Dancing with Siva: Hinduism’s Contemporary Catechism by Satguru Sivaya SubramaniyaSwami

Description

A richly illustrated sourcebook of Indian spirituality in question-and-answer form, exploring how to know the Divine, honor all creation and see God everywhere, in everyone.

The Master Course Trilogy you will find in this book the deepest truths and in-sights of Indian spirituality, some of it never published before, all of it relevant to your personal awakening on the path to merging with God. Drawn from fifty years of yogic realizations and sharing the Hindu mystical teachings with aspirants, Dancing with siva is the first book of a remarkable trilogy called The Master Course. The trilogy is a detailed summary of astanga yoga also called raja yoga, which contains eight successive steps, each one dependent upon the one that precedes it. These eight steps are yama (restraint), niyama (observance), asana (posture), pranayama (breath control), pratyabhara (sense withdrawal), dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation) and samadhi (contemplation).

The trilogy articulates in lucid terms why you must begin at the beginning, with a firm foundation of philosophical clarity and good character, and proceed from there. Dancing with Siva lays out the philosophical, Vedic-Agamic beliefs, attitudes and expectations of the Saivite Hindu religion.

Living with Siva, the second book of the trilogy, explores Saivite lifestyle, culture, family life, character-building and the overcoming of uncomplimentary habits. It focuses on yama, niyama and, in a lesser way, asana and pranayama (hatha yoga).