Biographies

Biographies

  “People are no do not understand diamonds, or who do not examine them closely, may take false stones to be real. But all the same there are such things as real diamonds, and it is possible to distinguish them.” - Fenelon

   “It is proclaimed by all great men that one should not discourage an aspirant from following any path, unless one has something higher and easier to offer him. Therefore, no true shastra discourages the pursuit of any path, even if it only serves as a preparatory course. Every path has some nugget of Truth in it.” - Shri Atmananda

   “There are men of enlightenment who cannot throw down a bridge from where they are to where they once were, so that others too can cross over. They do not know or cannot describe in detail the way which others must follow to reach the goal. Such men are not the teaching masters, and should not be mistaken for them...The man of enlightenment who has never been a learner, who suddenly gained his state by the overwhelming good karma of previous lives, is less able to teach others than the one who slowly and laboriously worked his way into the state - who remembers the trials, pitfalls, and difficulties he had to overcome....The capacity to receive Truth is one thing; the power to communicate it to other men is another. Moreover, only he who has himself lived near to our own experience of the quest, our own falls and slips and tumbles, who himself remembers how he struggled step by step along it to reach his present height, can best help those he has left far behind him.” - Paul Brunton

   "Once a man came to Bhagavan. One of them addressing Bhagavan said, "My friend has taken as his guru a man who is not even a sadhu. To show him what a sadguru should be, I have brought him here." Bhagavan replied sternly, "Who are you to say who is the right guru for him? By what power can you make out what a man really is? In fact, the guru is not as important as the disciple himself. If one worships with utmost devotion, even a stone would become the Supreme Lord." - Ramana Maharshi

	Kirpal Singh - Beloved Master One of a kind Sant Sat-Guru. Brief life sketch and extensive personal accounts by devotees. By Peter Holleran.

	Atmananda (Krishna Menon) - Householder Karana Guru "You come to realize that you are yourself the goal of samadhi." A life sketch and discussion of the difference between the witness consciousness and Reality. By Peter Holleran.

	Bankei Yotaku - Unborn Zen Awakening to prajna-truth versus final enlightenment. By Peter Holleran.

	Paul Brunton - Architect of a 21st Century Philosophy Writer-sage who brought the higher teachings of the East to the West. By Peter Holleran.

	Step by Step To The Temple of Total Ruin: Lessons from Milarepa The liberating furnace of guru-devotion. By Peter Holleran.

	The Death of a Dream and a Gift of Truth The author's personal experience with Sant Kirpal Singh. By Peter Holleran. Revised 5/2022

	Amazing Christians Colorful characters, Great Souls. updated 09-08-20 St. Catherine of Sienna, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Therese of Lisieux, St. Philip Neri, St. Seraphim of Sarov, Theophane the Recluse, Father John of Kronstadt, St. Padre Pio, Teresa Neumann, and Daskalos, the 'Magus of Strovolos'. By Peter Holleran.

	Jacob Boehme - Teutonic Sound Current Adept? The life and teachings of Jacob Boehme (1575-1624), German mystic who taught a path of inner light and sound. His unique Christian metaphysics. A note on the dark night of the soul. Comments on awakening and re-awakening. By Peter Holleran.

	Luther Burbank - An American Saint Life and spiritual philosophy of an American original. By Peter Holleran.

	Papa Ramdas: Embodiment of the Name Blessed by Sri Ramana Maharshi, Swami Ramdas embodied the vishista-advaita ideal of duality within unity. By Peter Holleran

	Ramakrishna Paramahansa - God-Intoxicated Saint ”Find God, that is the only purpose in life.” By Peter Holleran.

	Swami Vivekananda - Vedantic Pioneer Tireless exponent for a rational religion. By Peter Holleran.

	Swami Brahmananda - Bhakta Supreme Spiritual son of Sri Ramakrishna, Brahmanda most embodied the devotional ideal. By Peter Holleran.

	St. Teresa of Avila - to Hell and Back A Second Look at the Dark Night and the Mystics of the Church. By Peter Holleran

	The Enigmatic Kabir Universal guru, beloved by many. By Peter Holleran.

	Paramhansa Yogananda and Kriya Yoga Inspirer of thousands. Includes link to free on-line Autobiography of a Yogi. By Peter Holleran.

	Sri Aurobindo, the Integral and Supramental Yoga: "The Ultimate Construction Project" By Peter Holleran.

	The Two Krishnamurtis Paradox and contradiction in two modern iconoclasts. By Peter Holleran.

	George Gurdjieff - Mysterious Trickster Proponent of "The Fourth Way", George Gurdjieff taught a hard school of self-understanding. By Peter Holleran.

	Mary Baker Eddy and the Neo-Vedantic Origins of Christian Science: Its influence on New-Age thinking, and fundamental misunderstanding. (Sounds boring, but believe me, it's not!). By Peter Holleran.

	Lord Chaitanya - Divya Unmada Divine Madness through Kirtan. A discussion on the 'light body'. And a warning on "cult" madness. By Peter Holleran.

	Upasani Baba - on Tapas and Such Sadguru. By Peter Holleran.

	"Don't Worry, Be Happy" - Meher Baba and the Concept of the Avatar By Peter Holleran.

	H.P. Blavatsy and Rudolph Steiner - Man's Secret Past. "All You Wanted to Know About Esoteric Evolution But Were Afraid to Ask." An examination of Theosophical and Anthroposophical accounts of man's development through the ages. By Peter Holleran.

	St. Augustine to Gandhi: The Sexual Dilemma The battle with the flesh, as exemplified by St. Augustine and Mohandas K. Gandhi, and thoughts on the role of psychotherapy in spiritual practice. By Peter Holleran.

	Ramana Maharshi - Jnani of the Century Fountainhead of modern non-dualism.

	Journey Through the Light and Back Incredible, cosmic NDE story by Mellen-Thomas Benedict.