Rising in Love: My Wild and Crazy Ride to Here and Now, with Amma, the Hugging Saint

by Ram Das Batchelder

Rising in Love tells the story of the author's extraordinary spiritual awakening in America (which included meeting an angel), his discovery of Amma (the living Guru known in the West as the Hugging Saint), and the 27 amazing years he has spent in quest of Enlightenment as Amma's devotee, most of that time in India. The book is a multi-faceted diamond: a suspenseful psychological thriller, a page-turner from the outset - yet there so much humor in the narrative that at times it reads like a comedic novel. From another angle, it is a story of profound healing from delusion, drug addiction and despair into a joyous and beautifully fulfilled life, and as such it is a ray of hope for all who suffer from addiction or mental illness of one kind or another. It is also a treasure chest full of gems from Amma's teachings, and contains 22 photos of Amma. All royalties from the sale of this book will be donated to an orphanage in India.

Genres: Spirituality

383 pages, Paperback

First published December 12, 2014

Reviews

[Rick Archer · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Rising in Love” offers a wonderful glimpse into the life and teachings of Amma, the ‘hugging Saint,’ and an extraordinary window into the Guru-disciple relationship. Ram Das Batchelder has ‘been there; done that’ with regard to the many phases of the spiritual journey, from drugs, rock ‘n’ roll, tantric sex and delusion, to Christianity, A Course in Miracles, nude gatherings, celibacy, mantras, Self-inquiry, and finally, to the heights of devotion, samadhi and mystical insight. He’s spent 27 years as a devotee of Amma, most of that time in India, and met numerous other saints as well. In the process he’s had some amazing spiritual experiences and seen many miracles, and he now has some unusual things to say about the nature of the Divine and how to realize our true Self. He writes with clarity, unusual honesty, and a wonderful sense of humor.

I read spiritual books most evenings in preparation for the interviews I do on my show, Buddha at the Gas Pump (http://batgap.com), and once I started “Rising in Love,” I had to force myself to put it down to do my required reading. I hope you don’t have anything else urgent to do, because once you start “Rising in Love,” you’re not going to want to put it down. It’s truly an amazing ride!

Rick Archer

[Ram Batchelder · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I do say so myself, this is one hell of a fun book.

[Deborah Lloyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is truly captivating – be forwarned - once you start reading, you will not be able to put it down! The author details the journey of his spiritual path, following Amma, the living, loving and compassionate Hindu saint, who guides him through the up’s and down’s, knowing’s and doubts, of a challenging, spiritual life path. He always describes his real-life experiences with much humility – and a great sense of humor! I especially loved the last chapters of the book where the author shares his and his wife’s experience of the catastrophic tsunami of 2004, while living in the ashram in India. Amma’s organizations’ work in rebuilding these devastating areas is truly impressive. I have to admit I was not familiar with Amma before reading this book, but his sharing his experiences of her incredible compassionate life led me to explore her websites – and I was even more impressed. As she teaches that love and service to others is essential to the spiritual life, she truly lives the message – an amazing being. In the same way, the author lives a life of love and service – and he has written other books, songs and poems to spread a much-needed message in today’s world. I highly recommend this most inspirational book!

[Claudia Calisch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some books written by spiritual aspirants can be dry, serious, and a bit holier than thou, but Rising in Love is not one of them. I laughed, I cried, I felt so inspired! Ram Das uses great heart, humor, and vulnerability in telling his oh so amazing story with Amma. I highly recommend this book and hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stephen Pope’s review of “Rising in Love”

“Rising in Love” is a wonderfully inspiring, beautiful book, a spiritual journey told with much love, humor and humility. I deeply enjoyed it -- it is truly a book of the heart. When the author’s initial spiritual awakening rapidly spirals into dangerous delusion, drug addiction, and despair, we watch on the edge of our seats as he gradually discovers the healing power of spirituality, regains his sanity, meets his Guru, and finds inner peace and joy out of which creativity flows. There is a beautiful lightness to the narrative of this journey into spiritual awakening framed by some wonderful humor, which is all too rare in spiritual books. Underneath the storyline are a series of profound spiritual teachings, highlighting the pitfalls and difficulties we all face when we choose to awaken from our dysfunctional egos, both individual and the collective into which we are born. It is through his honest and open sharing that Ram Das touches the hearts of his readers. From his remarkable story many potent truths are revealed: We cannot awaken spiritually without facing our pain and the emotionally charged thought-forms that we identify with. Facing our ego identities can be frightening, especially when they emerge fully into our consciousness. To witness mental and emotional pain without guidance can be foreboding and overwhelming, but once we commit to conscious awakening, life sends us the teaching and guidance that we need. For Ram Das this leads to his meeting with Amma, the hugging saint. Through his discovery of the power of meditation, stilling and silencing the mind, comes the realization that all that we need is here now, and that God – the essence of all life, gives us the best conditions and guidance that we need to awaken to the essence of who we are: no person, egoless, the Divine Self. This brings out the simple truths that “You are always already That. Here and now.” And that, “finding oneself and loving everyone equally are basically the same thing.” All subject-object separation is a mind-made illusion. Ultimately our journey vanishes, as does the mind that tries to place Divine Consciousness into a time and place, not realising that the true all-pervading essence of life is here and now. “Rising in Love” is written in such a way that from beneath the words a subtle, tangible truth comes through to the reader. The book contains many beautiful and simple teachings from Amma: “When one really loves, one’s intellect becomes empty. One stops thinking. No thoughts, no mind, nothing. Only love remains.” Ram Das also highlights the humanitarian care and aid, and love for all of creation that flows from Amma, which is intrinsic to the holistic teachings of a true Self-realized spiritual teacher. As Amma says, “The awakened one thus has an attitude of deep reverence and humility towards all of creation, because once you go beyond the ego, you are nothing – you are infinite

