Advait 

JuneThe Parables of Chuang Tzu : Chuang TzuThe Way of Zen : Alan WattsHsin Hsin Ming : SosanTao Te Ching : Lao Tsu

JulyThe Story of Philosophy: Will DurantMan and Superman : G. B . ShawMan’s search for meaning: Victor E FranklThe power of Now : Eckhart Tolle

Books help gain wisdom and insight. They have the power to transform our very being. The right book helps go inwards , bringing to us the words of the best that this Earth has seen.

Given the plethora of options available, it is an onerous task to choose a few books that provide not only knowledge but help in transforming the way one perceives reality and himself. The distinguishing feature of a worthy book is that it takes us not to an idea or an imagination, but brings us to ourselves.

The attempt has been to choose books that have a great power to quieten, sharpen and sublimate the human intellect. Sitting close to you, this document shall serve as a quiet reminder about an alternate - real- world waiting to be discovered.

Authors of Light

Advait Life-Education

Jonathan Livingston Seagull: Richard Bach

Jonathan is sick and tired of the boring life in his seagull clan. He rather experiments with new, always more daring flying techniques. Since he doesn't fit in, the elders expel him from the clan. So he sets out to discover the world beyond the horizon in quest for wisdom. A magical fable!

The Idiot: Fyodor Dostoevsky

A simple man, making his way in a society that is concerned with materialism and cut-throat avarice, will be considered a childish idiot for valuing honesty, kindness, and the simple things in life. The ending is a shocker and sends a plaintive message- that in a crazy world, a sanatorium is the only place for a saint.

The Little Prince:Antoine de Saint-ExuperySimply, directly, the Little Prince

makes several profound and

inquisitive observations about

life and human nature. This

book requires a child's faith,

acceptance and willingness to

make a complete suspension

of disbelief and coming closer

to philosophy than

to anything else.

Howard Roark, the individualistic young architect chooses to struggle in obscurity rather than compromise his artistic and personal vision. Roark is Rand's embodiment of the human spirit, and his struggle represents the triumph of individualism over collectivism.

The Fountainhead:Ayn Rand

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Madame Bovary: Gustave Flaubert

The story of a woman caught between two worlds--one of the dull and stultifying country lives that she leads with her husband, and the world of high romance and love: a fantasy. The rich denouement holds insights for all who are caught in dilemmas.

Lust for Life: Irving Stone

A chillingly unforgettable experience, not to be missed! Van Gogh is brought into vivid focus, living and breathing from page to page. No matter how many times the book is read the ending never fails to deliver an emotional whollop that leaves the reader in tears!

Death of Ivan Ilyich: Leo Tolstoy

During an interval in a trial, several legal professionals converse in a private room. The Death of Ivan Ilyich is an attack on the smug satisfaction of a middle class population, who lives artificial lives. Tolstoy at his literary best!

FEBRUARY

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Advait 

Listen, Little Man !: Wilhelm Reich

A great physician's quiet talk to each one of us, the common man, the Little Man. It is about what the Little Man does to himself; how he suffers and rebels. How, wherever he gains power as a "representative of the people," he misuses this power and makes it crueler than the power it has supplanted.

Raag Darbari :Shrilal Shukla

One of the best written social–political satire in any Indian language. The poignant and cutting satire events is so vivid it remains forever with the reader. The events have been described in most hilarious yet factual manner underlining the clarity and intent of understanding.

Shekhar-Ek Jivani:

Agyeya

“Satya kitna nagna hai aur

nagnta kitni satya” Story of

a child who is one among

many siblings, neglected.

It is about innocence,

experience and clarity. It is

about taking pride in ‘who

you are’. Extremely potent

in terms of the directness

of the content and

language.

Siddhartha: Hermann Hesse

The young man is not satisfied with the comforts of a respectable, lukewarm life. The authority of scriptures and gurus he wants not. His solitary un-ending journey takes him through several worlds, and helps him find himself.

MARCH

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Nehru brings alive an

ancient culture that has

seen the flowering of

the world's great

traditions of philosophy,

science and art, and

almost all its major

religions.The Discovery of

India: Jawaharlal

Nehru 

A deep, insightful

understanding of the

glorious intellectual and

spiritual tradition of

India.

