Baird

Eknath Easwaran (1910–1999) is the originator of passage meditation and the author of more than 30 books on spiritual living.Easwaran is a recognized authority on the Indian spiritual classics. His translations of The Bhagavad Gita, The Upanishads, and The Dhammapada are the best-selling editions in the USA, and over 1.5 million copies of his books are in print.Easwaran was a professor of English literature and well known in India as a writer and speaker before coming to the United States in 1959 on the Fulbright exchange program. In 1961, he founded the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation, based in Tomales, California, which continues his work today through publications and retreats.His 1968 class on the theory and practice of meditation atEknath Easwaran (1910–1999) is the originator of passage meditation and the author of more than 30 books on spiritual living.Easwaran is a recognized authority on the Indian spiritual classics. His translations of The Bhagavad Gita, The Upanishads, and The Dhammapada are the best-selling editions in the USA, and over 1.5 million copies of his books are in print.Easwaran was a professor of English literature and well known in India as a writer and speaker before coming to the United States in 1959 on the Fulbright exchange program. In 1961, he founded the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation, based in Tomales, California, which continues his work today through publications and retreats.His 1968 class on the theory and practice of meditation at UC Berkeley is believed to be the first accredited course on meditation at any Western university. For those who seek him as a personal spiritual guide, Easwaran assured us that he lives on through his eight-point program of passage meditation."I am with you always”, he said. “It does not require my physical presence; it requires your open heart." Please visit bmcm.org for a fuller biography.

Eknath

Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj was an Indian spiritual teacher and philosopher of Advaita (Nondualism), and a Guru, belonging to the Navnath Sampradaya. Sri Nisargadatta, with his direct and minimalistic explanation of non-dualism, is considered the most famous teacher of Advaita since Ramana Maharshi. In 1973, the publication of his most famous and widely-translated book, "I AM THAT", an English translation of his talks in Marathi by Maurice Frydman, brought him worldwide recognition and followers.According to Sri Nisargadatta, the purpose of spirituality is to know who you are. His discussions are not for academic scholars. He is a rebellious spirit, abrupt in his style of discussion, provocative, and immensely profound, cutting to the core andSri Nisargadatta Maharaj was an Indian spiritual teacher and philosopher of Advaita (Nondualism), and a Guru, belonging to the Navnath Sampradaya. Sri Nisargadatta, with his direct and minimalistic explanation of non-dualism, is considered the most famous teacher of Advaita since Ramana Maharshi. In 1973, the publication of his most famous and widely-translated book, "I AM THAT", an English translation of his talks in Marathi by Maurice Frydman, brought him worldwide recognition and followers.According to Sri Nisargadatta, the purpose of spirituality is to know who you are. His discussions are not for academic scholars. He is a rebellious spirit, abrupt in his style of discussion, provocative, and immensely profound, cutting to the core and wasting little effort on inessentials. His terse but potent sayings are known for their ability to trigger radical shifts from philosophical mind-games to the purity of consciousness, just by hearing or even reading them.He talked about the 'direct way' of knowing the Final Reality, in which one becomes aware of one's original nature through mental discrimination, breaking the mind's false identification with the ego, knowing that "You are already That". The scene for these talks was a small upstairs room at his humble flat in Khetwadi, used for his own meditation and also for daily chantings. A simple man, Nisargadatta was a house-holder and a petty shop-keeper selling bidis - hand-made leaf-rolled cigarettes.

Nisargadatta

Samuel Benjamin Harris is an American author, neuroscientist, philosopher and podcast host. His work touches on a wide range of topics, including rationality, religion, ethics, free will, neuroscience, meditation, philosophy of mind, politics, terrorism, and artificial intelligence. Since September 2013, Harris has hosted the Making Sense podcast (originally titled Waking Up), in which he interviews guests, responds to critics, and discusses his views. In September 2018 Harris released a meditation app, Waking Up with Sam Harris.

