Book excerpt: H.W.L. Poonja - affectionately known as Papaji - was only nine years old when he experienced his first samadhi, an altered state of consciousness where observer and object merge. As an adult, he sat in devotion with Sri Ramana Maharshi, and went on to become a master teacher in his own right, whose followers trekked across the world to sit in his presence. Wake Up and Roar is a collector's edition of teachings delivered throughout his life, edited by Eli Jaxon-Bear, a longtime student of Papaji. Originally published in two volumes, here is Papaji's landmark work bound in one elegant book with previously unreleased photographs and a new foreword from Gangaji, his best-known student. Presented in a question-and-answer format, Wake Up and Roar offers you an opportunity to awaken, here and now, regardless of background, practice, or personal circumstance. ''The Self contains everything, '' teaches Papaji. ''There is nothing apart from it. This is why you can call it emptiness. There is nothing beyond emptiness.'' Blending humor, logic, and eye-opening storytelling, Papaji extends a gracious wisdom that speaks to the earnest seeker investigating the nature of mind, enlightenment, and ''how to be in the world.'' In Wake up and Roar, he brings comfort and encouragement to practitioners from all traditions, at any stage of their inquiry into awakening