We are at a unique moment in the evolution of spirituality. For centuries, sages of various traditions around the world have been expressing the Truth of non-duality; and their disciples have been faithfully preserving the teachings and passing them on. But it is only now, in this era of advances in mass communication, that it has become possible for a living sage of one tradition, to produce commentaries inspired by the mystical traditions of another.

Imagine if Chuang Tzu had written a commentary on the Bhagavad Gita, or if the sage Jnaneshwar had produced reflections on the Heart Sutra! Within these pages a similar dream has been realised – commentaries on the teachings of the revered Zen Master Huang Po, and a modern Book of the Way inspired by Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching, both written by Advaita Master Ramesh S. Balsekar.

The repetition of tradition cannot be termed as wrong, but when the teaching is embodied the teacher is at liberty to put it in his own words instead – because he is It. Ramesh’s words bridge the apparent gap of centuries and geographical boundaries, revealing the hidden Truth behind the illusion of time and space: Advaita, Zen, and Tao.

Ramesh Balsekar, author of over 20 books, discusses the Indian philosophy of Advaita daily at his residence in Mumbai, with visitors from around the world. The basic concept is that “all there is, is Consciousness;” all actions are happenings, the functioning of the Primal Energy, and not the doing by anyone. He has a unique focus on what we all have to deal with in our daily living. His teaching has impacted the lives of many people.

About the Author
Ramesh S. Balsekar, married to Sharda and a father of three, is known and loved by seekers from around the world as an eloquent Master of Advaita, or Non-duality. After retiring as President of the Bank of India, Ramesh translated many of the daily talks given in Marathi by his Guru, Nisargadatta Maharaj. The teaching began in 1982 after Maharaj had twice directed him to talk, and since then he has written over twenty books on Advaita as well. Ramesh is widely regarded as undeniably unique and uncompromising in his presentation of the concepts, in keeping with an early premonitory remark by Maharaj that as a teacher Ramesh would not be ”parroting” the words of his Guru. In response to the appreciation frequently shared by visitors at his talks for the singular clarity and `purity` of the teaching, Ramesh himself has perhaps best expressed it with his view of the Master-disciple relationship: ”The purity of the teaching lies in the absence of an individual teacher and an individual learner - that is to say, in the absence of a subject-object relationship. The purity lies in the spontaneity of the happening.”