Having read thousands of books on religion, history, philosophy and logic over the past 30 years, as well as authoring four such books, I was very surprised for the personal impact of this book.God Without Religion brings to the surface the plethora of secrets of religion that few wish to discuss, while showing that God and non-religion are compatible ideas. It is quite unlike anything you will be likely to read. ...I read with great interest the author's ideas and found that, when one slows down to read carefully, one finds great enlightenment.
-WSD, ThD Oakland, MN
I have done comparative religion studies since 1982 as a personal interest. I have found that there ARE universal truth, and then there are the "faces" wrapped around each core. But there is ONE thing that stands out among them all. The "ring of truth" within the heart can provide a clear discernment of what is outstanding and balanced and beautiful...and what is false. The readings that this site provides is heads and shoulders above the majority of the literature I have encountered. The "gentle truth" and the "bite of truth" go hand in hand in the delivery of the messages in your website. I could find not one thing that I was in disagreement with, WHICH IS RARE.
-NJB
I am very grateful for this book. I have read hundreds of books on spirituality, psychology, philosophy and religion. I can easily say this is the best book I have ever read and allowed me to finally make huge leaps in my life and deepened my meditation tremendously. I certainly wasn't expecting such an impact from one book. Order this book today and read it you'll be glad you did.
-PF Waterloo, Ontario
I believe that not one of the famous writers, statesmen, religious leaders, or physicists quoted as supporting God Without Relgion has understood with such clarity and profundity the nature of reality before reading this book. I have read many of [their] books, and though they elucidate an aspect of reality, never have I encountered such a comprehensive understanding.
-JC Brighton, MA
All I can say is 'amazing.' This work has deeply touched my heart and opened my mind from this mental bondage that we all seem to experience time to time. If you are disappointed towards what you see in the news and how people deal with others unjustly, this book will inspire you to improve your "self" into fulfilling future obligations towards promoting Peace. Saranam believes that no matter what your faith is, whether you are a Hindu, Zen, Buddhist, Muslim, Jew, Christian, or anything else, you can practice your belief inwardly by looking within and try to control your 'prana' so that we won't do further damage to humankind. Excellent read for spiritual seekers of all faiths. God is really within us all, and we can feel it only if we try to find it inside, not outside. Praise be to God.
-YB Glendale, AZ
I want you to know that during this past week, I have re-read God Without Religion and will probably do another reading again soon. I was delusional when I originally told you that I had read it. I am only now beginning to truly absorb the words...
-CL Ellijay, GA
Your 21st century understanding of what the God idea is all about is the best out there. The religion round table [The Nexus Radio Show] is excellent! Your effort is well needed in a world full of bad ideas about God.
-LM
As a student of yogic philosophy, I really enjoyed the book...pretty far out.
-Yogi G.
I loved the book God Without Religion. Loved all of it. It's a wonderful book that society really needs and I'm happy to mention it in my emails, etc to friends.
-SS Burke, VA
My definition of God is force & Power. The universal energy... Religion was created by man to control people. Had its real source with the man with power over others with sorcery, then it got refined along the way with laws by other peoples experience in trickery and deception and the mystery of mysticism. Great book -- much of my own thoughts for the last 40 years. Thanks for writing it down. You did a job well done. Everyone should read it in every language. I think my friend Jesus and Buddha would say the same thing.
-MSOM, Fairhaven, MA
I was disillusioned not only with conventional religions but also with red religion (Marxism). I serched for a new paradigm to understand the malady of human society. In my search, I found it to be Cultural Deformity. Now I found your book more aticulative than mine in expressing my views. I wish to be in touch with you so that I may do much more in this direction.
-MS PhD, India
I've been able to read GWR with concentration and for prolonged periods. Confirming that individual identity dies with one's body, I feel imbued with a sense of fullness in the moment and a greater ability to be present for others in a loving and compassionate manner. My mythic image of god rests squarely in the openness of my heart and in every pair of eyes I see. For that I do thank you.