[Daniela Norris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of “Rising in Love” by Daniela I. Norris


It is rare that an author shares their personal spiritual journey with such clarity, honesty, humor and self-depreciation. This offering from Ram Das Batchelder (aka Mark Batchelder) initially had me scratching my head in hesitation. I don't do gurus and ashrams, I am a skeptic by nature and am not sure I even believe that gurus are for real, so what's the deal here?

It is precisely this curiosity and need to understand that got me started with reading Rising in Love. It was pure fascination with the author's life journey that got me through it. A more-or-less average American young man, Mark Batchelder was into drugs, sex and rock'n'roll (this is my interpretation of the story, not quoting here).

He had several moments of drug-induced-clarity (I do believe that drugs can widen one's perception - but at a huge cost to their health and mental sanity) and then somehow stumbled across Amma, an indian guru who did 'tours' in the US. He decided to accept her as his guru, changed his name to Ram Das, moved to India for long periods at a time and his life changed completely - he became a kind, spiritual, loving and devoted man. These moments of clarity increased in number and intensity - but these were no longer induced by drugs - but by spiritual experiences and insights which he shares in this book. Now, this is something I do understand and believe with all my heart and skeptic mind.

Although I had several eyebrow-raising moments while reading his story (not sure I got why he'd do some of the things he did - but hey, this is his story and his life, not mine) I found it very well-written, funny at times and inspiring most of the time. I also found it quite enlightening - for now I actually understand why people follow gurus and go to ashrams. More than that, I might one day even visit one myself, just to satisfy my curiosity.

It is a book that contributes to love, peace and harmony - in a way that only an honest, open and true tale can. It is clear that he tells his story as he experienced it and that Ram Das believes in what he writes. It is also clear that he is an intelligent and kindhearted person. And if an intelligent and kindhearted person actually believes in these things, if he was able to spend over twenty years following his guru Amma and became a better person because of it - perhaps these things are real? Maybe he knows something that most of us don't?

This last conclusion stayed with me as I finished reading Rising in Love, and I highly recommend it even to skeptics like myself, who need proof before they can accept something as true. I will certainly not go out and look for a guru now, but it has opened my mind to the possibility that those who do follow gurus and live in ashrams have a take on life that is just differently true, and no longer strange to me.

~ Daniela I. Norris, author of On Dragonfly Wings: a skeptic's journey to mediumship

[Stephanie Sorrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well written and extremely engaging book. Ram Das abandoned his drug dominated life in his 20s to follow a spiritual teacher, Amma (known as the ‘hugging saint’), and has since spent more than 18 years at her ashram in India, with the view to becoming enlightened and being of genuine service to the world.
Within the title lies an interesting and crucial distinction between falling in love and rising in love which is a thread which runs boldly throughout this unique book. Crucial, because sometimes falling in love with all its passions, heartaches and longings can occlude our spiritual vision. Ram Das, American born, spent much of his youth in the 70s trying to attain that perfect love, but was often disappointed. The journey to the ‘Beloved’ often holds a radical teaching on true love, rather than purely carnal love that has us hopping like a butterfly from bloom to bloom. But his youthful love affairs and drug experiences are the fodder that prepare him for that ‘rising in love’. He experiences true love for the first time when he meets Amma, and this leads him to abandon his earlier lifestyle and become a full-time devotee.
It has been a pleasure getting to know Amma’s teaching through Ram Das, who has a delightful sense of humor. But, as is often found, the spiritual road isn’t an easy path to take, despite its sometimes romanticized allure. He is faced with lesson after lesson, through illnesses such as dysentery, fevers and his raw sexual longing which leave him ragged and drained. Once he has committed to Amma’s path, the tests move in like a lion to its prey. He experiences what could be called withdrawal symptoms from his years of drug abuse, and painful echoes from the various traumas of his childhood. Yet, through his devotion and one-pointedness in following Amma’s teachings, he experiences many powerful glimpses of the enlightened state.
I was touched by hearing about Amma’s proactive involvement in aiding people caught up in natural disasters around the world. She has worked tirelessly to create 40,000 homes for the impoverished, especially in the aftermath of the Tsunami in 2004, which killed 270,000 throughout the area. She has spent millions of dollars in aid for those affected by Hurricane Katrina, the recent Japanese Tsunami, and countless other calamities, and runs a huge network of charities serving the poor.
Ram Das uses his talents to write children’s books, which are sold by Amma’s ashram to raise money for a number of projects; all royalties from “Rising in Love” will be donated to Amma’s orphanage in India. This book provides invaluable insight into the life of Amma, alongside the life of a devotee who has been purged through his life experience in fire and water, again and again.
~Review by Stephanie Sorrell, author of The Therapist’s Cat and many more titles

