Wisdom of the Sadhu: Teachings of Sundar Singh

207 Pages·2000·0.65 MB·English

by  Sundar Singh Singh

wisdom sadhu

of the
T E A C H I N G S O F S U N D A R S I N G H
compiled and edited by kim comer
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C O N T E N T S
to the reader vii
I . S C E N E S
the hungry birds 2

dharma • devotion 4

five holy men 9

maya • illusion 4

the saint 0

santi • peace 5

the scholar 0

jnana • knowledge 3

I I. C O N V E R S A T I O N S
the pilgrim 2
darshana • the divine presence 48
avatara • incarnation 1
the lovers 68

karma • bondage 76

moksa • release 85

the prince and the thief 1
dyva vileenam • oneness with god 98
dhyanam • contemplation 15
three seekers 3
seva • service 25
tapas • suffering 1
the king and the farmer 54
amrita • eternity 63
a warning to the west 72
seeker and master 1
background and context 8
sources 196
Seek not to understand so that thou
mayest believe, but believe so that
thou mayest understand.
Augustine of Hippo

to the reader

As a large, red sun rises from the
Punjabi plains, the solitary figure of a sadhu – an In­
dian holy man – comes into view, trudging along a
dusty road. In another frame the figure appears again,
this time toiling to reach a remote Tibetan village
along a narrow, icy track better suited for goats than
for humans. In yet another, the man appears at the
edge of an ancient marketplace at dusk, mingling with 
the crowd as he seeks a place to sit and rest. Wherever
to
this sadhu appears, those who look into his eyes im­ th
e
mediately sense his extraordinary humility and peace. rea
d
e
They discover a mystic… r
Just as Sundar Singh appeared in such scenes
again and again – without prior announcement, with­
out introduction, without credentials – so he appears
in this book. “Scenes,” the first section, contains im­
pressions from key events in his life. It is based both
on accounts by Sundar Singh himself, and by writers
who knew him. “Conversations,” the second, con­
tains dialogues that draw freely on material from all
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six of Sundar Singh’s books, as well as interviews and
articles. Both sections are interspersed with parables
that punctuate the themes. Though structurally un­
usual, the resulting collage allows us to encounter the
sadhu in the way his contemporaries did: not as a sys­
tematic thinker, but as a personal teacher.
In his teachings as in his life, Sundar Singh offers
little by way of rational orientation. He defies catego­
rization and critical analysis. The impact of his mes­
sage, however, is always direct and immediate. His
voice rings with a clarity that rises from the deepest,
clearest sources of life itself.
K. C. 
to
th
e
re
a
d
e
r
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. scenes

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