अद्वै�त 

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Advait 

Thus Spake Zarathustra: Fredrick Neitsche

A masterpiece of literature as well as philosophy! The author addresses the problem of how to live a fulfilling life in a world without meaning and explains that the solution lies in the idea of eternal recurrence, which he calls "the highest formula of affirmation that can ever be attained."

The Prophet: Kahlil Gibran

A collection of philosophical and spiritual essays. Gibran’s musings covers sprawling topics such as love, marriage, work, buying and selling, crime and punishment, etc. Each essay reveals deep insights into the impulses of the human heart and mind.

The Book of Mirdad: Mikhail Naimy

Can you see the beauty of great literature, like The Book of Mirdad? If you cannot see it, you are blind. I have come across people who have not even heard the name of The Book of Mirdad. If I am to make a list of the great books, that will be the first. But to see the beauty of it you will need a tremendous discipline.अद्वै�त 

APRIL

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Tales of the Dervishes : Idries Shah

A collection of diamonds. Incredibly well-crafted, multifaceted likely to endure in the manner of the Koran and the Bible. Challenges our intellectual assumptions at almost every point. Full of wit, sophistication, irony and commonsense , completely absorbing.

Songs of Nanak: Guru Nanak

Let mercy be the cotton, contentment the

thread/Continence the knot and truth the twist//

Oh priest! if you have such a thread, Do give it to me. It will not wear out, nor get soiled, nor be burnt, nor lost. Says Nanak, blessed are those

who go about wearing such a thread Full of love, devotion

and untainted faith.

Masnavi: Jalaluddin Rumi

Widely recognized as the greatest Sufi poem ever

written, and has been called "the Koran in Persian.“ In

order to convey his message of divine love and unity he threaded together

entertaining stories and penetrating homilies.

Drawing from folk tales as well as sacred history,

Rumi's poem is light as well as spiritually profound, in

deep surrender as well as in upright rebellion.

Gitanjali: Rabindranath Tagore

Divine songs of Union with the Supreme. The book is a

collection of poems in which Rabindranath Tagore

celebrates the celestial union of two lovers. The poems are often referred to as a mystical expression in the same class

as Kabir, Rumi and Chaitanya. The beauty and power is such that the poems are read, and

the reader is dissolved.

The Songs of Kabir: Kabir

Kabir’s lifestyle and thoughts unaffected by the prejudices of

the society make us realize how direct and simple

everything is. How society is out to tarnish the innocence everywhere. His words are

innocent and non-commanding. The purity and beauty of these

dohas hold us in awe of the greatness of the individual.

There is Bhakti, there is Gyan, and there is more- a sense of

stark rebellion against all orthodoxies and falsenesses.

Advait 

अद्वै�त 

MAY

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The parables of Chuang Tzu: Chuang Tzu

One of the most beautiful

parable that anybody has ever told, it

goes very deep into the human

nature. It perceives the

Tao- the Way of Nature. Why do

we go on carrying ideals in the mind?

Why are we not enough as we

are? Just at this moment, why are we not like

gods?

The way of Zen: Alan Watts

It presents an understandable, inspirational and

spiritually rewarding exploration of Zen

Buddhism-"a way of liberation" that in Alan Watts words may be

one of the most precious gifts of Asia

to the world. Since Watts' time a

very few books have been able to muster erudition and clarity that have kept this

book in the readers' hands decade after

decade.

Hsin Hsin Ming: Sosan

Sosan is considered the

third Zen Master. He says

“If you wish to see the truth then hold no opinions”. His writings are a treasure for

those who seek ‘the great way’.

Terse, direct and enigmatic, the words have the

power to quieten and restore the

mind.

Tao Te Ching:

Lao Tzu 

He was most

unwilling to write

this book. He had

to write because

his disciples

wouldn’t allow

him otherwise.

The first thing he

says here is that

the Truth cannot

be told. Full of

seemingly

paradoxical

statements, it is a

gem of religion.

Advait 

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How delightful to read a psychological work that addresses life's issues as most people understand them! The most influential works of psychiatric literature since Freud. A compelling introduction to the most significant psychological movement of our day.

