Talk:Eknath Easwaran

Titled

Update - One of Eknath's accusers came forward with her story on the Conspirituality podcast. The episode is Patreon-only, but there is a 7-minute sample published on their main feed that contains the person's name and the name of her accuser. The story is otherwise hard to track down, but the person on this podcast seems to be legitimate. Her parent's were devotees of Easwaran, and there is concrete evidence of this fact. They wrote a biography of Easwaran that is still available for sale by the publisher, Blue Mountain (Easwaran's meditation center).

Source of claim -

Evidence of familial association - — Preceding unsigned comment added by 107.122.225.132 (talk) 00:23, 4 November 2023 (UTC)

References

Untitled

I am removing the following anonymous allegations until I can find evidence that they are true:

Eknath Easwaran left India to avoid prosecution for biagmy and avoidance of child support, by the Nagpur High Court. He came to the Univeristy of Minnepolis where his Fulbright scholarship was revoked after which he quickly established the Center. Shortly thereafter, quite true to his nature, he sexually abused several of his disciples including his step daughter (San Jose Mercury News, 30th April, 1989).

Google search: "Eknath Easwaran" bigamy

Google search: "Eknath Easwaran" "sexual abuse" -books

Google search: "San Jose Murcury News" "Eknath Easwaran"

Google search: "Eknath Easwaran" "step-daughter"

Google search: "Eknath Easwaran" stepdaughter

Goethean 17:06, 9 Jun 2004 (UTC)

The ISBN for Gandhi The Man by Easwaran is: 0-915132-96-6 if anyone wants to add it to the list, I'm a new editor —Preceding unsigned comment added by Wubrgamer (talk • contribs) 01:26, 6 March 2008 (UTC)

In response to the comment to provide evidence for the "much acclaimed" I have added to the article the citation from Huston Smith that is quoted on the back jacket of 2 of the 3 translations. Such citations are approved by the author (ie by Huston Smith) himself and so are bona fide.DuncanCraig1949 (talk) 23:31, 19 October 2009 (UTC)

cover blurbs do not qualify as reliable sources. If Huston Smith said this, he must have said it somewhere, and we need the exact reference. If you take everything you read on book covers at face value, may I interest you in this bridge I am selling? --dab (𒁳) 12:56, 20 October 2009 (UTC)

The publishing house set up by Easwaran (Nilgiri Press) would not have quoted Huston Smith on the cover without first getting his permission - it is standard practice for publishers to ask well-known authors or reviewers for citations about a book, for quoting on the cover, and bona fide publishers like Nilgiri Press will have sought Huston Smith's permission to quote his citation. I'm sure Huston Smith will know of the citations given the popularity of the Bhagavad Gita, Dhammapada and Upanishads translations.DuncanCraig1949 (talk) 16:45, 22 October 2009 (UTC)

I have also just added another citation from A Huston Smith book, which supports the previous one. DuncanCraig1949 (talk) 08:57, 28 October 2009 (UTC)

Notability

Notability. There is much more evidence that could be added to establish notability. I have just added a list of foreign (non-English) languages into which his books have been translated (and list is probably not yet fully complete). Furthermore (though I don't know of a document to support this), these foreign language editions almost without exception have been published when pre-existing foreign language publishers examined the books (in English), and determined that their content would be of interest to the readers in their local market (source for claim: past conversations with representatives of the US publisher). It is also my understanding that in most (all?) cases, the non-US publishers translated the books through their own efforts. Would not such wide cross-cultural interest (20+ languages across many different cultural zones) conclusively demonstrate the notability of this author? Such wide cross-cultural interest would seem to far surpasses the notability for many other individuals deemed notable by Wikipedia guidelines (e.g., if my memory is serving me correctly, I recently read on the relevant Wikipedia page that a professor who has once been an editor of a professional journal is considered sufficiently notable for a Wikipedia page; in constrast, inspiring publishers in 20+ languages to devote resources to translating one's books might perhaps be regarded as more noteworthy). Health Researcher (talk) 01:16, 20 October 2009 (UTC)

I also found two works that list Easwaran as the leader of a new religious movement. I suppose notability can be considered met. As for the bestselling publications, it would be nice to see some sort of trustworthy source for these figures. I have googled numbers of both 95,000 and 195,000 copies of Passage Meditation sold. If more than 100k copies of PM have been sold, the book and its author should meet WP:BK/WP:AUTHOR. --dab (𒁳) 12:53, 20 October 2009 (UTC)

His most popular book is Meditation. — goethean ॐ 13:12, 20 October 2009 (UTC)

Oh, it looks like they changed the title to Passage Meditation. — goethean ॐ 13:16, 20 October 2009 (UTC)

Passage Meditation

Are you saying "Passage Meditation" isn't EE's own term? That would make sense, as it is a silly coinage. I note that chapter 1 is called "Meditation on a Passage", which makes ever so much more sense. After introducing the concept, the text does refer to "passage meditation", but uncapitalized, just as an incidential reference to the concept explained earlier. --dab (𒁳) 15:31, 21 October 2009 (UTC)

it turns out that the 1991 edition was indeed simply called Meditation: a simple eight-point program for translating spiritual ideals into daily life.[1]

