At a time when women are struggling to break free of the limitations of both their inner psychological conditioning and their socially mandated roles, Vimala Thakar is a living example of the potential for an extraordinary spiritual liberation for women. "Since childhood the Unknown has haunted me," she writes in On an Eternal Voyage, an account of her meeting with J. Krishnamurti—a meeting which unexpectedly resulted in the death of her career as a leading social activist in the Indian Land-gift Movement, and her rebirth, at Krishnamurti's passionate urging, as a teacher of the inner revolution of awakening.

In January 1996, Chris Parish and Shanti Adams, two students of Andrew Cohen, had the opportunity to speak with Vimala Thakar at her home in Mt. Abu, Rajasthan, India. Their conversations with her provide both an inspiring portrait of a woman whose awakening transcends all boundaries of gender, and a provocative exploration of the challenges women must face on the road to spiritual freedom.