Tony Samara

Tony Samara is a British author and spiritual teacher who works mainly in Europe – Austria, Croatia, Germany, Portugal, Slovenia and the United Kingdom – hosting meditation events/retreats and satsangs (spiritual discourses). He founded Conscious Spirituality in 1992, a spiritual movement based on the knowledge of mysticism. He has published a number of books in up to nine different languages.

On 18 January 2012, Samara gave a radio interview to the BBC Asian Network with host Sonia Deol and on 24 January to Hay House Radio, a unit of Hay House.

The International Vegetarian Union has featured Tony Samara on their website for his continuous support and practice of vegetarianism. The Vegan Nutritionista publication has also added him to their list of Vegan Leaders.

Samara has been featured in several publications including online and in print, including the following: The Gibraltar Magazine, the online portal Vivid Life , Vision Magazine and the Elephant Journal.

Early life
He was born in England and grew up in Egypt, England and later Norway where he came into contact with the Zen Buddhist philosophy.

Career
This discovery eventually led Samara to the American Mount Baldy Zen Center, located in California, where he learned the spiritual teachings of Kyozan Joshu Sasaki. He had curiosity to explore further the essence of spirituality and thus went to live and learn with shamanic communities in the Amazon Basin region and the Andes mountains.

Samara's main countries of activity are in Europe yet with the assistance of the Internet is attracting a global audience through frequent online interviews and satsangs.

His function is as a spiritual teacher who encourages all to lead their lives actively in a noble way in order to realize the evolution of human consciousness. In Na ruby znanosti (At the Edge of Science), a Croatian television program on HRT 2 he said: I had some experiences at the age of 3, 4 where I was more aware of my ability to see things in a different way than normal children. I was more telepathic, more sensitive to my environment than what was normal and this was basically what made me change my life (…).

Samara is especially fond of the poetry of Hafez, Kabir and Rumi.

Teachings
In the German magazine Visionen, he explained his ten guidelines for spiritual practice:


 * To learn to live in harmony with nature, respecting our environment and caring for all life forms.
 * To be a beacon of light and an example to others in all situations.
 * To live a life of humility, simplicity and purity.
 * To promote peace and non-violence.
 * To remember that the physical body is our temple, which needs to be transformed, as well as the spirit; a vegetarian diet including products that are organic and full of life force is encouraged.
 * To be free of the consumption of drugs of any description, including tobacco. To work towards a goal of eliminating alcohol completely from our lives, thereby honouring our body as a temple of light.
 * To speak truthfully from the heart and have the courage to speak directly to people rather than behind their backs.
 * To treat others as you would like to be treated yourself.
 * To receive, we have to give. As we learn truly to give, we open ourselves to receive unlimited abundance. Following this philosophy, we are encouraged to contribute unconditionally 10% of our savings — if any — and 10% of our monthly earnings, to a humanitarian or spiritual cause of our choice.
 * To practice these teachings in our daily lives.

Work
Samara's work is focused on "helping us remember who we are". His teachings encompass the use of meditation techniques, juice fasting, herbalism, Karma yoga and selfless service as the main tools for the evolution of human consciousness. He also promotes sustainable living and vegetarianism as spiritual practices.

His influences are derived from Zen Buddhism, Shamanism, Sufism and certain aspects of Hindu spirituality as recounted in a biography Tony Samara – The Making of a Modern Shaman by Nomi Sharron. She adds:(Tony) explained that although his teachings were rooted in Shamanism, they were no longer classical Shamanism, and that he had now moved along a spiritual path beyond. This was his own work (...).

In The Gibraltar Magazine Samara explained: What I am doing is open to all and everyone, beyond religious, social and other affiliations.

Published works

 * Books
 * Guide to a Healthier Way of Eating. Amazon Kindle Edition. 6th revised edition. April 2012. ASIN: B007PV4FA8.
 * Shaman's Wisdom – Reclaim Your Lost Connection with the Universe. Balboa Press (USA). 2nd Edition. February 22, 2012. ISBN 978-1-4525-4698-8.
 * Theriaca Elixir – The Booklet. Amazon Kindle Edition. April 2012. ASIN: B007POC9NU.
 * Različito a ipak isto (Different Yet the Same). V.B.Z. d.o.o.. 2010. ISBN 978-953-304-246-6.
 * From the Heart – The Teachings of Tony Samara – Volume 1. Xlibris Corp UK Sr. January 2011. ISBN 1-4568-4692-2.
 * Deeper Than Words – The Teachings of Tony Samara – Volume 2. Xlibris Corp. UK Sr. April 2011. ISBN 1-4628-5428-1.