Book excerpt: This volume has five contributors, of diverse nationalities and backgrounds, but who share a common bond of great reverence and love for the Himalayan Master, Swami Rama. They approached him at different times, for different reasons and with different aspirations. Despite these differences in age, background, temperament and nationality, they found in Swami Rama a true friend, profound philosopher and compassionate guide. The differences in the narrators and their narratives serve an important purpose-the opportunity to view Swami Rama from many different perspectives from which one can try to construct for oneself a composite portrait of Seami Rama, the multi-faceted phenomenon who graced our lives.