Christopher Eric Hitchens was an English-American author, philosopher, columnist, essayist, orator, journalist, and social critic. Hitchens was the author, co-author, editor, or co-editor of over 30 books, including five collections of essays on culture, politics, and literature.

Christopher

Swami

John O'Donohue, Ph.D., was born in County Clare in 1956. He spoke Irish as his native language and lived in a remote cottage in the west of Ireland until his untimely death in January 2008. A highly respected poet and philosopher, he lectured throughout Europe and America and wrote a number of popular books, including Anam Cara and To Bless the Space Between Us.John O'Donohue, Ph.D., was born in County Clare in 1956. He spoke Irish as his native language and lived in a remote cottage in the west of Ireland until his untimely death in January 2008. A highly respected poet and philosopher, he lectured throughout Europe and America and wrote a number of popular books, including Anam Cara and To Bless the Space Between Us.

John

Tim Urban has become one of the Internet's most popular writers. With wry stick-figure illustrations and occasionally epic prose on everything from procrastination to artificial intelligence, Urban's blog, Wait But Why, has garnered millions of unique page views, thousands of patrons and famous fans like Elon Musk.

Steven Pinker is a Canadian-American cognitive psychologist, linguist, and popular science author. He is Johnstone Family Professor in the Department of Psychology at Harvard University, and is known for his advocacy of evolutionary psychology and the computational theory of mind.

Steven

Ryan Holiday is the bestselling author of Trust Me, I’m Lying; The Obstacle Is the Way; Ego Is the Enemy; Conspiracy and other books about marketing, culture, and the human condition. His work has been translated into over 30 languages and has appeared everywhere from the New York Times to Fast Company. His company, Brass Check, has advised companies such as Google, TASER, and Complex, as well as multiplatinum musicians and some of the biggest authors in the world. He lives in Austin, Texas.

Ryan

Wolfgang

H. H. Sri Swami Satchidananda (Sri Gurudev) born C. K. Ramaswamy Gounderis respected worldwide as one of the major pioneers of the interfaith movement and as one of the most respected Yoga Masters of our time. Sri Gurudev's teachings and spirit guide us toward a life of peace and to religious harmony among all people. Invited to come to the West in 1966, Sri Gurudev was quickly embraced by young Americans looking for lasting peace during the turbulent 1960's. In 1969, he opened the Woodstock Festival. The peaceful atmosphere that prevailed throughout the event was often attributed to his message and blessings.Sri Gurudev founded and is the guiding light for Integral Yoga® International. Integral Yoga, as taught by Sri Gurudev, combines variH. H. Sri Swami Satchidananda (Sri Gurudev) born C. K. Ramaswamy Gounderis respected worldwide as one of the major pioneers of the interfaith movement and as one of the most respected Yoga Masters of our time. Sri Gurudev's teachings and spirit guide us toward a life of peace and to religious harmony among all people. Invited to come to the West in 1966, Sri Gurudev was quickly embraced by young Americans looking for lasting peace during the turbulent 1960's. In 1969, he opened the Woodstock Festival. The peaceful atmosphere that prevailed throughout the event was often attributed to his message and blessings.Sri Gurudev founded and is the guiding light for Integral Yoga® International. Integral Yoga, as taught by Sri Gurudev, combines various methods of Yoga, including Hatha Yoga, selfless service, meditation, prayer, and a 5,000-year-old philosophy that helps one find the peace and joy within. Integral Yoga is the foundation for Dr. Dean Ornish's landmark work in reversing heart disease and Dr. Michael Lerner's noted Commonweal Cancer Help program. Today more than 50 Integral Yoga Institutes and Integral Yoga Teaching Centers throughout the United States and abroad offer classes and training programs in all aspects of Integral Yoga.In 1979, Sri Gurudev was inspired to establish Satchidananda Ashram—Yogaville®. Based on his teachings, it is a place where people of different faiths and backgrounds can come to realize their essential oneness. Yogaville is the home of The Light Of Truth Universal Shrine (LOTUS). This unique interfaith Shrine honors the Spirit that unites all the world religions, while celebrating their diversity. People from all over the world come there to meditate and pray.For more than fifty years, Sri Gurudev sponsored interfaith worship services and conferences. His teachings advocate respecting and honoring all faiths and he was invited to share his message of peace with many world leaders and dignitaries. Over the years, Sri Gurudev received many honors for his public service. Among recent awards: the 1994 Juliet Hollister Interfaith Award presented at the United Nations and in April 2002 the prestigious U Thant Peace Award. In addition, he served on the advisory boards of many world peace and interfaith organizations.Sri Gurudev is the author of many books, including Integral Yoga Hatha, To Know Your Self, The Living Gita, and The Golden Present. He is the subject of three biographies, Apostle of Peace, Portrait of a Modern Sage, and Boundless Giving.In August 2002, Sri Gurudev entered Mahasamadhi (a God-realized soul's conscious final exit from the body). Chidambaram, his Mahasamadhi shrine in Yogaville is open for prayer and meditation. “Swami Satchidananda enriched the lives of  countless others and his efforts made a positive difference to our world and our future.”—President and Mrs. William Jefferson Clinton“I have met some truly great men in my life, but none greater than Swami Satchidananda, for his life is dedicated to service and the cause of peace--both individual and universal--and to fostering religious harmony among all people.”—Dean Ornish, MD“Swami Satchidananda has been and continues to be our great teacher and God’s special messenger.”—The Very Rev. James Parks Morton“I consider Swami Satchidananda one of the greatest spiritual teachers of our time.”—Richard Gere“There are teachers who guide their students to mystical experience.  There are others, too, who inspire their students to loving service.  What I admire in Swami Satchidananda is the consistency with which he bonds these two together.”—Br. David Steindl-Rast, OSB.

