Five Years, Eleven Months and a Lifetime of Unexpected Love: a memoir

by Visakha Dasi, John Griesser (Photographer)

Finalist, 2017 Next Generation Indie Book Awards "Brilliant photographs ... a talented writer ... her descriptions are lyrical and evocative." -- Kirkus Reviews "This makes "Eat, Pray, Love" look like a summer vacation ... An important historical and spiritual journey told seamlessly." -- The BookLife Prize, rated 10 out of 10 In 1971, at age 20, Visakha had just published her first book and was beginning her ascent to fame and fortune through a career in photojournalism. She dreamed of bringing the people of the world closer by sharing their common kinship and values through her photographic essays. Then, at the invitation of her college boyfriend, John Griesser, who was working on his MFA thesis in India, Visakha traveled east, where she first learned about bhakti yoga - the yoga of devotion - from a simple Indian sage. The bhakti tradition seemed irrelevant to Visakha, and she rejected it. Five Years, Eleven Months and a Lifetime of Unexpected Love is Visakha's deeply personal account of the emotional upheaval caused by her doubting her own cherished convictions, by her discovery that the alarmingly unreasonable - bhakti - could gradually become alarmingly reasonable. Visakha portrays her own and others' experiences in India, Europe, and the United States as they grapple with knowledge and a culture that is at once utterly foreign yet also resonant with their hearts. And she reflects on the profound, life-altering questions that we all sometimes ask. Written by a fellow seeker who maintains a healthy dose of skepticism, this is the heartwarming, funny, colorful, bizarre, surprising, informative, and upending true story that will help questioner-skeptics see life from another perspective, one likely different from their own. In Five Years, Eleven Months, Visakha beautifully weaves together her personal losses and gains with an age-old tradition that enfolds her, creating a moving narrative for anyone who has ever asked, "Why?" "One of the best memoirs conveying the power of the spiritual that I have ever come across." — Graham M. Schweig, Ph.D., Berkeley Graduate Theological Union "This book will give pleasure and wisdom to many people for many years to come." — Howard J. Resnick, Ph.D., Harvard University

Genres: Spirituality, Memoir

379 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 16, 2017

About the author

Since her first trip to the East in 1971 (when she was 20), Visakha's life has never been the same. She's tried to explain what happened to her -- and what's continuing to happen -- in numerous magazine articles as well as four books, most recently Five Years, Eleven Months and a lifetime of unexpected love, a memoir.

Besides writing articles and books, Visakha also assists her husband, John Griesser, in making documentary films. In 2017, the couple released the 90-minute biopic, "Hare Krishna, the Mantra, the Movement, and the Swami who started it all," which was awarded the Jury Prize for best picture at the Illuminate Film Festival in Sedona, Arizona.

They have two beautiful daughters and are based in both British Columbia and Florida, but mostly Florida.

Reviews

[Pranada Comtois · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed watching Visakha, a successful young photographer with grand horizons, trained in the ways of skepticism and atheism, travel to India to be with her first love. There the boyfriend and girlfriend travel to exotic destinations. But instead of being taken in by the sights and sounds, which Visakha writes eloquently about, the two fall in love with an exceptional saint, surrender to him, and the Bhakti path. Young Visakha, however, does not enter as easily and seamlessly as her boyfriend. Indeed, I kept wondering when Visakha would leave him, India, and the saint. But this author's honest, rigorous self-examination leads her in surprising ways. Her brave movement toward her calling is both frightening and wonderful. I am moved and grateful to have read this person's inner exploration of the self.

[Jayadvaita Swami · Rating 5 out of 5]

Literate and introspective, Visakha 's memoir is a joy to read. Especially engaging is her running account of the tension within herself between her spiritual path and, on the other side, her persistent doubts, her skepticism, and a rational mind always on guard against being spiritually duped. And hers is an extraordinary story. As a young photojournalist, still in college, she journeys first to Nepal and then to India, where she meets a spiritual teacher who shows her much more than she expected to see in her viewfinder and changes the course of her life. Now, nearly fifty years later, she shares with us her adventures, her insights, her reflections, her wisdom. A splendid book!

[Kosa Ely · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a wonderful journey to undertake with this incredible author. Truly one of the best books I have ever read! Visakha's writing is so engaging. Her detailed descriptions transported me into her world, where I shadowed her quest, echoed her doubts, and experienced her bliss. Her dry humor and wit made me laugh with her, and her honesty made me love her.
I read this book in three days, and have reread it twice.

[Anand Arora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Must Read

It is almost an autobiography of Vishka journey with her Guru, her seeker's pang to understand and know her equation with her Guru / Krishna.

[Nityananda Chandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic memoir of Śrīla Prabhupāda a modern saint

This memoir brings one along the journey from faithlessness to full dedication of a life of service. The axle of this life of service is a beautiful teachings and interactions with the great teacher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, affectionately known as Śrīla Prabhupāda. Bhakti is caught more than it’s taught, and I feel that the infectious nature of devotion is caught in tangled in this book. I definitely recommend it, especially for those who are newer to Bhakti Yoga / Kṛṣṇa Consciousness

[Bob Cohen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was mesmerized by the candor, picturesque detail and superb writing style of Visakha’s autobiographical adventure of her almost six years with A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami (aka Prabhupada). Visakha is multi-talented (I had used her book on macrophotography as a reference during my graduate school days in the 1970s). She applies her photo skills to the written word, composing a complex mosaic of her time with Prabhupada and her personal struggle with her latent atheism, encounters with misogyny, austerities of India in the '70s and difficulty of opening of her heart and trusting. I knew Visakha during those fascinating and exciting years. Her memoir preserves the actual tensions, exhilaration, doubting and heart-wrenching of the times. Five Years Eleven Months is required reading for those who want to understand the source of her awakening, the tumult of the times and the open-hearted love she felt for Prabhupada (and Prabhupada for her). The book is a page-turner.

[Aman Sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about Prabhupada and his institution, Iskcon, from the perspective of one of his intimate devotee.
The book is written very honestly, describing the shortcoming of an ordinary human on the spiritual path and that makes the book more interesting as the reader could relate to his or her own delusions while trying to make progress in spiritual life.

[Cherie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a while to get through this one, though I started it with great enthusiasm. Dasi is a bit suspicious of Srla. Prabhupada, but she ultimately finds her devotion to bhakti. There were some moments where I didn't love what had happened (I consider myself a devotee...sometimes....and sometimes, I'm like, no, I can't). A fascinating tale of her devotion and her journey on bhakti, following Srla Prabhupada. Very interesting.

[David Moorad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

I have read several of Visakha’s writings and this one blew me away. Perhaps it’s because I am recently retired and facing the next chapter of my life knowing I have more time behind me than ahead of me or perhaps it’s the power of teachings of the Gita and Krishna I cannot say but I am so glad I read this story,

[Austin Farber · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful testimony of a woman’s journey from uncertainty to theism. I had occasion to meet the author, vishaka dasi, and the loving grace in which her spiritual master infused into her she freely expresses to any and all. A true saintly woman of god.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting at first

But I began skimming to bypass the theology to get to the human journey. This memoir brought back memories of my childhood and LAX airport.

[Viktorija · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing memoir about photography student traveling to India and finding her spiritual path ❤️

[Citra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written, I loved this memoir!