Since 1968, Swami Paramatmananda Puri has lived the life of a renunciate in India, settling there at the age of nineteen, to imbibe the spiritual essence of that great and ancient culture. It has been his good fortune to have kept the company of many saints and sages over the years, culminating in his meeting with his Guru, Mata Amritanandamayi, in 1979. As one of her senior disciples, he was eventually asked to return to the U.S. to serve as head of the first ashram in the West, the Mata Amritanandamayi Center, where he remained in residence since from 1990 until 2001.

Many residents and visitors to the Center have shared that one of the high points in programs there have been Swami’s talks, encompassing Amma’s teachings, his experiences in India, his understanding of scriptural texts, and his life on the spiritual path. With wit and humour, he has synthesized East and West, and created a forum for spiritual learning for people from all walks of life. Originally available only on tape, his talks have now been transcribed, making these volumes a treasury of wisdom for years to come. These talks were recorded over twenty years ago. For this revised edition, Swamiji decided to rewrite the book in a more readable style.