ePub Sadhus: Going Beyond the Dreadlocks by Patrick Levy in History

Review

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. One of a Kind Read!By Rob RideoutI loved this book; as I too hung out with many sadhus in India during 1994-95. I can relate to everything the author describes in such perfect expressions of what India is really like- especially with the sadhus. I was delighted to see that Mahavatar Babaji was included; but blown away by how He was described- with dreadlocks and a light beard. Most accounts of Balak Baba; whom many thought was another form of Him since His passing in 1984; fit this description. But of course; Babaji can appear in any disguise. However; I too felt I had Babaji's darshan at Christmas 1994; in a cave in Haidakhan; and He too appeared to me the same way! I wrote all about this; and much more; in my inspirational memoir; Still Singing; Somehow. Patrick Levy's descriptions of the daily scenes in India are some of the best I've ever read. He knows India very well; and has laced his dialogue between characters with much esoteric and metaphysical knowledge. This book can boggle the mind about what is real and what is not. I see too that the character of the French writer is the author's alter ego; before his semi transformation into a western sadhu; as the one telling the story. Having written a book myself; I really respect the way Patrick Levy put together his fascinating jig saw puzzle of sadhus conversations and dialogue; India's complexity; the physical and mental challenges of renunciation; and the real feeling of what it's like to be there. The greatest truth I gleaned from his experience; is "There is nothing to do". "A Course In Miracles" states the same truth as; "You don't have to do anything. You are already there". Why the sadhus do what they do; and choose their distinct lifestyle is the big question; and well worth reading about in this one of a kind book. I plan to re-read it again; for the inspiration that it gives me to meditate! Thank you Patrick Levy for such a truthful look into the world of sadhu spirituality; described so beautifully. You're a great writer!9 of 9 people found the following review helpful. Great bookBy Dennis YorkI don't write very many reviews;but this very excellent book deserves as positive a review as possible. I would give this book 10 stars if I could. Patrick Levy has done for those of us who are unable to travel to Varanasi in the flesh the great service of taking us there through his very lucid discussions with the various sadhus he encountered on his long journeys throughout India. This book should be read by far more people than it has. It is essential reading. I can't praise it enough!Thank you very much;Patrick Levy!!!1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Well-written first-hand account of an unfamiliar cultureBy V. Srinivasa RaghavanNot an easy read; but a good book. As they in India; a saint's past should not be probed. But laymen like us do have a curiosity of the daily lives of saints and sadhus. The author; a Frenchman; travels with his Guru and experiences the life of the wandering sadhus. His master comes across as an easy-going; practical; jovial; yet a very kind and realized soul; who is always in a cheerful mood no matter what. The author is fortunate. I loved the way the Guru advised a villager who was ill-treating his daughter after the death of his wife.While there is always a variation in a human nature; and the Sadhus are no exception; the author's portrayal of them made me respect them for the choices they had made in life; and their carefree life with very few possessions and a life of wandering is so different from our lives. The devotion of the ordinary Indians to them is also very moving; and this wonderful relation of house-holders supporting sadhus; and they in turn blessing the house-holders and not exploiting their hospitality is so Indian. Such sympathetic accounts of this vanishing culture makes me admire the ancient culture of India even more.