Exploring this "depth potential," Butterworth outlines ways in which we can release the power locked within us and let our "light shine.""There is only one way under the sun by which a man can achieve his 'Mt. Olympus' -- that is to say, achieve the realization and unfoldment of his own innate divinity -- and that is by bringing about a radical and permanent change for the better in his own consciousness," writes Butterworth.Butterworth demonstrates that the existence of this divine dimension in each individual is the greatest discovery of all time. He explains the universality of such vital subjects as: how to succeed; how to pray; how to find confidence; how to overcome personal problems; and how to find healing. With insight and sensitivity, Butterworth opens new doors of self-knowledge, and outlines ways in which we can release the power within.

    There may be a moment in life when our compensatory activities, the accumulation of money, learning and objects, leaves us feeling deeply apathetic. This can motivate us towards the search for our real nature beyond appearances. We may find ourselves asking, 'Why am I here? What is life? Who am I?' Sooner or later any intelligent person asks these questions.“What you are looking for is what you already are, not what you will become. What you already are is the answer and the source of the question. In this lies its power of transformation. It is a present actual fact. Looking to become something is completely conceptual, merely an idea. The seeker will discover that he is what he seeks and that what he seeks is the source of the inquiry.”

    Born in Muslim Spain, he has become famous in the West as the greatest mystical thinker of Islamic civilization. He was a great philosopher, theologian, and poet.William Chittick takes a major step toward exposing the breadth and depth of Ibn al-'Arabi's vision. The book offers his view of spiritual perfection and explains his theology, ontology, epistemology, hermeneutics, and soteriology. The clear language, unencumbered by methodological jargon, makes it accessible to those familiar with other spiritual traditions, while its scholarly precision will appeal to specialists.Beginning with a survey of Ibn al-'Arabi's major teachings, the book gradually introduces the most important facets of his thought, devoting attention to definitions of his basic terminology. His teachings are illustrated with many translated passages introducing readers to fascinating byways of spiritual life that would not ordinarily be encountered in an account of a thinker's ideas. Ibn al-'Arabi is allowed to describe in detail the visionary world from which his knowledge derives and to express his teachings in his own words.More than 600 passages from his major work, al-Futuhat al-Makkivva, are translated here, practically for the first time. These alone provide twice the text of the Fusus al-hikam. The exhaustive indexes make the work an invaluable reference tool for research in Sufism and Islamic thought in general.

    Even if the cage is removed, we keep pacing in the same timid limits. We are afraid to get out. And we think that the only way out is by endless striving and thinking. But this profound healer and spiritual master shows us another way. The Heart of the Enlightened, the sequel to the highly successful Taking Flight, contains more than two hundred of de Mello's favorite stories. Whether Buddhist tales, Hindu fables, Islamic sayings, or Christian parables, the stories de Mello has chosen are sure to seep through to the heart. They touch on relationships, human nature, service, spirituality, and enlightenment. These are stories to be read slowly and savored. They are the key to liberating us from all that would pen us in.

    This book deals with the inspired and relentless search for the True Religion, telling the story of Joseph-bar-Joseph, a Messiah, crucified in 57 B.C., and showing the methods and techniques of developing the inner initiate Godself.

    It is interesting to note that these lay disciples even after Swami Ramakrishna's death continued to live the same transformed lives. They accepted him as as a Divine Incarnation, as God manifest in human form. This Books presents a more complete picture of Ramakrishna himself, including many new stories about life which have never been recorded in English.

    This book shows us how, with a clear conception of the philosophy and meaning of life, we can truly enjoy our lives.

    Paul Foster Case. He explains that Rosicrucianism is based upon earthly organizations, but on personal unflodment, and clearly describes the distinctive marks of a Rosicrucian. The treatise is divided into two main parts by Dr. Case. The first is a careful examination and interpretation of the principle Rosicrucian maneifestos, the Fama Fraternitatis and the Confessio Fraternitatis. The second part is an explanation of the Rosicrucian Grade system, as applied to the diagram of the Tree of Life and Tarot attributions. By participating in the outlined procedures, aspirants are put on the right track of preparing themselves for union with the Higher Self, which may or may not include group work with an outer order or fraternity. The first editions of 1927, 1928 and 1933 were of limited publication. The fourth and most complete expansion of the text by Paul Case ws finished in 1937, revised by him in 1953 just before his death , and published in by Weiser in 1985. It represents the full maturity of his thought on this subject.

