Essential Spirituality: The 7 Central Practices to Awaken Heart and Mind - Softcover

Walsh, Roger

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0471392162 ISBN 13: 9780471392163

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, 2000

Synopsis

Title: Essential Spirituality( The 7 Central Practices to Awaken Heart and Mind) <>Binding: Paperback <>Author: RogerWalsh <>Publisher: Wiley(TP)

About this title

Review

Comparative religion and similar academic disciplines have for years put religions side by side to study the common factors in their beliefs and practices, their myths and rituals, as well as their differences. It is very rare to find a book which does the same for spirituality, the inner heart of religion which makes it personal, special, deep and warm, meaningful and fulfilling to individual believers.

In Essential Spirituality Roger Walsh draws on the major world religions to do exactly this. He finds that all religions have teachings on reducing craving, cultivating emotional wisdom, living ethically, calming the mind, awakening spiritual vision, developing spiritual intelligence and expressing spirit in action through the joy of service. He quotes throughout from the wisdom of the Buddha, Lao Tsu, Jesus and others to present-day teachers.

The heart of the book is the exercises, from dozens of straightforward meditations and simple visualisations to simply aiming to think kindly of people for a few hours at a time. This is a very practical book. The emphasis throughout is perhaps closer to Buddhism than to other religions, in the concentration on right thought and right action and on compassion; but as Walsh demonstrates, the ethical teachings of the world religions are very similar.

For anyone seeking to deepen their spirituality, this is one of the most useable, valuable and important books in the field, and is strongly recommended. --David V. Barrett

From the Back Cover

"Essential Spirituality beautifully articulates the benefits of spiritual living in the material world." Dan Millman, author, Everyday Enlightenment and The Way of the Peaceful Warrior"Deceptively simple. Its power is rooted not only in Dr. Walsh’s formidable intellectual capacity to deal effectively with a vast body of religious literature but in his own deep spiritual practices in a multitude of disciplines over many years. An important contribution." Ram Dass, author, Be Here Now "An absolute masterpiece . . . Essential Spirituality is helpful to both the unseasoned and seasoned seeker. The writing is deep, simple, and clear yet at the same time poetic and musical. A must read." GERALD G. JAMPOLSKY, M.D. author, Love Is Letting Go of Fear

"Energetic, engaged, and occasionally electrifying. . . . The field of spiritual books has been looking for its own Lewis Thomas or Carl Sagan, and I believe Roger Walsh may be that one." KEN WILBeR, author, One Taste and A Brief History of Everything

Based on over twenty years of research and spiritual practice, this is a groundbreaking and life–changing book. In his decades of study, Dr. Roger Walsh has discovered that each of the great spiritual traditions has both a common goal and seven common practices to reach that goal: recognizing the sacred and divine that exist both within and around us. Filled with stories, exercises, meditations, myths, prayers, and practical advice, Essential Spirituality shows how you can integrate these seven principles into one truly rewarding way of life in which kindness, love, joy, peace, vision, wisdom, and generosity become an ever–growing part of everything you do.

Edition details

• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0471392162
• ISBN 13: 9780471392163
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 320