Summary

Sadhana, the Realisation of Life is a book of philosophical essays by Rabindranath Tagore, published in 1913. Most of the pieces began as lectures Tagore gave at Harvard University during his visit to the United States in 1912, and several had earlier been talks to students at his school at Santiniketan in Bengal. The Sanskrit word sadhana refers to spiritual practice or discipline.

Across eight essays Tagore sets out his reading of the ancient Upanishads and of Buddhist teaching for a Western audience. He begins with the relation between the individual and the universe, contrasting a forest-dwelling Indian tradition that sought harmony with nature with a city-built habit of mind that sees nature as something to conquer. Later chapters take up consciousness of the soul, the problem of evil, the problem of the self, and the realisation of life through love, through action, through beauty and, finally, through the infinite. He argues that joy, not renunciation, lies at the heart of spiritual life, and that work in the world can itself be a form of worship.

Written in clear, gently poetic prose, the book offers a direct view of the thinking behind Gitanjali and Tagore's wider religious outlook. It will appeal to readers interested in Indian philosophy, comparative religion and reflective writing on how to live.

About

Rabindranath Tagore was a Bengali poet, philosopher, visual artist, playwright, composer, and novelist whose work reshaped Bengali literature and music in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He became Asia’s first Nobel laureate when he won the 1913 Nobel Prize in Literature.

Sadhana is a collection of essays, most of which he gave before the Harvard University, describing Indian beliefs, philosophy and culture from different viewpoints, often making comparison with Western thought and culture. (Summary by Peter Yearsley/Wikipedia)