    288 pages.

    AD), in the Iraq cities of Basra and Baghdad and in Persia. In the framework of Islamic culture, the novel explores the relation between orthodox faith and mysticism, between the Arabic and Persian worlds, between male and female emotivity and experience of the world. The Arabic-Persian writer al-Muqaffa, the poet, mystic, and Sufi master al-Hallaj, and the philosopher and writer al-Tauhidi, all portrayed in confrontations with their persecutors – policemen and spies, profess esoteric teachings, and all esoteric religious and spiritual orientations are, as Dževad Karahasan says in his essay "Through Secret Gardens" from "Book of Gardens" (Knjiga vrtova, 2002), characterised by a belief that the world is divided into an outer and an inner sphere, of which the inner is the more valuable and the more real. This esoteric orientation leads the novel's protagonists into a conflict with the world: according to Dževad Karahasan, the rifts breeding hatred, excommunication, crime and war are engendered within the cultures and civilisations themselves rather than on their margins or borders. Each society has its 'different ones', the outcast, the persecuted, and the violence projected by us into the Other is actually present within the society itself. The other theme of Eastern Divan is the dialogue between male and female perceptions of the world, a dialogue established through the correspondence between al-Muqaffa, a Persian convert to Islam, and his wife. Their love letters crystallise two cultures, two views of the world, two ways of thinking and feeling.Uspješno transponujući borhesovske lavirinte i ogledala u duhovni ambijent Orijenta, Dževad Karahasan je uspio ostvariti "Istočni diwan" kao roman koji se 'čita u dahu', koji 'uvlači' u čitanje svojom uzbudljivošću, napetošću i mudrošću. I utoliko ovo djelo predstavlja jednu novu, svježu i vrijednu liniju savremenom romanu. "Istočni diwan" je djelo o sufijskom mučeniku i svecu Al-Halladžu, kompleksna studija u kojoj se preklapaju vjerno rekonstruirani ambijent Bagdada u 8. vijeku, refleksivni pasaži i egzistencijalno-spiritualna drama legendarnog martira, pjesnika i aforističkog mislioca. Za razliku od Selimovića u romanu "Derviš i smrt", Karahasan dobro poznaje problematiku sufijskog misticizma.

    It is a perfect companion to Osho's two-volume Zarathustra series.

    St Isaac's monastic anthropology had a major influence on all of Byzantine spiritual literature.

    It contains a distillation of both esoteric doctrine and scientific methodology. Additional essays by students and friends of Dr. Regardie make this an invaluable compilation of mind/body magical teachings. Dr. Regardie describes the need for this book, and the value of the techniques he offers here, in the following words:In the course of my professional life, what struck me vividly was that when people were enabled to shuffle off the unconscious armor of gross muscular tension, thus achieving a never-before-experienced delight and pleasure in the relaxation of psyche and soma, entirely new attitudes towards religion and prayer spontaneously developed. They needed no orientation, no preparation, no coaching. It was just there. And a whole new life of fervor, inspiration and prayer made its appearance. Not prayer in the conventional institutionalized form, but an intimacy with Life and Love that was intense, devout, springing from wells deep within the psyche.This is the voice of the mature Israel Regardie, distilling the knowledge of a lifetime devoted to the study and practice of Magic, Natural Healing, and Psychology. It has been enhanced with original essays on the Philosophy and Technique of Active Prayer by Christopher S. Hyatt, Ph.D.; The Middle Pillar as a Group Working by James Wasserman; a Qabalistic analysis of The Sacred Ritual of the Pentagram by AIMA, and A Pentagram Exercise by Lon Milo DuQuette.

    It is designed not only for students and scholars but also to help general readers find their way through the thicket of unfamiliar words and concepts that are often encountered today in various fields such as the health professions, psychotherapy, the sciences, and the media. Among the subjects covered are:    •  Important terms such as chakra, karma, koan, nirvana, tantra, Tao, and yin-yang    •  The lives and teachings of mystics, philosophers, and masters of meditation    •  Basic texts and scriptures    •  Sects and schools of thought    •  Mythological figures and events In addition, pronunciation tables, a comprehensive bibliography, and a Ch'an/Zen Lineage Chart are provided.

