Back in the mid-1980s when I was teaching in Warren College at the University of California, San Diego, we were required to use Mark Twain's famous book, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, in our classes. However, we were cautioned beforehand that certain words that were in common usage in the 19th century (such as the "N" word) were no longer acceptable either in speech or print today. But instead of editing out those offensive words, it was believed that keeping the older text in tact allowed us an historical and psychological glimpse into the mindset of the people living at that time, even if they contained only a partial glimpse of a certain class. I mention this because in re-reading Mark Twain's book, Following the Equator: A Journey Around the World (from which we have specifically excerpted his reminiscences of India), it becomes almost immediately apparent how dated the language is and how some phrases may be regarded as totally inappropriate to today's modern ear. But we have made no attempt here to alter Twain's words in any way, believing that it is important not to alter such since the document provides the interested reader with a fascinating social telescope into a time far gone. Having myself been to India nine times (and most recently in the Fall of 2014), much has changed in this wondrous country over the years even if many parts remain the same-so much so, in fact, that one imagines that Twain himself would acknowledge the semblance. The following book focuses only on Mark Twain's time in India during the first few months of 1896. He doesn't always looking kindly on the country that intrigued him so much and some Hindu scholars have questioned his objectivity. As Hinduism Today pointed out, "Twain's tales of his encounter with India and Hinduism are typical of the curmudgeonly essayist--witty, sagacious, exaggerated and cynical."Yet, Twain is such an exceptionally gifted writer (with a keen eye for the non obvious and a subtle if at times acerbic sense of humor) that he makes India come alive in a way that few writers can match. He is also skilled at revealing the ordinary in the midst of all the gala and pageantry. Reading Twain one gets a deeper feeling for all the multi-layered contradictions of human life. In any case, I think the reader is in for a treat, even if he or she may not agree with all of Twain's descriptions and insights.

Mark Twain in India

Travel

TWAIN,MARK

Asia

Mount San Antonio College/Philosophy Group

It is not too often that a brilliant scientist is also a wonderfully gifted writer. Sir Arthur Eddington was both. Brought up as a Quaker (he was a pacifist during World War One), Eddington was by all accounts a brilliant mathematician and physicist, who eventually became a Professor of Astronomy at Cambridge University. Sir Arthur Eddington is perhaps most famous for partially confirming Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity back in 1919. Sir Arthur Eddington was also famous as a popularizer of science and for advocating a more mystical view of the universe, one which exceeded the grasp of materialistic science. In this regard he was something of a renegade and though his writings on the mathematics of relativity won universal praise, his more spiritually speculative philosophy was met with resistance in more staid scientific quarters. The following book includes selections from Eddington’s two most well known writings, The Nature of the Physical World and Space, Time, and Gravitation. The excerpts that we included are “On the Nature of Things” and “Reality.” Hopefully these small literary gems will serve as intellectual appetizers to readers not familiar with Sir Arthur Eddington and inspire one to look deeper into this fascinating man and his scientific philosophy on the universe at large and our precarious place within it. Also included is a brief biography which goes into some detail about his life and work.

Sir Arthur Eddington On the Nature of Things

Science & Math

Lane, David Christopher

History & Philosophy

Sach Khand: The Journal of Radhasoami Studies (Complete Set)

Religion & Spirituality

Other Eastern Religions & Sacred Texts

Mysticism and Mathematics

RUSSELL, BERTRAND

The true story of how famed K2 mountain climber Paul Petzoldt killed his friend and mentor, Dr. Julian P. Johnson at a spiritual ashram in India. Explores the controversy surrounding what happened on that fateful night on January 25, 1939, and the spiritual scandal that ensued in the Punjab. The tragedy haunted Paul Petzoldt for the rest of his life since there were dark rumors about him being a murderer and not being allowed back to India. However, this book unravels the mystery behind Dr. Johnson's death and corrects many misconceptions that have evolved over the years. It also touches upon how Paul Petzoldt using an ancient yogic technique had the most profound, mystical experience of his life--something he regarded as greater than any drug or mountain climbing experience. It is a complicated story with a Rashomon character, with each side seeing something different in what transpired. Includes original documents and photographs.

