The Guru Tradition: India's Spiritual Heritage discusses the natures and roles of both guru and of the s si?ya, or disciple, as depicted in the Upani?ads and Dharma Sastras. The entirety of this analysis, of guru and disciple, is developed into a paradigm by which both the ancient and modern Guru Tradition can be more thoroughly understood. Four pivotal gurus from the twentieth century (Ramakrishna Paramahansa, Sri Aurobindo, Ramana Maharshi, and Paramahansa Yogananda), who have impacted the spiritual fabric of both east and west, are juxtaposed and discussed alongside this paradigm. This study is conducted from the perspective of Advaita Vedanta, the Indian philosophical system of nondualism.
Aviva Robibo is an independent scholar of Indian philosophy and religion. She is a scholar-practitioner and a certified teacher of meditation.
Section I: The Ancient Guru Tradition Part I: Initiation Into Self-Knowledge or Brahmavidya Chapter 1. Seeking and Approaching a Guru Chapter 2. Self-Knowledge is Learned from the Guru Chapter 3. Adhikarin: The Worthy Disciple Chapter 4. Upani?adic Examples of Adhikarins Part II: The Gurukula: Living with the Guru Chapter 5. Traditional Enrolment in the Gurinula Chapter 6. Brahmacarya Chapter 7. The Guru-Disciple Relationship Part III. Sadhana: The Practice of Self-Knowledge Chapter 8. The Practice of Self-Knowledge Through Service: Seva Chapter. 9 The Practice of Self-Knowledge Through Austerities: Ha?ha Yoga and Pra?ayama Chapter 10. The Practice of Self-Knowledge Through Study: Svadhyaya Chapter 11. The Practice of Self-Knowledge Through Meditation: Dhyana Part IV: Transformation Through The Guru's Transmission Of Self-Knowledge: The Purpose Of Sadhana Chapter 12. Results of Initial Sadhana Chapter 13. Advanced Levels of Sadhana Part V: Methods Of The Guru Chapter 14. Guru-Disciple Dialogue (Guru-Si?ya Samvada: An Outer Process of Evolution Chapter 15. Churning (Manthana): The Inner Process of Evolution Part VI: The Archetypal Guru: An Upani?adic Paradigm Chapter 16. Guru Consciousness is Brahman Consciousness Chapter 17. Guru: The Embodiment of Brahman Consciousness Chapter 18. Yajnavalkya: An Archetypal Upani?adic Guru Section II: The Modern Guru Tradition Part VII: Four Modern Gurus: Their Self Realization Chapter 19. Ramakrishna Paramahansa (1836-1886) Chapter 20. Sri Aurobindo (1872-1950) Chapter 21. Ramana Maharshi (1879-1950) Chapter 22. Paramahansa Yogananda (1893-1952)
