Product Description
George Mateljan's new book takes healthy eating to a whole new level. It presents a unique nutrient-rich approach to the "Healthiest Way of Eating" with 500 Mediterranean-style recipes, most of which take 7 minutes or less to prepare. This book answers the question about what to eat to keep healthy. It focuses on the World's Healthiest Foods, 100 delicious foods that are nutrient-rich, providing the maximum number of nutrients for the least amount of calories. The book is an inspiration not only for those who want to achieve vibrant health and energy but for those who also want a healthier way to lose weight by making the World's Healthiest Foods the foundation of their "Healthiest Way of Eating." The World's Healthiest Foods are among the most flavorful foods in the world - so you can now eat healthier without sacrificing taste! George also explains why it is not any more expensive to eat healthy. The book complements the material on the whfoods.org website with innovative new ways to maximize the nutritional value of the World's Healthiest Foods and minimize preparation time using quick and easy recipes that anyone can make.
Customer Reviews:
Love this book.......2007-10-03
This is an excellent health and cook book. The recipes are easy and well written. I love being able to look up ingredients and see recipes and healthful tips.
Outstanding Resouce!.......2007-10-03
This book can change how you look at food. Full of great advice on how to choose the freshest items, how to store them, and healthy recipes.
FABULOUS.......2007-09-30
omg, this book is GREAT, like the Bible for Food!
Highly recommend, definitely a book to own and enjoy!
You won't be disappointed!
food bible.......2007-09-30
This is the best book ever!The nutrional info is great,with recipes and tips on how to cook it to keep it highly nutritious.This book is an excellent source of good nutrional basics for all and it is without a doubt worth every penny!
Good Idea.......2007-09-18
Have looked thru the book. Fo anyone who cares about what they eat regardless of any special needs this book is a big help.
It can stand on its own or is a great companion for their web site.
The only problem in that they do not give the nutritional values of the recipies as they do in the web site's recipies. Other then that this is an exceptional book. It is a must for either singles or families.
Book Description
The Buddhist saint Nagarjuna, who lived in South India in approximately the second century CE, is undoubtedly the most important, influential, and widely studied Mahayana Buddhist philosopher. His many works include texts addressed to lay audiences, letters of advice to kings, and a set of penetrating metaphysical and epistemological treatises. His greatest philosophical work, the Mulamadhyamikakarika--read and studied by philosophers in all major Buddhist schools of Tibet, China, Japan, and Korea--is one of the most influential works in the history of Indian philosophy. Now, in The Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way, Jay L. Garfield provides a clear and eminently readable translation of Nagarjuna's seminal work, offering those with little or no prior knowledge of Buddhist philosophy a view into the profound logic of the Mulamadhyamikakarika. Garfield presents a superb translation of the Tibetan text of Mulamadhyamikakarika in its entirety, and a commentary reflecting the Tibetan tradition through which Nagarjuna's philosophical influence has largely been transmitted. Illuminating the systematic character of Nagarjuna's reasoning, Garfield shows how Nagarjuna develops his doctrine that all phenomena are empty of inherent existence, that is, than nothing exists substantially or independently. Despite lacking any essence, he argues, phenomena nonetheless exist conventionally, and that indeed conventional existence and ultimate emptiness are in fact the same thing. This represents the radical understanding of the Buddhist doctrine of the two truths, or two levels of reality. He offers a verse-by-verse commentary that explains Nagarjuna's positions and arguments in the language of Western metaphysics and epistemology, and connects Nagarjuna's concerns to those of Western philosophers such as Sextus, Hume, and Wittgenstein. An accessible translation of the foundational text for all Mahayana Buddhism, The Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way offers insight to all those interested in the nature of reality.
Customer Reviews:
attachment to emptiness.......2007-01-22
i have not studied all of nagarjunas logic carefully in this book, it seems that he is arguing for the underlying emptiness of all things on the basis of his assumption of dependent or mutual arising. perhaps its a bit more complicated than this though. a cup of tea is not a cup of tea in itself. nor does the teabag have any individual or inherent identity, rather the teabag is a collection of collections without any individuality. just as my finger is a collection of cells, so a teabag is a combination of dependent things. infact he believes that everything depends on the presence or absence of something else. tea leaves depend on the presence of tanins, flavins, cells, maturation, drying, there is nothing inherently existent that could be called the individuality of the teabag. this of course defies common sense, but is reasonable. why cannot a collection be at one and the same time an individuality. ie one in many, or many as one. such an argument though would be contrary to nagarjunas thrust, which is to emphasise the existence of emptiness through dependence. ie everything that is dependent has no individual uniqueness (or soul) since all individuals are merely collections.
i am still studying nagarjuna, it seems that a statement such as "walker is not the same as walking, nor is it different from walking" can be argued any way which can. "walker is not the same as walking, if it were how could the two be told apart, nor is walker different from walking, or otherwise there would be walking without walker." it could be argued on the grounds of oneness that walker and walking are one and the same, that structure and function are inseperable. you could just as easily say that walker is the same as walking and that is why there isnt walking without walker. if nagarjuna says that legs are not the same as arms because they can be told apart he is right, because they can be told apart, but wrong because arms and legs are all part of one body and cannot be separated. so paradoxically one can say that walker and walking are not the same, but one can also say that they are the same (the same body/oneness).
it can be argued that walker is walking, walker is not walking, and as nagarjuna says walker is not the same as, nor different from walking. infact whatever you seek to prove, if you are clever enough, you can prove it. this is the nature of reason and logic. a donkey that is lead by the carrot of the person who possesses it.
i find his logic is clear (it is)infact, it is pure genius, but as with all logic one has to realise that at this moment logic is thoroughly illogical. though perhaps when he wrote it was thoroughly logical. logic being logical? logic being illogical? two sides of the same coin. if logical can be illogical why discuss something as important as emptiness using logic? this defies a common understanding of nagarjuna, unless of course he wished to impress buddhist emptiness upon the minds of the common people. or, perhaps he really did believe in the immutable logos (reason) of plato. that insoluble all pervasive notion of truth. personally i see that reason has its uses (many of them groundbreaking and earth shattering), but can often be used to say what you want, especially when it comes to philosophy.
i find the argument for emptiness grounded in dependent arising 'can' be compelling, or not compelling. its just how you approach it. in that a collection does not necessarily indicate an individuality, it could be seen as a collective, for example a sea sponge colony 'may' have no singular conscious individuality as the colony as a whole, but then a human being is a collection with a consciousness . but as i see it, dependent arising could be used as a proof against emptiness just as much as a proof for it. i believe that the buddha would have days where he took time out from such an approach, that is he would respect the agile logical display of nagarjuna, but have said "not on mondays nagarjuna".
i dont think that the buddha was about dogmatising certain concepts and words such as emptiness, as useful as they may be. even freedom can become an obstacle to relationship and his word "liberation" can be in buddhism taken to mean many different things. it may just be that mental freedom and freedom from suffering are synonymous. emptiness is representative of water and air, but one should not forget the presence of fire, or gold (earth)(male elements)that are representative of fullness/form. to argue away form for emptiness seems unbalanced. just as to argue away emptiness for form would be unbalanced, though it may be an interesting excercise (and not too difficult). infact rising to the challenge if one looks in minute detail/huge magnification at an area of space one will find it a quantum soup, and not nearly as empty as one expected. infact buddha is implacable when he says emptiness is form for this could imply that there is no emptiness, only form. or visa-versa one could argue that all is empty.
i have also read nagarjunas, i think its called the flower garland, which was less a discussion of emptiness and logical proof for such, though his approach in the middle way comes across in this book too. no, i remember now its called the discourse of the precious flower garland.
i realise that my comments on nagarguna's mulamadhyamakakarika may seem disrespectful regarding the buddhist saint, and have no desire to show disrespect, but i do feel that all in all, though brilliant his arguments are not compelling ground for emptiness. this is because i am aware of the bias behind reason. there are other ways to illustrate emptiness. the buddhas "emptiness is form" for example is a much clearer statement of anti-logic, that i find very elegant. also the prescence of the zero in any effective numerical system requires a hypothetical emptiness.