[Helen Noble · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Divine Diamond is not something external to us. Its center is in our hearts, and our true nature is the entirety of that all-encompassing Divine Diamond. To realize this directly, and experience it fully and permanently, is the lofty goal of Hindu spirituality.”

Ram Das Batchelder’s narrative weaves his early, personal skirmishes with drug abuse and mental illness with the story of his pursuit of alignment with the divine, as embodied by charismatic, hugging saint Amma. He takes us through the pain and dislocation of his childhood into early adulthood and a spiritual awakening. The author’s insights are both startling and humorous; he explains his belief that (his) ‘body is a spacesuit,’ and he refers to himself as a ‘darshan hound’, compelled to seek out his nine weekly hugs from the Guru in her ashram in Kerala.

Leaving the ashram, with Amma’s blessing, after seven years of devotion, the writer takes us along with him on his journey around India and back and forth to the US, where he intermittently worked to earn the money to pursue his spiritual search and lifestyle as a sannyasin. He returned some seven years later to Amma and received her blessing for his marriage.

Who could ever have foreseen that this lifestyle would actually allow the writer to pick up where he left off in college days and also pursue his dreams of writing and performing? The text is illustrated throughout with his poems and songs of devotion to Amma and the Divine, and examples from his books for children, and stage plays written for tours to promote the charitable work of the ashram.

The author is convinced of Amma’a miraculous ability to see into the heart and minds of her devotees, and also into the future happenings of their lives. On the morning of December 26th, 2004 she rearranged the morning darshan to take place in a building twenty five feet above the ground. That day, a tsunami hit the south west coast of India, leaving the area awash with tragedy. Everyone in the ashram survived. From thereon, the amazing relief efforts of the ashram and the funds it apportioned to helping the survivors rebuild their lives, and their communities, were indeed, nothing short of a miracle.

‘Rising in Love’ is an uplifting, heartfelt account of one man’s spiritual experiments in the search for truth and enlightenment. Who, despite his many exploits and endeavours, as is often the way, found the truth, from within.

‘Rising in Love’ is also the story of a charismatic leader uniting people of all faiths and beliefs with her astounding charitable work and gifts.

For anyone seeking a spiritual path, this is a neon sign, lighting the way.

~ Helen Noble, author of ‘Tears of a Phoenix’; ‘The 49th Day,’ and ‘Scorpio Moons.’

[Jo Barnard · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Rising In Love" is a very true and honest memoir of Ram Das Batchelder's journey towards love in its purest form. He bravely bares his soul, sharing with us the darkest of his experiences in a very human and often comical way, leaving no stone unturned in order that we can peek at the various shadows that kept him from experiencing love and joy for so long.

As we learn more about Ram Das, we quickly learn that his journey from
darkness to light was never going to be a dull or half-hearted one! This is a heart-warming tale of awakening and connectedness, and a reminder of the power in our intentions. If we put all of our energy and faith into a lower form of the self (in Ram Das' case, illegal substances) we will undoubtedly surround ourselves in darkness and situations of helplessness. But if we learn to channel that same amount of energy into the Higher Self (in Ram Das' case, his love for Amma) we become empowered, move towards our truth and our purpose in life. And when we encourage our loving lights to shine, we not only begin to understand the right way forward for ourselves, we also become a channel of love that lights the way for others. Ram Das shares his
many experience of seeing everything from a higher perspective, looking at uncomfortable issues as karmic lessons that provide opportunity for
transformation, rather than as plain bad luck.

What a colorful life this man has led so far, and I challenge anyone to not be interested or inspired by his true tale of love, faith and complete devotion. It reminds me that only by looking to the bandaged place, and being brave enough to remove the plaster and have a good look at the reality beneath, can we truly let the light come in. The message I take from this book is that enlightenment or pure love or God or whatever it is you may be seeking, is not a separate entity and it is certainly not beyond our reach.

Enlightenment is our truth, and although we may spend years or even a
lifetime in search of it, we simply need to look and listen to the God
within. We are already it! No need to worship anyone or anything. Just open our hearts to love in its purest form. However, the human ego means that we usually need to put our faith in something that we consider to be higher, in order that we answer to it. Amma is, and has been, Ram Das' reminder that, with just a bit of tweaking and dusting off, he is in fact, pure love.

