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Spiritual Biographies
Letter A
| A Cloud of Witnesses. by Arseny, Father. Bouteneff, Vera, trans. Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press. 2001. | Here are the stories of more of Father Arseny's spiritual children, which we might place alongside those told by Solzhenitsyn and others of the cruel inhumanity of life in Soviet Russia. But these (stories) tell of love and prayer: of carrying one another's burdens in the most direct and natural ways, and of a ceaseless prayer to God and the saints making such love possible. We read of miracles, uncanny gifts of clairvoyance; but the greatest miracles are found in the transformation of human lives through Father Arseny's extraordinary spiritual insight, and in the profound spiritual honesty that informs all these stories. |
| A Life Divine, a Short Life-Sketch: Divine Activities and Messages of Yogacharya Sri Sri Bhupendranath Sanyal Ma. by Ghosh, Sri Sunil Kumar. Calcutta, India: 1993. | The life, mystical adventures, and teachings of Lahiri Mahasaya's (father of Kriya Yoga) youngest disciple. Bhupendranath Sanyal took initiation from Lahiri Baba at age 16, and within a year had mastered virtually all Kriya levels and was empowered to initiate others. Of notable interest is also is intimate friendship with Rabindranath Tagore, who asked him to the principal of his fledging experimental school at Shantiniketam, a position that Bhupendranath Sanyal held from 1902 to 1009. |
| A Short Life of the Holy Mother. by Pavitrananda, Swami. Calcutta, India: Advaita Ashrama. 1991. | This is the story of the life of Sri Sarada Devi, the wife of Sri Ramakrishna. She lived so silently and unostentatiously that its very simplicity was bewildering. In her life was found a wonderful mixture of the human and the Divine. Apart from her spiritual power, the mere human aspect of her life was enough to make her an exemplary character to the eyes of the world. But the most dominant trait overshadowing every other feature, was her motherly love for everyone that came in touch with her. She was indeed the final word in the perfection of Indian womanhood. |
| Against the Pollution of the I. by Lusseyran, Jacques. New York, NY: Parabola Books. 1999. | This collection of six little-known essays and lectures is filled with the inner light that Jacques Lusseyran found after losing his sight at the age of eight. This light--the universal and Divine source of faith and hope--sustained not only Lusseyran but also his fellow inmates in the Nazi prison camp of Buchenwald, as two of the essays describe. Despite the constraints of blindness in daily life and society's inevitable prejudices, Lusseyran felt--and makes us feel--that our disabilities, whatever they may be, are in truth our most precious gifts. Blindness enabled Lusseyran to discover aspects of the world that he would never have otherwise known. He vividly describes many senses beyond our usual five--available to all of us if only we pay attention. In these essays, Lusseyran reaches out compassionately to all people and urges a dialogue between those with and without eyes. It is our inner light that Lusseyran refers to as the I in the title essay. He declares that the I's central vitality is under attack by everything that steals our attention away from it and does not revere it. His love for humanity compels him to declare the I in desperate need of protection. With this remarkable collection of essays, Lusseyran offers a way to unveil the light-filled inner I and transform our lives. |
| Alison’s Journey: I Have Life. by Alisomn. London, Great Britain: Penguin Group. 1998. |
I HAVE A LIFE is the triumphant story of a woman who refused to become a victim. The courage which allowed her to move beyond severe physical and emotional trauma and to turn a devastating experience into something life-affirming and strong, is an inspiration to people everywhere |
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Amar Chitra Katha Storybooks. by Pai, Anant, ed. The Glorious Heritage of India. Bombay, India: India Book House Limited. |
A collection of comic storybooks in which the great saints of India and the world are presented, in a fun yet authentic way for children and adults alike. Highly recommended. |
| An Autobiography or the Story of My Experiments With Truth. by Gandhi, Mohandas K. Ahmedabad, India: Navajivan Publishing House. 1993. | The moving and lucid account of a spiritual hero for all times and all religions, in his struggle to free himself and others. |
| Anandamayi Ma the Mother Bliss-incarnate. by Ganguli, Anil. Calcutta, India: Shree Shree Anandamayee Charitable Society. 1983. | Books can give us learning; scholars can give us guidance in study and research; saintly persons can infuse enthusiasm for the correct way of living. Anandamoyee Ma does all this and more-she inspires and illuminates. Her teaching, if devoutly followed, enables one to face life's problems with fortitude and ultimately to accept death as life's fulfillment. This book includes the gist of a rich collection of Anandamoyee Ma's sayings, some interesting anecdotes-mostly narrated from an objective point of view-and some glimpses of the Mother's mystical Being as caught by the author. |
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And There Was Light: Autobiography of Jacques Lusseyran Blind Hero of the French Resistance. by Lusseyran, Jacques. New York, NY: Parabola Books. |
This astonishing autobiography tells the gripping, heroic story of the early life of Jacques Lusseyran, an inspiring individual who overcame the limitations of physical blindness by attending--literally--to the light within his own mind. Through faith in the connection between vivid inner sight and outer events, he became a leader in the French Resistance and survived the horrors at Buchenwald. For him, says Roshi Phillip Kapleau, "blindness and Buchenwald became gateways. This book is his testament to the joy which exists in all of us, a joy which no conditions--not even the worst--can kill." |
| Autobiography by Maharishi Debendranath Tagore. by Tagore, Debendranath. Translated by Satyendrannath Tagore and Indira Devi. London, Great Britain: Macmillan and Co. 1916. | |
| Autobiography of a Yogi.
by Yogananda, Paramahansa.
Los Angeles, CA: Self-Realization Fellowship Publishers. 1972. |
Paramahansa Yogananda was the first great master of India to live in the West for a long period (over thirty years). In this book he explains with scientific clarity the subtle but definite laws by which yogis perform miracles and attain self-mastery. A graduate of Calcutta University, Yoganandaji writes with unforgettable sincerity and incisive wit. |
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[more to come] |
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