The Story of Philosophy: Will Durant

The most engaging writer of Western intellectual history, Will Durant breathes life into philosophers and their ideas. He is colorful, witty, and above all, informative. Seventy-some years after its first printing, The book stands as one of the best of its kind.

The Power of Now: Eckhart TolleTolle hoped it would "play its part in the transformation of human consciousness,“ as a catalyst to those ready for a radical inner transformation.

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Man's Search for Meaning: Victor. E. Frankl

Man and Superman: G. B. Shaw

A comedy and a philosophy, this is a four-act drama, . Two topics that jump out most frequently in this are: hell and enjoyment. He angers both the proponents and opponents of Christian "myths" and offers possible solutions to appease both sides. Shaw has outdone himself in this masterpiece. His ideas, even where they appear comic lead us into the concept of the purpose of evolution and the height of consciousness possible.

Advait 

अद्वै�त 

Eckhart’s writings: Meister Eckhart

“When I preach, I usually speak of detachment and say that a man should be empty of self and all things’’. His reasoned arguments challenge falsenesses, even as he is accused of heretical intent. Meister Eckhart’s writings are a collection of his unusual sermons in the vernacular during disarray among the clergy and monastic disorders.

Fragments: Heraclitus

“If you do not expect the unexpected, you will not find it ; for it is hard to be sought and difficult”. The Greek saint speaks in a manner that is Upanishadic, talks of life as an ever-changing flow, and has a deep contempt of the way in which humanity lives. He believes in the unity of opposites and looks insightfully at polarities and duality.

Declarations: Al-Hillaj Mansoor

A compilation of declarations of Al-Hillaj Mansoor , recorded by his followers and friends.It was Mansoor who gave the declaration AnalḤaqq "I am The Truth“, and was brutally murdered for proclaiming so. He believed in Union with divine and that God is within him. His mystical statements have the power to deeply stir the reader and wonder in Supreme awe.

Dialogues of Socrates: Plato

Plato’s writings and works are generally found in the form of dialogues where the characters argue a topic by asking questions from each other. In Dialogues of Socrates, Socrates appears as a central character who expresses his views on various topics. The famous defence of Socrates before he was poisoned too is to be found here. This book is believed to be only remaining record of Socrates’ teachings.

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Dynamic Meditations: Osho

Osho says that Science is the ultimate value. He divides Science into Outer and Inner Science. In this book, Osho has given meditation techniques for Inner Science. It has a description of morning meditation that opens body and breathing.

Who am I?: Ramanna Maharishi

According to Ramanna ,“Who am I?” is the only way of Self-Enquiry. Deep Meditation on this question resolves conflicts related to existence and real self. As a reply to a series of questions , he says that this Self-Enquiry is not a mere repetition of a mantra but way to Self-Awareness.

Book of Life: Jiddu Krishnamurti

Krishnamurti as a master takes the seeker through a process of daily meditations. The day one starts with January 1st ,the first step he suggests is ‘Listen with ease’ and by December 31st he takes you to a stage, ‘Generosity of heart is the beginning of meditation

I Am That: Sri Nisargadatta

“I am neither devotee nor the object of devotion. I am devotion itself”. The profound meaning in the teachings of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj has helped the spiritual seekers all over the world find a new meaning in the existence. I am That is a compilation of talks of Sri Maharaj with his followers and spiritual seekers.

Advait 

अद्वै�त 

Bhakti Sutra: Narada

Sage Narada, the man always carrying an ektara with him, always singing and dancing , devoting his songs to the Ultimate. This book is a compilation of devotional verses in which Narada explains the perfect stage of devotion; the steps to attain this stage and the nature of selfless love .

Gorakhnath’s Writings: Gorakhnath

Through Gorakhnath a new religion was born. The man who taught – Die O Yogi Die, for its beautiful to die. The Guru who taught that death is divine.His writings are a compilation of his songs through which he spread the message of meditation and samadhi.

Saamkhya Yog Karika: IshwarKrishna

The Saamkhya system classifies all reality into Purusha and Prakriti. It maintains an intermingled duality between consciousness (Purusha) and matter(Prakriti). This book is one of the most illuminating philosophical texts written in any language in any time.