-LS Albuquerque, NM
Excellent discussion and points. The book and your concepts shared in the book [are] absolutely wonderful. Worth reading and people considering. I support and agree with you 100%. I like that this book is out there, because your way of expression is so graceful and eloquent, it just might get universal consideration. Thank you for sharing your conviction of insight. This is a beautiful service you are bringing to the world.
-Dr. JMD
Clear, scientific, and logical view of spirituality. The message is great and critical for today's society. Deep, captivating, and thought provoking. Useful in helping one grow and challenge accepted dogma.
-AM Cardiff by the Sea, CA
An excellent book with real solutions to our inherent need for personal spirituality and very timely in this climate of intolerant fundamentalist religion. A must read for all who want the Joy of God without the business of religion. Enjoy!
-SS Streamwood, IL
Your book...has really touched me. You have put into words what I have been feeling my whole life. I remember as a child being sent to a yeshiva, and constantly questioning the rabbis, and them basically telling me it was not my place to question....Thank you for your timely down to earth book.
-GT New Jersey
I recommend reading God Without Religion. It will help to challenge established beliefs and open the mind.... The idea of worship through wondering is great. We should always keep asking questions and take nothing at face value.
-RD Paducah, KY
I have read "God Without Religion" and now studying it further. It is beyond a doubt an expression of Truth!
-DL
Religion is the most cruel and brutal lie of all! God and religion are not the same. You can never find God through, in, with or otherwise connected with any religion!!!
-J, GA
God Without Religion speaks to the many people out there who have beenhurt and/or disenfranchised by today's organized religions. It's apparent that organized religion may well be in its death throes, perhaps the real meaning of the Bible's prophesized "end days". This book signifies the heat of a powerful and unstoppable spiritual revolution already underway...
-TB Milwaukee, WI
Your book was a confirmation and a breath of fresh air - it is indeed difficult to search for God when it has been already defined by standardized religions who do not appreciate questions. I recall at age 14 apologizing to Jesus for wanting to learn (equated with sinning back in 1954)
-M Columbus, NM
I am about half way through "God Without Religion" and cannot say enough about how refreshing it is to read Sankara Saranam's thoughts on organized religion and religion in general. I am starting to practice the Pranayama techniques and find they add a positive element to my day.
-SC Roswell, GA
Finally you have said "The king has no cloths". In my view only God is infallable. Man is fallable. Man's ideas and religions fall short of God's perfection and are therefore fallable. At best, religion seperates humanity and cast men into the eternally untenable. I am glad to see that there are others, like you, that understands this seperation of humanity.
-SW
My whole life I have been searching for the answers to my questions about religions. I never understood how there could be one God but 100s of religions. God Without Religion, Explains in depth, how and why religion is the way it is and help you better understand yourself and humanity, Spiritually. I consider this book to be my "bible."
-M Elizabeth, NJ
God Without Religion...does away with platitudes, giving a clear and testable model for the self without any mystification. In addition, if practical steps in gaining knowledge about this mysterious world is something you are interested in, I highly recommend this book for its clarity and the great questions it inspires.
-RN San Jose, CA
A masterwork of the uttermost relevance, God Without Religion is a timely appeal to reason and progressive thinking. As a global movement, God Without Religion offers a sound, and happy alternative to stifling, fear mongering, and divisive paradigms, and brings promise of a brighter future to a beleaguered world.
-SF Las Cruces, NM
Sankara Saranam is the spiritual Einstein of the twenty-first century offering us a unified spiritual field theory. This book should be standard reading across the world.
-HG Atlanta, GA
I bought your book GWR several months ago, read it, loved it, then have done other reading on similar topics. Read some esoterical stuff and reading GWR again. I just can't thank you enough for writing this and going to the trouble to do so. I have a couple of your audio interviews on my computer we listen to now and then and it just confirms so much that we are on the right track to free thinking. And yes, it was all a little uncomfortable to even think of the possibility that the truth wasn't the truth afterall...
