"Patience is always in the slow lane. Good will is never in a rush," writes Eknath Easwaran in this paperback. Raised in a self-supporting agrarian village in Mahatma Gandhi's India, the author is founder and director of the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation in Tomales, California. When we live in the fast lane, according to Easwaran, we miss living at the deepest level of awareness." A racing mind is simply moving too fast for love, compassion, and tenderness."
As an antidote to our mania for speed and our mad rushing around, Easwaran offers an Eight Point program which involves slowing down, one-pointed attention, training the senses, putting others first, spiritual companionship, spiritual reading, repetition of a mantra, and meditation. The author offers cogent insights into the practice of keeping attention undivided, training the mind not to be enslaved to rigid likes and dislikes, and learning how to forget ourselves as we serve others.
Easwaran has gleaned wisdom from Gandhi, his spiritual mentor, and from his grandmother whom he calls his spiritual teacher. Best of all, many of the metaphors he uses in his practical comments on training the mind come from everyday life, such as our use of cars. "Take Your Time" will help you shift gears and move down the highway of life without hurry or worry.
