I have found in recent years a growing interest in Christian mysticism and a growing pleasure in books that offer the insights of the mystics for the general public's enjoyment (as opposed to denser more scholarly tomes, which, while having a valuable place and worth accessing, don't really add to one's daily activities the way devotionals do.)

This lovely little book has a very nice variety, although not all entries are from "mystics" in the way that we usually think of that term (e.g. Gregory of Nyssa, Mother Teresa, George Herbert, Gerard Manly Hopkins). But that's fine, because these are still valuable spiritual voices. Don't worry, though, for most of the entries are from well-known mystics (Hildegard, Mechtild, Angela of Foligno, Catherine of Siena, Julian of Norwich, St. John of the Cross.)

Some names were unfamiliar to me, but pleasant to read nonetheless, such as Saint Isaac the Syrian, one of whose entries could be a rallying cry for animal rights supporters everywhere, and which enjoins charitable folks to pray even for demons and reptiles. : ) Feminists will delight in Marguerite of Oingts cry, "Jesus are you not my mother?"

Very welcome passages include some of the sayings of the desert fathers (lovely, brief, instructive stories) and some pertinent Scripture passages (excerpts from the incomparable Sermon on the Mount, from the gospels of Mark and John,from the Revelation, and from the writings of Paul).

It closes blessedly with a familiar passage from Teresa of Avila, which, if you haven't heard it done musically by John Michael Talbot, you ought to try and do so!-- "Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours, yours are the eyes through which he is to look out Christ's compassion to the world..."

*Mir*

This book has earned a permanent place on my bedside table as a valuable source of comfort and inspiration. The entries are brief, thought-provoking, and heart-opening. They provide an excellent way to center the mind and heart in preparation for meditation and prayer.

In my experience Kendra Crossen Burroughs is one of the best editors in the field of Eastern spiritual literature and texts. As well as working freelance, she has been a long-term editor on the staff of Shambhala Publications, and I was happy to have her involved in a book that I had published by Shambhala, although not a book in Eastern thought.

I was very excited when I heard that Kendra was doing this book for Skylight Paths, since the Gita has been one of my, and many other people's favorite and most important spiritual sources, and I eagerly looked forward to its appearance. If I wasn't one of the first people in the world to buy a copy, at least I was one of the first on my block.

I was not disappointed. If I was, I would have never written this review. A blurb on the cover by renowned authority, Ken Wilber, says, "The very best Gita for first time readers." This is one of the rare occasions when a blurb is absolutely true. But, the further truth is that Burroughs's annotations make this a book for the experienced reader of the Gita as well. Burroughs has consulted and used over twenty other translations in her annotations to this particular translation that she uses, the 1935 one by Shri Purohit Swami, and this scholarship, plus Burroughs' own personal experience, make this a valuable book for a reader of any degree of experience.

Besides Burroughs' own brilliant annotations, Skylight has done an innovative and equally brilliant job of format, where the annotations are on one page, and the reference text is on the facing page, so that the reader has the annotations right at hand as s/he reads, and does not have to thumb through to the back of the book or chapter to look them up. The only problem that I encountered with this was my own idiosyncratic one of whether to read the text page through and then turn to the annotations alongside it, or read each annotation as it is referred to in the text. I never completely settled this for myself. Other readers may want to read the annotation page first, and then read the facing page of the Gita text.

As Burroughs notes, the Purohit translation is a good first time one, because he purposely set out to eliminate all foreign words of the Indian Sanskrit language, and uses only terms familiar to the Western, English speaking reader. For myself, however, who is not a newcomer to Eastern thought (though certainly not a Gita scholar at all), I am less happy with this choice. I want to know what the key Sanskrit terms are in the Gita text, which have a meaning and connotation that is at least somewhat different than the familiar English terms used. For example, in the famous and central verses (Ch 4: 7-8) where Krishna tells his disciple Arjuna about who he is and the reason for his periodic appearance in human history, the Purohit text has it, "To protect the righteous, to destroy the wicked, and to establish the kingdom of God, I am reborn from age to age." The very Christian phrase "the kingdom of God," could easily throw off the reader. The Sanskrit actually says, "for the establishment of dharma," and thus it connects with the whole Indian sense of truth and untruth (dharma and adharma), more abstract and general, and later carried with such powerful effect into Buddhism. In 1935 "the Kingdom of God" might have worked better, but in our time, dharma says more, and more accurately to many of us. However, Burroughs' annotations corrects or overcomes a lot of these problems (but not in this case). So, where the Purohit text says (Ch 6: 23) that meditation "should be practiced with determination and with a heart which refuses to be depressed," Burroughs explains that the actual Sanskrit term is "chetas, a synonym for chitta (mind). In Indian philosophy , 'heart' is considered an aspect of mind, concerned with intuitive understanding and valuation." Gems like this of elucidation and clarification occur throughout the annotation pages facing the text.

What reading this edition of the Gita has prompted me to do, in part related to my issue with the Purohit translation, is to now have three Gita's that I carry side by side, and compare them as I read in it--this one, Prabhavananda/Isherwood, and Nikhilananda's. Burroughs would be happy with this effect on me of her edition, and in this case would consider her work a success. And these three, are one more than the two translations of the Bible that I have on hand.

