Showing results by author "David Lane" in All Categories

Since Yogananda’s Autobiography is now in the public domain and freely available on the Internet for download, I thought it might be very helpful to skeptically analyze a number of the more extraordinary stories within the text. This book takes a hard look at Yogananda's Autobiography from a critical perspective. Also included are three helpful appendices.

In this partially autobiographical book, Professor David Christopher Lane, PhD., a long-time skeptic of religion and the paranormal, explains why he meditates and why he believes it is extremely beneficial to human well-being. Includes a detailed section on how to meditate using an ancient technique called shabd yoga (listening to the inner sound) without resorting to mythological concepts or overlays.

Surprisingly, one of the more lucid insights on the philosophy of the Tibetan Book of the Dead comes from a Hindu mystic, named Baba Faqir Chand, who apparently was not familiar with the original Tibetan text or its English translation. Although Faqir was not conversant with the Bardo Thotrol, he was nevertheless steeped in its philosophy as taught to him by his guru, Shiv Brat Lal of Gopiganj. Faqir Chand, like his lama counterparts, spent much of his life in meditation, attempting to consciously go through the dying process in order to prepare himself for his final exit.

Do you find yourself struggling to understand suffering? Overwhelmed by the anguish and sorrow adversity brings? In this book, you will learn how to stand firm in the face of adversity. This 8-part journey teaches you how, in all things, to stand without fear and without shame in the peace beyond understanding and the perfect love that casts out fear. You will learn: Walk through the valleys and storms of life, standing strong in the knowledge of God’s goodness and love. Buy NOW and start your journey to strength and freedom today! How to stop your circumstances from determining how you ...

The true story of how famed K2 mountain climber Paul Petzoldt killed his friend and mentor, Dr. Julian P. Johnson at a spiritual ashram in India. Explores the controversy surrounding what happened on that fateful night on January 25, 1939, and the spiritual scandal that ensued in the Punjab.

Although there is now a plethora of books by and about Rumi, I thought it might be instructive to republish a small portion of Edward Henry Whinfield's English translation of Rumi's Persian masterpiece. I think it is vitally important in today's social climate to focus on those aspects of Islam which elevate humankind and I can think of no better place to start than with the Sufi mystics of Islam, of which Rumi is the most famous (and perhaps finest) example.

Although Plato didn’t know about virtual reality headsets or what such a new-fangled technology could evoke, he did understand better than most that humans do not see reality as it is, but rather how we filter it, moment to moment.

This book critically examines the issue of gurus and asks a series of penetrating questions about their status and our supposed need to follow them. The author is a well-known expert in researching shabd yoga gurus and has traveled to India nine times, interviewing some of the most famous masters in the tradition, including Tripta Devi, Agam Prasad Mathur, Darshan Singh, and Baba Faqir Chand.

This small audiobook includes a remarkable 1990 interview with the famous professor of philosophy, Patricia Churchland, from the University of California, San Diego, who produced the groundbreaking book Neurophilosophy. Conducted by Meredith Doran and edited by David Christopher Lane. Also includes an essay by Professor Lane on the multi-level perspective on consciousness.

This book explores the philosophical work of Patricia Churchland and her groundbreaking studies in neurophilosophy, a field she helped to create. Includes a critical analysis of her latest work on near-death experiences and some of her controversial findings. Also included is a special interview conducted by Professor Meredith Doran dating back to 1990 which details Churchland's work on consciousness and the brain.

Professor Lane, known for his critical studies of such cults and gurus as Eckankar, MSIA, and Sathya Sai Baba, goes on a quest in North India to find out if the ancient astrological treatise is authentic. However, in his search, he must overcome threats and personal attacks from several cult organizations.

This audiobook explores various agnostic ideas and statements from such luminous thinkers are Bertrand Russell, Clarence Darrow, Thomas Henry Huxley, Joseph McCabe, etc. With contributions by professors Andrea Diem-Lane and David Christopher Lane. From the Foreword: "When Spencer Tracy, playing Clarence Darrow in the movie Inherit the Wind, takes the Bible in one hand and On Origin of Species in the other and clasps them together side by side to illustrate how science and religion can work together, one is led to assume that Darrow was indeed a theist evolutionist".

This audiobook contains two interviews of Baba Faqir Chand, the great sage of the Punjab, which were originally published in India in 1978. They were conducted by Professor Mark Juergensmeyer and his research assistant at that time, David Lane. Also included is a new interview with Professor Bhagat Ram Kamal, who is now the spiritual leader at Faqir Chand's ashram, Manavta Mandir. This audiobook provides an insight into Faqir's radical philosophy on spirituality.

For the past 45 years I have been researching the history of Radhasoami, as founded by Shiv Dayal Singh in Agra, India, back in the mid part of the 19th century. I am particularly fascinated by the early days of the movement and how it evolved from a relatively small and obscure satsang to a world-wide faith with millions of adherents. In this collection, wach author has provided us with an early interpretation of how Radhasoami developed and has also given us a summation of the group’s theology.

I suffer from a most incurable disease. It is technically known as bibliomania, which simply translated means “book madness.” I love books too much. My family is convinced that I got it from my father, Warren, who also suffered from it but to a lesser degree.

One of the first books ever published to objectively study the life and work of Franklin Jones, also known as Bubba Free John, Da Free John, Adi Da, an infamous cult leader who attracted both devotees and detractors. Contains original essays by Professor Scott Lowe (University of Wisconsin) and Professor David Lane (Mt. San Antonio College).

In the Fall of 1991 students enrolled in Introduction to Philosophy classes at Mount San Antonio College conducted interviews with some of the most prominent philosophers in California. Ten questions were asked of each philosopher, including queries about the existence of God, life after death, and the interface between human and artificial intelligence. The interviews ranged from personal one on one conversations, to telephone interviews, to mailed written responses.

The following is a selection from three books that were published in 1894, 1910, and 1905 respectively by early pioneers who ventured into Tibet. They are Among the Tibetans, India and Tibet, To Lhassa at Last. Although as Westerners their perspectives are culturally bounded (and too often myopic), they each write vividly and occasionally with great insight about what they experienced in their travels. Sadly, however, two of the narratives are militaristic and we witness an unwanted invasion on behalf of the British to gain controlling interest in the region.

This audiobook contains a series of essays on virtual reality and its future implications; how VR can usher in new tools for progressive meditational experiences; why science is a practical endeavor and should not be conflated with unnecessary metaphysics; why Darwinian evolution can best explain the Albert Camus dilemma; and finally, it touches upon the importance of Faqir Chand on understanding religious experiences.

Yoga, shorn of its theological overlays and spiritual ultimacies, is similar in many ways to the art of bodysurfing. At first glance, this may seem like a gross exaggeration, but on closer inspection, it is clear that a bodysurfer adept at riding waves actually employs yoga’s fourfold technique of body postures, hand positions, breath control, and mastery of concentration.