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“In simple language, it shows how to gain an inner awareness which brings peace, uniting us to each other and to the whole universe. Its most valuable lesson is that a practical spirituality is possible within everyone’s daily activities, including the pursuit of a successful career.” – Fr. Lancy Pereira S.J., Former Principal, St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai What happens when your ‘big dreams’ get fulfilled? Do you attain an enduring state of fulfilment? Are you then able to live happily ever after? Or, is there something vital missing that you need to address now? “When I pose these questions to the students at IIT, they feel uncomfortable,” says Dr. Menon. “The majority are too heavily programmed,” he adds. "There appears to be too much at stake in the ‘rat race’ of life and it takes considerable courage, even just to pause and reflect, especially when one has traveled far and got ahead in the race. There is little in their education to persuade them to think otherwise.” “Is this the best our education can offer today?” asks Dr. Menon. “Are we not completely evading certain key issues in life? Are we not leaving the young generations ‘magnificently unprepared, for the long littleness of life’?” Drawing inspiration from various spiritual traditions, Dr. Menon guides the reader through nine graded chapters to the full meaning of ‘awareness’. He establishes that awakening and continual awareness of one’s ego-self not only bring freedom from mind-made suffering, but also enhance the quality of one’s work and one’s life. About the Author Dr. Devdas Menon is a professor of structural engineering at IIT Madras, and a successful consultant. He is well-versed in the various spiritual traditions of Vedanta, Taoism, Buddhism, Zen, Christianity and Sufism. His brilliant and popular lectures are peppered with some of the ideas he has put forth in this book. At the age of twenty-five, he underwent a profound inner transformation that was to leave an enduring impression on him. He withdrew from the material world for a brief period and, under the guidance of some Himalayan Masters, came to realize that there was no need at all to ‘renounce’ the world. On their advice, he chose to remain in and practice the profession for which he had been trained. He later added the dimension of education, for which he found he had a natural calling. He advocates a holistic approach to education and life in which ‘awakening’ has a central role to play.