Advaita, India, Buddhism, 'Ism's, Doings, and...  Mark (M. F.)  Sawyer holds that “Truth is Truth, and if it is the Truth, then it’s the same for all of us, and every great teacher, every truly enlightened sage, would have to at the most basic level, agree with all of the others. “Don’t preach, but if you are asked, answer.” Mark Sawyer lives by these words, which were given to him in India during one of his last visits to his primary Advaita teacher, Ramesh Balsekar. Mark came to Advaita after a strong upbringing in Christianity followed by years of studying and practicing aspects of Zen and Shingon Buddhism during about fifteen years living  in Japan and in Korea. He has taken the eight  precepts while practicing at Forest Tradition Temples in Thailand, and still lives by the five precepts.  Since the 1980’s he has been in India for extended periods. In India (and Nepal) he has visited the four main pilgrimage spots of Buddhism, and has stayed for extended periods in the hills above Dharmasala with the Tibetan Buddhists. In India  he heard much of Krishna (Vishnu), Shiva, and Brahma. He savored the spiritual energy of some of the Hindu holy places. Among holy books, he was particularly attracted by aspects of  the Bhagavad Gita. Then came Advaita, where (to his mind, as much as he’ll admit to having one)  it all comes together. His first inspiration was Ramana Maharshi. He then  learned more through the live and written teachings of the sage of Mumbai, Ramesh Balsekar. ******* "Every true teacher I have met quotes from  Jesus, Buddha, the Sufis, great Hindu Masters and Texts, and from anyone else who has passed along words or teachings that can help one to the Truth. Truth is Truth is Truth. In comparison, all of the isms and ologies based upon blindly recited and retained dogma are excrement."

The original Vivekananda for whom the character also called                    "The Saint" was named in The Shiva Paradox. The picture above,    and other art on Mark's websites, is by  Imanol Basurto.

M. F. Sawyer's Books.   The Real Man's Sex Book.   The Shiva Paradox is upcoming. It is about India, spirituality, meditation, satsang, gurus, masters, swamis, saints, sages, teachers, martial arts, healing, travel, Buddhism, Advaita, Vendanta, Shiva, Ganesh, Rishikesh, Arunachala, Bangalore, Ellora & Ajanta, and much more.   The Priest Wonho's Memories of Admiral Yi is  of much value to a person interested in Admiral Yi Sun-Sin, Military History, Korean History, the Imjin War, Great Military Commanders, East Asian History, Japanese History, Chinese History, Martial Arts, or Hideyoshi Toyotomi,      Married To Islam is excellent for people interested in Islam, in marrying or having a relationship with an Islamic person, or for Moslems wanting to gain a new perspective about their own religion, particularly regarding women.     To prevent confusion with Mark Twain and Tom Sawyer during internet searches, Mark Sawyer writes as M. F. Sawyer