-MA
I wish to thank the author of the book as well as those who support his work at the Pranayama Institute. My wife and I have deeply enjoyed reading the book together, we share thoughts together and feel such a peace in doing so. It is so refreshing to have come to similar conclusions and then have found the book, checked out the site, and then realized that the path for peace in many aspects of life is not found from looking outwards, but looking inwards and finding ways to help others, not to convert them, but to come together and share knowledge and elevate both parties, thereby easing tensions and misunderstandings. I wish to continue on this path and learn more about including others while simultaneously learning to listen inwardly and restore balance of soul, heart, mind and body.
-JG
Having been raised as a fundamentalist christian, i think it is so absurd that people of any religion or belief set think they have the only true faith or belief--christian, jew, muslin, etc... Our planet is just a speck of a speck in the universe and yet people fight and kill over what they think is the only way. I am just amazed at...the audacity to slaughter and persecute their fellow humans in the name of what they think is the one true way. These religions...truly make life more absurd and meaningless as they render their belief systems absolute.
-SS Santa Cruz, CA
I am only about halfway through GWR and wanted to say thanks. It has helped me resolve some issues I have been working on for the past few months. It is gratifying to know is that there are other readers who appreciate this kind of writing when the world seems to be happy with divisive religious political proponents who offer pat answers (usually hostile) to all situations.
-JH TX
God Without Religion is a wonderful book appealing especially to the scientific person with the profound 'theory of self' described in it. This book will also attract people who refrain from spiritual organizations or so called 'Gurus'...to verify the truth. I would recommend this book wholeheartedly to those who also want to move from the constricting, limited and narrow view of organized religion into the freedom of universal principles and the shared goal of all humankind.
-CL Clemson, SC
God Created Mankind, Mankind Created Religion. It was only during the relatively "ignorant" stages of our development that our Religion suited us. Now that we have an ever growing population of enlightened Individuals, each with an internal, invisible, intimate connection to our Creator's Awareness, and Energy Force...the concept of Centralized Religion is at last being replaced with Distributed Religion....Our Religion (meaning "way of life") becomes the very Lifestyle of the Enlightened; instead of abdicating that "perfect" or "saintly" behavior, we Live it our selves.
-DV Portland, OR
GWR is a gift and blessing for seekers tired of looking through a microscope to find the smallest bit of truth from the vast array of presentations of God and religion and for those tired of looking through the mire to gain even the smallest hint of understanding of the cosmic puzzle of life and self. Sankara Saranam has given such a great gift and it is the gift that keeps giving!
-PD Jacksonville, FL
Not only does [Sankara Saranam] take us on a wonderfully thought out, guided tour of the history of the institution of religion and its correlative effects on the path of human progress, but he does something few such authors have done before; he exemplifies the need for self-teaching as opposed to dogmatic belief founded upon the out of date, exclusivist interpretations of our worlds scriptural literature, while avoiding falling into the same trap by not promoting a shiny, new, exclusivist interpretation.
-DK Las Cruces, NM
Brilliant! If God is anything, he/she/it is pure logic. Religion is not logical, nor does religion advance logic, peace, compassion, or progress. Ergo, to know and understand what God is, one should engage in the study of quantum physics, the sciences, and pure logic, and especially the study of one's self to know the "God" within. Religions developed when people had no concept of science and engaged in "guessing" and "dreams" to define what God is. God without religion allows the human mind to put aside the veil of mythology and engage in a true, individualized sense of what God is. God is human intelligence present in the mind of every human being... waiting to be freed from the politics and oppression of religion.
