posted April 25, 2008 03:34 PM         

Tracing his own spiritual journey, Satish Kumar - child monk, peace pilgrim, ecological activist and educator - considers the sources of inspiration which formed his understanding of the world as a network of multiple and diverse relationships. The book is in four parts. The first describes Kumar's memories of conversations with his mother, his teacher and his Guru, all of whom were deeply religious. The second part recounts his discussions with the Indian sage Vinoba Bhave, J. Krishnamurti, Bertrand Russell, Martin Luther King and E.F. Schumacher. These five great activitists and thinkers inspired him to engage with social, ecological and political issues. In the third part Satish narrates his travels in India, which have continued to nourish his mind and reconnect him with his roots. The fourth part brings together his world-view, which is based in relationships and the connections between all things, rather than the philosophy of dualism, division and separation which are found in Rene Descartes' famous maxim "I think, therefore I am".

Satish Kumar holds an emergent world-view, encapsulated in a fundamental Sanskrit dictum "So Hum", well-known in India but not in the West, which can be translated as "You are, therefore I am". This mantra underpins all the experiences brought together in this book.