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A Man with a Vision
A BIOGRAPHY
of
1980s USA
1970s USA
Pilgrimmage in India with Westerners
CHITRABHANU
by Clare Rosenfield BOOK REVIEW By Jyoti Marianne Carrera
INNER GROWING How do you write a biography about someone who is still living and you know the final chapters have still to be written? Well, Clare Rosenfield has done this about Gurudev Shree Chitrabhanu. She took on an almost impossible task and tackled it with love. Clare begins with Chitrabhanu's childhood, takes us through the early years of this great man, and then the book begins to gain strength and momentum as the principal character grows in age. This biography is more a statement of the man's philosophy. As cach chapter unfolds, the everyday activities, concerns and events in the life of this man show us how he had led himself to a growing conviction of the Higher Self in his own newly-experienced philosophy. There was much pain in his early years, identical to our growing pains, but always he understood and resolved his growing experiences and convictions. It seems that his early responsibilities were the very reason for his need to search, and through this he has become the individual we know him to be today. The unfolding of the individual into the loving person and into the full conviction of his philosophy develops effectively throughout the book. This is a chronicle of an individual's search for freedom from unresolved questions and a search for truth and understanding. His path was strewn with challenges, as is ours. This book is an inspiration and a guide to all of us who know this man and who also have encountered similar uncertainties. With vicarious reading about his experiences, we realize that we are a soul also of greater enlightenment Throughout Chitrabhanuji's early training, there was the examining of the Jaina philosophy of controlling one's inner enemies: anger, greed, ego/pride, and attachment. So, as he continues on his path toward his own self-realization, he manifests a quality of robust spirituality, not just compliance with spiritual customs but also with bravery to relinquish traditions when the need is required. It became obvious that the teaching no longer was a rote lesson to be followed, but rather an integral part of his individual life. Expansion of the integral center brought the awareness of the need to marry the East with the West. Those who know this man and this philosophy have greatly benefited from the fruits of his expansion. This book is extremely well done and is, in our search for truth, an inspiration to all who read it.
COS
Sons Rajeev and Darshan
Gurudev and Pramoda 1996 St. Paul-Minneapolis 25th anniversary celebration
Lighting a candle during birthday celebration 1995
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