-DW, PhD, Miami FL
It was in my search of truth that i landed to Sankara Saranam book and read the first chapters offered online. I met what i've always longed to read and i did it between the lines to see faults but i surely found none -- even with my critical mind. I could promulgate this thought for i feared i would be branded evil, but now, i know i am not alone. I only hope that i gets my own copy soon. Take my respect Sankara
-GDN Nairobi, Kenya
Sankara’s pragmatic and insightful guidance on the path for self knowledge is priceless. His writings have you always coming back for more! Thank you for setting an example by fearlessly challenging and exposing the narrowing elements in self and society and empowering your readers with the tools for critical thinking and self knowledge!
-EF Ottawa, Canada
Your CD......WOW!!!!! The guitar playing is simply fantastic. The most incredible we have ever heard. Congratulations!
-FR Ellijay, GA
The God Without Religion retreat set me on a path of self-expansion that I plan on following for the rest of my life. Appealing to the intellect without eschewing the heart, Sanakara Saranam's teachings helped me experience a sense of oneness I never imagined could be possible. By incorporating pranayama into my everyday life, I hope to experience a glimpse of the infinite a little more each moment.
-N T T, editor
I became familiar with Sankara through his book about a year ago. Books are my business, yet I recently felt stretched to admit being impressed with much in terms of original ideas and concerns on a global level regarding faith and politics. God Without Religion changed all that, and a mission to meet the man behind the words ensued. A retreat he hosted at Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY this summer gave me the opportunity to fully absorb the material on a deeper, more personal level. It was terrifically satisfying and I believe this could only transpire with direct access to Sankara. I encourage anyone feeling challenged with their personal space or simply interested in a new perspective about how to better serve the world to join him and other like-minded retreat participants. The answers to the questions that arise will not disappoint you.
-VS, publisher Foreword Magazine
I expected the God Without Religion retreat to be an incredible experience before I arrived and it exceeded my expectations. In fact, there were moments that I will put on my list of all-time most inspiring events. . . . Sankara Saranam is the real deal. . . . Each person who attended the retreat felt it was an experience tailored specifically to their needs. The God Without Religion colloquium is now an indispensable part of my practice.
-JB, Student
Sankara's retreat was fantastic. . . . The questions Sankara posed in the colloquiums, and the manner in which he guided the discussions ever deeper to find all-inclusive answers, was truly remarkable. His explanations of the yogic path and meditation techniques cleared my mind and helped me focus on achieving my goals. . . . I highly recommend the God Without Religion retreat for anyone who wants to better themselves spiritually.
-JR, Engineer
The week I spent with Sankara at the God Without Religion retreat is sure to impact my life for years to come. His colloquiums and talks covered incredible material, and we all benefited from his invaluable guidance in our pranayama practice. I would recommend this retreat from the bottom of my heart.
-R, Engineer
The God Without Religion retreat . . . is deeply transformational. . . . Several of the retreatants have contacted our center to thank us for hosting Sankara, adding that they have now found an inner strength to chart their own course with confidence. As a Buddhist monk, I would have to say his methods agree with the Buddha's admonition to 'be a lamp unto your own feet.' We have booked several additional retreats for next year.
-DWD, Embracing Simplicity Hermitage
"Sankara's God Without Religion workshop was brilliant, compassionate, practical, and important. I found it to be a radical shift . . . toward the clarity of inner knowing. Highly recommended!
-MR, Retired chiropractor, yoga instructor,
and Radical Forgiveness coach
God without Religion is a way of life. . . . [The retreat was] was an intense and beautiful experience. . . . I appreciate [Sankara's] guidance, patience, and loving kindness more than words can express. I look forward to the follow-up to this retreat.
-SD, Physician's Assistant, Amsterdam, Holland
The God Without Religion retreat was a giant step in my quest for a personal understanding of God. The colloquium format was conducive to bringing forth deeply searching questions and meaningful, personal answers. Sankara had a way of helping me look inside myself to find an inner spirituality I did not know existed.
-KOM, AA,CAM Administrator,
Embracing Simplicity Hermitage