Sadhus (Paperback - French)  | Released: Nov,2014

Saints hommes, adorateurs de Shiva, fumeurs de haschich, ascètes mystiques, les sâdhus parcourent l’Inde depuis des millénaires. Ils étaient enfants, fonctionnaires, paysans ou voleurs, ils ont abandonné nom, travail, famille, pour devenir renonçants, moines mendiants, philosophes errants. Pendant plusieurs mois, le Français Patrick Levy a adopté cette existence nomade et frugale dans les pas de son guru. Il en a ramené un témoignage hors du commun, à la fois quête spirituelle, reportage ethnologique et errance au cœur de l’Inde populaire. Et à travers les concepts du non-agir ou du darshan, il nous invite aussi à nous interroger sur notre société et ses valeurs.Sâdhus est un roman en forme de road-movie qui trace un voyage initiatique.(English) There are millions of them – these wandering Indian renunciants, begging monks, mystical walkers, roaming philosophers, miracle-workers, hashish smokers, holy men… but little is known about them. They are often photographed yet their words are seldom heard. Some began this way of life from childhood, others were civil servants, shopkeepers, real estate agents, thieves… they left their families and jobs to become renunciants, sadhus. They refuse to work; and vow not to accept any wages. They pursue the path of liberation. A few accomplish rigorous austerities, but most of them dedicate themselves to non-action. In a world verging on its short term ecological doom and demographic tsunami, the sadhus are the messengers of a kind of freedom and moderation that our commercial civilization has forgotten, with its preaching of labour, consumption, economic growth and competition.Patrick Levy recounts their everyday lives, the respect they are given and how they make use of it, their teachings, their philosophy and the way they transform it into a lifestyle.‘Sadhus – going beyond the dreadlocks’ is a novel written in the form of a road movie. It is a spiritual journey into the world of sadhus. About the AuthorPatrick Levy est un étrange phénomène dans le paysage des auteurs de spiritualité. Il se revendique farouchement athée mais s’intéresse beaucoup aux religions et aux spiritualités. « Tout ce qui appartient à l’humanité m’appartient », dit-il pour justifier sa curiosité. ‘Dieu croit-il en Dieu?’- Son premier livre, donnait l’orientation du parcours atypique de ce globe-trotter spirituel. Il y racontait dix ans de quête spirituelle dans l’étude et la pratique de cinq religions différentes. Il y approchait les religions et les pratiques spirituelles avec circonspection mais en profondeur, allant au-delà des dogmes et du prêt-à-croire avec humour, candeur et exigence. (English) Patrick Levy is a French writer who lives six months a year in Uttar Pradesh, India – his second mother – as he likes to say. He is a strange phenomenon amongst authors on the spirituality scene. He claims to be an atheist but is greatly interested in religions and spirituality. “Everything that belongs to humanity, belongs to me,” he says to justify his broad curiosity.He has travelled the world in search of spiritual masters and experiences; practiced Kabbalah, Sufism, Buddhism and Vedanta, and has published books about his explorations. ‘Does God believe in God?’– His first book, established the direction of this spiritual globetrotter’s atypical course. He recounted his ten year long spiritual quest in the study and practice of five different religions. His approach to religions and spiritual practices has been one of caution but also depth, going beyond dogmas and beliefs with humour and candour.His previous book, ‘The Kabbalist’, (also translated in Hebrew) is a bestseller in France and was awarded a Special distinction by the panel of judges of “Spirituality Today” prize in 2002. Praise for ‘The Kabbalist ‘– An exhilarating initiation! (Anne Durocq – Actualité des religions)