i have no doubt that in the original tongue nagarjuna was a marvellous poet, sadly this does not come across in this translation or in "verses from the centre" a different translation of the same work. perhaps, in his poetic form his genius would have shone out as much as it does from his rational genius.
this is an interesting book to read, a fascinating insight into the mind of an early buddhist saint and an example of how one can use logic to prove anything, even that which intuitively seems almost impossible. but personally i dont feel it tells me anything, other than showing patterns of logic, which are a useful thing to aquire. i must say though that i am 'astonished' by the mans logical dexterity.
i would have found nagarjuna more interesting if he had tried to prove the existence of form and balanced this with a proof for the existence of emptiness. for in truth it is not balanced to prove the existence of emptiness without proving the existence of form. and you cannot prove the existence of emptiness without proving the existence of form, for emptiness is form. it can be argued that all is emptiness, but it can also be argued that all is form. whatever you look for is whatever you find. such is the nature of reality. seek and you will find.
infact... making things fun, and killing the buddhas word, i would say that "form is not emptiness, form is form" is just as true as "emptiness is form". this is the buddas freedom. playing with logic, one does not take reason too seriously on mondays, but... aah, on tuesdays it is profoundly important.
thank you nagarjuna for the encouragement you have given many.
love, flakey xxx.
Excellent resource book!.......2007-01-09
For those desiring a 'meat & potatoes' study of the Middle Way, this is an excellent book.
Tough but Worthwhile Reading.......2006-03-19
I spent the better part of year getting into this book. Having begun to understand Nagarjuna's project, however, I have fond that this book has completely changed the way I think.
Basically, Nagarjuna works against two types of philosophical view: the view of the naive realist, which assumes, for example, that motion, perception, and causal force are inherently existing things, and the view of the nihilist, who would say that all these things are nonexistent or illusory.
Take causality. It seems that one event must surely cause another because of some sort of inherently existing causal force, right? The problem is that this causal power, if it exists, must either (1) appear as an essential property of certain events under certain conditions, or (2) it must appear as a property of those events mysteriously, for no particular reason. In the first case, causality itself requires a causal explanation--an infinite regress. In the second case, the explanation of causality, which is supposed to explain all regularities which we perceive in the universe, rests upon an ineffable mystery. So events do occur in a particular order with a certain degree of regularity. However, there is no need to posit some additional, basic force in order to explain this causal regularity.
A good way to appreciate Nagarjuna's perspective is to look at certain recent ideas from science and the humanities according to its light. For example, the theory of evolution tells us that the idea of "species" does not refer to some inherently existing type of essence, but rather that "species" is a handy designation for organisms which are of a certain degree of similarity to one another at this particular point in time. As organisms of a given "species" give birth to offspring, the very definition of this "species" changes, since it was never a monolithic, stable, inherently existing thing to start with.
I strongly recommend this book, difficult though it is. I would also suggest the Dalai Lama's commentary on the Heart Sutra (Essence of the Heart Sutra) and Chogyam Trungpa's book Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism as partners to this text.
great translation but mediocre interpretation/exposition.......2005-05-10
i've read multiple english translations of the mulamaadhyamika kaarikaa and strongly feel that jay garfield's is easily the most lucid one available on the ancient text. but from the start i felt garfield's interpretation lacking in hard logic and so concentrated only on the translation. for an intellectual understanding on the subject i used trv murti's "central philosophy of buddhism" which imo is probably the best exposition on the subject in english (garfield himself cites murti's work as one of his references). garfield's translation and murti's exposition complement each other rather nicely. after a few years of study i feel amply rewarded and am thankful to garfield (as well as murti) for it. a piece of friendly advice for madhyamika students : don't be seduced by the subtle dialectic. most often it is the ordinary sounding verses (often sounding out of place in the chapters) which represent the true light in the text. you need to reconcile the dialectic with these verses for true understanding to dawn. to be carried away by the dialectic is like catching a snake by the tail - as the classic commentator chandrakirti warns. the day the "cries of the intellect" have subsided in you and your mind neither accepts nor rejects anything, you can set this book aside!
A precious resource, but I suspect it tames Nagarjuna.......2002-07-14
This book has been a treasure to those of us who had stared in consternation at K. Inada's translation or wrestled with the misprints in D. Kalupahana's edition. Here lucidity reigns. But there is something excessively dry and scholastic about Garfield's Nagarjuna. I think this is partly due to the fact that Garfield translates from the Tibetan, not the original Sanskrit. Compare his translation of Ch. 19, verse 1: "If the present and the future/Depend on the past,/Then the present and the future/Would have existed in the past", with Sprung's: "If what is arising here and now and what is not yet realized are dependent on what is past, what is arising here and now and what is not yet realized will be in past time" (which could be further improved by translating "atita" as "what has been"). So dry is Garfield's diction that his retention of a verse format seems pointless. The Gelug-pa Tibetan interpretation of Nagarjuna is a scholasticizing one, and loses some of the savor of emptiness and liberation which gives meditative point to Nagarjuna's laconic logic. Also, Garfield keeps referring to Hume and Wittgenstein in a way that further domesticates and scholasticizes Nagarjuna, making him a linguistic therapist who frees us from substantializations and reifications, but who also allows us to install ourselves comfortably in the conventional dependently co-arising world. It seems to me that in Buddhism this samsaric world is always painful, radically unsatisfactory, and that Nagarjuna is not just curing us of false theories about it, but is revealing it as radically self-contradictory even in its everyday pragmatic or conventional texture. To say that emptiness "is not a self-existent void standing behind a veil of illusion comprising conventional reality, but merely a characteristic of conventional reality" (p. 91) sounds very bland. Emptiness is not just any characteristic, but a radically subversive quality of our world, which it is by no means easy to realize. "The actuality of the entire phenomenal world, persons and all, is recovered within that emptiness" (p. 95) is again too bland. Only a Buddha can grasp the world in its ultimate emptiness and its conventional texture at once. The recovery of the conventional from the point of view of ultimate emptiness is not a comfortable restoration or even a disillusioned Humean resignation to conventions. It means realizing that the apparently solid world of experience is only a flimsy, provisional raft or skillful means, surpassed by the empty ultimacy which it can serve to indicate. "The eventual equation of the phenomenal world with emptiness, of samsara with nirvana, and of the conventional and the ultimate" (p. 101) is very, very eventual, so that only a Buddha can perceive it correctly. Asserted too early, too sweepingly, it can short-circuit the path to liberation.
Book Description
This timely compilation features 365 simple actions people can take to change the world, one day - or even five minutes - at a time. Each suggested action, in 16 "helping" categories, can be started and finished in a day or less, and none requires a cash donation. Readers may choose to accomplish a different altruistic step each day of the year, activate the same tool every day, or take actions that address a personally favored issue, such as animal welfare, or the pursuit of peace. Possibilities for compassionate service include acting as driver for a battered women's shelter, planting trees or a garden at a schoolyard, recycling running shoes into a playground surface, taking a day off from consumerism, aiding low-income students in finding grants and scholarships, helping unemployed workers put together resumes, and much more.
Customer Reviews:
This Book Helped Me Help Others.......2006-05-02
"The Difference a Day Makes" is a terrific book. Karen has done a great job in communicating the importance of giving back every day. There were several new ways to give that I learned through reading this book. It is easy to read, understand and implement in your daily life. I would recommend it to anyone that wants to make a difference (and that should be everyone).
Idealism In Action.......2005-12-15
This is a nice book. It shows how simple everyday deeds can have a positive impact upon the world. Too often people who genuinely want to do something good for society honestly don't know how to go about achieving anything. This book gives great suggestions and points would-be philanthropists in the right direction.
