Winner The Montaigne Medal from the Eric Hoffer Book Awards Winner Spirituality from the National Indie Excellence Awards Finalist Book of the Year Body/Mind/Spirit by Foreword Indies Finalist in Spirituality by the Next Generation Indie Book Awards We all long for boundless love as we long for home. But how can we find our home--our meaning and purpose if we don't know our self? Wise-Love is an exploration of the self, or consciousness, guided through the meditative eyes of India's saints, sages, seers, and mystics. As we embark on the journey to the self, we discover that the self's most charming characteristic part of its eternal, unchanging nature is that it is a lover, a lover who can be satisfied only when ordinary love evolves into wise-love. Each chapter unfolds with an understanding of matter and consciousness to present a key that unlocks our eternal nature so that we can experience the unbounded joy of the self in our daily lives. When we encounter the self, we're automatically introduced to our Divine Inner Suitor and our loving relationship with him/her. Filled with insight and fresh perspectives, Wise-Love offers a map for the journey to our home of eternal affection, where a porch light is always lovingly lit, and a warm embrace from our Divine Other awaits. Secretly nestled in the Upanishads and extolled in the Bhagavad Gita, bhakti yoga shines as the crown jewel on the head of India's timeless wisdom about consciousness and how to live one's meditation. Often over-simplified as devotion, bhakti is the method of experiencing the self and its Essence/Source. This concise yet comprehensive handbook exploring the meaning of bhakti's sophisticated philosophy promises to enrich you wherever you are on the spiritual path. Joy comes from an awakened heart and expanded consciousness, not from a controlled or stilled mind and Wise Love carefully lays out the path toward heartfulness. Explore the nature of matter, the world of consciousness, karma, faith, mysticism, the efficacy of sacred sound, the maha-mantra, kirtan, humility, and depth compassion how the self-consciousness interfaces with the world by use of your physical body and subtle body (mind, intelligence, and ego) how to understand the distinctions between your real and false selves, so you can factually answer the questions Who am I? What is my purpose? and How can I be happy? how to culture wise-love In Wise-Love, Pranada shows us that cultivating awakened consciousness and perfect joy is not only possible, but is our birthright. Claim the treasure with which the mystics of all traditions tease us: a transformational encounter between lover and Beloved, in which the individual soul melts into the luminous sea of Love. —Mirabai Starr, author of God of Love and Caravan of No Despair How refreshing to find a well-written book that presents the Bhakti path in a practical way that anyone can apply in our modern world. —Tosha Silver, author of Outrageous Openness and Change Me Prayers Pranada has made a real contribution to anyone who is interested in diving deeper into a Bhakti path—the way of love and devotion—offering us a gateway into the universal heart and the power of love that transforms us all, our very nature, and source of realization. —Shiva Rea, author Tending the Heart Fire and founder Global School for Living Yoga and Global Mala Project Do not underestimate this book. Wise-Love delivers both wisdom and deep emotion. This is Zen Bhakti Yoga. It is bright, concise and juicy. —Jeffrey Armstrong, author, philosopher, Vedic scholar, and poet Wise-Love unfolds as a sublime threshold into a new order of being—the realm of ananda, or spiritual bliss, in relationship with the Divine. It carries the reader into a most secret and confidential understanding of loving exchange that exists beyond the limited concepts available within our ordinary everyday linear ways of thinking. Practical approaches compliment the beautiful philosophical framework making this an inspiring addition to any seeker’s spiritual library. —Richard Whitehurst, author of Mahamantra Yoga: Chanting to Anchor the Mind and Access the Divine In her groundbreaking work Wise-Love, teacher-practitioner Pranada Comtois offers readers a rare combination of textual exegesis and common sense insights about the journey to self-awareness. In tracking consciousness—the fundamental core self that is both the subject and object of contemplative practice—too often writers gravitate to extremes, favoring either a detached analysis of source texts or an indulgent exposition of personal insights. Readers are consequently presented with bits and pieces of the spiritual journey, but no clear picture of where it leads. We can be grateful that Pranada has taken such care to ground her very readable work in a scholarly yet simple exposition of classical Vedanta. Here at last is a practical guidebook for all sincere seekers, to be savored and cele