Five Great Healers Speak Here

Author(s): Nancy, Esmond Gardner
Publisher: Theosophical Publishing House

Page 28

GURUDEV SHREE CHITRABHANU
York, the New School, and lectured at universities such as Princeton and Cornell as well as many preparatory schools and churches. He has formed an organization called New Life Now which is dedicated to helping him bring his spiritual doctrine to this part of the world.
"To feel at home on this earth in these tremendous times,” Munishree says, “we need the state of consciousness in which we can experience harmony with ourselves and with the universe. Only then can man build a just and peaceful society. Be it a country or a race, individual or community, its decline irrevocably sets in from the moment it succumbs to an insular view or an intolerance of other peoples views.”
According to Munishree, the role of the spiritual leader in the New Age is to guide society away from useless conventions and artificial barriers to what precisely is the purpose of life. "A reformer,” he says, “must make bold moves at times. Otherwise he cannot achieve his aims and strengthen his cause.”
Munishree's teachings are direct, clear and full of images. He is the author of twenty-six books and several volumes of poetry. Many of his books are translated into English. He is an authority on comparative religion, a master of Sanskrit.
As a spiritual guide, he discourages his students from following him for more than two years. “By that time,” he claims, “the devotee should be strong enough in body, mind, and soul to take charge of his own spiritual journey. A Guru must never foster dependence in his disciples.”
Munishree teaches meditation as an integral part of daily life, not as an escape from reality. “Meditation," he says, “teaches us to look at the still, deep, inner recesses of our souls. This leads to self-knowledge and ultimately to the point where the inner voice will speak to the seeker."
Since Munishree Chitrabhanu lives in Manhattan when