Eastern Religion

When it first appeared in 1964, The Sufis was welcomed as the decisive work on the subject of Sufi thought. Rich in scope, author Idries Shah explained clearly the traditions and philosophy of the Sufis to a Western audience for the first time. In the five decades since its release, the book has been translated into more than two dozen languages, and has found a wide readership in both East and West. Containing detailed information on the major Sufi thinkers, and literary characters, such as Nasrudin, it is regarded as a key work on both Sufism and Eastern Philosophy.

Everything about the gospel message leads to the cross, and proceeds from the cross. In fact, within the narrative of Scripture, the crucifixion of Jesus is literally the crux of the story—the axis upon which the biblical story turns. But it would be a mistake to think we could sum up the significance of the crucifixion in a tidy sentence or two. That kind of thinking only insulates us from the magnificence of what God has done. In our ongoing quest to make meaning of the cross, we need to recognize that this conversation will never conclude-that there is always something more to be said.

The I Ching, or Book of Change, has been consulted through the ages, in both China and the West, for answers to fundamental questions about the world and our place in it. The oldest extant book of divination, it dates back 3,000 years to ancient shamanistic practices involving the ritual preparation of the shoulder bones of oxen. From this early form of communication with the other world, it has become the Chinese spiritual book par excellence.

The Second Book of the Tao is a gift to contemporary readers, granting us access to our own fundamental wisdom. Mitchell's meditations and risky reimagining of the original texts are brilliant and liberating, not least because they keep catching us off-guard, opening up the heavens where before we saw a roof. He makes the ancient teachings at once modern, relevant, and timeless.

“I thirst.” (John 19:28) Meditations on the Fifth Word from the Cross by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen For years, Archbishop Sheen gave a series of powerful presentations on Christ’s Passion and His seven last words from the Cross. As a Scripture scholar, Archbishop Sheen knew full well the power contained in preaching Christ crucified. With St. Paul, he could say, “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2). During his last recorded Good Friday address in 1979, Archbishop Sheen spoke of having given this type of reflection on the ...

Welcome to the Orthodox Church - its history, theology, worship, spirituality, and daily life. This friendly guide provides a comprehensive introduction to Orthodoxy, but with a twist: listeners learn by making a series of visits to a fictitious church, and get to know the faith as new Christians did for most of history, by immersion. Mathews-Green provides commentary and explanations on everything from how to "venerate" an icon, the Orthodox understanding of the atonement, to the Lenten significance of tofu.

Based on Mark Williams's research into the therapeutic powers of mindfulness, and an extension of Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Deeper Mindfulness continues the story told by Mark Williams and Danny Penman's runaway success, Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Finding Peace in a Frantic World. Where the author's previous book crafted the foundations necessary to live a happier and more fulfilling life, and has proven transformative for many people, many have asked whether there was anything more they could do to enhance their practice and resolve their remaining issues.

First published in 1957, The Secret Lore of Magic contains within it a series of major source books of magical arts. Many of them translated into English for the first time, these works are annotated. The book’s title in itself signaled the fact that the bulk of material in this bibliographical study had never been published openly before.

La libertad primera y última es considerado por muchos como el mejor libro de Krishnamurti. Aldous Huxley, en su esclarecedor prólogo, se pregunta: ¿qué es exactamente lo que nos propone el sabio hindú? Y la respuesta es que no se trata de un sistema de creencias, ni de un catálogo de dogmas, ni de un repertorio de ideas, ni de una clase de yoga; lo esencial es trascender los símbolos y alcanzar la libertad de cada instante. Esta libertad surge con la superación del ego, pero también de los "sistemas" de pensamiento organizado.

We need a sense of myth for our individual and collective equilibrium. Sanity itself may be tied to having some kind of lively imagination so that one can feel the strange fantasies that continue to insist themselves into consciousness in both waking and dreaming states.... – from the Foreword by Robert Sardello The essential paradox is this: Myth points to a baseline that can never be fully drawn; there exists no lowest layer for myth. – from the Introduction by Glen Slater and Dennis Patrick Slattery ... rituals in fact do not require complementary myths to ’explain’ them, nor is ...

Here is a guidebook to the facts and circumstances surrounding the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. The listener will examine the people, places, and timeline of that first Easter. But more than that, we delve into the prophecies of those events, given hundreds of years prior, as well what happened after Christ rose from the dead.

The Sufis, mystics of Islam, have been educators of the heart for some fourteen centuries. Their teachings and methods are designed to help us awaken and purify the heart, to learn to listen to our deepest knowing. In The Knowing Heart, Kabir Helminski presents the Sufi way as a practical spirituality suitable for all cultures and times—and offers insights that are especially valuable for our life in today's world. In cultivating a knowing heart, we learn to experience a new sense of self, transform our relationships, and enhance our creative capacities.

This volume continues to trace the development of Madhyamaka Buddhist philosophy in India after its initiator, Nagarjuna. It consists of translations of Sanskrit texts into easily readable English for the general educated public interested in Buddhism or philosophy. Notes and separate Essays dealing with the philosophical content are also included. Presented in this volume are the central philosophical writings of the last two prominent Indian Madhyamikas and two Madhyamaka critiques of the idea of a creator God. Parts of two texts by Chandrakirti are presented: Chapter 6 of Entering the ...

The Urban Monk, a New York Times best seller, reveals the secrets to finding an open heart, sharp mind, and grounded sense of well-being, even in the most demanding circumstances. Shojai's no-nonsense life mastery program brings together clear tools and exercises that can elevate your existence.

In ten concise chapters, you'll learn powerful ways to meet life's challenges with wisdom, resilience, and ease.

The lessons taught by ancient Chinese philosophers surprisingly still apply, and they challenge our fundamental assumptions about how to lead a fulfilled, happy, and successful life. Self-discovery, it turns out, comes through looking outward, not inward. Power comes from holding back. Good relationships come from small gestures. Spontaneity comes from practice. And excellence comes from what you choose to do, not your "natural" abilities.

Eve Tibbs offers a comprehensive, yet very accessible, introduction to the beliefs and practices of the Eastern Orthodox Church for Western listeners. Tibbs has devoted her career to translating the Orthodox faith to an evangelical audience, and she has over 20 years of experience teaching this material to students. Assuming no prior knowledge of Orthodox theology, this survey covers the basic ideas of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, from its origins at Pentecost to the present day.

At a time when a lasting peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis seems unattainable, understanding the roots of their conflict is an essential step in restoring hope to the region. In The Iron Cage, Rashid Khalidi provides a lucid context for the realities on the ground today, a context that has been, until now, notably lacking in our discourse.

This rich, timely, and highly original portrait of the Buddha explores both the archetypal religious icon and Buddha the man. In lucid and compelling prose, Armstrong brings to life the Buddha's quest, from his renunciation of his privileged life to the discovery of a truth that he believed would utterly transform human beings and enable them to live at peace in the midst of life's suffering.

In many ways, we seem to be living in wintry times at present in the Western world. In this new book, Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury and a noted scholar of Eastern Christianity, introduces us to some aspects and personalities of the Orthodox Christian world, from the desert contemplatives of the fourth century to philosophers, novelists and activists of the modern era, that suggest where we might look for fresh light and warmth.