About this ebook
Where other books reduce these traditions to superstition, Roots of Heaven restores them to their full dignity: a sophisticated theology, an encyclopedic body of sacred story, and the vast wisdom of Ifa—a civilization's accumulated knowledge, preserved by the Babalawos and honored by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
Inside you will discover:
The complete theology of the Orisa—Olodumare the Supreme Creator, Ashe the divine life force, Ori and personal destiny, and Iwa Pele, the pursuit of good character
All sixteen major Orisa—Elegua, Obatala, Yemoja, Oshun, Shango, Oya, Ogun, Oshosi, Babalu Aye, Orunmila, Olokun, Osanyin, Aganju, Ibeji, Oba, and Oduduwa—their personalities, domains, and sacred meanings
Orunmila and the Ifa oracle—the Orisa of wisdom who witnessed creation, and the divination system through which the destiny of every human being is read
The 256 Odu of Ifa—the sacred signs, their mathematical structure, and the ese (verses) that form a living encyclopedia of philosophy, medicine, and ethics
The Babalawo tradition—the "Father of Secrets," the years of study the priesthood demands, and Ifa's unbroken transmission from Ile-Ife to the diaspora
The patakís—the sacred stories of the gods, from Ogun's clearing of the forest to Oya's secrets of the dead
The mechanics of syncretism—how the enslaved masked the Orisa behind the Catholic saints to keep Ifa and the tradition alive
The full diaspora story—Lucumí and Santería in Cuba, Candomblé in Brazil, Orisha worship in Trinidad, and the tradition's growth in the United States
Comparative wisdom—the Orisa and the Ifa worldview reflected in Greek myth, Norse legend, and the archetypes of the modern imagination
Grounded in the scholarship of William Bascom, E. Bolaji Idowu, Robert Farris Thompson, and the teachings of Dr. Yosef Ben-Jochannan, Professor James Small, and Baba Jabade Powell, Roots of Heaven is both a rigorous reference and a devotional act of cultural reclamation.
Whether you are an initiate seeking deeper theological grounding, a student of Ifa and the Orisa, a scholar of African diaspora religion, or a seeker who has felt the presence of the divine without yet knowing its names, this is where the journey begins.
OrishaUniversity.com and these books represent the restoration of what was taken from our people. The 256 Odu of Ifa are the original operating system of human consciousness. Oluwo Jolaoso Osainbola has done what many generations prayed would one day be done. My full endorsement and blessing from Ile-Ife, the source of all.
— Araba Agbaye, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Àṣẹ.
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About the author
Ajarn Shaman Shu Osain Bola, Ph.D. — also known as Surya Narayana and honored in the Yoruba-Ifa tradition as Oluwo Osainbola — is a spiritual master, healer, author, and lineage-holder of singular distinction. His life stands at the living convergence of three of the world’s most ancient and demanding wisdom traditions: Theravada Buddhism, Yoruba-Ifa spirituality, and the Bon-Jakri shamanic lineage of the ancient Himalayas.
Ajarn is a title of the Theravada Buddhist tradition — derived from the Sanskrit Acharya, meaning one who teaches by example. It is not a title one claims. It is conferred by a recognized lineage upon those who have demonstrated mastery of monastic discipline, deep attainment in meditation practice, and the capacity to guide others on the path of awakening. To be called Ajarn is to be acknowledged as a Buddhist master monk and teacher within an unbroken chain of transmission stretching back to the Buddha himself — making it one of the most respected titles in Buddhist spiritual leadership worldwide.
Oluwo is the highest priestly title within the Yoruba-Ifa tradition — meaning, literally, the one who knows the secrets. The Oluwo of Osain holds the deepest mysteries of the world’s oldest plant shaman lineage: the sacred knowledge of every herb, every root, every leaf that heals, protects, and transforms. No ceremony in the Ifa tradition is complete without Osain, for without the plants there is no medicine, no altar, no sacred ground. The Oluwo is the keeper of that ancestral knowledge — authorized to initiate, to transmit, and to carry the African spiritual lineage forward across generations.
Bon-Jakri shamanism is the healing tradition of the Himalayan peoples — older than Buddhism, older than recorded history, and recognized today as one of the foundational roots of the global shamanic healing movement. The Jakri is the healer-priest who crosses the boundary between the visible and invisible worlds directly, on behalf of those who cannot make that crossing themselves. This path is not chosen. It chooses the practitioner — through calling, through initiation, through direct encounter with the forces that govern life and death.
To hold all three of these titles at the same time — as Buddhist Ajarn, Yoruba Oluwo, and Bon-Jakri shaman; as priest, monk, teacher, and student — is without known precedent. Each tradition demands a complete life. Each lineage asks for everything. That one human being has walked all three paths, received authentic transmission in each, and been recognized by each tradition as a holder of its deepest authority is among the rarest spiritual facts of this or any generation.
He is the founder of the Buddha Digital Temple and the Osain Vajra Temple — two living spiritual institutions dedicated to the preservation and transmission of indigenous wisdom traditions, African spirituality, Buddhist dharma, and plant medicine healing in the modern world.
As a spiritual author and holistic healing educator, Ajarn Shaman Shu has published more than 50 works spanning Buddhist philosophy, plant medicine, African cosmology, Vedic healing, shamanic practice, consciousness science, and spiritual transformation. His writing is not academic commentary on spiritual traditions — it is transmission from within them. He writes from the authority of a man who has lived what he describes, and his books carry the rare quality of texts that do not merely inform the reader but change them.
He is a leading voice in the emerging field of psychedelic advocacy, plant medicine healing, and sacred plant ceremony — a natural extension of his role as Oluwo Osain, keeper of the world’s oldest plant healing lineage. Long before psilocybin therapy, ayahuasca retreats, ibogaine treatment, and psychedelic-assisted therapy entered mainstream conversation, the Osain tradition had been working with sacred plant medicines for thousands of years under the guidance of initiated priests who understood their power, their protocol, and their purpose. Ajarn Shaman Shu brings that ancient framework to the modern psychedelic renaissance — advocating not for recreational use but for the restoration of sacred context: proper initiation, ceremonial container, lineage guidance, and the understanding that these plants are not substances but teachers.
He is equally committed to the cause of criminal justice reform and prison reform — recognizing that the mass incarceration crisis in America is not only a legal and political failure but a spiritual one. Drawing on the healing technologies of Buddhism, Ifa, and shamanic practice, he advocates for the integration of meditation in prisons, plant medicine therapy for incarcerated individuals, restorative justice, and spiritual rehabilitation as essential tools for genuine transformation. His work in this area is grounded in the conviction that no human being is beyond healing, and that a society which warehouses its wounded rather than heals them has lost its way.
His advocacy bridges the indigenous wisdom traditions that have always known the healing power of plant consciousness and the contemporary scientific, policy, and justice movements now beginning to catch up. He writes, speaks, and teaches on the responsible integration of plant medicine into healing practice, mental health treatment, spiritual development, and criminal justice reform — always grounded in the living traditions that have held this knowledge safely for millennia.
The holder of an honorary doctorate, his work as an author, spiritual teacher, psychedelic advocate, and justice reformer represents one of the most complete and credible voices at the intersection of ancient wisdom and the urgent questions of the modern world.