The Mystery of Dr. Johnson's Death: A Spiritual Scandal in the Punjab

There is no doubt in my mind that Faqir Chand is one of the most important shabd yoga masters in history and that his frank confessions of "unknowingness" are of vital importance for those interested in religion and spiritual masters. Faqir reveals what other gurus will not. Here in the MSAC Philosophy Group at Mt. San Antonio College it is our wish to republish almost all of Faqir Chand's books and pamphlets in English and give them a wider audience. This book, The Secret of Inner Visions, contains judicious selections from Faqir's small book, The Essence of Truth. Since the latter book contains more or less verbatim transcriptions from several of Faqir Chand's satsangs, readers should be aware of its more vernacular and informal tone. Nevertheless, a close reading of Faqir Chand's radical thinking will undoubtedly have a liberating impact on the reader since he doesn't mince words. One of the most refreshing aspects of Faqir's philosophy is that he readily admits that he doesn't ultimately know anything (similar to his Greek counterpart, Socrates, and the Chinese poet, Lao Tzu) and that he is most open to being wrong. In all my many travels to India and my interviews with scores of shabd yoga teachers, I have never met a more honest and forthcoming spiritual teacher than Faqir Chand. He is perhaps the most straightforward guru in history. In the early 1980s I coined the term the Chandian Effect which describes in a nutshell what Faqir realized about inner visions and other miraculous incidents. Whenever a person has a spiritual vision of a holy man or woman they invariably believe that such an apparition is real and manifests of its own accord. But according to Faqir Chand's realization, none of these visions are objectively real since they arise (even if unconsciously) from one's own mind and that the personage one beholds is ignorant about such a manifestation. In essence, the disciple is merely projecting what he or she desires but mistakenly attributes such mystical happenings as being apart from one's own self, "O, man your real helper is your own self and your own faith, but you are badly mistaken and believe that somebody from without comes to help you. No Hazrat Mohammad, No Lord Rama, Lord Krishna or any God or goddess or guru comes from without. This entire game is that of your impressions and suggestion which are in grained upon your mind, through your eyes and ears and of your faith and belief. This is the change that I am ordained to bring about."

The Inner Secret: Faqir Chand on Visions

Hinduism

Many critics consider Rain to be Maugham's finest short story and it has proven to be wildly successful for an essay that is less than 16,000 words, eventually earning him over a million dollars. What makes the story standout, besides its exotic setting in the south pacific, is the archetypal conflict between the pull of the flesh and the pull of the spirit. This is brought to dramatic effect by the juxtaposition of a Christian missionary's disdain for a prostitute who he attempts to convert but whom he ends up sleeping with, thus highlighting his own duplicity. The metaphor of the ceaseless rain, according to one critic, is that it represents an over-determined fate, where there is "simply no escape from what is pre-ordained and nature must take sit course." This book contains the original short story by Maugham as well as an introduction explaining why the story echoes Nietzsche's views on the upside down world of moral values.

Somerset Maugham's Rain: A Philosophical Journey

Literature & Fiction

Evolution and Natural Selection: August Weismann on Darwin and Lamarck

Weismann, August

Evolution

This is an English translation of Guru Nanak's famous Sri Japji Sahib which was originally written in Gurmukhi script. This is rightly regarded as one of the world's great spiritual classics. It is uplifting and universal in its message of love and devotion. This particular edition is in black and white with a beautifully illustrated design on each page. Includes a brief introduction by Professor David Christopher Lane, Ph.D. There is also a color edition available as well.

Sri Japji Sahib

Nanak, Guru

The Enchanted Land: A Journey with the Mystics of India

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Books by Mount San Antonio College/Philosophy Group