Spiritual Books
by John David and Open Sky Press
Aham Sphurana – Sharanagati, Surrender
Following the warm reception of the first two volumes — Aham Sphurana and Vichara — which brought readers into the living presence of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi and the vibrant spirit of the Ashram. Sharanagati turns with equal clarity to another foundational pillar of his teaching: Surrender. For Bhagavan, Surrender is not a sentiment but a direct, uncompromising way to dissolve the ego and rest in the natural peace of the Self. Drawing from rare dialogues and finely selected teachings and stories, this volume explores Surrender as both practice and fruition – how partial Surrender ripens into effortless, total letting-go; how trust in the Divine displaces anxiety and the sense of doership; and how Grace becomes unmistakably active when resistance ceases. Practical pointers illuminate what it means to ‘give up everything and keep quiet’, while addressing real questions of work, family, karma, and the seeming paradox of effort and non-doing.
Vichara – Self Enquiry, Who am I?
‘The pristine, pure mind of the Master that speaks through this profound volume is bound to bring us to an awakening into the most obvious yet hidden truth of our own existence.’Pravrajika Divyanandaprana Sri Sarada Math, Ramakrishna Sarada Mission, in Delhi Vichara offers a fresh and focused exploration of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi’s most profound teaching: Self-enquiry. It also provides an intimate glimpse into life at the Ramana Ashram in 1936, a period when Bhagavan’s teachings also began reaching Western seekers. Following the success of the first volume, Aham Sphurana – A Glimpse of Self-Realisation, this second volume delves deeper into the practice of Self-enquiry, which Bhagavan described as the fastest and most direct path to Self-realisation. Through a careful selection of his teachings, Vichara reveals how Self-enquiry dissolves the ego, bringing the seeker face-to-face with their True Nature.
Aham Sphurana – A Glimpse of Self Realisation
Fascinating dialogues and stories of Sri Ramana Maharshi recorded by Sri Gajapathi Aiyyer in the summer 1936, at Ramana Ashram. This book contains a selection from the complete manuscript Aham Sphurana. This selection, a brilliant treasure, speaks for itself. Beside the detailed teachings on Self-Enquiry, Surrender and Jnana, it exposes a new glimpse of Bhagavan's personal day-to-day life at fifty-six, in his middle age.
Nan Yar – Who am I?
Nan Yar, meaning 'Who am I?', was originally spoken by Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi in 1901, when he was twenty-one years old. Following his spontaneous moment of realisation as a sixteen- year-old school boy, Sri Ramana was drawn to Arunachala, a holy mountain in South India, which he never left. It was while he was living in a cave on the mountain's slopes that he was questioned by a man called Sivaprakasam Pillai. 'Sri Ramana wrote his answers with his finger in the sand because this was the period in which he found it difficult to speak. Naturally this writing medium produced short, concise answers.
Meetings with Remarkable People
Meetings with Remarkable People Krishna Das, Gangaji, Mooji, Andrew Cohen Touching life stories by twelve advaita/non-duality teachers from USA, Europe, Australia and India. In a deeply honest and authentic way, each of them shares their inspiring paths. The book is a deep dive into the mystery of life, encouraging us to follow our inner navigation, our intuition. The spontaneous flow of the interviews takes us on unexpected journeys guided by existence. We witness miraculous adventures and blissful times as well as confusion and pain. The deep longing and perseverance for truth leads each of them to a spiritual master, to Papaji, Neem Karoli Baba, Osho, Nannagaru. The profound relationship between teacher and student radically changed their lifes and transformed the seeker to a spiritual teacher in their own right.
The Pointless Joy of Freedom
The Pointless Joy of Freedom has been created over two years, containing some fifty talks I gave in public Satsang meetings and retreats in the Open Sky House Communities in Hitdorf Germany, Tripillya Ukraine and Denia Spain. Since the 1960s when I was in my twenties, my interest in understanding myself and in attaining true freedom and peace led me to devote considerable years to spiritual practice, working with my first master Osho and later with Papaji. I spent fifteen years of focused meditation and inner work under Osho's guidance.
