Name: Spiritual Compass: The Three Qualities of Life First Edition
Author: Satish Kumar (Author)
ISBN: 9781903998892

Spiritual Compass: The Three Qualities of Life First Edition book cover

Spiritual Compass: The Three Qualities of Life First Edition

Author(s): Satish Kumar (Author)

Publisher: Green Books
Publication Date: 8 Nov. 2007
Edition: First Edition
Language: English
Print length: 144 pages
ISBN-10: 1903998891
ISBN-13: 9781903998892

Book Description

In our modern, materialistic world it is easy to separate spirituality from everyday life. But spirituality is not just for saints, neither is it confined to the Sunday Service, Friday prayers or holy books. It must be a part of our ordinary, everyday existence: it needs to be implicitly present in business, in politics, in farming, in cooking, and in our relationships.

To illustrate this, Satish Kumar draws on the Indian Ayurvedic tradition which characterises the mind as having three gunas, or primary qualities: sattva (characterised by calmness, clarity and purity), rajas (energy and passion), and tamas (dullness and ignorance). These qualities can be applied to our work and the environment: for example, there are sattvic foods, rajasic

foods and tamasic foods. The Ayurvedic aim is to live a life which is simple and close to nature (sattvic), to reduce rajasic tendencies, and to avoid tamasic. When we see ourselves in the light of the three gunas, they can orient us towards the direction in which we wish to go. They can help us to recover the art of living, and lead us towards a peaceful and contented existence.

Extending the meaning of spirtuality further, Satish explains that there is no dualism between spirit and matterall matter is imbued with spirit, and spirit manifests through matter. This integrated world-view forms the core of his book.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“This book by Satish Kumar is wonderful. Full of wisdom, it is simple and elegant, displaying the quality of sattva as he himself defines it with profound and original insight.” –Ravi Ravindra, Emeritus Professor of Comparative Religion and Professor of Physics, Dalhousie University, and author of ‘The Spiritual Roots of Yoga’

From the Inside Flap

In our modern, materialistic world it is easy to separate spirituality from everyday life. But spirituality is not just for saints, nor is it confined to religious services or holy books. It must be a part of our ordinary, everyday existence: it needs to be implicitly present in business, politics, farming, cooking – and in our relationships.
To illustrate this, Satish Kumar draws on the Indian Ayurvedic tradition, which characterises the mind as having three gunas, or primary qualities: sattva (calmness, clarity and purity), rajas (passion and energy), and tamas (dullness and ignorance). These qualities can be applied to our work and the environment: for example, there are sattvic foods, rajasic foods and tamasic foods. The Ayurvedic aim is to live a life which is simple and close to nature (sattvic), to reduce rajasic tendencies, and to avoid tamasic. When we see ourselves in the light of the three gunas, they can orient us towards the direction in which we wish to go. They can help us to recover the art of living, and lead us towards a peaceful and contented existence.
Satish explains that there is no dualism between spirit and matter – all matter is imbued with spirit, and spirit manifests through matter. This integrated worldview forms the core of his book.

About the Author

Satish Kumar is an activist and internationally renowned speaker on ecological issues. He has been a Jain monk, nuclear disarmament advocate and pacifist. Now living in England, Kumar is founder and Director of Programmes of the Schumacher College international center for ecological studies, and Editor Emeritus of Resurgence & Ecologist magazine.

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