The book is organized in eight chapters, corresponding to the eight "points". In the 1991 edition (as, we must assume, in the 1978 original), chapter 1 is simply called "Meditation". This was changed to "Meditation on a Passage" in 2008. "8. Reading the Mystics" was changed to "Spiritual Reading". They also cut nine pages of "Passages for Meditation" and the "Further Reading" section, but introduced an "Afterword" instead. --dab (𒁳) 15:41, 21 October 2009 (UTC)

...and if you search on the phrase "passage meditation" in the Google books edition of Meditation, zero hits are returned. Stunning. — goethean ॐ 15:43, 21 October 2009 (UTC)

This is interesting. I note that the 1991 edition has the apposition "meditation passage" for "passages suitable for meditating upon", but, as you say, never "passage meditation". Nor does the term appear anywhere in the 2008 edition other than in the preface. I wonder who is to blame for this term. I also note a general tendency towards increased cheesyness. The refreshing subtitle "commonsense directions" becomes "the Deep Wisdom of the Heart". In spite of being a posthumous revision, the 2008 edition does not name a responsible editor other than the "Blue Mountain Center of Meditation".

The earliest occurrence of the term "passage meditation" I can find dates to 1996[2], interestingly the context is Wicca and Easwaran is not named, even though the concept under discussion is clearly his. Beginning in 1997, the term appears in blurbs of editions of Easwaran's books[3]. From 2004 or so[4][5], it becomes increasinly more common as a short hand term for "EE's method of meditating on passages". So, it seems that "passage meditation" is a 1990s neologism that sprung up a few years before EE's death. --dab (𒁳) 16:39, 21 October 2009 (UTC)

1994 usage. A slightly earlier use of the phrase "Passage Meditation" for the Easwaran method is in the 1994 book by Flinders, Gershwin and Flinders (see quote from book inserted on Talk:Passage Meditation page). The title of chapter 2 was "Passage Meditation". I don't know if that's the earliest, but it might be. Health Researcher (talk) 23:25, 21 October 2009 (UTC)

Function of 'passage meditation' phrase. Regarding the function of the phrase 'passage meditation, please see new section on "Passage Meditation" talk page (scroll down to bottom section). Thanks -- Health Researcher (talk) 08:04, 22 October 2009 (UTC)

please refer also to TALK pages on the article Passage Meditation where I look at the term itself and its application to the method.DuncanCraig1949 (talk) 23:21, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

Are the participants in this discussion suggesting that the article on Eknath Easwaran be merged with the article on Passage Meditation? (Reasons to keep them separate are given here and on the Passage Meditation page: essentially, Easwaran is an established author and known best for his translations of the classics of Indian mysticism; he is also known as a meditation teacher and for his book on meditation - in the Passage Meditation article his meditation method is explained and various uses and research studies referenced). Or are you suggesting that the short listing here of the eight points of his meditation method should not be listed out, because they are in the Passage Meditation article? DuncanCraig1949 (talk) 23:45, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

I have now expanded this article, to make clearer (I hope) that Easwaran (as a teacher of spiritual values through classes and books) and Passage Meditation (the meditation method he developed of "meditation and the allied disciplines", and the book about it) both have sufficient interesting material to merit an article each. Thank you for prompting me to add this material - I think it'll be helpful to people trying to find out more about the man. DuncanCraig1949 (talk) 11:42, 28 October 2009 (UTC)

Photograph

I have added a photo of Easwaran - as noted, this has come from the publicly-available photo on www.easwaran.org/media where the photo may be downloaded and used free provided there is a credit line naming the Blue Mountain Center (which i have included) DuncanCraig1949 (talk) 23:24, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

Ways to Expand Easwaran Page

There are various ways that the Easwaran page could be expanded to help it climb beyond the "stub class" category. Please comment about these proposals, below. I have done research on the Passage Meditation program he developed and must be careful about WP:COI, so I want to get feedback, or at least allow quite sufficient time for feedback, before proceeding to implement changes along these lines (thanks -- Health Researcher (talk) 01:48, 24 October 2009 (UTC)):

Classification of works. While bearing in mind proper proportionality of various topics (WP:DUE), it would seem useful to describe the major categories of EE's books -- i.e., their function within his corpus of works, audience, and what sort of reception/influence they have had. This would not mean mentioning every book (they are listed in biography section). I am imagining something like 4 or 5 paragraphs, with most paragraphs a few sentences long, and corresponding to a major category. Categories might include instructional/resource books (e.g., Meditation / God Makes the Rivers to Flow); Biographies of spiritual figures (Gandhi, Abdul Ghaffar Khan); Scriptural commentaries and other works (e.g., BGDL, Christian commentaries, Your Life is Your Message); and quasi-biographic works about Easwaran (e.g., Making of a Teacher, WMLB). Details of some paras could include:

1. WRT biographies of spiritual figures, it would seem worth citing the 1990s statement by Arun Gandhi (Mahatma Gandhi's grandson) that Easwaran was the person in the US who best understood nonviolence.

