6 Important Lessons From the Ashram

By Roger Gabriel, April 20 2017. The word ashram comes from the Sanskrit word, Srama, which means “religious exertion.” However, in more recent times the term “ashram” is used to describe any facility used by a spiritual community. They can vary in size from a small hermitage housing just a few people to multiple building complexes …

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Duchess Simonetta Colonna di Cesaro and Swami Chidananda

Simonetta travelled in India during the 1960s and 1970s, where she established a colony for the care of lepers as well as a craft training program. Duchess Simonetta Colonna di Cesaro was born in Rome in 1922. Descended from Russian aristocracy, the daughter of intellectual & politically inclined Giovanni Duke of Cesaro,’ she grew up in a sophisticated environment, and …

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Ella Maillart: Discovering the unknown by herself

Ella Maillart was the pioneer solo woman explorer who found her spiritual side in India. By Ravi Shankar. The New Indian Express. Published: 27th September 2020 05:00 AM  |   Last Updated: 25th October 2020 11:02 AM  | A casualty of the internet and satellite mapping is the explorer. Before technology, Huen Tsang, Marco Polo and Columbus explored uncharted lands, …

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Yogi Ramsuratkumar by Hilda Charlton

Extract from Saints Alive by Hilda Charlton Hilda Charlton was a spiritual teacher who taught meditation in New York City from 1965 to 1988. In her teachings Hilda stressed the importance of a life of giving and forgiving, unconditional love and remembrance of God. She uplifted the lives of thousands of people who sought her spiritual …

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Crank’s Ridge: Alfred “Sunyata” Sorensen: a full Emptiness

Ashrams of India: Volume 2 Chapter 21 Uttarakhand, Crank’s Ridge Former haven for hippies and mystics during the 60s and 70s Alfred Julius Emmanuel Sorensen (October 27, 1890 – August 13, 1984), also known as Sunyata, Shunya, or Sunyabhai, was a Danish mystic, horticulturalist, and writer. He lived in Europe, India and America. The son …

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Entheogens in the Himalayan Foothills

Ralph Abraham. University of California, Santa Cruz. 3 November 2015. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/284190331_Entheogens_in_the_Himalayan_Foothills/link/564fa3f608ae1ef9296eb892/download Abstract. Reporting a miraculous week of entheogens and sadhus in a temple in the montane jungle of the Himalayan foothills in 1972. 1. Introduction In the Fall of 1968 I arrived in Santa Cruz, California, to begin a tenured position as Asso-ciate Professor of …

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Days in Rishikesh, India

Do you want to know what my daily life was like in India, what it is like to stay in a Hostel, to know more about Rishikesh? A new video has arrived, for us to continue the vlogs of our travel routine and our travels around the world! Rishikesh is a major center of study and …

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The Hippie Doctor Who Helped Eradicate Smallpox

By Steve Paulson. What’s not widely known is Brilliant’s remarkable backstory. To say he was an unlikely candidate to lead a global campaign against smallpox is an understatement. In the 1960s, Brilliant was a young doctor caught up in the wave of political activism and then the Summer of Love in San Francisco. “It really wasn’t fair …

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Holy Man, an article from LIFE Magazine 30 May 1949

From the diary of American ashram resident and devotte Thelma Benn (later Rappold), who spent three years with Ramana Maharshi from February 1948 until Summer 1950. The Mahakumbhabishekam celebration from the 14th to the 17th of March was a big affair. Thousands of people came from all parts of India. Special trains were dispatched from …

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The Hotels They Stayed In : The Bombay Ananda Bhavan Hotel

A devotees hotel from the past, the Bombay Ananda Bhavan Hotel, an oasis set amongst the Raj-era bungalows in the cantonment of Bangalore, India. The Bangalore cantonment of bungalows, gardens, race courses, clubs, barracks and parade grounds for its mixed civilian and military population, was established in 1809, separate from the city. Many devotees of …

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