[John Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is many things - a tribute to the author's guru, Amma, for her world-wide spiritual and humanitarian presence, a lively and accurate first-hand account of Hindu mysticism, and most of all, an autobiography of a fierce and passionate drive for God-Realization.

You will meet Amma, which translates to Divine Mother, frequently in this book so a little background is in order. Born in 1953, Amma showed herself to be a remarkable and spiritually precocious child, composing divinely-inspired devotional songs, caring generously for the poor around her, and manifesting miracles too many and too extraordinary to recount here. Amma now travels widely around the world giving darshan (divine blessing), which in her case translates to bliss-filled hugs to every attendee often going on for many hours. The author describes Amma as the "full embodiment of the Universal Mother - Source of All" - literally God in human disguise.

Ram Das first discovered Amma at the age of twenty-five after a turbulent, often dangerous, and at times nearly psychotic adolescent search for the divine. With refreshing candor, zany descriptions, and wonderfully self-depreciating humor - and holding nothing back! - Ram Das describes his youthful roller-coaster ride that had me repeatedly fearing that the book would not end well; but the wonder and grace of it all led instead to Amma! His journey is one of power and ecstasy, inflation and self-deception, enlightened realization and ultimate breakthroughs. Ram Das is a born mystic willing to give whatever it takes to come home.

This book is both fun and awe-inspiring, taking the reader deep into the author's search for divine love, and teaching us that we are never far from God but the journey to God will take every ounce of ego and personal identity we have. I kept thinking this must have been a challenging book to write, revealing as it does the 10,000 steps through burning coals and heavenly delights, leading ever deeper into the divine mystery. I ended with great admiration and respect for Ram Das' gift of language and of himself. In the end, you will be neither bored nor disappointed with this autobiography, mirroring as it will your own spiritual journey. Proceeds from the book will be donated to an orphanage in India.

~ John C. Robinson, Ph.D., D.Min., author of “The Three Secrets of Aging” and other books

[Dielle Ciesco · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book shares the author’s adventures as he follows Amma, the hugging saint, across the US and then to India where he undergoes an intense purification through dysentery…hey, no one ever said the spiritual path was an easy one…and the tests he either fails or passes. Along the journey, Ram Das meets other awakened beings, but none whose love can hold a candle to Amma’s. Throughout his quest for enlightenment and relationship, the beauty of this story is in the honesty…that the spiritual path is not only one full of bliss and bright light, but one of inner thorns and torments as well as outer-world challenges.

Ram Das’s story is honest and courageous, hiding nothing because he’s already learned he can’t hide anyway. For him, this realization came through Amma in all her aspects who repeatedly penetrated his secret thoughts and failings and brought them into his awareness. He never really got away with anything he might have thought he did.

I know that there will be many readers out there who can relate to his fascinating and somewhat dizzying psychological backstory. To be honest, this section was painful for me to read. But it did serve to punctuate Amma’s transformative power in his life all the more. I know it illustrates how lacking our society is in dealing with spiritual awakenings…so often treated as rebellion or worse, mental illness. Contrarily, it also illustrates how insane the mind can be, when we begin to think we understand something and try to grasp a truly unknowable thing and turn it into a concept and make meaning of it for ourselves and end up in trouble. And this trouble can be made all the worse with psychotropic substances, as our author illustrates. Thankfully, as Ram Das writes: “God doesn’t let anyone stay in hell forever.”

I appreciated deeply the story of the author’s Ashram marriage and the challenges he and his wife faced on their path, especially when it seemingly diverged. Again, Amma’s love made it possible for their commitment to one another to endure.

I had heard of Amma before reading this book, but I never encountered her nor knew of the amazingly intuitive and miraculous things she does…other than the hugging. I would love to meet her someday. In many ways, after having read this book, I feel as though I already have.

[Alicia Garey · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Rising in Love” is a beautifully written account of the author's search for spirituality, healing and enlightenment. Ram Das examines the religious beliefs of his childhood, or lack thereof, and begins to passionately delve into Hindu prayer and rituals, which allow him to realize his creativity and true self, leaving behind years of reliance upon drugs and self sabotaging behaviors.

The story is told with great sensitivity, honesty and humor with an endearing appreciation for his own perceived failings – and never feeling too sorry for himself! We see his youthful missteps and antics which are ultimately signs he recognizes as he reaches out for deeper meaning in his life. The signs are sometimes disguised as something completely tangential or coincidental, but this author is well aware of the connections, when life is teaching him something he needs to know. He is open to seeing, learning and evolving especially in the context of spiritual love and Ram Das is not shy about it either! His particular brand of determination, such as mailing audio tapes of songs and spiritual writings - his ode to Amma the Hugging Saint, to 100 of his family’s friends, brings him to his mission. He devotes his life to enriching others with the knowledge he holds dear - that there is pure love and peace to be found in the rubble of modern society, if only you would look for it, all around you and within yourself, and see it in all of its spectacular glory.

