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Bettina Sharada Bäumer, a disciple of Swami Lakshman Joo and a scholar-practitioner of Kashmir Śaivism, has been teaching various texts of this sacred tradition in intensive seminars for the last 25 years. This book is an account of her inspiring pilgrimage through life, in her own words. Beginning with her birth in Austria during the years of World War II and her family barely escaping the Nazi persecution, she gives a vivid account of her formative experiences which launched her on a lifelong quest for the Divine. With the life-changing, early influence of great religious figures like Raimon Panikkar and Swami Abhishiktananda, she was initiated into the experiential depths of Hindu-Christian dialogue. Coming in contact with the teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi and the Upaniṣads, her pilgrimage took a decisive turn as she made Banaras (Varanasi) her centre for studying the Indian traditions. It remained her place of work and living. But it was only in 1986, when she met her Guru, Swami Lakshman Joo, that her quest found its fulfilment in the spirituality of non-dualist Trika Śaivism. Continuing the responsibilities received from Swami Lakshman Joo and his closest disciples, Devis Sharika and Prabha, Bettina Sharada has dedicated her life to studying and disseminating the teachings of this great tradition. She has authored/edited more than 25 books, and continues to engage with seekers from all over the world who are interested in a spirituality which addresses the challenges of the present age. For her contributions to the field of education and towards promoting bilateral relations between India and Austria, she has been awarded the Cross of Honour for Science and Art by the Government of Austria (2012), and Padmashri by the Government of India (2015).

Table of Content: 

Foreword by Sudhir Sopory    

Photo Credits  

List of Illustrations      

Acknowledgements    

Bhūmikā: The Ground

Part I: Beginnings and Education in Europe (1940-1967)

            1.         Birth: Between Harmony and War    

            2.         Ancestral Roots          

            3.         Persecution and Refuge in Grossarl   

            4.         Post-war, We Are Poor           

            5.         Childhood and Music Education        

            6.         Teenage: Fall at Mönchsberg 

            7.         At Crossroads: Beginning University  

            8.         A Fateful Meeting with Raimon Panikkar      

            9.         Rome: A Catholic Initiation    

            10.       First Immersion in India         

            11.       Preparation towards Doctorate         

            12.       A Retreat in Patmos   

            13.       Līlā: Doctorate Completed     

Part II: Exploring Indian Traditions: Art & Spirituality (1968-1985)

            14.       Beginnings in India     

            15.       In the Presence of Saints and Sages  

            16.       Yogasūtras and PY Deshpande           

            17.       Love of Sanskrit: Learning from the Pandits  

            18.       Making of the Vedic Experience        

            19.       Banaras: City of Music

            20.       HWL Poonja and the Lucknow Adventure     

            21.       Transitions in Banaras

            22.       Abhishiktananda’s Fulfilment 

            23.       Alice Boner and the Art of Odisha     

            24.       Return to Europe        

            25.       Vienna and Indology  

            26.       Final Years with Parents         

            27.       Shivamurthy in Vienna           

            28.       Towards a New Freedom       

            29.       A Transformative Retreat (1978)       

            30.       Return to Banaras: Settling in Assi Ghat        

            31.       Pilgrimage to Kedarnath        

            32.       Towards Kashmir        

Part III: Fulfilment in Kashmir Śaivism (1986-)

            33.       First Meeting with Swami Lakshman Joo       

            34.       1986: An Eventful Year          

            35.       Śaiva Dīkṣā: Initiation 

            36.       Yajña: Integrating Inner and Outer    

            37.       Kyoto: Spirituality in Interfaith Dialogue       

            38.       Śaiva Centres in South India  

            39.       Life at Ishvar Ashram (1988-‘91)

            40.       Sharika Devi’s Liberation        

            41.       Mahāsamādhi of a Jīvanmukta          

            42.       Phulchatti: The Flowery Roof 

            43.       Sailing on Two Boats: IGNCA and Alice Boner           

            44.       Spiritual Anchors in Europe    

            45.       Interreligious Dialogue in Practice     

            46.       Kailash: The Archetypal Pilgrimage   

            47.       Beginning of University Teaching      

            48.       Continuing the Tradition        

            49.       Śāradā Kula: My Students      

            50.       Enchanted by Mystical Poetry

            51.       IIAS: Scholarship in Shimla     

            52.       Overcoming Suffering and Death       

            53.       The Essence of Trika  

Glossary         

Bibliography   

Index