I always enjoy visiting Watkins Books in London. Whenever I happen to be in London, I like to go there and browse the many books on Esoterica, spirituality, meditation, and other topics.
I like this bookshop for its outstanding collection of books on many of my favorite topics, and I always buy more than a few books.
Watkins Books is situated near Leicester Square, at 19-21 Cecil Court. The bookstore specializes in books about esoteric topics, spirituality, meditation, Indian philosophies, and spiritual masters.
The bookstore also has an extensive collection of books on mysticism, astrology, various methods of divination, magic and the occult, and self-improvement.
It is the oldest bookstore on these topics, founded over 100 years ago.
A Unique Experience at Watkins Books
On one of my visits to Watkins Books years ago, I discovered a book I liked very much. The words in the book spoke directly to my inner consciousness and brought me a great sense of inner peace and happiness.
The book had a hardcover and contained many pages. I wanted to buy it, but it was a bit too expensive. I had already purchased several books and did some shopping, and I wanted to avoid having overweight luggage when flying back home.
However, since the book was very intriguing, I said to myself that I would come back to the bookshop at the end of my stay in London, and I may buy it then.
On the last day of my visit, I happened to be at Charing Cross Road, quite near Watkins Books, but as I was with friends, and the flight back was due just a few hours later, I decided not to go to the bookstore.
After flying and arriving home, I kept thinking about that book.
Writing a Letter to Watkins Books
Something in the book spoke right to the soul, so I decided to write a letter to Watkins Books.
I did not remember the book’s title or the author’s name. However, in my letter, I described exactly where I saw the book, on which shelf it was placed, what it looked like, and the color of its cover.
In my letter, I also mentioned that I remembered that its title included the word “I”.
This was in the days before we had the Internet and emails, and we used to send letters through the post, through the “snail mail”. Sometimes, it took weeks for the letters to arrive.
A few weeks later, I was surprised and thrilled to receive a letter informing me that they found the book I was looking for and its title was “I Am That”.
The book was about the teachings of the Indian sage Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, with whom I was unfamiliar until then, and contained transcribed conversations with him.
This was the exact book for which I was looking. Of course, I immediately sent money to Watkins Books to purchase it.
Reading the Book “I Am That”
A few weeks later, I was excited to receive the book in the mail. After reading it once, I read it over and again several times. The book was full of gems of wisdom and insight and was on a topic about which I read many books then.
The full title of the book is I Am That – Talks with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj. It was translated from a Marathi tape recording by Maurice Frydman. This book is still available in bookstores.
Reading just a few lines from the book gave me a great sense of inner peace and quieted my mind. It was just like entering a state of deep meditation.
For some time, I read a few lines from the book just before starting the day and going to work. This transported my mind to higher levels and set a peaceful and happy mood for the whole day.
Through this book, “I Am That”, I became acquainted with the teachings of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj. Later, I searched for other books about his teachings, most of them being transcriptions of his talks.
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj was born in 1897 in India. He was a non-dualistic spiritual teacher, his teachings being very similar to the teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi, having the same aim of inner awakening.
I warmly recommend Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj’s teachings to anyone seeking spiritual growth and enlightenment.
Two Quotes from the Book I Am That
“A quiet mind is all you need. All else will happen rightly once your mind is quiet. As the sun on rising makes the world active, so does self-awareness affect changes in the mind. In the light of calm and steady self-awareness, inner energies wake up and work miracles without effort on your part.”
“Put your awareness to work, not your mind. The mind is not the right instrument for this task. The timeless can be reached only by the timeless. Your body and your mind are born subject to time; only awareness is timeless, even in the now.”
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj Quotes
Information about Watkins Bookstore
If you happen to be in London and wish to visit Watkins Books, here is their address:
Watkins Books
19-21 Cecil Court, London
Watkins Books Website: Watkins Books
Here is a link to the book I Am That by Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj.