While looking to Amma for everlasting love and guidance, Ram finds his own truth, which ultimately leads to our truth. As is written in one of Ram Das' children's books, ‘God Is Everywhere’, “But Mom, are you sure God dwells in me?” “Of course!” she replied. “That question is easy!God lives in everyone, including you and me." This is indeed a message of deep spiritual love and devotion, and we the reader get to travel right along with Ram in this truly enjoyable journey told with charm and graciousness. While the author may not ultimately consider himself to be enlightened, his story shines brightly, allowing introspection into our own views of ourselves, the world, and our ultimate purpose.

[Carolyn Mathews · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Rising In Love: My Wild and Crazy Ride to Here and Now, with Amma, the Hugging Saint", is a fascinating account of Ram Das Batchelder's life and times, as spiritually rewarding as it is revealing. Rewarding, because his accounts of his spiritual epiphanies make me feel that I, too, am experiencing them in some small way. Just one of these light bulb moments is Ram Das's 'take' on the nature of Amma's omniscient awareness. As a child I was taught that God was omniscient but couldn't see how it could be true; now it's a whole lot clearer to me.
At times, like the title of the book, my reading experience became an emotional roller coaster. In one chapter I found myself bathed in joy by passages describing the author's devotion to Amma and his longing to be a sannyasin, renouncing worldly thoughts and desires in order to spend his life in spiritual contemplation. In another, after Amma publicly laughs at him for wanting to become a sannyasin, I was moved to tears when he nonetheless feels protected by the love she radiates, expressed thus: "Something I've found over the years is that, like a potter molding a vase, whenever God gives you a slap on the outside, he puts his other hand inside you, to receive the force of the blow."
As the book progresses, so does Ram Das's understanding and ideology. His unusual belief in predestination and a lack of individual free will leads him to doubt he can acquire Self-Realization within Amma's organization because this does not fit with the teachings. Six and a half years later he begins to see his former philosophy as "a mirage", returning to the ashram with renewed enthusiasm, bringing his skills as singer, song-writer, author, playwright and short order cook back into the fold.
If you like to laugh out loud (and cry a little, too), this illuminating memoir of a young American's heartfelt love for a living Hindu saint and his lifelong search for total enlightenment, is just meant for you.

[Ted Zeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rising in Love is one of the best books I’ve ever read about spiritual
growth – and I’ve read hundreds over the last thirty-five years. With
candor and honesty Ram Das has woven an uplifting tale full of
excitement, adventure and spiritual truths. This is a ‘must read’ for
all dedicated seekers of Enlightenment.

[Paul Wagner · Rating 5 out of 5]

As revealed in his new book, Rising in Love, nestled in the wildly loving and curious heart of its author Ram Das Batchelder, is a tiny seed of angelic insanity wrapped by the loving embrace of deep awareness. Lest we remember, to be a saint requires simultaneous plunges into the light and dark.

Ram Das is not just any conscious saintly being, he has fathomed humanity at its depths and heights through the hardships of personal exploration and experience. He’s danced with the devil, cheated the divine and followed the light into the light in order to become the light. Rising in Love is a tale worth living, telling and reading.
Whether it’s his periods of perfect awareness, his brief stint in an institution, his merging with the spirit of Jesus or the sweet communication he enjoys with his Guru, Ram Das lays out his remarkable experiences for the reader in what feels like a constant stream of ecstasy.

Reading this book on an airplane, every word elevated me further into the clouds that surrounded me. I often laughed out loud and constantly felt the urge to write Ram Das a personal note letting him know that I wholeheartedly relate with and thoroughly enjoyed his epic life adventure. As a spiritual aspirant and part-time naysayer, I found this book to be delicious. It felt like a gentle poke reminding me to remain focused on the light.

Ram Das’ approachable and easily digestible personal narrative is down to earth, frequently confronting and often hilarious, all the while the book invokes a genuine feeling of relief. Not that I’m relieved that this man has been on such a wild inner and outer journey, but I feel relief in knowing that a revealing and transformative spiritual path doesn’t have to be so buttoned up. On the contrary, if we are willing to let it all go so we might un-condition and unlock the source of all life that surrounds and IS us, the most honest of sojourns often leave us face down in our own puke and bile.

As Ram Das seems to suggest, it is freeing to be reminded of the fact that societal structure, our mental functionalities and the nature of traditional reality are meant to be questioned and battled. It is by wrestling these constructs that we might catch a glimpse of the puppeteer, the divine, our true Self as it creates and witnesses and creates and witnesses and more.

If you’ve doubted the nature and potential of your soul as I have, riding aboard Ram Das’ magical mystery tour will bring you back to center, give you a little nudge, remind you that it’s entirely possible that the divine is still within reach. Reading the book might bring to life a loving scream in your ear, “YOU MIGHT ALREADY BE HERE (NOW)!”
It is quite possible that you are more than you have imagined, you embody more light than you fathom - and that you are truly on the righteous path - the one that invites you to “join us” to pursue and/or become the all that is. If not, find your one-pointedness and begin again. This seems to be the message of Ram Das’ book. It seems to sing this thought from every page, “YOU ARE DIVINE!”