Jalal

Eric Jorgenson is a startup growth specialist, author, podcast host and (rarely) Angel investor. He is a member of the Zaarly founding team and has been writing online since 2014. Evergreen, his business blog, has educated and entertained over a million people. Eric is on a mission to make (and consume) the ideal sandwich.

Eric

Keith

Jordan Peterson is a Canadian clinical psychologist and a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto. His main areas of study are in abnormal, social, and personality psychology, with a particular interest in the psychology of religious and ideological belief and the assessment and improve

Jordan

William

The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature is a book by the Harvard psychologist and philosopher William James comprising 20 lectures given at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.  These lectures concerned the nature of religion and the neglect of science, in James view, in the academic study of religion. Soon after its publication, the book found its way into the canon of psychology and philosophy, and has remained in print for over a century.  James was most interested in direct religious experiences.  Theology and the organizational aspects of religion were of secondary interest.  He believed that religious experiences were simply human experiences: Religious happiness is happiness.  Religious trance is trance.  He believed that religious experiences can have morbid origins in brain pathology and can be irrational but nevertheless are largely positive.  Get Your Copy Now. 

Mark Zuckerberg is an American internet entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is known for co-founding and leading Facebook, Inc. and its namesake social networking website as its chairman, chief executive officer, and controlling shareholder.

Mark

Brian Randolph Greene is an American theoretical physicist, mathematician, and string theorist. He has been a professor at Columbia University since 1996 and chairman of the World Science Festival since co-founding it in 2008. Greene has worked on mirror symmetry, relating two different Calabi–Yau manifolds.

Brian

The Varieties of Religious Experience

Deborah Blum is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author.As a science writer for the Sacramento Bee, Blum (rhymes with gum) wrote a series of articles examining the professional, ethical, and emotional conflicts between scientists who use animals in their research and animal rights activists who oppose that research. Titled "The Monkey Wars", the series won the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for Beat Reporting.Deborah Blum is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author.As a science writer for the Sacramento Bee, Blum (rhymes with gum) wrote a series of articles examining the professional, ethical, and emotional conflicts between scientists who use animals in their research and animal rights activists who oppose that research. Titled "The Monkey Wars", the series won the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for Beat Reporting.

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