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    Essential Wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita: Ancient Truths for Our Modern World
    Essential Wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita: Ancient Truths for Our Modern World
    Essential Wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita: Ancient Truths for Our Modern World
    Ebook82 pages59 minutes

    Essential Wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita: Ancient Truths for Our Modern World

    By Jack Hawley

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    About this ebook

    The Bhagavad Gita, the classic spiritual text more than five thousand years old, has often been called India's greatest contribution to the world. In these pages, Jack Hawley presents the essence of the Gita's teachings in a format accessible to modern readers.

    The book is organized into chapters that address five important questions spiritual seekers have been grappling with for millennia: Who am I? Why am I here? Who, or what, is the Divinity many call “God”? What is my relationship to that Divinity? Is it even possible to live a spiritual life, and if so, how?

    Each chapter begins with an introduction by Jack Hawley. The teachings from the Gita follow, arranged under headings relevant to today's seekers, such as “Being the Real You,” “Seeing Divinity in Ordinary Humans,” and “Finding Happiness.” The ancient wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita lives on, helping us today as it has helped countless millions of people through the ages.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherNew World Library
    Release dateOct 5, 2010
    ISBN9781577317302
    Essential Wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita: Ancient Truths for Our Modern World
    Author

    Jack Hawley

    Jack Hawley, PhD, lives, studies, and lectures half of each year in an ashram in rural southern India, where the values of the Gita are very much alive. When not in India, he brings these ancient yet current ideas to leaders and organizations in the West. His books include the classic Bhagavad Gita: A Walkthrough for Westerners; Essential Wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita; and Reawakening the Spirit in Work: the Power of Dharmic Management. His website is www.GitaWalkthrough.com.

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      Book preview

      Essential Wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita - Jack Hawley

      Essential Wisdom

      of the

      BHAGAVAD GITA

      Also by Jack Hawley

      The Bhagavad Gita:

      A Walkthrough for Westerners

      Reawakening the Spirit in Work:

      The Power of Dharmic Management

      Roadmaps to Self-Realization

      Essential Wisdom

      of the

      BHAGAVAD GITA

      Ancient Truths for

      Our Modern World

      JACK HAWLEY

      New World Library

      Novato, California

      Copyright © 2006 by Jack Hawley

      All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, or other without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.

      Text design and typography by Tona Pearce Myers

      Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

      Hawley, Jack, 1932–

      Essential wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita : ancient truths for our modern world / Jack Hawley.

          p. cm.

      ISBN-13: 978-1-57731-529-2 (pbk. : alk. paper)

      1. Bhagavad gita—Criticism, interpretation, etc. I. Title.

      BL1138.66.H42 2006

      294.5’924046—dc22

      2005028418

      First printing, February 2006

      ISBN-13: 978-1-57731-529-2

      ISBN-10: 1-57731-529-4

      Printed in Canada on acid-free, partially recycled paper

      Distributed by Publishers Group West

      10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

      Dedicated to

      Sathya Sai Baba,

      the source and beginning of all of this,

      who makes it all real

      We repeat the primeval sound of the universe, "Om,"

      the basic sound from which all else comes.

      Om is said to be the ultimate Divinity

      come to earth in the form of sound.

      The entire creative process of the universe

      is contained in this resonance.

      Om is in every place, mind, and heart.

      Spoken almost under the breath,

      the syllable Om is pronounced

      in the consciousness, as well as in the mouth.

      Reciting Om while contemplating the above symbol

      calms even the roaring waves of the human psyche.

      Om cleanses the mind and opens the channels.

      All mantras begin and end with Om.

      Contents

      Acknowledgments

      Introduction: Moving beyond Suffering to Self-Realization

      How to Get the Most from This Book

      Chapter One

      Rediscovering the Self

      Who am I?

      Overture

      Being the Real You

      Grasping Soul

      Seeing the Self in All

      Chapter Two

      Finding Meaning

      Why am I here?

      Overture

      Being Active

      Living by Your Dharma, Your Inner Truth

      Only One in Thousands

      Merging with the Divine

      Becoming the Atma

      Chapter Three

      Knowing the Divine

      Who, or what, is the Divinity many call God?

      Overture

      Seeing Divinity in Ordinary Humans

      Krishna’s Divine Declaration

      Knowing the Godhead

      The Very Nature of Divinity

      Comprehending the Supreme, Highest Self

      Arjuna’s Awe

      Seeing Divinity in Every Thing in Creation

      Chapter Four

      Connecting to Divinity

      What is my relationship to that Divinity?

      Overture

      Moving from Ego to Divinity

      The Four Types of Seekers

      The Subtle and Overlapping Orders of Devotion

      Focusing Always on Love

      Developing a Mood of Adoration

      Taking Refuge in Divinity

      High Surrender

      Chapter Five

      Living Spiritually

      Is it even possible to live a spiritual life, and if so, how?

      Overture

      Becoming Illumined

      The Secret of Selfless Action

      The Law of Sacrifice

      Seeking Neither Pleasure nor Pain

      Stilling

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