion of free speech movement protesting
against the War. On the other hand, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the Beatles,
Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Pandit Ravi Shankar, the Hare Krishna movement,
contributed significantly in attracting young people toward learning about
the Indian culture.
While teaching and researching at Berkeley, Dr. Joshi went through a change
in interest and enrolled himself in 1971 for the doctoral program in
Education at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. In 1973 he attained his
Ph.D. in Education from Michigan.
Preface Introduction 1. The Historical Development of the Tulku Position 2. A Tulku as the Head of Society 3. Struggle for Buddhist Government 4. The Emperor Takes Control 5. Buddhist Government Under the Imperial Umbrella 6. Imperial Authority Over the Tulku Institution 7. The Aftermath Conclusion Appendix 1: Tibetan Reincarnation Lines of Major Political Significance Appendix 2: Qing Emperors and Qoshot Kings of Tibet Abbreviations Notes Tibetan Orthographic Equivalents Bibliography Index
|
