Home | About the Author | Hindu Temple | Spiritual Giants | Yoga | Yoga Schools | Meditation
AWAKENED
by
Michael O'Callaghan, Ph.D.
Awakened is a humorous, travel-filled adventure of an American seeker's
pilgrimage to India and back. She introduces us to four living Indian
saints, one of whom is a severe guru--Swami
Sachchidananda Ganapati.
Like a cosmic movie director, Swamiji provides horrifying real life lessons
in overcoming the senses and annihilating the ego. He is intolerant of
Michael's indulgent Western ways, and with ruthless efficiency
shatters her intellectual world of abstractions and unrealistic expectations
about blithely floating into enlightenment. At the same time, he is a
musician who creates celestial healing and meditation music captivating
Michael's heart with her first love, music. Further, Swamiji displays
stunning telepathic abilities and miraculous powers.
We experience this first hand through her funny, though hard earned, lessons
at the ashram such as, how difficult it is to rise above the senses when
uninvited monkeys, insects, a phobia of germs are pitted against unfamiliar
hygienic standards in India. These plus other
surprises on the Eastern path are put in the context of the usual
resistances as we watch her learn to reframe problems and emotional upheaval
as the requisite purification, karma, or stress release leading to an
enlightened state. This culminates in her transient
taste of merging with God.
Unlike books that are merely descriptions of external events, Dr.
O'Callaghan focuses her professional eye on the experiential internal
landscape which occurs during meditation and while in the presence of an
enlightened being. She shows how difficulties contain hidden lessons in
"cracking the hard coconut of the ego," i.e., transcending that limited view
of our self as separate.
In contrast to the Christian perspective of sin being the greatest obstacle
to God, the greatest hindrance in the Eastern view is the habit of seeing
oneself as separate from God.
Awakened is an invitation to a spiritual journey. It provides inspiration to
those already on the path and those considering embarking on one. Dr.
O'Callaghan shows that travel on an Eastern spiritual path can be a raucous
and, at times, irreverent adventure, with wild roller coaster ups and downs,
as well as deeply satisfying emotional experiences.
Over and over, Dr. O'Callaghan sheds light on the process of total surrender
which is required in a guru-disciple relationship, and seen here in stark
contrast with the Western veneration of individuality and independence. But
can she surrender? Can she even accept the guru as god-man, or god-woman--a
concept foreign to those raised believing that worship of a human as god is
sin, sacrilege, or heresy?
We see for ourselves as she survives Swamiji to visit him again in the
States, as well as visit three other living saints:
- Sri Viswayogi, who is an Avadoota--one free of bondage to the
material world, dedicated to the welfare of humanity, and whose
unpredictable behavior is beyond all social convention;
- Ammachi, the well-known "Hugging Saint," who teaches the value of
selfless service as an expression of divine love;
- Karunamayi who sings like a nightingale and teaches knowledge of
Vedic chants and mantras. She provides materials to train her devotees in
these powerful forms of ritual prayer which promote peace for the individual
and the world. We can also meet these saints in person on their frequent
world tours.
Dr. O'Callaghan educates by not only highlighting cultural differences and
clarifying Hindu concepts, but she also includes a glossary of Indian and
Sanskrit terms. Awakened provides insights to smooth the progress of fellow
travelers who may feel isolated living
in a society where Judeo-Christian values predominate. By sharing her
difficulties and successes on the spiritual journey, she puts our own
challenges and doubts into perspective.
Related Links
http://www.dattapeetham.com/index.html
http://www.viswaguru.com/
http://www.karunamayi.org/Biography.html
http://www.ammachi.org/
Buy the Book
You can
Buy the Book
, or
click here to learn more about the author.
This book is about the author's personal experience with Indian saints,
Karunamayi, Ammachi, Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Swamiji, Sri Viswayogi Viswamji,
Eastern spirituality, gurus, personal growth, travel, book, Hinduism, Awakened.
|