A Delightful And High-Quality Photographic Book With A Large Text Section By The Renowned Photographer And Writer Richard Lannoy. Drawing Extensively On Anandamayi Ma`S Own Words And Advice To Followers, The Author Reveals A Personality At Once Both Breaththakingly Simple And An Enigma Of Fathomless Complexity. His High-Speed Action Photography Captures Her Essence While His Text Recounts Her Dramatic Spiritual Metamorphosis From Youthful Ecstatic To Venerable Sage. The Author Writes: Preferbly, The Face Of The Holy, Even In A Photograph, Should Be Depicted Like An Icon, Transubstantiated. Whereas... I Would Portray The Highest Attainable State Of Grace Not As A Quasi-Divine Being But As Someone Who Is Nothing Special.

This book gives an intimate first-hand account of a courageouswoman s spiritual quest in close association with several of India sgreatest modern saints. Unfolding against the back-drop of Benaresin the 1940s, where she lived as a teacher and musician, we aregiven an in-depth picture of her intense relationship with theextraordinary woman who becomes her guru 3 the great Bengalimystic, Sri Anandamayee Ma. Atmananda, as she came to be known,was also closely associated with J. Krishnamurti, but she was drawndeeper into the heart of Indian spirituality, encountering Sri RamanaMaharshi at his ashram in South India in 1942 and ultimately comingto Anandamayee Ma.Although written in a diary format, her story reads almost like anovel. A rare record of a remarkable spiritual odyssey.

This book examines the life of =Anandamay=i M=a, one of the most renowned Hindu holy women of modern times. Lisa Hallstrom paints a vivid portrait of this extraordinary woman, her ideas, and her continuing influence. In the process, the author sheds new light on important themes of Hindu religious life, including the centrality of the guru, the influence of living saints, and the apparent paradox of the worship of the divine feminine and the status of Hindu women.

&everything that this body says or does, its actions, movements, its going hither and thither, is done for your sake. Whatever is done for you by this body at any time, it is you who cause it to happen. Shree Shree Anandamayee Ma in reply to a devotee s query This book contains miracle-laden incidents and strange little happenings depicting Shree Shree Ma Anandamayee s infinite compassion for Her children. Each narrative carries one particular message- the message of solace and compassion for Her devotees. The stories of miracles described in the volume corroborate the fact that Shree Shree Ma Aanandamayee lives solely for Her children; for helping and guiding them to become pilgrims of the supreme path- the path that leads to Self-realization and to supreme ultimate God itself. The book makes a revealing study of Mother s supernatural glory. Its appeal is irresistible not only for the devotees of the Mother but for all seekers of God realization.

About the Book : Anandamayi Ma (1896-1982), the Mother imbued with bliss , as she was called by her followers, was one of the most significant Indian Saints and one of the very few woman-gurus of our times.This book was first published in 1967 under the

For a span of more than fifty years Sri Ma Anandamayi dominatedgracefully the spiritual horizon of India. The keepers of the Vedicheritage 3 the ascetics orders of India 3 were united in declaringher the quintessence of the Upanishadic Spirit.The present book is a lively and engaging account of Sri Ma senigmatic personality from the point of view of a single devotedfamily. It is an intimate and moving study of personal commitments.Yet through the author s perspective an emerging modern societyis glimpsed where orthodox rites, political upheavals, social changescreate the shifting patterns of a kaleidoscope. Sri Ma and herentourage of visiting dignitaries, princes, scholars, village womenand children, and renowned ascetics assume a three-dimensionalimage. According to Richard Lannoy, who has written the Foreword,the book is a valliant attempt at closing the distance between theknown and the unfathomable.

A Biography Of One Of The Most Charismatic Of Indian Religions Leaders: Sri Ma Anandamayi.

Ma Anandamayi is generally regarded as the most important Hindu woman saint of the twentieth century. Venerated alternately as a guru and as an incarnation of God on earth, Ma had hundreds of thousands of devotees. Through the creation of a religious movement and a vast network of ashrams-unprecedented for a woman-Ma presented herself as an authority figure in a society where female gurus were not often recognized. Because of her widespread influence, Ma is one of the rare Hindu saints whose cult has outlived her. Today, her tomb is a place of veneration for those who knew her as well as new generations of her followers. By performing extensive fieldwork among Ma's current devotees, Orianne Aymard examines what happens to a cult after the death of its leader. Does it decline, stagnate, or grow? Or is it rather transformed into something else entirely? Aymard's work sheds new light not only on Hindu sainthood-and particularly female Hindu sainthood-but on the nature of charismatic religious leadership and devotion.

"It cannot be that anybody, anywhere is not my very own. I am with you at all times." Clothed in spotless white... the image of simplicity and gentleness, Anandamayi Ma was one of the most influential spiritual teachers of our time. Her devotees ranged from prime ministers to renowned saints to humble villagers. Although virtually uneducated, Ma spoke with the authority of direct experience and mesmerised all with her ethereal beauty, sweetness and grace. A free spirit, she wandered all over the country showering her love and tender care on everyone. Across India, several ashrams, established and dedicated in her name, today serve as sanctuaries for spiritual seekers. Wherever she went, miracles followed in her wake. From suddenly appearing at the bedside of a dying woman... to breathing life into an ant crushed thoughtlessly underfoot, everything was manifested effortlessly and graciously through Ma. Her samadhi at Kankhal near Haridwar, radiates peace and showers blessings on devotees who come to pay their respects from all over the world. This short biography, written by a "dikshit" - a direct disciple of Ma, seeks to acquaint you with the sacred persona, inspired wisdom and the divine life of Anandamayi Ma. Its highlight is a chapter on new incidents that have come to light and never before been published in any biography of Ma.

Karma and Rebirth: Post Classical Developments explains the religious concepts most central to Asian philosophy, religion, and society, presenting articles representative of contemporary understanding and practice. The contributors look not only at the understanding of karma and rebirth in modern India, but also in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia, Tibet, China, Japan, and the Western world. This broad treatment underscores the fact that karma and rebirth have become part of the religious history and cultural fabric of the Western world. The collection is divided into three sections. Part I deals with figures and movements of the Hindu renaissance in India in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Part II on Buddhism deals with Indian, Chinese, Tibetan, and Japanese treatments of karma. Part III is devoted to the influence of karma and rebirth in the Western world through theosophy, new religious movements, and recent developments in psychology.