Living with the Himalayan Masters. Swami Rama

Our past samskaras are deeply rooted in the unconscious. These latent samskaras, or impressions, create various bubbles of thoughts and express themselves through our speech and actions. It is possible for the aspirant to get freedom from these samskaras. These memories have a stronghold in the bed of our samskaras. Those who can burn these samskaras in the fire of non-attachment or knowledge are free from the bondage created by them. It is like a burnt rope, which loses its binding power though it still looks like a rope. When the latent impressions, though still in the unconscious, are burned by the fire of knowledge and lose the power of germination, they never grow. They are like roasted coffee beans. You can use them to brew a cup of coffee, but they have no power to grow. There are two varieties of diverse qualities of samskaras. One quality of samskara is helpful in the path of spirituality, and the other is an obstacle.

In this inspirational collection of stories, Swami Rama relates his experiences with the great teachers who guided his life, including Tagore, Mahatma Gandhi, Sri Aurobindo, and Ramana Maharshi. This book documents Swami Rama’s spiritual quest, which showed him that direct experience is the source of real knowledge.

Swami Rama. Living with the Himalayan Masters . Himalayan Institute. Kindle Edition.