ONEONTA, N.Y. -- Distinguished Teaching Professor Ashok K. Malhotra of the Philosophy Department of the SUNY College at Oneonta recently released the second edition of his book Instant Nirvana: Americanization of Mysticism and Meditation. Dr. Malhotra has also established a new journal, Yoga and Meditation Now: An International Journal of Health and Wellness, the first issue of which was published recently by the Yoga and Meditation Society for the Scientific Study of Spirituality.
Instant Nirvana presents a discussion in clear, accessible language of the most recent scientific research (1990-2007) on the effects of yoga and meditation on the human personality. It also describes the author's interactions with the Dalai Lama and the Sai Baba as well as his discussions of the philosophies and techniques of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi of the Transcendental Meditation movement, Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada of the Hare Krishna movement, Guru Maharajji of the Divine Light Mission, Baba Muktananda of SiddhaYoga, and Bhagwan Rajneesh of Dynamic Meditation. The book, published by the Oneonta Philosophy Studies Series, also describes personal experiments with yoga to deal with health issues.
The new journal, Yoga and Meditation Now, presents short articles on contemplative practice in yoga, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Christianity, and music. The articles are followed by summaries of lectures given at the Yoga and Meditation Society and complemented by five full-length articles on the Yoga Sutras, Bhagavad Gita, Tao Te Ching, wisdom used compassionately, and perspectives on mysticism. Another section of the journal offers various exercises to deal with issues such as stress, backache, depression, and sleeplessness. The final section lists the four-year schedule of the Yoga and Meditation Society for the Scientific Study of Spirituality, including the names of speakers and their topics.
Founded by Dr. Malhotra in 2004, the Yoga and Meditation Society for the Scientific Study of Spirituality was established with the support of a grant from the Metanexus Institute of Philadelphia and the SUNY College at Oneonta. The society has brought to the SUNY-Oneonta campus more than two dozen scholars and practitioners representing diverse disciplines to discuss contemplative practices.
A member of the SUNY-Oneonta faculty since 1967, Dr. Malhotra received the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1994 and was promoted to the rank of SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor in 2001. He holds a bachelor's and master's degree from the University of Rajasthan in India and a doctorate from the University of Hawaii.
Dr. Malhotra is the author of ten books including Wisdom of the Tao Te
Ching, An Introduction to Yoga Philosophy, and Transcreation
of the Bhagavad Gita, as well as a dozen poems and more than 50 other
publications. He has been honored with the East West Center Distinguished
Alumni Award, Bharat Excellence Award, Jewel of India Gold Award, Oneonta
Friend of Education Award, and Spiritual Leadership Award from Southern
Illinois University Edwardsville.
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For more information about the College, please call the Community Relations Office at (607) 436-2748 or send e-mail to Carol Blazina, Vice President for Community Relations.SUNY College at Oneonta - Ravine Parkway - Oneonta, NY 13820 - 607.436.3500
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