A Teacher
Eknath Easwaran
Passage meditation & the mantram
The transmission
Eknath Easwaran was an Indian-born spiritual teacher, professor of English literature, and translator who brought a practical, non-sectarian method of meditation to the West.
He came to the United States in 1959 on the Fulbright program, and in 1961 founded the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation in Berkeley, California, where he taught for nearly four decades. His widely read translations of the Bhagavad Gita, the Upanishads, and the Dhammapada introduced a generation of readers to the classical contemplative texts in clear modern English.
Easwaran’s place in the Atlas is as the originator of two distinct, transmissible practices that bridge the devotional East and the secular West: Passage Meditation (the slow, silent, inward repetition of a memorized inspirational passage, holding the attention on its words) and the mantram (the repetition of a hallowed name or short formula throughout the day to steady the mind).
Both sit within his Eight Point Program, a graded discipline for “training the attention” that has since been studied in evidence-based clinical settings (e.g., for veterans and health-care workers).
He represents the calm, ethically-grounded, attention-training pole of the contemplative tradition — distinct from manifestation’s outcome focus, oriented instead toward concentration, equanimity, and the gradual reshaping of character.
What they gave
Passage Meditation: A precise, secular-friendly concentration method using memorized sacred passages as the object of attention.
- The Mantram: Daily repetition of a holy word/name to gather scattered attention and steady the emotions.
- The Eight Point Program: A structured, livable discipline for training attention and slowing down the mind.
- Translations: Accessible renderings of the Gita, Upanishads, and Dhammapada that seeded Western contemplative practice.
In their words
By giving full attention to one thing at a time, we can learn to direct attention where we choose.
We all need joy, and we can all receive joy in only one way, by adding to the joy of others.
Love is so exquisitely elusive. It cannot be bought, cannot be badgered, cannot be hijacked. It is available only in one rare form: as the natural response of a healthy mind and healthy heart.
To enjoy anything, we cannot be attached to it.
The line they stand in
Taught by / Influenced by: the Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads; the example of Mahatma Gandhi; the Hindu devotional and mantra tradition.
- Taught / Influenced: secular mindfulness and meditation culture; evidence-based contemplative programs; the modern mantram and passage-meditation movement.