Jan Olof Bengtsson

Some books:

Vedanta Gantha (1815)

A Defence of Hindu Theism (1820)

The Universal Religion (1829)

History of Indian Philosophy (1829)

The Teachings of Swami Brahmananda Saraswati, Swami Shantanand Saraswati, & Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

Premanand, 2026

Amazon.com

Publisher’s Description:

Yoga Meditation & Dharma: The Teachings of Swami Brahmananda Saraswati, Swami Shantanand, Saraswati & Maharishi Mahesh Yogi is an illustrated view of the lineage of teachers who shared techniques through which the state of yoga can be experienced by those living in accord with the ideals of dharma, the lifestyle dedicated to right action supported by natural law.

Indian texts composed some 2,500 years ago and more contain many references to the word ‘yoga’, a term that can best be understood as meaning ‘a state beyond thinking’, ‘a transcendental state of awareness’, ‘a state in which the mind can enjoy awareness of just being, without the distraction of the churning of mental activity’.

Yoga meditation is an ancient practice, yet until the mid-20th century the word ‘yoga’ was seldom heard of in the West.

Swami Brahmananda Saraswati was the Indian guru who from 1941-53 served as Shankaracharya of Jyotirmath, one of four such posts in India each filled by an eminent spiritual teacher. During his years as Shankaracharya, Swami Brahmananda revived spiritual teachings in Northern India and popularised the practice of meditation. His successor, Swami Shantanand Saraswati, together with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, his gurubhaiee (brother disciple of the same guru), set themselves the task of spreading the teaching of meditation worldwide.

Yoga meditation is a practice aimed at attaining a state of inner stillness wherein one is fully awake and in a state of profound inner alertness, stillness and silence.

Dharma is a way of life, of right action in accordance with nature. Practised together Yoga meditation and Dharma provide the essential ingredients for a balanced, stable, and satisfying lifestyle.

About the Author:

Paul Mason was introduced to the practice of Transcendental Meditation (TM) in 1970 after having hitchhiked from Britain and visited Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s centre at Rishikesh, India, and after meeting with sadhus, swamis and spiritual seekers, Paul felt spurred to dig deeper into the history of the teaching of meditation, leading to his being commissioned to write Maharishi’s lifestory. This highly informative work has since been revised, expanded, and re-published as Maharishi Mahesh Yogi: The Biography of the Man Who Gave Transcendental Meditation to the World.

Sustained interest in meditation prompted Paul to also research the lifestory and teachings of Maharishi’s master, ‘Guru Dev’, Swami Brahmananda Saraswati, Shankaracharya of Jyotirmath, the title being that of the most senior and authoritative religious position in Northern India. Paul Mason has produced several books on Guru Dev based on his translation of Hindi works, and has for many years been gathering material for another more expansive volume on the guru.

Invited to give a talk about Guru Dev to students of Swami Shantanand Saraswati at Townley Hall in Ireland, Paul felt inspired to compile this brief illustrated account of how Guru Dev and his disciples set about spreading the teaching of meditation.

State University of New York Press (SUNY Series in Western Esoteric Traditions), 1997

Amazon.com

Back Cover:

The Only Tradition examines the first principles of the perennial philosophy or ancient wisdom tradition as expressed in the writings of René Guénon and Ananda K. Coomaraswamy, and the current breakdown of value, meaning, and culture in the West due to the decline of these principles since the thirteenth century. The book further focuses on the relationship or reciprocity between the first principles and Western and Eastern culture, and discusses the future development of a homogenous, worldwide system of belief that would restore value and meaning to people’s lives.

Quinn argues for a return to the first principles inherent in the perennial philosophy, which constitute the sacred primordial Tradition and which inform all the world’s great religious traditions. His book makes an excellent introduction to this powerful current of European esoteric thought – primordial tradition.

“I cannot recall reading as clear a statement of the perennial philosophy, nor one as solidly based on empirical research, as I have read in this book. The topic of ‘primordial tradition’ or ‘perennial philosophy’ is important in the area of the history of religions, and there are precious few books that deal with it in a sympathetic and yet critical way. Coomaraswamy is mentioned often and honorably in religious studies literature without telling us much about why. Guénon usually is idolized or vilified, if he is acknowledged at all. Books such as Quinn’s, that treat these influential figures honestly and fairly but with an open and critical eye, fill a real need.”

James Burnell Robinson, University of Northern Iowa

William W. Quinn, Jr. is an attorney with the firm of Shea and Wilks in Phoenix, Arizona.

JOB’s Comment:

Quinn sharply criticizes Guénon’s rejection of modern theosophy, most extensively set forth in his early book Le Théosophisme: Histoire d’une pseudo-religion from 1921.