About the Author:
Shuddhaanandaa Brahmachari (Bodhi) was born on 10 May, 1949 in Calcutta, India. He left his job as a lecturer of Economics at a college in Andhra Pradesh at the young age of 26 to join his Guru’s ashram in Calcutta and embrace the life of a monastic at the feet of his beloved Master. Back in college, he was the most loved teacher who turned even the most notorious illiterate rogues of students into college toppers through the power of his love. Often during class, he would unconsciously start giving discourses of Vedanta, even as the students listened to him spell bound.
At his Guru’s ashram, he found himself in a situation which was like crocodile infested water. Naïve, innocent, and simple-hearted, his sensitive soul with transparent emotions found itself amidst nasty double-faced ashram politics. The only solace for his tender and spiritual heart was to serve his Guru and spend every drop of his blood for the ashram by building it brick by brick, from start to finish. He silently faced continuous humiliation from the committee members for he was the apple of the Master’s eyes, much to everyone’s envy. His blatant honesty and strict adherence to conscientious values earned him many insecure acquaintances who feared his presence but slandered him behind his back. He found that his Master was a Mother whose heart was a vast banyan tree that never refused shelter to any of her children be it a scorpion beneath her roots or a cuckoo bird on her branches.
After serving his master for 12 years, the Master secretly instructed him to leave the ashram and join the ashram of the universe where there were no walls to bind him and the sky was the limit to expand his deepest spiritual potentials— “You must leave the shelter of this banyan tree. If you forever remain under its shade, you will remain a creeper plant clinging to my body like all others. You are born to become a banyan tree to offer shelter to thousands of lives underneath.” By this time, his Master was not the external physical presence for him but was a non-separate entity of his own existence.
On the dawn of 28 February, 1982, when the clock struck 4, he left his Guru’s ashram forever, completely emaciated physically and mentally.
He went to the remote peak of Bageshwar in the Himalayas from where, in a state of meditation, he flowed, and the masterpiece The Incredible Life of a Himalayan Yogi, Baba Lokenath was created. Coming down to the plains therefrom, he began his journey as a harbinger of love and peace in the remote villages of Sundarbans, helping thousands of poverty stricken villagers to lead a self-reliant life of dignity and quenching the thirsts of many spiritual seekers around the world. Labelled as a Guru-renouncer by his own Guru brothers and sisters whom he had loved dearly, he only grew and grew as a tall, big and unmovable banyan tree, its deep roots nourished by the invisible waters of his Guru’s eternal imprint over his soul.
After 38 years of him leaving his Guru’s ashram, he wrote this ode to his beloved Master who had not left him even for a moment ever since he had left his physical shade on that fateful dawn of 1982.
"Living with My Himalayan Master - A Biography: Sri Sri Bhajan Brahmachari is the first book about his Master written for a global audience. On the day its first edition was published, he said, as tears of love flowed from his eyes for his Guru, “Oh Master, I have no words of gratitude, for you have willed this unworthy child of yours to offer this very first lotus flower of its kind at your divine Lotus Feet. You may not have allowed me to serve your physical presence for long but have blessed my heart to serve your Spirit forever.”
Biography:
Bodhi Shuddhaanandaa is a globally acclaimed spiritual and motivational teacher from Kolkata, West Bengal, India. He has practiced and taught mindfulness and meditation for over 40 years. As an innovative Micro-Credit leader he is recognized as a visionary social advocate for his development of groundbreaking programs that serve thousands of poverty-stricken individuals in slums of Kolkata, India and remote villages of West Bengal. He founded Lokenath Divine Life Mission in 1985.
In 2005, Shuddhaanandaa founded the Stress Management Academy (SMA), and began conducting global seminars on breathing, relaxation, meditation and positive thinking for schools, corporations, hospitals, prisons and other venues. He expanded his offerings in 2012 by introducing Courses in Mindfulness (CIM). He has presented his programs to businesses, universities and general audiences in India, UK, Germany, Poland, Spain, Kenya, Bahrain, Australia, Mexico, Costa Rica, USA and Canada. Wherever he goes, his vibrant intelligence, fully engaged heart and remarkable presence touch his audience. His presence bears the mark of his years of practice of meditation and relentless service to humanity. He walks the talks.
He has authored several books, including a biography of his Guru,
"Living with My Himalayan Master - A Biography, Sri Sri Bhajan Brahmachari", "Your Mind, Your Best Friend: 30 Days to Building Your Most Important Friendship", "Cleaning the Mirror of Mind: Clutter Free Home, Clutter Free Mind", "The Incredible Life of a Himalayan Yogi: The Times, Teachings and Life of Living Shiva Baba Lokenath" and "Finding the Light of Your Positive Mind". He is a regular contributor to several magazines, and is a popular figure on the social media. Devoted to stress free happy living, he has also been regularly giving talk shows on TV since 2014.
He was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the S.T.A.R Foundation at the House of Lords, UK, in July 2015.
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