    This work is accompanied by Spinoza's later correspondence, much of which responds to criticism of the Theological-Political Treatise. The volume also includes his last work, the unfinished Political Treatise, which builds on the foundations of the Theological-Political Treatise to offer plans for the organization of nontyrannical monarchies and aristocracies.The elaborate editorial apparatus--including prefaces, notes, glossary, and indexes--assists the reader in understanding one of the world's most fascinating, but also most difficult, philosophers. Of particular interest is the glossary-index, which provides extensive commentary on Spinoza's technical vocabulary.A milestone of scholarship more than forty-five years in the making, The Collected Works of Spinoza is an essential edition for anyone with a serious interest in Spinoza or the history of philosophy.

      In a treatment that is both fresh and profound, Balthasar describes the central elements of all Christian meditation, provides a guide for making the meditation and then points the way to the union that prayer achieves in the footsteps of Mary, within the Church and in and for the world. "Consequently, Christian meditation is entirely trinitarian and at the same time entirely human. In order to find God, no one need reject being human personally or socially, but in order to find God all must see the world and themselves in the Holy Spirit as they are in God's sight." - Hans Urs von Balthasar

    A gorgeous introduction by co-translator W.S. Merwin sets the stage for 130 poems and six letters to the Emperor that combine delicacy and lightness with penetrating plainness. Essential for poets, gardeners, and students of Zen.Toki-no-Ge (Satori Poem)Year after yearI dug in the earthlooking for the blue of heavenonly to feelthe pile of dirtchoking meuntil once in the dead of nightI tripped on a broken brickand kicked it into the airand saw that without a thoughtI had smashed the bonesof the empty skyBorn ten years after Dante Alighieric, Muso Soseki was the most famous Zen monk of his time, and is considered the father of the rock garden. Muso spent much of his early life practicing Zen in remote temples and hermitages. In spite of this isolation, his reputation grew, and he served as an advisor and teacher to several emperors, as well as to more than thirteen thousand students.W.S. Merwin is one of the world's foremost translators of poetry.Co-translator Soiku Shigematsu is a Zen scholar, poet, and translator who serves as the abbot of Shogen-ji Temple in Shimizu, Japan.

    Spiritual warfare isn't just casting out demons; it's Spirit-controlled thinking and attitudes. Dean delivers a no-nonsense, both-feet-planted-on-the-ground approach to the unseen world.

    Yet love does not condemn it and can use it lovingly, respecting what the Son of God has made and using it to save him from illusions.' (Text, Chapter 18). 'By declaring the phenomenal universe to be the work of the illusory ego, though not inherently evil or sinful, the Course gently resolves the great Platonic paradox of living in an imperfect, visible, and material world, yet knowing of a spiritual world whose Source is perfect and good.' (From the Preface) This book is an in-depth exploration of the non-dualistic metaphysics of 'A Course in Miracles,' and its integration with living in this fundamentally illusory world. It discusses how the Course resolves the God-world paradox that has existed in the Western world since the time of Plato namely, how an imperfect material universe could result from a perfect immaterial Creator. Thus, the context of this exploration is the Platonic and Gnostic themes that have run through Western intellectual and religious history, and the similarities and contrasts between these and the Course. Love Does Not Condemn is in three parts: the first part introduces the Gnostics, Platonists, and the Church-Gnostic conflict of the first two centuries A.D.; the second discusses a seven-stage myth, as understood by Platonism, Christianity, Gnosticism, and A Course in Miracles; the third compares and contrasts the four approaches in light of the God-world paradox, and concludes with a discussion of the errors common to the Gnostics and many students of the Course. The appendix includes the complete text of the important Gnostic document "The Gospel of Truth," glossary of terms, table of dates, bibliography, subject and name index, and an index of Course references.

    

    If one thinks more deeply, it will be seen that time which appears to be measurable is beyond measurement and nothing is everlasting. Save the supreme principle that guides life, there is nothing which is immeasurable and external. Thus time and eternity, being associated with the supreme principle, attracted the attention of great religious thinkers. Here in this book, Ananda K. Coomaraswamy has dealt with these two concepts as discussed by Hindu, Buddhist, Greek, Christian and Islamic Philosophers.