*Sweeper to Saint*, stories of finding the meaning of life
IF PEOPLE look back on their lives, they might realize many things about how they have lived their lives in the past. Sometimes they can have doubts about their lives and wonder what is really right, because life is not so easy for everyone and they may have hastily followed their dreams without taking time for self-reflection. Sweeper to Saint, written by Baba Hari Dass from India, gives people not direct answers but rather methods of finding the true meaning of life through simple and effective strategies.
Who is Baba Hari Dass?
Baba Hari Dass is a man who was trained as a traditional Indian monk from childhood. His training method was absolute silence, so he used a chalkboard as a tool to interact with people. Using a chalkboard, he taught people the potential of peace, spiritual discipline, and realization of life. This book is one of the books that he wrote during his training. Baba Hari Dass is called “Babaji”, which means the foremost master amongst traditional Indian monks. Therefore, through this book, readers can realize the high quality of Indian spiritual and moral teachings by means of his ideas and lessons.
Things you should know before reading
Baba Hari Dass’ book Sweeper to Saint consists of seven short stories. Each story shows a method of looking for the essence of life by using ordinary people you will usually see in India as the main character. This book shows an individual’s path to finding enlightenment, which helps the reader to empathize with these stories. In addition, the author uses simple narration without any euphemistic phrases. In this way, it helps readers to concentrate on the stories, especially on the everyday lives and experiences of Indian people, without distracting commentary.
Being god
The main characters in Sweeper to Saint are people who suffer many troubles. Some are addicted to the use of narcotics, some have failed in love, one became a con man, and another lost his eyesight. How can these people who have tasted the bitterness of harsh reality become saints? In this novel, these main characters are attached to their mundane lives, preoccupied by drugs, money, love, and so on. They realize, however, that these are nothing apart from greedy and selfish goals. Baba Hari Dass teaches us genuine values, and leads us on to the path of becoming a saint. Even so, there are people who want to become a saint by concentrating not on enlightenment but focusing just on the method; this can be a problem for these Sweeper to Saint is not just an ordinary book like other books that deal with improving our lives. It includes the specific spiritual teachings of India, which is far from our daily lives. Though everyday life in India is different from ours, by reading this book the reader will be able to find experiences that people have in common, which is becoming a saint, and finding peace and happiness in their lives. Readers should remember, however, that this book is not an answer sheet for every individual’s life, but just a reference guide that they can use. It might help readers when they refer to and consult the teachings of this book and accept these in their individual life. people, because they might concentrate too much on finding enlightenment in a way that is actually harmful. Every main character in these stories finds genuine knowledge not from the outside but from the inside of their mind. They truly find the peace and happiness of being god, which means becoming a saint.
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Books by Baba Hari Dass
1. The Yellow Book: The Sayings of Baba Hari Dass
2. Mystic Monkey
3. Everyday Peace: Letters for life
Ra Yeon-jae
sayia817@yonsei.ac.kr