Manatita, the Lantern Carrier - a Book Review

Author: Ioannis Arvanitis

Paperback: 185 pages

Publisher: Independently published (August 14, 2019)

Language: English

ISBN-13: 978-1686095849

Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.5 x 8 inches

From the very first moment that I read Manatita's poems, here on HubPages, I realized that we share some common ideals.

Our need to express to the world the power of Love. Our will to remind aspiring seekers that we are made of Love; that we have forgotten it. Our longing to explain to as many people as we can, that Love alone can return us to where we belong, in our oneness with God.

After our initial communications, I was confident that God had blessed me with a beautiful gift. A unique opportunity to know and feel friendship with a real Light Bearer, a Lantern Carrier!

At the same time, I was given a chance to study a genuinely great teacher, the spiritual master of Manatita, the guru Sri Chinmoy. The astonishing teachings of this great guru continue to be expressed, several years after his passing, through the poems, the texts, but primarily through the lives of his many students. Manatita is one such student.

As I was learning more about Sri Chinmoy through my research and Manatita's work, I started to comprehend the term of "Oneness". I have been working on the meaning of this term since I was very young, but Manatita helped me to feel it in depth!

So, this is a book about Oneness. A Fundamental Principle in Spiritual Philosophy: "All things are One."

All beings –sentient and non-sentient– come from the same Source, and will experience true happiness only by returning to this Source. All life-forms are a journey into the Awareness of this Truth, an opportunity for the Creator to experience in and through us, It's creation, the infinite possibilities of Self-transcendence.

God, Love, One … the Source of All existence, are just some of the names attributed to the Creator. He is Eternally Existent in the Silence of Infinity. He is the Love in All Loves, the Unchanged and at the same time continually changing through the evolution of His Creation!

The purpose of the book is to help the reader see this interconnectedness, through the sublime poetry of Manatita. To remind the reader, also, that the Light dwells in him or her, that God lives just a heartbeat away, indeed exists in everything we live. The author hopes to serve in such a way that the reader becomes familiar with the Path of Spiritual Philosophy. Additional and equal significant help to this is the discussion with Manatita, which follows the analyses of the poems.

The book is composed of three parts.

In the first part, there are four esoteric analyses of Manatita's poems.

We have to make it clear that this effort is not a literary analysis but an esoteric analysis. The author doesn't deal with language, spelling, tone, the wealth of words, and all that. He does not have the expertise to do it. Instead, he intends to unfold as much as possible, levels of Knowledge that are "hidden" behind the words.

Manatita's poems are the products of his meditation, so they convey messages and experience from another world, a spiritual world. They carry memories of our true nature and answers to what our heart seeks. That's what the author wants to try to "reveal." And he does his best, with respect, and using Love as a "translator". Love is the best assistant and never tells lies!

The second part is a discussion between Manatita and the author, on Spiritual Philosophy. Manatita is a real Lantern Carrier who with his Love and wisdom can offer much Light to someone who seeks the way of Truth. Therefore, this interview with "open" questions on Inner Philosophy, is a tremendous gift, since it gives the reader the ability to clarify various "blurry" points about the Spiritual Path. It also offers a chance to deepen his or her understanding to even more. The most important thing is that the reader is able to take delight in Manatita's word, which is full of Love and Light.

The last part contains some information about Manatita and his Master, Sri Chinmoy. It is a glimpse into the life of Manatita. His early years in Grenada, his resettlement in London and his meeting with his master who changed his life.

The author intentionally left these pieces of information about Manatita's biography for the end. He wants you first to know him and to create your "image" of him, through his beautiful words about Love and Oneness.

Enjoy this esoteric journey to Spiritual Philosophy. A journey back Home! God bless you all!