The Difference... Helps You Make A Big Difference!.......2005-04-01
What a refreshing read - both thought provoking and resourceful, In today's "information overload" society, it's nice to have a handy resource to help me accomplish many of my personal volunteer goals without it being so much work. In fact, I'm going to buy copies for all my nieces and nephews as they are all charged with doing community service projects and, in my opinion, need to experience that "giving back," among other things, makes you feel good about yourself!
A kind of recipe collection for doing good.......2005-03-11
For some, compassionate feelings can overwhelm spare time and energy: readers with such a problem should consider The Difference a Day Makes : 365 Ways to Change Your World in Just 24 Hours a kind of recipe collection for doing good. Turn good intentions into powerful action with a guide which provides vast lists of good things which can be done in a few simple minutes or hours; from providing a resource list for a neighborhood to encouraging workplace and home use of the arts, and assisting an elder who has a pet.
Being the Difference..........2005-02-04
If, like me, you've been feeling that sending a check somehow isn't `enough', this is The resource that makes doing `more' easy.
If you're involved with inventing or organizing `service projects', it's a MUST. Definitely the handiest resource for getting your/ their imagination going anyone could possibly wish for.
And if you want to start making a difference before you even get the book, add copies for your local library and scout troops to your order. It's that great.
Book Description
You want to make a difference in the world, but don't know where to begin. Now you can. Here is just the guide to lots of exciting ways that are more personal and fun than merely writing a check. For every day of the year, 365 Ways to Change the World is packed with information and ideas that don't take a lot of special skills to put into action, but will achieve something positive:
- Observe a "Buy Nothing Day"
- Plant a "peace pole"
- Sew a panel for an AIDS memorial quilt
- Collect rainwater to water your plants
The suggestions cover twelve important areas in which you can influence change, including in your local community, as a consumer, making a cultural contribution, and addressing problems such as the environment, health, and human rights. You can go through the book day by day or use the index to flip to the issues that concern you most; to help you take action, a complementary website links straight to many of the sources listed in the book. Great to give as well as to keep, this is an inspiring, practical resource for making the world a better place -- one day at a time.
Customer Reviews:
Great way to get inspired to action!.......2007-07-09
As I read through this book, I highlighted the pages that were of most interest to me. Now, I have ~50 ways that I personally will try to change the world. I was so impressed with this book, I ordered 12 copies to give to friends! Hopefully, they will highlight the pages that are most pressing for them and begin to take action. My only stipulation when giving the books away was that if they didn't plan to read the book and get active, they must pass the book on to someone else.
Simple and effective ways to make a difference........2007-03-28
This is a lovely book - a great book to keep on your coffee table or bedside, open it up and read a few pages. It offers insightful information and effective strategies for making a positive impact in/on the world. It's perfect for those who are overwhelmed and feel paralyzed to make any type of dent ..........
BUY THIS BOOK!!!.......2007-03-18
This book changed my life. Such simple suggestions that are easy to achieve, but add them up and suddenly you are living a different kind of life and thinking in a different way. If everyone on planet earth read this book and followed just one suggestion what a wonderful world it would be.
everyone should read this book !.......2007-03-12
This is a book that is useful in the best way. You help the world a little and you become more aware of what you can do to help. It's a great book.
Average customer rating:
- A Brain Full of Buddhism in a Small Package...
- Good info but poorly presented
- on the path
- must-read for understanding why we exist and the way to get beyond this mere existence
- A practical guide to change for the better
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How to Practice : The Way to a Meaningful Life
The Dalai Lama
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ASIN: 0743427084
Release Date: 2001-05-01 |
Amazon.com
As a primer on living the good life, few books compete with How to Practice, another profound offering from the exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Westerners may be confused by the book's title, assuming that it focuses solely on Buddhist meditation and prayer techniques. Though it does address meditation and prayer, at its core this is a book that demonstrates how day-to-day living can be a spiritual practice. There are two ways to create happiness:
The first is external. By obtaining better clothes, better shelter, and better friends we can find a certain measure of happiness and satisfaction. The second is through mental development, which yields inner happiness. However, these two approaches are not equally viable. External happiness cannot last long without its counterpart.... However, if you have peace of mind you can find happiness even under the most difficult circumstances.
As he has in previous books (An Open Heart, The Art of Happiness), the Dalai Lama reminds us that developing peace of mind means paying attention to our daily attitudes and choices as well as taking the time to meditate and be prayerful. The six-part book covers Buddhist meditation techniques and visualization exercises as well as daily thoughts and actions that foster morality and wisdom. --Gail Hudson
Book Description
As human beings, we possess one common desire: the need for happiness and a meaningful life. According to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the ability to find true fulfillment lies within each of us. Now, the spiritual and temporal leader of Tibet, Nobel Prize winner, and bestselling author helps readers begin the path to enlightenment in a very special book -- an easy-access reference for daily practice as well as stunning illumination of the timeless wisdom of His Holiness.
How to Practice will guide you toward opening your heart, refraining from doing harm, maintaining mental tranquility, and more. Divided into a series of distinct steps that will lead spiritual seekers of all faiths toward enlightenment, this accessible book is a constant and daily companion in the quest to practice morality, meditation, and wisdom. The Dalai Lama shows us how to overcome our everyday obstacles, from feelings of anger and mistrust to jealousy, insecurity, and counterproductive thinking. Imbued with His Holiness' vivacious spirit and sense of playfulness, How to Practice offers the Dalai Lama's own sage and very practical insight into the human psyche and what binds us all together.
Download Description
As human beings, we possess one common desire: the need for happiness and a meaningful life. According to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the ability to find true fulfillment lies within each of us. Now, the spiritual and temporal leader of Tibet, Nobel Prize winner, and bestselling author helps readers begin the path to enlightenment in a very special book -- an easy-access reference for daily practice as well as stunning illumination of the timeless wisdom of His Holiness. How to Practice will guide you toward opening your heart, refraining from doing harm, maintaining mental tranquility, and more. Divided into a series of distinct steps that will lead spiritual seekers of all faiths toward enlightenment, this accessible book is a constant and daily companion in the quest to practice morality, meditation, and wisdom. The Dalai Lama shows us how to overcome our everyday obstacles, from feelings of anger and mistrust to jealousy, insecurity, and counterproductive thinking. Imbued with His Holiness' vivacious spirit and sense of playfulness, How to Practice offers the Dalai Lama's own sage and very practical insight into the human psyche and what binds us all together.
Customer Reviews:
A Brain Full of Buddhism in a Small Package..........2007-06-30
This book's unimposing lightweight appearance belies its thick conceptual content. A little over 200 pages, it delivers a brain full of Buddhism. Those unfamiliar with the Tibetan flavor of the life philosophy initiated by Siddhartha Gautama, or Shakyamuni, or Buddha, will close the back cover with a clear high-level understanding of this ancient practice. Though it contains some difficult sections, particularly the later chapters, nothing remains insurmountable for the average reader. But there's more. "How To Practice," as the title suggests, contains more than mere theory. Throughout, the fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet, in translation from Tibetan, delineates physical and mental exercises that anyone can apply to their own lives. "It does not matter whether you are Buddhist or Christian, Moslem or Hindu, or whether you practice religion at all," he writes in the introduction. "What matters is your feeling of oneness with humankind." The book attempts just that, to train people towards nurturing this feeling of oneness and compassion with existence, regardless of disposition or background. Avoidance of suffering and increasing of happiness is the intended outcome.
