AWESOME NEW REVIEWS!

Many great reviews have come in since this site was created, and rather than bother my web guy to include them on the main pages, I thought I'd just pop six of them up on the blog for now. Take a look!

1) I haven't read such a transformational, inspiring book since Autobiography of a Yogi. This book is backlit by Amma’s divine light, and as you read, it gradually unravels, illuminates and heals. Ram Das, though his own crazy experiences, somehow brings you back home to self-acceptance, offering a sense of relief that we are OK as we are, and makes everything alright, no matter where we are on the path. Rising in Love does what the title says... it raises you in love, is full of fun and, reading it in bed at night, I often found myself giggling myself to sleep. When you feel bereft after finishing a book, like I do now, you know it was a masterpiece. This book has brought me back to Amma, confirms for me who she is and who I thought she was, and somehow makes everything better.
~ Geni Lawrence

2) I truly loved this book! Having also experienced a crazy youthful journey to the feet of a living Saint, I can relate to wild rides and Divine collisions! Ram Das is a great writer with a great story to tell - his honesty, humility and humor shine through each page of this book. His deep devotion to his path and to his incredible spiritual teacher is an inspiration. Whatever the nature of your journey, whatever the flavor of your path, Rising in Love will surely stimulate your mind, bring warm smiles to your heart and inspire your soul!

~Abhiram

2) I will be honest. When Ram Das Batchelder asked me to review his book, I agreed with a sigh of resignation. I had a list of unread books already, and while I love to hear personal stories about traveling the path to God, the Eastern path has never appealed to me on a personal level. But Ram Das is such a sweet person and so I decided to do this for him. Imagine how surprised I was to discover that not only was his path interesting and inspiring, but his story telling is excellent.

This book is funny and compelling, a rare combination, and one I appreciate. More rare, it is completely open and honest, which adds to its appeal and its value. It’s pretty cool to discover that every day folks just like you and I can make many wrong turns on the way to Enlightenment and that’s Ok. We can still get there.

One point I struggled with is that Ram Das follows a path of devotion and this is not my path. I found myself resistant to it, but in the end I was able to move past my resistance and see that He and I are headed to the same place. I was, in the end, starting to fall in love with Amma, myself, and while I still do not feel drawn to the path of devotion, I now understand why some people are.

I think this is a remarkable and important book. My highest recommendation of any book is when I underline and highlight passages and when I buy it for others. I have done both for this book.

~Rev. Myron Jones

4) This is one of those rare books I could not put down!!! Ram Das is eloquent and has a true talent for captivating his reader. What an honest and rainbow filled story of challenges and growth! This is a masterpiece and we are so lucky to have it here. Thank you, sir, for sharing this incredible journey. Wow!

~Antoinette

5) I am soooo glad I read this book! It (amazingly) held the answers to many questions I had been contemplating and had put to Amma in prayer the week leading up to my coming across it. It was a very spontaneous and sparkly purchase to say the least! For this alone, I'm very grateful.
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Aside from that, Ram Das's writing style is so enjoyable I had a hard time putting it down. His stories unfold with honesty and self-deprecating humor -- tremendous devotion shining through on each page. Not only for Amma devotees - Ram Das shares so much personal and spiritual insight gleaned on his very focused spiritual path, it's valuable to anyone who is interested in a better understanding of advaita (non-duality) and devotion and how these two seemingly disparate paths can weave together beautifully. I honestly just also enjoyed it as a funny and sometimes tragic account of one person's journey to the Self. And, yes, the Amma stories are awesome too!

~ Amara Alban

6) I first met Amma in 2008, and since then I have been trying to spend as much time as I can in her ashram in India. After a long period in the ashram last year, 2013, I left feeling very disconnected and in a BIG spiritual slump, so to say. A lot of my inspiration to follow spiritual practices had seemed to slip away. This carried on for some time. Ram Das’s book, “Rising in Love”, couldn’t possibly have come to me at a better time. There were SO many stories, and lessons, in his book that I could ‘totally’ resonate with. And then of course there were the beautiful stories of Amma that put such a big smile on my face. Since reading “Rising in Love” I am - thank God - feeling so much more connected to the Divine again, and my old inspiration to follow the spiritual path has increased tremendously.

For anyone interested in spirituality, or even just keen to have a good and entertaining read, then I HIGHLY recommend Ram Das’s book, “Rising in Love”. It is an absolute page turner, and will leave you reflecting on his words for weeks to come!!

~Chester