The Great Misunderstanding
The Great Misunderstanding is the result of fifteen years of sharing with hundreds, probably thousands of people in countries all around the world. It started in Sydney, Australia, in 1997 and then moved to India, the source of the ancient human wisdom that is being communicated in this book. Later the sharing continued through most Western European countries, particularly in Germany and also in Russia and Ukraine. This book contains the cream of the talks and personal dialogues held over all those years with a great variety of people from many different cultures.
Arunachala Talks
Arunachala Talks consists of seven talks given to the forty-five participants in my annual Arunachala Retreat. The eighth talk was given in Europe on my return from India. This retreat, held in Tiruvannamalai, India, has been an annual event for the last six years. The message that is being communicated is the ancient Indian wisdom. I have nothing to contribute to that, it appears from emptiness and expresses through the body known as Premananda. My contribution is in the communication of the message. I am a painter, a visual and creative person. I delight in the Arts.
Indian Spiritual Masters
Blueprints for Awakening – Indian Masters – Volume 1 Rare Dialogues with 7 Indian Masters on the Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi Blueprints for Awakening is for everyone who has an inner passion to know what they are doing here as a human being. 1 of 2 volumes, this books features 7 interviews with important Indian spiritual teachers on the teachings of their fellow Master, Sri Ramana Maharshi, and on the ancient teachings of India. The result is a compendium of astonishing wisdom about the biggest secret of all times: the nature of our true Self and how to realise it. This volume contains the interviews with Ramesh Balsekar, Sri Brahman, Sri Hans Raj Maharaj, Ajja, D. B. Gangolli, Swami Satchidananda and Radha Ma. Click here for Volume 1
European Spiritual Masters
14 European Masters take their knowledge of the Indian traditional teachings, particularly those of Sri Ramana Maharshi, and combined it with their knowledge of Western psychology to offer a unique transmission perfect for the Western seeker. C. . European Masters is for everyone who has an inner passion to know who they are and what they are doing here as a human being. It is for all who ask the question ‘Who am I?’ and for those who are looking for guidance on the teachings of Sri Ramana to ‘be as you are’. This captivating book is a treasure for all on the path of Truth. It is the ancient wisdom of humanity passed down through generations of Masters to all who wish to know who they are.
Arunachala Shiva
Arunachala Shiva paints an intimate picture of Sri Ramana Maharshi’s life, taking us behind the scenes to moments with his closest disciples. Beautifully illustrated with 100 photographs, Arunachala Shiva paints an intimate picture of Bhagwan Sri Ramana Maharishi’s life and takes us behind the scenes to moments with his closest disciples. New Commentaries lay out his teachings and offer unexpected and astonishing insights. The many different perspectives allow the reader to find their own deeper understanding. Included in this book is his famous text, Who Am I? (Nan Yar) in which he declares that Self-enquiry is the most direct route to Self-realisation. Arunachala Shiva paints an intimate picture of Sri Ramana’s life, taking us behind the scenes to moments with his closest disciples. The shocking yet compelling commentaries offer new and unexpected insights into his teachings, challenging entrenched ideas and assisting a final realisation.
Papaji Amazing Grace
Papaji Amazing Grace – Interviews with seekers of Enlightenment… and how they found it 15 profoundly beautiful and powerful spiritual interviews conducted with seekers for Truth who sought out Papaji in the period from 1990 to 1997. An intimate look at the Master- desciple relationship. They are stories of a housewife, a businessman, even an officer of a nuclear powered aircraft carrier. Each person, whatever their background, had the common longing to discover the eternal Truth of who they are. When this longing is strong enough a Master appears. The interviews were conducted with seekers for Truth who sought out Papaji in the period from 1990 to 1997, when his old age finally allowed a community to grow up around him in Lucknow, North India.