Yog Sutra: Patanjali

Yog, yet another path to reach the divine. In Patanjali’s words, Yog is a process of quietening the mind. These ‘sutras’ or threads are terse , stating precisely essential points and techniques. As Yog means Union, these sutras teach the practitioner of Yoga how to achieve Union with the Supreme.

Advait 

अद्वै�त 

OCTOBER

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Isa Upanishad: Vedic Sages

Uttered by authors who did not bother to record their names, The Upanishads are probably the earliest and the most sublime flight of human consciousness. The word Isa means divine. This Upanishad is significant for its riddles on the nature of the Supreme. One of the description reads , “It moves and It moves not; It is far and the same is near; It is within all this and It is also outside this”.

VivekChudamani: Adi Shankar

Shankar is the one who systemised the Advait thought and clarified it for all. “Brahman is the only truth, the world is unreal, and there is ultimately no difference between Brahman and individual self”. This gives an idea his of teachings in one of his most important works. In this comprehensive work, he explains the nature of Atman and the ways to know .

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Avadhoot Gita: Dattatreya

Avadhoot Gita is a song of a mendicant ,it is a rendition of a free soul where the he claims that it is he who is eternal and all-pervasive. It is the bliss of a realized and liberated man which is poured and compiled in this book . There are very few documents that can match the stark sense of freedom and liberation that the Avdhoot epitomizes. It pierces right through the heart of ignorance.

Ashtavakra Gita: Ashtavakra

This book is a document of dialogue between the Master Ashtavakra and King Janaka , ruler of Mithila. In this book the master helps his disciple understand the meaning of liberation and how one’s true identity can be found by recognizing oneself as pure existence. It is probably the finest and purest document on non-duality.

NOVEMBER

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The Sermon on the Mount: Jesus Christ

A collection of sayings and teachings of Jesus. Earthly and divine, lovable and venerable, these teachings place a high level of emphasis on ‘purity of heart’ The Sermon includes Beatitudes like “ they that mourn: for they shall be comforted “, that hunger now: for ye shall be filled”.

Dhammapada : Gautam Buddha

One of the most important Buddhist texts. The verses in this book attributed directly to the Buddha. Enunciating the ‘Dhamma’, he offers explanations to true nature of existence and shows the path to liberation.

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Bhagwad Gita: Shri Krishna

The song of the divine, the song of ultimate being. A self-contained guide to life. Krishna explains Arjun the nature of the Self and teaches him different ways to the ultimate state of realization. Bhagwad Gita is also known as ‘Upanishad of Upanishads’.

Koran: Hazrat MohammadThe Koran literally means “the recitation”. It is a beautiful compilation of teachings revealed through angel Gabriel from God to Hazrat Mohammad. A book of divine guidance and direction for all humanity.

Advait 

अद्वै�त 

Advait Life-Education

Advait Life-Education is a movement  towards an evolved, integral and sublime human being through meaningful life-education. Advait seeks to promote clarity, integrity and wisdom among students and professionals by addressing the way they are trained or taught. To this effect, Advait harnesses the power of literature and other works. Advait has been active in conducting Student Development Programs (SDP), Faculty Development Programs (FDP) and Management Development Programs (MDP). More than 40,000 individuals have so far benefited from Advait’s training and development programs.W: www.advait.org.in | L: 0120-4249475 | F: 0120-4249474 | G-39, Sector-63, NOIDA(U.P)

EducationEducation is an exploration of the external world and the Self. It is a process of elevation of consciousness that mutates a biological-intellectual being into a realised Self.  Education encompasses learning specific skills, but also something less tangible but far more profound: the invocation of self-awareness, wisdom, a holistic perspective. While the prevalent education systems of today are well-designed to offer knowledge-based training, they lack in addressing the individual’s need for wholesome development and oneness with the world. This unaddressed need can be seen as a spiritual, mystic or simply as an essentially human need. It is the individual’s need to be better connected to herself, to understand the totality of the cosmos around and within her, to see events and relations in perspective; and to grow as a complete and conflict-free individual.