The book's three main sections follow the major steps of practice: Morality, Concentrated Meditation, and Wisdom. Morality involves putting the suffering of others above one's own desires. Also called "Selfish Wisdom," this perspective helps alleviate one's own suffering while alleviating the pains of others. But the focus remains on others. However, what goes around comes around, because if everyone perceives the world this way, then everyone's suffering, including one's own, receives proper attention. Selfish and wise. Adjusting one's life to a moral framework also prepares the practicer for concentrated meditation. This helps focus and sharpen the mind to achieve "calm abiding." In this section, the Dalai Lama discusses his own meditation practices and gives instruction in technique. Lastly, Wisdom comes from comprehending the "emptiness" of all phenomenon. Through this wisdom we come to realize that things do not have inherent existence, thus everything arises out of dependencies. Phenomenon become known as "dependent-arisings." Dependency and "emptiness" go hand in hand. Of all the book's sections, "Practicing Wisdom" remains the most difficult to grasp. It may require multiple readings or brain yoga. The book concludes with a short section on Tantra, including a discussion of its sensual dimension, and an "Overview to the Path of Enlightenment," which summarizes the book's major points. Along the way, The Dalai Lama relates the story of the Buddha, the four noble truths, the ten nonvirtues, karma, rebirth, stories from his own life, and much that defies summary.
Overall, "How to Practice" attempts to rise above theory and demonstrate how people can apply the teachings of The Buddha to their lives. You can live this stuff. Not only that, the Dalai Lama emphasizes that one does not need to take on the full ascetic life of a Buddhist monk to benefit from these ideas. He writes, "Please implement whatever in these pages appears to be helpful. If you follow another religion, please adopt whatever might assist you. If you do not think it would be helpful, just leave it alone." How much suffering could be alleviated in the world if we followed this simple advice: "just leave it alone." Loads, perhaps. Regardless, many readers will doubtless find something useful in the Dalai Lama's crystalline text. Some degree of enlightenment awaits anyone who explores this deceptively small book.
Good info but poorly presented.......2007-04-10
I think the Dalai Lama is a great teacher. However, with this AUDIO BOOK, I think he has made a mistake (or his people have made one) in not hiring a professional reader to read the book. He uses his translator to read it, and this guy could put a room full of speed freaks to sleep! He has no expression, it sounds like he's TRYING to bore us to death!
Other than that, the info is very good for the most part. The first half or so is a kind of introduction to Buddhism, but the last 2 discs or so get very technical, about the meaning of "emptiness" which is a very hard concept to understand, at least to understand its deeper meanings. The Dalai Lama does a pretty good job of presenting this info, but I think any non-Bhuddist will find it too deep and hard to understand. Even I, as an intermediate student, felt it could have been presented better.
That said, you cannot go wrong in listening to this audio book, for it does have a lot of good information.
However there are lots of better things to listen to if you want to learn about Buddhism. I would suggest Thich Nhat Hanh's "Creating True Peace" for example.
This audio book could have been much better had they spent some money and hired a professional reader to read it, someone with some concept of how a book should be read aloud.
on the path.......2007-01-12
i think this is a great book for beginers or people who already have a grasp on boddhism, it is writen by the dalai lama. it is writen so that it is easy to understand but also gives great insight to some deaper concepts. i got this to try and learn some better meditations and mantras, but instead i found myself reviewing things, but in a great way, for the first time i truely got some concepts that have been eluding me. and in the end it helped my meditation too. this is a great book, and whatever type you study this is still a great book
must-read for understanding why we exist and the way to get beyond this mere existence.......2007-01-11
excellent book on giving insights into why we exist and the way to get beyond our existence. You'll see the true experience, if you keep practising what Dalai Lama has suggested in the book. It is the essence of Buddhism, a deep and rich methodology beyond worldly matters.
A practical guide to change for the better.......2006-09-28
Just like the title, "How to Practice" is a gift to humankind to illuminate the right way to act. The goal of being human is to realize the potential within, which is a permanent state of happiness and peace. To achieve this, the beginner cultivates kindness and harmony for all beings.
The Dalai Lama also describes the methods for training and controlling the mind. There is also a brief description of "The Middle Way", which is the way of renunciation, the real way to escape the Wheel of Samsara or suffering. It is the way to liberation. The Middle Way is not possible without practicing "Deity Yoga", which is mentioned towards the end of the book. "Diety Yoga" or the highest form of tantra, is not for everyone, as the practice is exceeding difficult and demanding on the practitioner.
For those who are interested, the Middle Way, including the highest form of tantra is described in detail in Samael Aun Weor's books.... (see www.gnosticteachings.org)
Customer Reviews:
A message to each of us from Jesus Himself. No better book........1999-09-30
We often wonder what this life is all about and what's important and what not. This book allows us to hear it straight from Jesus and understand His love and mercy and re-focus ourselves on what's truly important for us in His eyes. If you get this book, read the "Message" chapter first. You will be captivated.
Simply awesome - The Way of Divine Love.......1998-11-15
In my 40+ years, I have not read a better book and I read constantly. If you want to know what is pleasing to God, read and imitate Sr. Josefa Menendez. You will be amazed at the graces you'll receive!
Book Description
Rebecca Manley Pippert's evangelism classic, thoroughly revised and expanded, contains new chapters on the stages of evangelism, new stories of God's work in people's lives and added material on meeting the challenges of new competitors to the Christian f
Customer Reviews:
New and Improved........2007-07-09
Those with the earlier version of this book only have the first half of the new edition. The new material is more useful than the older.
This book is about preparing your mind for evangelism rather than following a "cookie-cutter" approach to evangelism. This is mostly the focus of the new material.
Out of the Saltshaker and into the World.......2006-08-02
This is a good book. The information is helpful and the encouragements are inspiring. I do beleive that I can be more bold about sharing my faith with unbelievers. (Maybe a better term for them are "those who haven't heard the truth".) The only trouble with a book like this is now we don't have and excuse for not spreading the good news of Jesus Christ.
Out of the Saltshaker & into the World.......2005-09-04
Well written, interesting and educational book. She certainly
holds your interest while making it a learning experience. How
not to be shy about being a Christian and sharing the Word.
Great read on evangelism.......2005-07-28
I'm working on an evangelism project at work, so I've started making a dent in the stack of books I have on my desk. Out of the Salt Shaker was a refreshing read - well written and engaging. The stories are, by far, the most influential part of the book. I agree with another review that said Pippert makes it sound so easy, with people just pouring out their hearts to her. However, it is encouraging that there are situations when that happens. I'm sure she has a multitude of stories about her attempts at evangelism not working. She does include a few of these throughout the book, which gives a more complete perspective.
My only complaint about the book was that sometimes it was a bit redundant. I might have only noticed that because I'm outlining it for my project, and would find myself typing some of the same things over and over again. For those just reading the book as a tool to help them with evangelism, it is probably good to have that repetitive nature to burn the ideas into your brain.
I think Pippert's ideas for evangelism are easy to understand and encouraging. The book made me want to seek answers to questions I have with my own faith, in order to better equip myself to spread the gospel. Best evangelism book I've read as of yet.
You'll be motivated to share the gospel..........2005-04-11
The information in this book is priceless to someone who is seeking an extra boost in their hunger to seek and save the lost. You will find how-to information mixed in with inspirational stories. This is a great book for groups to study, disscuss and apply together. It's been around for awhile, but most GOOD books have.
Amazon.com
The future can exist only if humans understand how to commune with the natural world rather than exploit it, explains author and renowned ecologist Thomas Berry (The Dream of the Earth, The Universe Story). "Already the planet is so damaged and the future is so challenged by its rising human population that the terms of survival will be severe beyond anything we have known in the past."
This may make him sound like a scolding, doomsday prophet, but Berry is an optimistic soul, hopeful that humans will rise to the challenge of cherishing the natural world in the third millennium. "Our future destiny rests even more decisively on our capacity for intimacy in our human-Earth relations." Berry predicts. From this premise, Berry reveals why we need to adore our blessed planet, while also examining why we are culturally driven toward exploiting nature. Because Berry has a science background as well as a spiritual orientation (he is the founder of the History of Religions Program at Fordham University), he brings a balanced and fresh voice to social ecology. Even though he writes for the masses, Berry is by no means a lightweight--chapters include "Ecological Geography," "The Extractive Economy," "The Corporation Story," and "Reinventing the Human." --Gail Hudson
Book Description
Thomas Berry is one of the most eminent cultural historians of our time. Here he presents the culmination of his ideas and urges us to move from being a disrupting force on the Earth to a benign presence. This transition is the Great Work -- the most necessary and most ennobling work we will ever undertake. Berry's message is not one of doom but of hope. He reminds society of its function, particularly the universities and other educational institutions whose role is to guide students into an appreciation rather than an exploitation of the world around them. Berry is the leading spokesperson for the Earth, and his profound ecological insight illuminates the path we need to take in the realms of ethics, politics, economics, and education if both we and the planet are to survive.
