Swami Amar Jyoti was born on May 6, 1928 in a small town in northwestern India, not far from the banks of the Indus River. He was a brilliant child and student, much beloved by family and professors, and he shocked everyone with the decision to leave home a few months before college graduation. He told them: “I’d like to read an open book of the world for my education.” At the age of nineteen he traveled without a penny to Bengal and within a few years retired to the Himalayas where he lived in silence and meditation for more than a decade, one-pointed on the Goal of Liberation. In 1958, he took initiation of Vidyut Sannyas (lit: “lightning monasticism,” a form that is Self-initiated) and adopted the name Swami Amar Jyoti (Swami—Knower of the Self; Amar Jyoti—Immortal Light). Afterward he descended into the plains of India for his God-given mission to the world. In 1961 he accepted an offer by a devotee to visit the United States where he soon attracted many souls who had never seen such a holy man. Eventually he was persuaded by American disciples to establish a center for spiritual awakening. Sacred Mountain Ashram was founded in 1974 followed in 1975 by Desert Ashram, both incorporated under Truth Consciousness, a nonprofit organization that carries on his work in the USA.
The teachings of Swami Amar Jyoti reveal the glorious destiny of mankind, freed from our limited identity of self. His way is the ancient relationship of the Guru to the disciple, the candle lit directly from the burning flame of Truth. He reminds us that we are at a breakthrough into an age when religions will be transformed into direct awakening and communion with our Highest Source. In the recorded Satsangs of Swami Amar Jyoti, he brings each of us a vision for a truly awakened and fulfilling life. To foster this awakening, a firm foundation is needed, based upon the principles of Dharma (righteousness), Truth and divine Love. This is the classical path of spirituality.