Swami: Encounters with Modern Mystics

by Doug Boyd

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Mysterious men with chants and beards, speakers of elliptical truths - the popular images of swamis have fascinated us for centuries.  But what are they really like? In Swami Doug Boyd portrays these "masters of self" as he has personally experienced them.  Their teachings, astonishing mental powers, and very human personalities are explored with enthusiasm, humor, respect and penetrating curiosity.

As described n the first porition of this book, Boyed spent several months as the personal assistant to raja yogi Swami Rama during a series of psycho-physiological tests at the Menninger Foundation in Kansas.  Boyed witnessed Swami Rama's ability to alter his heartbeat and body temperature at will, and as his companion, gained vital insights into his philosophy and personality.  The second half of Swami tells of Boyd's travels to the rock caves, ashrams, and university labs of India. 

This pilgrimage results in fascinating portraits of the swamis, babas, yogis, and ordinary Indians and Americans whom Boyd encountered: holy, irascible, benign, learned, and foolish.  The book also provides a heartfelt look at how East and West can better understand each other, and how we can achieve self-mastery and happiness in our lives.