Customer Reviews:
Pompous and grandious.......2007-02-21
I am a strong supporter of environmentalism which is why I strongly object to this book. This book only reinforces the impression that environmentalists are self-righteous and out of touch with other humans as well as reality. Instead of referencing current events, or any statistics to support his sermonizing,Berry spends his space name dropping. It is painfully apparant that he is more interested in sounding erudite than remaining coherent. His attempts to sound erudite are undermined by his tendency to reuse words with inappropriate frequency. The book would have been far more effective as a one or two page pamphlet but unfortuantely it was drawn out to be 102 pages of repetition. It is not even on recycled paper.
Spelling Out A Dire Need For Change.......2005-04-22
This review is long, and my apologies, but this book is potent and spells-out what is one of the most important subjects of the 21st century- our drifting from physical reality and responsibilities and the need to wake-up and realize this dilemma and how we can accomplish that possible , but daunting task. Thomas Berry does this with eloquence and wisdom here and this is truly, a "Great Work"! Thank you, Mr. Berry!
In his earlier book, "The Dream of the Earth", Thomas Berry so eloquently stated the need for humanity to realize what a beautiful foundational life-support gift we have in planet Earth and the need to treat it with the profound sense of respect and good stewardship it deserves and needs in to order to provide a healthy life-sustaining platform.
An understanding of the dynamics of Earth's resource cycles and regulatory systems can teach us how to live sustainably and regeneratively- most importantly, carrying that understanding into the formation and dissemination of religion, politics and economy.
We see God's handy-work, i.e., the blue prints and operating system for Earth through the dynamics of Nature's regenerative, life providing bounty and we then see what is required to maintain this perfect system. Indeed, we are entering the "Eco-zoic" faze of our existence- the realization and implementation of an ecologically sustainable reality.
So how could Berry top that beautiful piece of work? Almost ten years after "The Dream", he comes out with "The Great Work", a powerful and compelling continuation of the earlier theme of a beautiful Earth with attentive humans at the helm and with proper stewardship, only now with an exacting historical dialogue of how the Earth formed, settled and eventually became a biological life-support system and where we, as humans have lost our original awe and respect of God's creation through the many distractions of living in a human only, "civilized" and complex material world, forgetting our interconnectedness to all life.
This separation has culminated in an insane, parasitic and cancerous existence not only for us humans, but for all life on this planet. Isn't it curious that cancer of our bodies is one of our biggest worries and nemesis? Mass over-population, pollution, unsustainable resource use and habitat destruction have left us in a burn-out, dire mess. Our sense of economy is no "economy" at all, rather a predatory take all shark frenzy fully supported by governments through corporate purchase and manipulation and misguided `human only' pseudo-religious zealotry.
An un-Godly, reckless "Manifest Destiny" attitude of anthropocentric endeavors has been prevailing since the industrialization of our societies exploded on the human scene, blinding us with delusions of superiority, yet to the detriment of our shared and threatened environment.
Exactly in the middle of this fine book, is a chapter called
"Ethics and Ecology". Here, Berry relates our combined human sense of making like nothing is wrong on spaceship Earth (a closed-loop eco-system) with a parallel to the tragedy of the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. A course was set and could not be deviated from, regardless of the warnings of known dangerous icebergs ahead. An attitude that the Titanic was a perfect, fool-proof and unsinkable human manifestation prevailed.
The Titanic parallel underscores our misguided human notions that we can control Nature and that we are on a safe course in our activities on Earth. We see our creation of the Titanic (the micro), but not the big picture (the macro), i.e., Nature along with it's icebergs, etc., but especially, the need for our attention to it's requirements for a safe, healthy existence.
As Berry states, our "extractive" (exploitive, parasitic) economies have become "terminal" economies (dead-end) and need to be reformulated to sustainable/regenerative economies for the continuation and enjoyment of life- only in a more sane and quality existence.
For those that don't think it can be done, it would be educational to look at the turn-around of attitudes and subsequent successes of corporations that have been able to wake-up to what sustainable/regenerative/eco-friendly formats offer in terms of long lasting, profitable returns, let alone peace of mind. A good outline of that can be seen in the book, "Natural Capitalism" by Hawken and Lovins.
Further, religions need to continue with their return to the inclusion of all Creation and away from the current deviation of anthropomorphism. Understanding the dynamics and importance of interconnectedness with all of God's Creation is a matter of survival now and should not be interpreted as "Nature Love" vs. "Biblical Dogma". It's all one reality. Berry gently opens our eyes to this!
The consideration of an all-inclusive creation- man and nature in harmony instead of man vs. nature- both created by God to coexist, is also touched upon in the 'great work' of Chet Raymo's books "Skeptics and True Believers", sequealed by his "Climbing Brandon"- in a sermon by Saint Columbanus, there is in part: [Those who wish to know God, he says, "must first review the natural world."]. Indeed, a good place to start!
There is a good bibliography in "The Great Work" that provides a multitude of resources for further research and education on sustainable awareness and consciousness.
Entering the Ecozoic Era.......2004-10-12
With the wealth of works statistically portraying the growing threats of climate change, it's almost refreshing to encounter someone seeking a "soft" approach. Berry recognises the obstructions in transforming a polluting and morally corrupting economy to a less harmful path. He points to a change in attitude we must all make to prevent catastrophe. Yet, it's not difficult, he argues, to reassert a more direct tie with Nature such as we enjoyed in our ancient past. What was once there, but lost, can be recovered. It merely takes some will.
In Berry's view, the Cenozoic Era, used by geologists to encompass modern times, is coming to a close. Technology and the spread of humanity into nearly every environmental niche have changed conditions too drastically for the older appellation to continue. The burning of fossil fuels, deforestation over vast areas, huge fishing nets scooping up masses of sea life, and blindly occupying or modifying habitats has led to the extinction of countless species. What aspects of life characterised the Cenozoic are no longer there to give it definition. And there's worse to follow if we fail to heed his advice. Learn to do better, he cautions.
Berry restrains his religious background and spiritual leanings to address the larger crisis of the Earth's survival. There are no lofty appeals to a "spiritual" aspect of the planet, but he's sharply critical of the materialist outlook that's destroying it. He insists we consider the Earth as an integrated system, which is a realistic view, given our current piecemeal exploitation practices. He urges a broader outlook from his readers. This requires entertaining some novel ideas and encounters with unexpected people. Indigenous peoples are a good source of wisdom in Berry's view. However, it's their knowledge he seeks, not the return to an aboriginal lifestyle.
The application of knowledge to solve problems in our society is generally conceded to the universities. From this, Berry concludes that appeals to government or business are essentially wasted effort, unless they understand the impact of their policies. He suggests that instead of radical environmental protest to save species and habitat, it is the universities who must be enlisted in the cause. For one thing, the academic arena provides the means of acting as a feedback loop with each cycle increasing the information dividend. The new findings make their way to the public to support changes in policies. Although this is obviously not a rapid means of change, Berry finds it the most self-sustaining one. Once the process begins to unfold, we will be entering the Ecozoic Era with a firmer grasp of our impact on the planet. "The Great Work" is thus learning how to move from a human-centred to an Earth-centred set of values. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]
One of the Great Prophetic Minds of our age!.......2003-06-16
Tom Berry has been called the "Bard of the New Cosmology" and so he is! His thoughts challenge those rooted in authoritarian structures and flatland awareness. His views challenge those who find extreme security in their myths and dogmatic positions. These people have made a career of striking back with an authoritarian thunder when challenged with a more comprehensive unfolding of the Cosmos. Berry's explication brings science and religion together without authoritative fiat rooted in dogma--what Ken Wilbur calls "Deep Religion." Deep religion honors the developmental spirial of conciousness and the EXPERIENTIAL awareness that mystics are privy to and speak of so eloquently and forcefully. Berry's book brings the enviornmental crisis in focus and calls for human transformation of every aspect of human unfolding: political, educational, corporate, sociological, and religious. It is no wonder those who remain rooted in the systems of the Earth's demise so forcefully attack this Great and surely Prophetic Man.
