Gurus in America

Thomas A. Forsthoefel is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Mercyhurst College. He is the author of Knowing Beyond Knowledge: Epistemologies of Religious Experience in Classical and Modern Advaita. At Claremont McKenna College, Cynthia Ann Humes is Chief Technology Officer and Director of Information Technology Services and Associate Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies. She is coeditor (with Bradley R. Hertel) of Living Banaras: Hindu Religion in Cultural Context, also published by SUNY Press.

Introduction: Making Waves
Thomas A. Forsthoefel and Cynthia Ann Humes

1. Raja Yoga and the Guru: Gurani Anjali of Yoga Anand Ashram, Amityville, New York
Christopher Key Chapple


2. Weaving the Inward Thread to Awakening: The Perennial Appeal of Ramana Maharshi
Thomas A. Forsthoefel


3. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi: Beyond the TM Technique
Cynthia Ann Humes


4. Krishna and Culture: What Happens When the Lord of Vrindavana Moves to New York City
Tamal Krishna Goswami and Ravi M. Gupta


5. Baba’s World: A Global Guru and His Movement
Norris W. Palmer


6. Passage to America: Ammachi on American Soil
Selva J. Raj


7. The Perfectibility of Perfection: Siddha Yoga as a Global Movement
Lola Williamson


8. Osho, from Sex Guru to Guru of the Rich: The Spiritual Logic of Late Capitalism
Hugh B. Urban


9. Riding the Dawn Horse: Adi Da and the Eros of Nonduality
Jeffrey J. Kripal


Epilogue: Elevated Gurus, Concrete Traditions, and the Problems of Western Devotees
Daniel Gold


List of Contributors
Index