2. Also WRT biographies of spiritual figures, Easwaran's mobilization of the nomination of Abdul Ghaffar Khan for the Nobel Peace Prize (see EE's Nonviolent Soldier, 1999, p. 11, for EE's brief statement; additional accounts should be located). If it can be confirmed, the article could also mention EE's appearance in T.C. Mcluhan's 2008 documentary, The Frontier Gandhi, recently shown at the Middle Eastern Film Festival.[6] Is there any evidence that EE's 1984 book on Khan had an influence on the making of the film?

3. WRT to commentaries/other books, it might be useful to mention a few reviews and try to characterize the general tone/content. My impression is that the reviews are generally positive (should be balanced proportionally if there are non-positive reviews, subject to WP:DUE). What, if anything, are the recurring themes in reviews? There may also be a few things that noteworthy individuals have said (e.g., I see the publisher has a blurb from Barbra Streisand at [7]). Of course, the page shouldn't overdo the celebrity stuff (again, keep within WP:DUE).

Other influences. I think one of Easwaran's biographies states that he influenced the community of his students to produce a best-selling vegetarian cookbook, which I think sold over a million copies. At any rate, searches online show that The New Laurel's Kitchen (1986) is dedicated to him -- see [8] (pages 13 and 513). Perhaps of interest, given high sales? I think this was also among the first vegetarian cookbooks with a large nutrition section, developed with the guidance of university-based nutritionists. Not just a hobby, the vegetarianism was a reflection of his Gandhian nonviolent philosophy.

Way to cite sales - I notice that "over a million copies sold" appears on the back cover of The New Laurel's Kitchen [9]. Health Researcher (talk) 17:08, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

Expand bio. Of course, the biography itself at the top could no doubt be expanded. For example, I think some of his biographies may talk about him having had a regular show on all-India radio (wouldn't that listening-audience have been in the tens-or hundreds- of millions?) before he came to the US?

Recurring themes/teachings. Later, it might make sense to go into more details about recurring themes/teachings in his writings (there are many beyond the passage meditation/ 8pt program). But for now, maybe this stuff above could create a context for adding that other stuff.

Pls offer feedback about these proposals. Thx. Health Researcher (talk) 01:48, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

I have expanded the early section to give a categorization of many of the books, as suggested by Health Researcher DuncanCraig1949 (talk) 10:30, 28 October 2009 (UTC)

Intent to continue. No one has objected to the above suggestions in almost 5 days, and DuncanCraig1949 has gone ahead and implemented some of the suggestions. In 3 or 4 days, when I have time, if I don't hear significant criticisms or concerns, I will continue implementing anything not done. Thanks. Health Researcher (talk) 00:26, 29 October 2009 (UTC)

Merge Proposal - proposal to drop merger proposal

Oppose Merge Now that this article has been extended significantly to give a fuller picture of Easwaran and all his works, and has been re-rated from "stub" to C class, and now that the Passage Meditation article too has been expanded to explain more about the method, I'd like to propose that the Merge Proposal be removed from the article. DuncanCraig1949 (talk) 13:15, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

[also oppose merge] I support dropping the merge proposal. Health Researcher (talk) 18:09, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

There has been no further discussion of this topic since 4 November, with two "opposes" vs one "proposal", so I'm removing the merge proposal tag. Since the merge proposal was made, there have been many changes to both this article and the Passage Meditation article, and I believe that the article on Easwaran (as a spiritual teacher, as an academic and as prolific author) serves a different purpose than the article on Passage Meditation (which is a book that meets WP:BK and is one specific meditation program as compared to various others which have their own wikipedia article), with only minimal overlap between the two, and so there is no benefit to the wikipedia user in merging the two articlesDuncanCraig1949 (talk) 08:40, 17 December 2009 (UTC)

Not an ad

Have we now addressed the tagged concerns about being "written like an advertisement"? More than a week ago, I implemented some fixes of my own, as well as some fixes suggested to me by Goethean, who inserted the tag. If no-one points to any more specific concerns, I'll go ahead and remove the tag. -- Health Researcher (talk) 21:13, 21 November 2009 (UTC)

After almost 3 weeks there have been no changes and no additional concerns expressed, so I am removing the "advertisement" tag. If any remaining or new concerns arise about the article being written like an advertisement, please consider fixing them (while being careful to "Preserve information: fix problems if you can, flag them if you can't", as per Wikipedia: Editing Policy). Many thanks to all the editors who have contributed in various ways to this page. Health Researcher (talk) 03:23, 9 December 2009 (UTC)

new photo added

I have added a new photo, which is licensed under Creative Commons 3.0 and shows Easwaran teaching a meditation class at UC Berkeley DuncanCraig1949 (talk) 09:27, 27 October 2010 (UTC)

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