One of the two or three most important works I've read.......2003-01-08
Most people who love the Earth and fear its demise will relate to and devour this book. You may labor at times, but the fruit is abundant. You'll understand more clearly the deep causes in our cultural evolution that have put the Earth at risk. The solution is an immense undertaking, but Berry reminds us there's hope, and that we aren't alone. The human community, and more importantly, the larger life/Earth/Universe community, is available and at work, in us. How can it not be, when it was those communities from which we came? The developing universe, as Berry writes. When you adequately understand the causes of the problems, when you can identify them both outside and within, you move in a better direction. Berry provides an un-numbered, un-listed direction, one that is heard with more than the rational mind. Yet, he articulates better than I could have imagined. He gives an immense hope and guides toward that most important of all energies at this time, the psychic energy necessary for confronting and walking forward, for preparing oneself for real action, real work. That is a big thing. If you have wrung your hands at the seeming impossibility of correcting the wrongs done to the Earth, read this book. Berry doesn't give you concrete things to do, his words work into your creative area, your reflective mind, your spirit.
The folks who reacted negatively in review of this book missed the point or had other expectations. They almost kept me from purchasing The Great Work. I'm glad I bought it. It's one of the two or three most important works I've read.
Book Description
The Simplest Path, Step One: Free Your Mind delineates, in one slim volume, a complete system for achieving personal spiritual awakening, along with a straightforward, no-nonsense plan individuals and groups so enlightened can follow to awaken Humanity en masse and positively transform the world. This book contains keys to awakening. Awakening from our personal dream shatters the solid "box" of limitation memes have built around our lives, and frees us to fluidly craft our personalities, environments, relationships, careers, etc. as an artist paints a landscape or a sculptor teases form from formless clay. All of us awakening together from the shared dream of the planet will mark the birth of our species out of our current global nightmare of decline into a limitless future literally beyond our present ability to imagine, even in our "wildest dreams," indeed.
Customer Reviews:
Way Beyond "Socrates Revisited".......2007-08-22
After reading the commentary attached to the one star rating given by the young man from Texas, I feel compelled to step forward in defense of this very fine book. With only one exception, every point made in that negative review is simply wrong. Just not factually correct. The reviewer identifies himself as a young man (... "to my young mind"), and since all of his other Amazon reviews are of TV episodes on DVD, video games and rock music CDs I take him at his word. Well, I am an "old man," closing in on my sixty-third birthday, and I came to Mr. Casspriano's book after six decades of life experience, the last three of those decades a zealous practitioner of Zen Buddhism. I say this not to "brag," but simply to qualify myself as a reviewer before beginning.
I'll start where the one star reviewer closed his argument, with his statement that the simplest path reduces to two Socratic concepts: "Admit that you don't know anything" and "know yourself."
The first part is nominally true (the exception). Like Zen Buddhism, a central tenet of the simplest path is working to release the false notion we all hold that we know ourselves, other people, the world around us. But identifying and releasing our attachments to our illusions is a life's work, not some brash "I don't know nothin'!" as the young Texan seems to imply. Under normal circumstances, we go about our daily lives with no idea we are deluded about anything, as Maya (the illusion of the phenomenal world around and even inside us) is so convincing that most of us never even think to question its validity. Casspriano did not invent the notion of human beings being trapped in illusion, as this truth was known to the timeless authors of the Hindu Vedas and is central to all schools of Buddhism (not just Zen). But his scientific/spiritual exploration of the mechanism by which Maya ensnares our minds and can, with effort, be overcome is among the best "plain English" explanations of this process I have read. There is no "inscrutable mystery" in the simplest path (a criticism that has been accurately leveled toward Zen Buddhism, as a lot of Eastern thought truly does come off as "inscrutable" when translated into English and/or the metaphors of Western culture). Casspriano lays out in no-nonsense American English exactly what our brains are doing when they create the illusion we mistake for reality, then shows the reader in the same clear terms how to train his or her brain to break free of illusion and taste reality as-it-is. In just 216 pages, that is no mean feat. After thirty years of Zen practice and numerous kensho experiences (of varying depths and intensities), I can say from personal experience that Casspriano is correct. Enlightenment comes as the fruit of a long, incremental process of retraining the mind to touch reality in a new way, and the process described in the simplest path is the same as that followed in Zen practice, especially Rienzi Zen koan study (I'll have more to say about this in a later paragraph). Casspriano's approach and language is very different from traditional Zen (more "scientific," and no sitting meditation is required), which I think would appeal to Americans and other Westerners seeking to experience "awakening" without necessarily committing themselves to a religion like Buddhism, but the internal mental/spiritual process and final destination are the same.
"Know yourself," on the other hand, is not in this book at all, at least not in the way the young reviewer, or Socrates for that matter, uses the phrase. As in Buddhism, Casspriano takes pains to demonstrate that "self" is as much of an illusion as our misapprehension of the phenomenal world, and is a byproduct of exactly the same mind process that creates outer Maya. A core teaching of Buddhism is that our "self," our personality/ego, is nothing more than an aggregation of outside influences that cluster together in our minds like shiny stones gathered into a pile, and which we mistake not only for something "real," but tragically, for our essential selves. Yet this "pile" has nothing really to do with who we are at all. Buddhism teaches "no-self." Belief in the illusion of a unique and independent "self" is our greatest obstacle to enlightenment. Wasting time and energy getting to "know yourself" in the Western sense is foreign to Eastern thought. Casspriano again does a great job of translating the Buddhist concept of "no-self" into Western scientific/spiritual terminology. He shows the process by which our ego/personality aggregate "piles up," as well as how to take the pile down, stone by stone. Enlightenment is what the pile was covering up, and so it naturally appears as soon as the pile is removed - but oh how we cling to our personal pile of stones! "Self" is what we must trade for enlightenment, what must be surrendered, and Casspriano returns to this truth many times in the simplest path. My point is that the one star reviewer's reduction of the simplest path to "know yourself" has no basis at all in the actual book.
As to the book being "gimmicky": Yes, the words "The Simplest Path" recur frequently throughout the book, but not in reference to the book itself (at least that's not how I took it), but rather to the system of understanding the mind and working toward "awakening" Casspriano is describing - and it is a complete system that deserves to be considered as a whole, on its own. At times the repetition does have a feel of "branding" in the commercial sense, so I understand where the reviewer may have taken his impression. But the simplest path, while resonant with Zen Buddhism (and apparently, according to Casspriano, with the Toltec philosophy espoused by Carlos Castaneda, of which I have no personal knowledge, so I'll have to take the author's word for that) is far enough different that it needs its own "name" to set it apart from other schools of similar but not identical thought. The reviewer's criticism is like saying that every use of the term "Zen" in a book called "Zen Buddhism" should be taken as a reference to the book, and not to the larger practice of Zen Buddhism as a spiritual discipline that the book is describing. Casspriano's point in repeatedly linking The Simplest Path, Zen Buddhism and Toltec Shamanism throughout the book, at least as I understood it, is to highlight these three spiritual practices as related reliable paths through a dark forest of illusion, a forest in which many apparent (and more popular) paths, including most (all?) religious beliefs, actively vie to mislead travelers toward deeper ensnarement in the dream, rather than leading them toward "awakening."