Taungpulu Sayadaw was a burmese forest monk{one who lives in the Forests in southeast asia,literaly meditating} who came to the United States in the late 1970's, and established the first Burmese Buddhist Temple in the United States.This gentle master of the Theravada tradition passed on his teachings , some of which have been lovingly recorded here by Anne Teich. These are not soft, new age readings,but straightfoward teachings that come staright to the herat of the matter.Chapters[some are only a paragraph long, others several pages long] such as UNWHOLESOME CONDUCTS,SAINTHOOD AND NIBBANA and THE HINDRANCE OF SENSUAL DESIRE are up front and not easy{the Sayadaw ,though coming off as quite gentle,doesnt seem to be interested in softening his message to make it palatable to the west. More's the better] Andrew Harvey contributes a short preface,and Ms. Teich gives us an excellent introduction. A very,very good primer on Buddhism from one considered by many to be a saint, a bodhisattva. Deserves to be more widely read,very very good, though the message is not easy...Excellent.

We know that people who have lived the experience are the best teachers... I suspect Andrew Harvey lives leadership. At the core of leadership is humility, the willingness to know oneself, and the passion to learn. It is a journey with no destination. Harvey pegs this within the first twenty-seven pages. I believe this work is the most pragmatic and inspiring work on leadership offered today. It should be read over and over and it needs to be on every leader's bookshelf. It would be best if the principles were every leader's mind and reflected in all of their transactional behaviors.

Oddly, I don't know if the novice would see the leadership wisdom collected in Andrew Harvey's work. It is a complete library on essential leadership thinking. It is sharp and concise. It is written with the passion of a leader. For those who are well read in leadership, you will recognize this immediately and the book could well be used for soul searching or daily meditation. For those searching for what leadership is... this is a road map. Get it.

Written in the form of an interview with Mark Matousek, Andrew Harvey brings his knowledge of eastern religions, the Christian mystic tradition, and modern scholarship to bear on virtually every issue pertinent to bringing a mystic perspective to contemporary Christian life. Harvey makes it clear that mysticism is not the private domain of monastics but actually an imperative for the "ordinary" Christian wishing to make a real difference in his or her world.

Prof. Stevan Davies was one of the first scholars to take the Gospel of Thomas seriously as a first century text. An acknowledged expert in his field, he is fascinated by early Christianity, has few preconceptions as to its earliest form, and is always willing to try out new ideas.

This book contains a solid translation of the Gospel of Thomas, a good introduction, plus a new age preface by Andrew Harvey. The great strength of the book is the saying by saying commentary. Davies does not try to give a unified interpretation of the Gospel of Thomas, but to "offer suggestions, share observations, and participate in a reader's seeking..." Prof Davies has a way of wheedling out the system of thought that lurks beneath the text, and he looks at the sayings as clearly as he can, disregarding religious or scholarly commonplaces. This is one of the three or four best books on the Gospel of Thomas.

Kabir was born about 1440 (probably), and was a contemporary of the founder of the Sikh religion, Guru Nanak (possibly his mentor). A weaver by trade, and a mystic by nature, his spiritual vision accepted no division between Life and Creator, man and God, as evinced by the following excerpts; "I Laugh when I hear that the fish in the water is thirsty: You do not see that the Real is in your home, and you wander...listlessly! Here is the truth! Go where you will...if you do not find your soul, the world is unreal to you." and ..."Kabir says, God is the breath of all breath". Many of these songs contain criticism, not of "worldly" people who lived materialistically, but of renunciates who sought God outside of life and relationships; "The infinite dwelling of the Infinite Being is everywhere: in earth, water, sky, and air...He who is within is without; I see Him and none else". This translation by Tagore also contains allusions to Kabirs' cosmology and essential spiritual practice (absorbtion into the Divine Word or creative power) missing in the naturalistic and minimalistic interpretatations of Robert Bly. The poems, or songs, themselves are remarkably fresh, as if they contained the living inspiration which gave them form, and remain, as it were, untouched by time.

I want to thank Andrew Harvey for offering a collection of Rumi that is grouped in such a way as to be really accessible to both the student of Rumi, as well as the new-comer. I found his clear presentation refreshing. This book has been a spiritual learning tool - a path to go down - with out the usual barrage of "opinions" by the editor. It is presented in such a way as to allow the reader to "just take the journey" without being swayed to believe that the passages mean anything else than the reader wants or needs them to mean. I am greatful that Harvey was able to show restraint and offer this clear- joyous collection - while feeling confident enough to leave the rest up to the reader.

I have many copies of this spiritual classic in my home library, but this is the edition that I will stock for our parish book table, given that it provides on facing pages an array of wonderful annotation/explanation for the catechumen and/or the Orthodox-interested seeker. This parallel commentary also provides a wonderful cross-reference between the Pilgrim's journey and the larger tradition of Eastern Christianity, including the writings of the early Fathers and Mothers of the Church.