It’s lovely how Ram Das gives us momentary glimpses of his connection with Amma, known as “the hugging saint”. The book’s message will surely soften the proudest and most protected hearts.

Sprinkled through the book is a romance that brings the narrative into focus. It’s in these chapters that we see and feel Ram Das’ humanity, masculinity and mischievousness. We feel the pounding of his heart, the warmth from a tender kiss and the shrouded sexuality of a loving, vibrant man.

Ram Das’ approach is refreshing, full of insight and chock full of brutal honesty. With a casual, ingestible style, Ram Das invites you to open the door to your spiritual ego and let the air out. But he doesn’t stop there. Aware you might be gasping for air, Ram Das then reminds you just how simple and quenching (non)pursuit of divinity can be.
Let Ram Das take your hand and walk you over the threshold into the bliss of the eternal being with his beautiful, exciting, fresh perspective on the spiritual path. Read Rising in Love. It’s a gem.

______________________
Paul Wagner is a 5-Time EMMY® winning writer/actor, spiritual author, corporate comedian, start-up advisor and mercurial journeyman. You can learn more about Paul’s book The Field Guide to Human Personalities and his work at personalitiesbook.com.

[Dara Gilroy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book. It deals with a serious subject, a man's quest to find God or his own Higher Self but at the same time it is a wonderfully entertaining read.

It will make fascinating reading both for those already on a spiritual journey and also for those open-minded enough to consider that there may be a Higher Reality beyond the outer appearances of this world. Reading this book strengthened my faith that there is such a Higher Reality that we all are part of and increased my resolve to seek to further uncover that Reality for myself.

The author tells the story of his spiritual journey and the initial, very colourful experiences he had while in his home country of the USA. Subsequently he meets his Guru, Mata Amritanandamayi, known affectionately as 'Amma' ( 'Mother' ) and the remainder of the book concerns his experiences and journey-to-happiness while residing at Amma's spiritual centre in India for the last 20+ years.

The book is full of amazing stories of miracles and spiritual wisdom as well as accounts of very funny, entertaining incidents. It is a real page-turner and once I started reading it, I found it hard to put down.

I found the author to be a very credible witness to the many marvellous happenings he describes. I have spent many years in India myself and have also had many such wonderful experiences so I can vouch that such things really do happen.

Apart from being the author's life-story, the book also focuses very much on the author's guru, Amma, and gives the reader insight into what an incredible being she is. I personally know Amma for 17 years and she is an embodiment of pure love. It is a frequent occurrence for her to hug and offer solace to members of the public continuously for 20 hours plus and all the while there is no sign of weariness from her but rather each person is greeted like her long-lost child with delight and unconditional, pure love. Her role is as the universal mother. I recommend anyone who has not yet met her to seek her out either in India or when she visits your locality as part of the World Tours she conducts every year.

This book also recounts some of the author's wonderful experiences with other Indian spiritual teachers. Thus it documents the spiritual riches of India which have also been recorded in such famous books as 'Autobiography of a Yogi'.

[Chris Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whether you are aware of it or not, we are currently experiencing a profound “Shift” in the nature of human consciousness. Collectively, as a species, we are taking an evolutionary step, a quantum leap even, towards making conscious the One Truth that each of us is an individualized expression of All-That-Is—aka God, Allah, Buddha, Jehovah, Consciousness (with a capital ‘C’), or (as the author reminds us) in Hindu culture, Brahman or Parabrahma.

Rising in Love tells the hilarious story of one individualized expression of Brahman (Ram Das Batchelder) as he went about his own “hero’s journey” to find the enigmatic land of Enlightenment. The culmination of Ram Das’s journey of course has nothing to do with a tangible place or mental mountaintop. What he achieves is a personal shift in his own consciousness, an understanding and acquiescing to the necessity for each of us to know our “Self” (the vagaries of the ego-self as well as the magical majesty of our spiritual self [“Essence” or “Atman”]), so that we are better able to live lives guided by the vitality of Divine Love.

For the layperson, this is essentially to be, as much as the ego-self and its fears will allow, living a life of compassion, acceptance, cooperativeness and appreciation—with an emphasis on fostering, as Ram Das calls it, an “attitude of gratitude.” Amma, the saintly incarnation who awakens Ram Das to the vitality of Divine Love is, the author tells us, the living personification of this vital energy that pervades the oneness of Brahman. Read this book and you, as I, will tend to believe him. I definitely want a hearty hug from Amma.

Rising in Love is an autobiography that amuses, saddens, shocks, and ultimately informs the reader. While reading the early part of it I often mused, “There but for the grace of God go I.” It is good to have documentation of probable personal paths played out by someone who lived to tell the tale with such authenticity and consummate literary skill.