I want to say a word about koan study in Rienzi Zen and how it relates to the simplest path. Koans are those quirky Zen sayings and stories like "what is the sound of one hand clapping?" or "what was your original face before you (or your parents) were born?" that have no rational answer, and which Zen students turn and turn in their minds like the tumblers of a combination lock until their imprisoned psyches "explode" in a "super-rational" experience of reality beyond the illusion ("irrational" would be the wrong term, as that implies "nonsense"). That "super-rational" vision of reality is called "kensho." I have experienced it myself, more than once in my lifetime. I have come to think of Casspriano's "Key Questions" in the second half of the simplest path, especially the later seven of the ten, as "cultural koans" designed to trigger "collective kensho" for the whole human race at once. Like "what is the sound of one hand clapping?", unflinching consideration of the value of human life, of how our beliefs about the future shape the present, of the true origin and destiny of life on Earth, etc., especially as seen through the lens of Casspriano's "Key Question Technique," reveals that none of these questions have rational answers, yet all require our active and immediate response. Successful resolution of these larger riddles that impact everyone will require us all to eventually "explode" into reality, together, in a "super-rational" way. We'll have to break through the illusion and wake up together, as one (which has been the goal of Mahayana Buddhism, of which Zen is a sect, since around 200 BCE). That is the "Planetary Awakening" addressed in this book, and I believe Casspriano's "Key Questions" are a concrete step in that direction. I'm glad I spent my fifteen dollars.
This is my "old man" take on the simplest path, having encountered it after 30 years of Zen Buddhist practice (I'm not veering off my chosen path here, just bowing respectfully in passing toward Casspriano's). From a Buddhist perspective, the simplest path is true Dharma, though I do not get the impression from reading his book that Vincent Casspriano is himself a Buddhist or a follower of any religion. That to my mind makes his book all the more interesting.
True, but gimmicky.......2007-08-09
Casspriano's book is scientifically and philosophically sound as best as my young mind can tell, but I don't recommend this book. Its scattered with numerous pages of advertising about how his "program" works and how it compares to other religions and spiritual movements. Why must this author physically write out "The Simplest Path" in reference to his book every other page, and talk about his second volume? Perhaps because he's not out for pure truth, but for our money.
All this book comes down to after you strip away the nonsense is two things. First, admit that you don't truly know anything. Second, know yourself. Do those two things (they essentially both mean to question EVERYTHING), and you'll have Casspriano's "Planetary Awakening," with 15 bucks still in your pocket. And you'll be following the fundamental truths already said by Socrates.. so do yourself a favor and pick up Plato's "Apology" and read up on the Socratic dialogue on how to live a good life. And don't stop there, because you can't be sure he's right.
And I have 10 bucks that says these other couple of reviews were written by the book publisher. In any case, ignore the hype.
A Unique and Inspiring Wake-up Call.......2007-05-15
This is one of the most clear-headed books I've read in years on the subject of real, nitty gritty, get your hands dirty spiritual development (as opposed to the fru fru New Age variety). So much of what passes for "spirituality" in our time amounts to some author, celebrity, priest, philosopher or self-appointed guru telling us what to "believe," sight unseen, if we want to reach heaven, attain enlightenment, achieve "ascension," etc. Casspriano takes an at times startling opposite approach. For Casspriano, such unquestioned/unquestionable beliefs are not only NOT the path to spiritual awakening, they represent the chief obstacle blocking our realization of higher consciousness. And it's not just religious beliefs ("faith") he's talking about, but all our beliefs about reality, especially those that enclose our thinking in "boxes" that limit our freedom to find solutions to real-world threats like Peak Oil, overpopulation, Global Warming, etc. Though much of the book focuses on individual enlightenment, for Casspriano, these larger planetary issues are "spiritual," as well. Whether the issue is our personal inability to find happiness or Humanity's collective rush toward physical extinction, the cause is the same - our wrong-headed beliefs about what's real. The solution is the same, as well - continuous, deep questioning. Using Richard Dawkins' concept of "memes" as a central metaphor, Casspriano first breaks down the basic process of belief, showing the mechanism in our brains by which beliefs misdirect and control our psyches, then he walks the reader through an exploration of a series of ten "anti-meme questions" aimed at breaking down the walls of our mental "boxes" and setting our minds free. With each question, he supplies an exercise designed to allow the reader to attain a personal taste of reality "beyond the box," especially as flavored by that chapter's "Key Question." For the most part, this formula works very well (with a few rare moments of over-exuberance on the author's part, as already described in other reviews, though as a card carrying vegan environmentalist, I can't say I particularly minded), delivering a cumulative series of death-blows to some of the most basic "pillars" of our present human consensus reality. Beyond the walls those pillars supported lies real reality, where we are all interconnected and interdependent, and, in Casspriano's view, mutually destined for greatness, if we can just wake up and grab the reins of our runaway culture in time. This is not a book for spiritual "feel gooders" seeking soft assurances that they're perfect just they way they are and everything's going to be all right, no matter what. This is a wake up call, a tool kit and a concrete action plan for becoming individually enlightened and collectively saving the world, all rolled up into one. That, I think, is a cause well-worthy of exuberance.
Challenge Consensus Reality!.......2007-05-10
This is a thoughtful book that addresses how we may go about developing a process to question our everyday consensus reality. I suppose if I have learned anything in 49 years of life, it is that all personal and social problems stem from our fundamental views on the nature of reality itself. Vincent Casspriano uses the concept of a "meme" as a fundamental unit of ideas, assumptions, etc. that often block our understanding of reality itself. One such meme, for example, may be that we have to "fight for our freedom" or the world's a "fearful" place and hence, we have to be ready to kill to protect ourselves. I suppose you could also use the word "paradigm" here as well, but the essential point of this book is that we "unconsciously" function in our life with many limited points of view that block our ability to solve problems on both a personal and a social basis.
While Vince Casspriano is to be congradulated for producing a book that presents both a methodology and a motivation for personal transformation, there are a few pitfalls here that the potential reader should be aware of before tackling this material. The author has some rather strong views on fossil fuel consumption, meet consumption, and the role of humans in the cycle of procreation. While I generally agree with his analysis on fossil fuel consumtion and meat consumption (as I have viewed large tracks of deforrested grazing land in developing countries), these viewpoints can distract the reader from the essential point here which is to rigourously question consensus reality. Since I am single, and have no motivation to have children, I definitely disagree with his views on the necessity of human procreation on this planet, but here again, it is important to extract the essential meaning rather than get caught in the specific political/social debates that these issues may spawn.
If you are serious about personal transformation with the potential for changing our global consciousness, than this book can be an invaluable tool. I do agree with the Author that a world population of "high functioning" people can resolve every planetary problem we face today. As we systematically question our consensus reality, we will see our problems in new ways, and with this new perspective, problems can often be quickly resolved or transcended.
A Simple Cure For What's "Eating Us".......2006-11-13
I considered titling this review, "Stop Whining, Wake Up and Get Busy Saving the World," but decided "Eating Us" would be more attention-grabbing - which matters because I believe Vincent Casspriano, Jr.'s "The Simplest Path, Step One: FREE YOUR MIND" is an important book, and I want to do whatever I can to draw your attention to it. Pick the title you like best. Both very fittingly describe what you will find within the pages of this remarkable new release from New Paradigm Press.
I have selected three short quotations to explore in this review that I think best summarize Casspriano's overall message:
From Chapter One, "The Boxes We Dream In":
"Right now, this very moment, you are asleep... Even if you are reading these words in broad daylight - sitting at your desk or beside the kitchen table, your feet firmly planted on the floor, eyes open, senses alert, feeling the weight of this book in your hands as sounds of life rise and fall rhythmically around you - you are deeply asleep, and dreaming furiously"
Now, the idea that Humans are sleeping, and must therefore "awaken," is by no means unique to Casspriano's "Simplest Path" spiritual system, being the root observation underlying pretty much all Eastern religion, and a lot of Western Occultism and New Age metaphysics, as well. In fairness, Casspriano makes no claim to this as an original insight, openly supporting his assessment of the human predicament with quotations taken from Animism, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Islam. He then flows seamlessly into a list of complementary illustrations from the secular realms of Quantum Physics, brain/consciousness research, and most to-the-point, the study of memes and memetics, ala Evolutionary Biologist and world's best-known cheerleader for scientific atheism, Richard Dawkins.
