Products
Books
| Who are we? (Author House, June 2006) | |
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Click below to purchase this book from:
- Author House - Amazon |
Review
Each one of us, regardless of our national origin,
race, color of the skin, gender, religious beliefs, academic
qualifications, status in society or political affiliation may run
into a situation of despair, one time or another. One may choose the
path of faith and surrender that Laj Utreja chose and find a
conclusive meaning of life and make observations similar to his. We
apply our intellect to understand and justify or refute our
observations about natural phenomena. We also apply our intellect to
discriminate between right and wrong in human behavior based on
ethical principles. The question arises whether we are predisposed
to the faith that we have, the observations that we make and the
reason that we use, or, we have a choice in changing anyone or all
of those? Is choosing the path of faith and surrender our choice or
a predisposition? Can a rational mind be predisposed to faith and
surrender? Laj has made an attempt in ‘Who are we?’ to look at those
aspects.
In the words of Laj, “The journey has afforded me
an understanding of the eternal question, ‘Who are we?’
I’ve been drawn into critically looking at the lives of three human
beings: my brother, I and Sai Baba. Correspondingly, the book is
divided into three parts. In Part I, ‘Is there rebirth?’,
I explore the enigmatic fact that faith can lead to understanding of
knowledge impossible through a rational mind. By an act of earnest
surrender during the period of helplessness, I was able to bring to
consciousness a revelation about a future event. It provided me a
rare insight into the issues of life after death.
Consistent with my revelations, in Part II,
‘How do we reappear?’, I’ve made simple
observations of our environment that throw light on the principle
that each person’s nature is an expression of his soul. It is
inherent in the very process of material manifestation and therefore
subject to the law of ‘cause and effect’. I have presented a
systemic approach about the development of a human body and how it
acts as a field point in the progression of his soul. Our
predisposition to physical and mental makeup is a natural
consequence of our attitudes and unresolved intentions expressed as
material nature. The approach has provided me a basis to hypothesize
our present life and its continuity after death through the unit of
conscious life, consciotron expressed through our unresolved
intentions. At death, our soul creates a consciotron ready to take
an expression in the next manifestation.
In Part III, ‘Do we have a choice in
destiny?’, an extension of Part II, I further explore
the concept of material ‘cause and effect’ in making our destiny. My
revelations expose the fact that we are all expressions of the same
reality. It is our intentions and actions that determine how we must
manifest. The diversity that we see in plants, animals and human
beings are expressed forms during their various stages of evolution
ever pursuing the source. Life is a stream that flows ceaselessly,
without beginning or end. Seeking the reality voluntarily and
deliberately alone is free will providing a basis to get out of this
cycle of life and death. Everything else is material "cause and
effect" and thereby destined. Our intentions, words and actions
collectively determine if we are plant-like, animal-like, or
god-like. Becoming enlightened or god-like provides one an
extraordinary potential to descend at will for the sole purpose of
benefit to manifestation.”
The book is of interest to all who want to know
why they have this life. This is equally of interest to people of
all faiths who want to find the meaning of life through their
faiths. If we take away the veil of faith covering us, underneath we
are the same people with human needs, desires, emotions, goals and
aspirations. In that sense the book offers all human beings a basis
for their existence. It touches human experience on several levels
at once. In that context it affords a point of departure from
conventional thought for students, teachers and others interested in
sociology, psychology, philosophy, theology, general science and
personal development. To the readers of memoirs and novels it
provides an interesting way to look at life experiences.
There is a usage of foreign words, where
necessary, to offer a perspective for the origin of thought.
Everyone has access to similar words conveying similar thoughts
indigenous to their native cultures. Laj has quoted, where necessary
and possible, verses from Bhagavad Geeta to validate his point of
view. In that sense people of different faiths have similar
statements or verses for authentication from their scriptures. The
readers may curiously look forward to his sequels in the work,
‘What is our origin?’ and
‘What is our purpose?’
What is our origin? (Author House, June 2008) |
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Click below to purchase this book from:
- Author House - Amazon |
Review
Every child finds comfort in knowing and being with his/her parents. Imagine a child separated from his/her parents due to war, a natural catastrophe, adoption, divorce or some other cause. The child is restless and driven to find his/her parents. There is a great sense of relief and satisfaction when he/she finds them. The child feels the sense of belonging and connection. The curiosity to know about one’s parents is innate in every child. The feeling of satisfaction, comfort and security in parents is a natural consequence of children being connected with them. At birth every child is connected with the mother through the umbilical cord until that is severed. The knowledge about connectivity with our parents makes us complete. Just as children, our desire to know about our origin grapples us. Our ignorance about it, however, makes us feel as if we are missing or lacking something. We remain unsettled as long as we don’t find a satisfactory answer. As long as we have consciousness (the very origin that we seek) we long for it. It is human longing. More we develop awareness, more we are drawn toward finding our origin.