Chris W.E. Johnson, author of the It’s About You! trilogy.
It's About You! Know Your Self
itsaboutyou.community

[Carmen Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author charts a profound journey of awakening, self-realisation and devotion. And the relief is, the reading is both light and funny! Sometimes hilarious. As with many of us on the spiritual path, we're constantly on the look-out for the way in. Having read the book and reinforced the bookshelf, bought the t-shirt and worn it threadbare, that half-open door often still eludes us. In the realms of the spiritual one imagines that an epiphany and its aftermath of 'going through' is a personal, custom-made, untranslatable experience. What this book achieves is the writer's ability to unveil the mystique and welcome us all to the party. Meeting an old person might be an analogy. Old. Person. It's often hard to fathom that which was once-vital behind the facade of grey hair, loose skin and kindly eyes. It's not until we are invited to peruse photos of said old person's youthful years that we can begin to build a picture of the hidden gem of who that individual really is. In a similar way, Ram Das, having reached summits of pure awareness that transcend planes of the ordinary, might be either dismissed or revered as 'one of those' who have long forgotten who they once were. Far from it. The writer is great company, thumbing through the old photo album, bringing to life the past, and acquainting the reader with the source material of his transformation. In other words, he hasn't developed a nuanced amnesia of how it used to be simply because of who he has become. The journey into his unravelling, fragmenting, rebirthing consciousness is a surreal and fascinating ride. He writes with an openness and honesty that enfolds all the contradictions of ego, ignorance, recklessness and desire (not to mention lust) on his path towards being fully realised. What this book has done for me is to bring me closer to Amma's earthly heart whilst taking me beyond the mirage of her human form. As someone who has been hugged by Amma and for whom the ground decisively did not open up, but who has been drawn three times to re-experience the vibrational energy that permeates the huge venues she attends, I am now excited to meet her yet again. This time I intend to leave my thinking head behind and, like the writer, dissolve into the rising of her essence. Thank you Ram Das!

[Doreen Davy · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me, the experience of reading Rising in Love by Ram Das Batchelder was inspiring. It was similar to how I felt when, around fifteen years ago, I read and reread The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. As with Tolle’s book, Rising in Love is powerful and thought provoking. It leaves the reader with a sense of awe and wonder in relation to the concept of higher consciousness and what a personal relationship and connectedness to ‘God’ might mean. Ram Das describes his spiritual awakening with clarity, humility and great humour. At the age of 25, his spiritual quest leads him to meeting Amma an Indian guru known as the Hugging Saint. For many years after this meeting, Ram Das has lived in India as a devotee of Amma. As her disciple he has learned to embrace a higher level of consciousness that transcends what appears to be the ‘reality’ of this world.

This story is a heart-lifting autobiography involving the author’s earlier years as a young American in the 1970s whose experiences with drugs and sex and rock ’n’ roll fails to satisfy a longing for something which he comes to realise is of a spiritual rather than hedonistic nature.

For somebody such as myself, (who recognises a spiritual yearning within) and being open to exploring this yet remaining ‘agnostic’, Rising in Love is a perfect read. For the spiritual seeker who wants to be convinced that there is a higher power or ‘divine goodness’ existing in the world, and that this essence of love dwells in each of us, then I strongly recommend that you read this book. Thank you Ram Das for writing Rising in Love and for its powerful pointer towards that which is good in the fullest sense of the word. Proceeds from the book are to be donated to an orphanage in India.

Dr Doreen Davy, author of Emotional Life.

[Hector · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of the greatest and life changing books I have read in my life were recommended to me by Ram Das. As time goes by though, I find myself reading less and less books. However, when I learned he had written Rising in Love I had to come out of my reading hiatus and am I so glad I did! The book grabbed me from the get go and what was meant to be an initial two hour reading session turned into an all niter, impossible to put it down once I started. I found amazing spiritual truths in it. The honesty with which it's written is truly refreshing. The sense of humor that pervades Rising in Love made me laugh out loud on many occasions. I wholeheartedly recommend this incredible book to anyone who is interested in Eastern Philosophy and Spirituality. It narrates the intricacies, ups and downs of an intense spiritual journey in a very understandable and easy to digest language.