If you've never heard of memes or memetics, a quick Google of those terms will reveal hundreds of serious, information-rich websites devoted to this now thirty-year old science. In a nutshell, a "meme" is a sort of contagious thought-form that spreads between people by way of imitation. Obvious memes in our environment include advertising jingles, fads and fashions, etc. Casspriano somewhat radically extends the concept to include just about everything that makes up the contents of our individual brains and shared human culture. While he resists redefining the word "meme" wholesale, he decidedly expands its definition to make memes and "memeplexes" (what you get when a number of memes band together into an organic, relational unit, like a religion or cultural or political movement) the basic, fundamental building blocks of everything we habitually label "real..."
And then he demonstrates, in at times excruciating detail, the complete emptiness of the "apparent-reality" that is a byproduct of memetic activity in our brains. What we call "real" is not real at all. It's an illusion spun up by our memes. And our memes are not original to us. They are "viral invaders" assailing our minds from without. Worse - and, while even this thought is not wholly unique to Casspriano, he certainly gives it his own very effective spin - memes are by no means mere passive beliefs or simple "harmless ideas." They are, Casspriano believes, actively predatory psychic parasites whose survival depends on our buying into the illusions they create in our minds. Think of illusion (Samsara, Maya, etc.) as a web we're caught in. Memes are the spider. We are the fly. Gotcha.
One thing I like very much about Casspriano's book is that he never asks us to take anything on faith, least of all this rather ugly depiction of the human psychic/spiritual condition. He not only challenges readers to test his hypothesis firsthand in order to experience what is real and true for ourselves, he spends a large chunk of the book outlining specific exercises anyone can do to escape memetic interference and personally experience reality as-it-is. The exercises in Part II of the book are powerful medicine... But this is a digression, so let me return to the point.
Memes are the spider, and we are the fly. A better metaphor might be that memes are the farmer, and we are the cow. Domesticated and docile, we allow memes to milk us daily, to extract from our minds the potent human psychic energy which, if reclaimed by us and put to proper human use, would quickly and positively transform our lives and our world. This transformation is awakening, ascension, enlightenment, metanoia, the Buddha-like change of consciousness most religions and spiritual systems on Earth hint at, but few ever actually deliver to followers. In this analysis, Casspriano's "Simplest Path" is very much in line with Gurdjieff's "Fourth Way," Carlos Castaneda's Toltec sorcery, and a few other well known spiritual practices inhabiting a somewhat darker, though perhaps more realistic corner of the New Age. But unlike most of those other systems, Casspriano's prescription for escaping illusion and awakening to reality is remarkably, well... simple.
From Chapter Three, "Waking Up":
"The simple truth is that we are sleeping because we lack sufficient energy to wake up."
And later in the same chapter:
"The real work that brings about awakening, rather than merely granting the external appearance of "being spiritual," while actually embroiling us ever more deeply in the dream, is a rigorous, daily commitment to the identification and elimination of every self-serving belief from which our personal dream-lives are constructed."
For "belief" in the quotation above, read "meme/memeplex." Casspriano certainly does, treating the terms as largely interchangeable. In the end, this genuinely simple - at least in the sense of being uncomplicated and pragmatic - spiritual practice amounts to discovering reality as-it-actually-is less by searching for a glimpse beyond the illusion, than by systematically withdrawing our participation in, and identification with, the dream. When we disentangle our psyches from memetic illusion, only reality remains. We don't have to chase it; to a meme-free mind, reality just appears. This is "Satori" in Zen Buddhism. This is "stopping the world" in the Toltec sorcery of Castaneda and others. Casspriano's genius lies in his talent for exposing the core mechanism behind such complex and often inscrutable spiritual systems, and for putting into plain language clear instructions for unraveling the dream and achieving personal awakening. The virus-like process by which memes take over and control our human minds, as described by Casspriano is, to my mind, very complicated (but well worth struggling through). What is genuinely simple about "The Simplest Path," however, is Casspriano's prescription for breaking those bonds, once you've made the effort to understand how they are created and maintained. For Casspriano, remaining a victim of spiritual sleep and energetic exploitation by memes is a complex activity in which we unconsciously invest enormous amounts of psychic energy every day of our lives. Awakening is the product of a simple act of withdrawing that investment, which automatically re-energizes of our minds and lives. Or as Casspriano cleverly phrases it when closing Chapter Three, "Waking Up":
"Unweave the tapestry of the dream, and awakening happens."
Anyone can do this. Spiritual awakening, in Casspriano's view, may be hard work, but it is not complicated work. The path to enlightenment is really rather shockingly simple. Fall out of love with the dream. Reclaim your psychic energy. Wake up to reality.
The ten "Key Questions" Casspriano explores in the second section of the book are designed to put the theory laid out in Part I to practical and immediate use. Essentially, I think Casspriano sees these ten issues - why we treat enlightenment as an "airy-fairy" ideal instead of a measurable transformation of brain functioning, the excuses we make for avoiding personal responsibility and integrity along the lines of Castaneda's "impeccability," the fallacy of belief in a "separate self," etc. - as pillars of both our personal and collective human dreams. They are by no means an exhaustive listing of the memes twisting our minds. But they are primary keystones on which layers upon layers of the grand illusion are built. Topple these ten baseline pillars and the larger structure crumbles.
Casspriano explores some "Keys" more successfully than others. One downside to the book is that, especially in the "Keys," Casspriano's own memetic prejudices shine at times rather glaringly through, as when, in his discussion of the American "What Would Jesus Do?" religious fad, he characterizes the Evangelical Christian purveyors of WWJD as, "ultra-conservative, right wing ideologues." Even should the reader personally agree with such pronouncements, its hard to resist thinking, "Hey Vince! Your memes are showing!" But where he nails his point, Casspriano's prose can be downright inspiring, as with the "Key" cosmological study "Is Earth the Center of the Universe?," which explores the gap between what we know, scientifically, about the Universe and what our daily choices and behavior says we really believe, about the cosmos and about ourselves. His closing "Key" "Are We Alone?" so poetically frames the true stakes of our global human predicament - species survival VS extinction - that its hard to imagine anyone keeping their gaze glued squarely to their own self-involved navel in the wake of reading it. Of course we are not alone. There are six and a half billion of us on Planet Earth, and whether we awaken to what's best in us or follow our darkest drives over History's cliff into oblivion, we do so as one. One planet, one fate.
This notion of "oneness" and of a common, intertwined human spiritual and biological destiny is a core theme in The Simplest Path, Step One: FREE YOUR MIND that sets it apart from any spiritual book in recent memory. My final quotation from the book returns us to the opening lines of Chapter One, "The Boxes We Dream In":
"We are all aware of the challenges facing us as we enter together into the 21st Century:
· World oil supplies are running out.
· Global warming is transforming the Earth into a steamy greenhouse.
· Even as our technology connects the world, ideological extremism, terrorism and militarism divide us as never before.
· Headlines bombard us with news of war, famine, pestilence and death until we feel overwhelmed and unable to respond.
· Time is running out..."
Vincent Casspriano, Jr.'s "The Simplest Path to Personal and Planetary Transformation, Step One: FREE YOUR MIND" does not offer easy escape from these very pressing real-world human ills, but rather, a down to Earth, workable prescription for their cure. Yes, we must awaken as individuals, and, rest assured, "The Simplest Path" shows spiritual seekers exactly how to do that. But a prime message of "The Simplest Path" is that, for personal awakening to have meaning, it must occur within the context of a complete re-visioning of global culture, and a mass wrenching away of the wheel of History from the control of viral memes, that we might create a common cosmic human destiny worthy of our highest potential as a species.
Now that's a meme worth feeding.
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