The Friend- Mind, Body, Soul, Well - Being

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Sri M is widely known as a spiritual leader and teacher. However, he believes, for him to truly connect with someone and guide them, they must be friends. In this book, Lady Kent asks him about love, life, religion, marriage, death and everything in between making it a one-stop shop complete collection of Sri M's teachings and philosophy.

Following the ancient form of a conversation between a guru and disciple, this book is easy to read and relatable for people of all ages.

Sri M

SRI M-spiritual teacher, social reformer, educationist and author-was born Mumtaz Ali into a Muslim family on 6 November 1949 in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. His transformational journey from young boy to yogi, is a story of single-minded discipline and dedication. He established the Satsang Foundation twenty years ago as a meeting point for spiritual seekers of all persuasions. Conversant with the principles and beliefs of most major religions, Sri M's teachings seek to transcend the outer shell of all religions by exploring the core of their teachings and nurturing the innate goodness in every human being. Sri M's autobiography, Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master: A Yogi's Autobiography, was published in 2011 and became an instant bestseller. Further, Journey Continues: A Sequel to Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master was published in 2017. Sri M has also authored several texts on the Upanishads, on meditation and a novel, Shunya. His latest book, On Meditation: Finding Infinite Bliss and Power Within, was published by Penguin Random House in 2019. All his books have been translated into numerous Indian languages. Among the many awards and honours he has received for his contribution to society, Sri M was conferred with the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian award in India, in January 2020 for distinguished service of high order in spirituality.

Mohini Kent Noon

Lady Mohini Kent Noon is an author, journalist, playwright, film-maker and charity worker. She has previously worked as a print journalist with India Today magazine and other publications and had a fortnightly radio slot on BBC Radio 5 Live and Radio Scotland.

I am honoured to offer this short and simple book of Sri M's quintessential wisdom to my fellow travellers on the path to illumination. It touches upon many essential subjects, both temporal and causal, material and esoteric. Like sunlight scattering gold coins on the heaving waters of the sea, the world dazzles us, but the origin of the gold lies elsewhere.

It was Sri M's astonishing autobiography that sparked off in me the desire to seek him out, to meet an authentic yogi from the great spiritual lineage of the Nath Panth, tracing its origin back to Adi Nath, the first Nath. His narrative about his incredible journey is unpretentious and accessible, and clearly laid out in his book, Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master.

I travelled to Madanapalle on 1 August 2016. We had earlier met briefly when he was in Delhi on his epic Walk of Hope. It was a hot summer's day in August and the road up from Bengaluru airport was lined with soaring coconut palms and supari trees, and the hills of naked rocks piled up high that look stunning in the southern landscape. At Sri M's ashram, I was surprised to learn that he would arrive the next day specially to meet me. While spiritual relationships are traditionally a two-way link, our internet age has created a weird familiarity without actual physical contact; so it impressed me that he made time for a personal meeting. Meanwhile, I watched small children from nearby tribal communities walk up in their rubber slippers to attend Sri M's free school. They grinned and waved and practised their entire vocabulary of English words on me.

**Contents and Sample Pages**