Baba : Autobiography of a Blue-Eyed Yogi

Rating:
Summary: Real Life Guru Stories from India
Review:
BABA details the importance of both personal and community spiritual and religious practices in India. Composed of Rampuri's personal experiences, stories, and thoughts interlaced within his life in India for the past 35 years. Though we have all read about Hindu faith traditions, this is the first time I have read detailed accounts of the Naga Babas, whose amazing lineage gives us a glimpse of Vedic times in India.

Written in an easy, accessible style, Rampuri presents his experience and understanding of things in a very forthright manner, without judgment; be it condemnation or praise. He simply shares.

Rampuri differentiates between religious and spiritual practice in a way that, at first, seemed a bit odd to me, as I'm generally used to hearing the distinction expressed in terms of group and solitary practice. But, what it most interesting is that he describes this distinction from a non-egocentric view. Highly recommended easy reading for both the Indian and non-Indian reader.

Rating:
Summary: a must-read for spiritualists...
Review: Blending Indian mythology with illuminating insights into the nature of astrological destiny and spirituality, BABA bridges faith and reason, mysticism and the internal struggle of surrendering. The journey of one man's quest for the truth and how it relates to him role in this realm is nothing short of miraculous.

This fascinating, eye-opening book dares to explore both the miracle and traditional Indian folklore of our enduring relationship with God and the beyond...Rampuri excels sharing descriptive tales of Indian gurus and his experiences with the country's mystical people and places.

Surprisingly, he almost alludes to telling the reader that spirituality is not something to buy or read. If so, this goes against everything New Age, and thus becomes a must-read for spiritualists.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting...
Review: Rampuri succeeds here in doing what so many spiritual teachers have not been able to accomplish ‹ finding the words and images to convey that we all cannot escape the play of the universe in an unfolding story orchestrated by the gods above. As characters in the divine drama, we make mistakes but keep persevering as we try to do good and open our hearts to others.

This is a very inspiring work on a subject that deserves more exploration. Rampuri has given us much to think about with his rich reservoir of fresh images. His advice is simple and sound: "God is living His secret life through you. Take a moment to contemplate, feel, and taste this delicious truth. Take a lifetime to live it and celebrate it." I saw him speak in
Bend and was amazed to see a Caucasian man sitting among ash covered sadhus, who revered him with as much respect as each other. The video of initiations gives us a rare peek into their lives that should be shown on PBS, not at a yoga center.

Rating:
Summary: Uplifting Story
Review: The light shines in this narrative of the uplifting story of the strength, power and resilience of an American learning about the Indian culture and spirituality. From its opening lines until the final chapter, the reader is standing in triumph of how wonderful Indian ideologies help us learn about ourselves. BABA engages the reader with quips that inspire, empower and strengthen the soul from within as Rampuri sheds his Western self for selflessness.
All the chapters are wonderfully written and felt so timely in that they convey feelings of strength that one would garner from experiences that relish in our inner soul and strength. BABA builds upon the foundation of strong, resilient and purposeful people. It illustrates that the Indian continent's strong groundwork has helped to make Babas the people that we wish to see, touch, and feel. Through poverty, discrimination, and mysticism that have perpetuated many of his goals, Rampuri still perseveres and this book reinforces the realness of the culture. The Naga gurus will be proud of his perspectives and no matter what race, everyone will gain a little light of understanding from a group of strong people whose souls have been enriched from the past, present and future.

Rating:
Summary: Soul Searching....
Review: There is something heartbreaking and life-changing
about the stories Rampuri tells, something so
passionate and questing that it is impossible not to
take notice. In his debut volume, Rampuri sets out for
the steaming cities and seaside villages of India in
search of answers about the elusive truth in finding
his spiritual self. It's about his inner sanctum about
which he knows little-despite growing up in Beverly
Hills along the priviledged and wealthy. A rebel at
heart, his rallying cry for the "truth" leads him to
India at 18. With an remarkable spirit and passion at
his side, Rampuri travels through marketplaces and
jungles, and fearlessly faces down the babas and
sadhus India's oldest order of yogis. This is a
beautiful and important book-exhaustively lived,
persuasively presented, poetic and vital. Rampuri's
sizable but eminently readable biography of his
larger-than-life experiences give us a taste of what
India is really like, from the inside out. An easy to
read book, it earns its keep from start to finish. His
writing remains so deliriously rich in ideas and
entertaining in its stream-of-conscious descriptions.


Rating:
Summary: An instant classic
Review: You will not want to miss hearing Rampuri tell his story and share rare video footage of his life in India during his upcoming tour in the United States. I went home the night I met him in Los Angeles and read his autobiography with page turning fascination. He is a masterful storyteller. This is a book that will inspire readers again and again.