The Armenian-Greek spiritual teacher, G I Gurdjieff's autobiographical account of his youth and travels has become something of a legend since it was published in 1963. This book is organized around the portraits of men and women who aided his search for knowledge or accompanied him on his journeys in remote parts of the East and Central Asia.
Surveys the religious and spiritual movements growing in popularity in Western Europe. This book provides analyses of how receptive Europeans are, and have been, to peripheral beliefs, including astrology and reincarnation. It includes chapters that discuss new religious movements in Greece, Italy, the Republic of Ireland, and other countries.
Mantra in the form of prayer, rituals and chants, permeates the practice of Indian religion in both temples and homes. This book expounds the power of mantra to transform consciousness. It aims at opening modern ears so one can hear something of what the traditional Indian hears, and gain the benefits in understanding their nature and function.
The Eightfold Path is the most widely known formulation of the Buddha's teaching. It is ancient, reaching back to the Buddha's very first discourse. The teaching of the "Eightfold Path" challenges us to grasp the implications of that vision, and asks us to transform ourselves in its light. This work covers every aspect of life.
Home to all the major religions, India is also, inevitably, host to virtually every type of religious fanatic. No other nation has witnessed as much proselytization or heard as many war cries in the name of God as India. This title paints a picture of a country divided by dogma.
Nothing in James Hall's life prepared him for what happened. When he was in Africa writing about the legendary singer Miriam Makeba, she perceived he had the rare gift to see both into the future and into people's souls. At her urging, Hall consulted a sangoma, a traditional healer, who told him he was possessed by ancestral spirits.
A set of classics that includes the Bhagavad Gita, the Dhammapada, and the Upanishads. It tells how these texts pose the fundamental questions of life, asked by thinkers throughout the ages: Who am I? What happens to me after death? What's the purpose of my life?
Provides an analysis from an orthodox Christian view of the black, dread-locked Jesus taken from Christianity by the teachings of Rastafari, and an assessment of its significance for global Christianity. Is Rastafari simply a bizarre Christian cult, designed to fade if the Emperor never reappears?
Conveying the thought of Krishnamurti this work is designed to give its readers an opportunity to become aware of the subtle and deceitful intricacies of their own mind. It constitutes an introduction and an incentive to the reading of Krishnamurti's works.
A thematically organized, annotated collection of translations from the Sanskrit, Tamil, and Maharastri Prakrit poetry of medieval South Indian Srivaisnava philosopher and saint-poet Venkatesa. Each translated poem forms a chapter in itself, along with an Afterword and detailed notes, with commentary.
Provides the reader with an insight into the connections between the sciences of physics and meditation based on the author's direct experiences. This work presents a scientific, rational approach to meditation and analyses this technique in terms of the modern scientific method.
Afro-Eccentricity explores three overlapping stories of Black Religion: the Soul, Black Church, and Ancestor Narratives. Hart contends that these narratives dominate most accounts of Black Religion that, collectively, he calls the "Standard Narrative of Black Religion."
This is a collection of interviews and stories about Westerners who have lived in India for 20 years or more and have become sadhus and sannyasins - holy men and women. They have renounced their native culture in favour of a life of austerity and spiritual practice.
Lama Anagarika Govinda was among the last to journey through Tibet before its invasion by the Chinese. This account is a story of exploration and discovery. It tells of terrible journeys, of men masked against the sun (riding through regions with their feet frozen), and of welcoming fog-girt monasteries lit by butter lamps at the journey's end.
This title discusses important religious and cultural issues and on-going debates about improved methods of research. It includes examples of indigenous ideological, legal and fiction writing, enhancing the engagement with indigenous and scholarly perspectives, experiences and interests.
Intended to introduce the reader to the best specimens of the Urdu Nazm as distinguished from the ghazal, this book contains English translation of 42 Nazms, chosen from the works of 19 famous poets. Each poem is given in Urdu calligraphics, followed by its translation in rhythmical language, and succeeded by the romanised version of Urdu text.
Her entire life, Dadi Janki has worked for spiritual clarity and her determination helped turn the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual Organization into the fast-growing community. This title outlines the ways in which we must rethink our lives to solve not only the problems of our own heart, soul and mind, but also those of the larger universe.
Chinese gods: Who are they? Where did they come from? And what do they do? Chinese folk religion is the underlying belief system of more than a billion Chinese people. This title helps us understand the building blocks of this religion for which even the Chinese have no name.
Provides an overview of the scholarly quality on Tantric mantras. This book presents a general summary on the nature of Tantric mantras, their phonetic aspect, structure and classifications. It explains the metaphysical-theological nature of Tantric mantras and gives an introduction to their beliefs and practices.