YOU ARE, THEREFORE I AM
by Kumar, Satish

A Declaration of Dependence

?The life of this vigorous, wise, compassionate and humble man is an example to all of us about how to make the most of our gifts and create our own opportunities to serve humanity?s future.??Hazel Henderson, author of Creating Alternative Futures

?Satish Kumar is, for me, the sage of the deep ecology movement.?
?Fritjof Capra, author of The Tao of Physics and The Web of Life.

This book traces the spiritual journey of Satish Kumar?child monk, peace pilgrim, ecological activist and educator. In it he traces the sources of inspiration which formed his understanding of the world as a network of multiple and diverse relationships.
You Are, Therefore I Am is in four parts. The first describes his memories of conversations with his mother, his teacher and his Guru, all of whom were deeply religious. The second part recounts his discussions with the Indian sage Vinoba Bhave, J. Krishnamurti, Bertrand Russell, Martin Luther King, and E.F. Schumacher. These five great activists and thinkers inspired him to engage with social, ecological and political issues. In the third part Satish narrates his travels in India, which have continued to nourish his mind and reconnect him with his roots.
The fourth part brings together his world-view, which is based in relationships and the connections between all things, rather than the philosophy of dualism, division and separation which are found in Ren? Descartes? famous maxim ?I think, therefore, I am?. Satish Kumar holds an emergent world-view, encapsulated in a fundamental Sanskrit dictum So Hum, well known in India but not in the West, which can be translated as ?You are, therefore I am?. This mantra underpins all the experiences brought together in this book.