In sequel to his earlier book, “Who Are We?” Laj puts forth another provocative thesis that imperceptibility of truth is inherent in the truth itself. It is the very genesis of illusion that masks the truth prior to its manifestation. Correspondingly, it is extremely difficult to know the truth through reasoning alone. In his new book, “What Is Our Origin?” Laj retraces his life experiences to explore how the universe came into existence. Every phase of his life presents certain features that when linked together provides clues to our origin. No amount of secular knowledge can provide satisfactory answers to our different human natures. Also, knowledge based on belief is subjective making individual experiences hard to generalize. Therefore, Laj suggests looking at observations, reasoning and faith together to gain an understanding of the unknown origin of our natures.
"What Is Our Origin?”is divided into three parts that describe three different aspects related to our origin. In Part I, “What is the origin of this all?” Laj finds certain principles that are common in all human beings. The commonality of principles must have their basis in our common origin. He comes to an understanding that indivisible and eternal consciousness precedes manifestation. Whereas consciousness is an entity responsible for all creation, truth and reality are two expressions that imply the same origin. Taken separately, truth is an entity that never changes, and reality expresses the state of constant existence through which relativity is expressed. He makes a distinction between awareness, universal consciousness and individual consciousness as the three distinct features of “conscious” principle. Finally, “is the origin of this all?” provides an insight into the existence of ever-present “conscious” principle as the cause of all manifestation.
Is there a God constantly watching our intentions and our actions? In Part two, “Does God have a form?” Laj presents the need to believe in God with form. He presents alternate ways of looking at the physical forms of matter, energy and life as expressions of their subtle origins in space, time and mind respectively. The continuum of universe is really a “cause and effect” principle rooted in the “conscious” principle. Correspondingly, human beings are governed by both, the physical phenomena, which precede them, as well as the subjective Law of Karma. He takes note of two human observations recorded in the psyche of many people and relates them the presence of God with form. He suggests that realization of God with form is possible when we rise in the level of awareness beyond what is possible with the instruments of cognition.In Part three, “Is God both, without and with form?” Laj explains that whether God is without form, with form, or both is the subject of individual understanding. The truth reveals itself when one is detached from one’s observations, reasoning and faith. The truth about God is the only sovereign knowledge, which is realized when one reaches the same understanding from one’s observations, reasoning and faith. It is the very cause, inherent in our makeup, makes us move from one birth to the next, and therefore eternal. Coming from the same origin, each one of us creates a history of our intentions, actions and attitudes (expressions) leading to the present state of our choice. Our intentions, actions and attitudes either help us progress toward realizing our origin, or may take us back into the primordial nature for recycling back into the expressed forms.
In summary, the book, “What is our origin?” Laj presents a point of view that the ultimate cause (our origin: truth, reality, or consciousness) or any cause (relative truth) is always hidden behind its expressed effect (delusion). For rationalists, who resort to reason for knowledge, and for staunch believers, who have fixed ideas about the truth, “What is our origin?” provides an alternate perspective. In that context it affords a point of departure from conventional thought for students, teachers and others interested in sociology, psychology, philosophy, theology, spirituality, general science and personal development. To all human beings it shows a basis for their existence.
Laj Utreja holds a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering. His professional experience covers a wide range of disciplines related to the U.S. space and defense programs. He has worked in various capacities, as hands-on engineer, as technical leader in people management, and as CEO of a small business in developing corporate vision. In 2001, he received the George M. Low award, NASA’s highest honor for quality and technical performance to a small business. He has also taught courses in engineering and philosophy at various schools.
Having spent most of his adult life studying Sanaatana Dharma, he enjoys talking about its applications in human conduct to various groups and organizations. Laj is very active with the Interfaith Mission Service of the Greater Tennessee Valley and arranges interfaith and diversity summits to promote understanding among different faith, race and cultural groups.
He is founder of the Institute of Spiritual Healing where he teaches Vedic disciplines for the body to heal itself by developing healing consciousness. Healing consciousness is a state of effectiveness in any situation of health or sickness. For questions about the book, or healing, write to: lajutreja@ishdhaam.com, or visit the website: www.lajutreja.com
Upcoming Books
- What is our purpose?
(Coming soon)
- Seven Weeks to Ayur-Living
(Coming soon)
Audio discs
- Sanaatana Dharma
- Breathing for wellbeing
Video discs (Under Construction)
For more information about ISH products contact via email:
lajutreja@ishdhaam.com, or telephone (256-604-6927).