Spirituality

H.W.L. Poonja--affectionately known as Papaji--was only nine years old when he experienced his first samadhi, an altered state of consciousness where subject and object merge. As an adult, he sat in devotion with Ramana Maharshi, and went on to become a master teacher in his own right, whose followers trekked across the world to sit in his presence. Wake Up and Roar is a collector's edition of satsangs (teachings) delivered throughout his life, originally published in two paperback volumes, and now bound in one elegant hardcover book with a new foreword from a principal student in his lineage, Gangaji. Presented in a question-and-answer format, Wake Up and Roar offers the student complete awakening, here and now, regardless of background, practice, or personal circumstance. "The Self contains everything. There is nothing apart from it," Papaji teaches. "This is why you can call it emptiness. There is nothing beyond emptiness."

Blending humor, logic, and eye-opening storytelling, Papaji extends a gracious wisdom that speaks to the earnest seeker investigating the nature of mind, enlightenment, and "how to be in the world." In Wake up and Roar, he brings comfort and encouragement to practitioners from all traditions at any stage of their inquiry into awakening.

Originally published: Kula Maui, HI : Pacific Center Pub., 1992.