Peace,
Hector
www.NoMatterWhatBand.com

[Kelly Olsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly amazing. I have read many spiritual books but none with such humor, sweet devotion, or mind-opening perspectives. The trials and tribulations of the author on the spiritual path were so much easier for me to relate to than the more lofty, serious spiritual books I have read because I also had awakenings that I had no reference for before I met my teacher. But none like Ram Das!! At the same time this book is interwoven with a level of conscious awareness and beauty that is extremely rare in this world. Ram Das’s deep insights and relationship with the Divine Mother showed me possibilities I had never imagined. I am so grateful this book came into my life, and I recommend it to ANYONE who would like an inside view at the path to liberation. An absolute page turner that makes the heart smile. But I slowed down reading it in the last chapters because I didn’t want the ride to end. Oh well, guess I’ll have to start from the beginning again :)

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a joy to read. With a truly contagious enthusiasm, Ram Das shares with us the story of his life as a spiritual seeker, starting with the wildly unconventional days of his youth, to his blessed meeting with his Guru, Amma and his subsequent life as a renunciate in her Indian ashram, as a wondering monk travelling through India, and finally back at her ashram as a married man, all throughout with Amma’s infinite Grace accompanying and guiding him. I was touched by the honesty with which Ram Das shares all aspects of himself, as well as by his devotion and sincere perseverance on his path towards God, and I thoroughly enjoyed the wit and humour of his writing style which made me laugh out loud so many times throughout the book! For me this book was an inspiration to persevere on my own path no matter what obstacles come my way, and to always remember to see the humour in it and to laugh at myself! Thank you Ram Das :) Om Namah Shivaya.

[Zara Watkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are wondering what's the fuss about this Hugging Saint then you should read Ram Das' book. He paints a vivid picture of a modern era spiritual journey: from an intense awakening, through ardent (and sometimes confused) seeking, through magical encounters with Amma, and through the day to day life becoming more and more immersed in the philosophy born in the land of India. If you are already a lover of Amma, then you will recognize many of Ram Das' experiences and, of course, his awestruck devotion to the extraordinary woman from Kerala who has stirred the souls of millions around the world. I felt intimately connected to Amma and Ram Das both as I read this book, and I'm going to keep it on my nightstand for times when I'm longing for some loving inspiration.

[Samuel Artman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an excellent read for me and came at exactly the right time when I needed it most. My experiences are so much in common with that which is expressed here. It is so refreshing to know that there are other seekers like me who are normal down to earth folks with desires and everyday problems. I was so comforted to know that I'm not some weirdo. That although I am "spiritual" I don't need to be super perfect and squeaky clean. It's good to know there are similar people like me on the path to Realization. This book is filled with great spiritual teachings that helped me ease so much of my doubts and made me understand my path more clearly.
~Sam Artman

[Tejaswini Jacqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed the read and the ride! From confusion to delusion…to confusion…to enlightenment…almost…to confusion again…and up and down...to the highest peaks and finally to the inner core…Ram Das has given us the opportunity to truly be part of his experiences, his quests, and his attainments in his unyielding search for the ‘Divine'. And everything he has learned along the way he so graciously shares with us! Along with this we get to experience the early years of Amma’s US tours and the early years of the ashram in Amritapuri…right through to the present. Heartwarming and heart opening! Thank you Ram Das!

[Belinda (devika) · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Rising in Love - My wild and Crazy Ride the Here and Now - With Amma, the Hugging Saint". The title says it all, certainly a wild and crazy ride for us also to read about Ram Das´s amazing journey to the here and now. I, for one, could not put it down as the story of Ram Das unravels we join him on his very bumpy journey along the spiritual path.

Ram Das offers us many insights into the profound spiritual teachings within the context of his life experience. He is an extraordinary story teller and I give thanks to him for having the courage to share his story with such honesty and humor.

[Niki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Freakin' hilarious! Want a good laugh? Better read this one. I seriously stayed awake late nights reading as much as I could until I fell asleep. This is one of those, with a slightly twisted spiritual bend...at least in the beginning. Any hippies, yuppies, or spiritual seekers who consider themselves a liiiittle farrrr-out, will be able to identify with the author and his heightened experiences. His writing is expressive and detailed and takes the mind where you didn't think it could go! I needed a pick me up...thanks to the author.

[Emma Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

RISING IN LOVE- An inspirational autobiography of faith and devotion. Not only did I ride the crazy and humorous journey of Ram Das’ raw and candid spiritual quest to the “here and now” but I went through my own self-discovery and spiritual evolution whilst reading this book. It triggered my own weaknesses and strengths discovering self-truths and “Self” TRUTHS! It inspired me to rediscover my ever growing faith, love and devotion for our beloved Amma and motivated me to become a better person. Through Amma’s Grace, Love and Divine energy, thank you Ram Das.

Emma Woods (Amma Devotee)

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun, crazy and honest journey to the Self 'Rising in Love' was to read. I loved Ram Das Batchelor's descriptive and at times, lovingly self deprecating account of his personal transformation. I could relate to his story in some ways and this book has helped me with my own transformation. Spending a few months recently with Amma, at times I thought I was going mad, but 'Rising in Love' assisted bridging the deep spiritual movement inside with living an ordinary family life with love and devotion.

[Kalavati · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author, R.D. Batchelder writes an incredible "naked truth" expose. I was stunned at his blatantly honest sharing of his early experiences, which led up to manifesting a Living Goddess / Divine Teacher for himself. His journey will resonate with many from the 60's generation, yet he lived to create something far greater than his wildest imaginings.
This is a great read! I have to read it again more slowly, I inhaled it!