Book Title-Open-Eyed Meditations
Author- Shubha Vilas
Publisher- Finger Print
Price-Rs.230
ISBN – 978-8175993907
Available Online on Amazon
About the Author:
Shubha Vilas is an author, a motivational speaker,lifestyle coach and a storyteller par excellence.He is the author of the book series ‘Ramayana-The Game of Life’. He is popular for his inspiring seminars in corporate houses and premier institutions , where he stresses on the need to live a life with deeper human values. He teaches the importance of living a spiritual lifestyle combined with contemporary wisdom.
About the Book:
Introduction:
In the books’ introduction,the author explains why the book is named as ‘Open-Eyed Meditations’ and goes on to explain what is meant by meditating with open eyes.
Dont miss out these wonderful sentences in the book’s intro-‘ When you are open to life,life opens up to you. The upper limit of your ability to learn is determined by the upper limit of your desire to learn’. Reminds me of a thirukural- ‘Vellathu anayadhu malar neetam maandar tham ullathu anayadhu uyarvu’. This means that a ‘Just as a water lily’s stem length is determined by the level of water in the pond, a person’s rise is determined by his/her mind’s strength’.
Overview:
A fantastic read,especially if you are looking for self-help books on practical wisdom.The book is true to the tagline displayed on its cover-‘Practical wisdom for everyday life’. Drawing inspiration from the stories of Ramayana and Mahabharata,the author gives examples to demonstrate nuggets of practical wisdom.
Chapters:
The book is divided into sixty four chapters.Each chapter deals with an everyday life problem.Sample these chapter headings- ‘Do I Really Lack Something?’ and ‘The Magic Carpet for Relationships’. In every chapter, there are examples taken from the great Indian epics to illustrate the point.And it makes sense too. The book has an abundance of wise quotes from the author.Most of the lines made me sit up and re-read them. Here is one on gratitude- ‘The feeling of incompleteness envelops one when gratitude is absent’.
The book deals with almost all aspects of human life.There are chapters on relationships. Here is an interesting one -‘Crossing the Loc in Relationships’. There are chapters on workplace ethics. Consider this- ‘Spirituality @ Workplace’. Then there are chapters on motivation. Check this out- ‘Can I embrace my embarrassments?’ .
Writing Style:
The writing style is crisp and each line is laden with profound meanings.There are a lot of word-play involved in the chapters headings as well as the contents.It is a delight to read the thought-provoking sentences. Describing Aswathama’s lack of confidence inspite of possessing the powerful jewel,the author likens his status to that of a ‘high-end mobile phone in the hands of a gadget-ignorant person’. I found myself smiling at the comparison.
The book is definitely a labour of love. Although the book is voluminous,there are no wasted chapters in the book.Each chapter is written for a definite purpose.The short stories and examples provided in the chapters enhance the appeal of the book. At the end of each chapter,the author gives a summary of the important take- aways from that chapter. The summaries at the end of the chapters,give a kind of text-book feel. It does feel like a syllabus book for practical wisdom.
Conclusion:
It is not a book to be read in a hurry.Sit with it when you need inspiration.Sit with it when you want to fill your mind with good thoughts.You can read and re-read it to assimilate the essence of the book.This book is a guide to embracing positivity and practicality in life.
Rating -5/5
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Wow! this book seems to be full of interesting stuff for the mind to dwell on. Thanks for sharing the review, tempted to pick it up now
Yes Shalini.It is definitely interesting stuff.Thanks for reading and commenting.
This books seems to be interesting…One can always find inspiration through this book and i am sure there would be lot of positive thoughts also..Would be getting it soon
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Thanks Menaka.Back to blogging again.