Be Here Now
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (12 October, 1971)
list price: $14.14 -- our price: $11.31
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Editorial Review

It's easy to dismiss Be Here Now as the relic of a whacked-out '60s acid tripper. Paging through the center section of the book, with its inch-high print and psychedelic drawings, you come across lines like:

Magic Theatre
For madmen only
price of admission
your
mind

Then you turn to the first page of the book, and you are suddenly sucked into the story of a Harvard psychiatrist who has reached the pinnacle of success, discovers the mind-expanding powers of acid, and ends up trooping through India with a 23-year-old holy man from Laguna Beach, California. In the story, you see all the trappings of your own life and begin to wonder if India might hold the answers after all. Before booking your ticket, turn to the last section of the Be Here Now, "Cookbook for a Sacred Life." Ram Dass saves you the trouble by proffering a sober introduction to the basics of Hindu religion. Although he still can't resist CAPITAL LETTERS, he has done his homework, presenting a whole range of concepts and practiceshaving to do with yoga postures, meditation, renunciation, dying, and sexual energy. So, for the most part, Be Here Now stands the test of time, and if you can entertain the center section in a retro kind of a spirit, it might be just what you're looking for: "The opposite of craving is saying, baby, this is the way it is, yeah, OK, here and now, this is it. I ACCEPT THE HERE & NOW FULLY."--Brian Bruya ... Read more

Reviews (66)

Buy this book. If you have it buy it again.
This a fantastic book not just about mysticism but, like Blake, the mysticism of everyday life.
It is the ultimate self-help book and every page is filled with the joy of living.
Like Blake every page of this book is filled with illustrations and a poetic mysticism.
Self-help books come and go but this book should be on everyone's book shelf.
So much is said in the very word's or the book's title "be here now".
In the seventies I remember this book being in every dorm room. I think many of us benefited from it.
Perhaps some of us have forgotten its power sopick it up again. Buy it for someone you know who never had the experience of reading this book.
If you owned it once and lost it buy yourself a new copy. If your copy is old and dog eared buy yourself a new copy.
I had the pleasure of knowing Ram Dass personally. He was always caring and never acted like the celebrity he was.
Now Ram Dass needs our help as his situation as he approaches old age is not good.
Do yourself and Ram Dass a favor and buy this book. If you bought it before buy it again.

BE HERE for him, NOW - Wayne W. Dyer
BE HERE for him, NOW
One of the truly great men of our time needs our help. I write these words to encourage your generosity and support. Back in the 1960's a Harvard professor named Richard Alpert left behind the hectic world of academia and traveled to India - there he was to meet his spiritual teacher who gave him a new purpose to fulfill along with a new name. He of course is Ram Dass.
His guru told him love everyone, feed people and see God everywhere. Ram Dass became a person who lived out this mandate - he did what so many of us could only dream. He connected to his spirit and devoted his life to serving others.
In 1969 he wrote and published the signature book on spirituality and applied higher awareness, Be Here Now. In keeping with his commitment to love everyone and feed people, he donated all of the royalties and profits to foundations that did just that. With millions of dollars at stake, Ram Dass simply chose to live his life as a man of service to God.
After years spent in India in pursuit of a higher more enlightened consciousness for himself and for our troubled world, he returned to the United States to lecture throughout the country. He spoke to packed venues wherever he went, and as always he donated the proceeds to such causes as would keep him in harmony with his mandate to serve. He co-founded the Seva Foundation (www.seva.org) and his writing and lecture fees were primary sources for this compassionate and inspired work.
To me Ram Dass was and is the finest speaker I have ever heard, period! He was my role model on stage; always gentle and kind, always speaking without notes from his heart, sharing his inspiring stories and always with great humor. I tell you this from my own heart; I could listen to his lectures for hours and always felt saddened when they would end. He was the voice for Applied Spirituality - his life was the model. When he was threatened by having his own private sexual preference exposed, in a time when a closet was the only place that was even mildly safe, Ram Dass called a press conference and proudly announced his preference to the world. He paved the way for tolerance and love when no one else would dare to do so.
Most of us could only dream of defying the conventional life and living out our inner callings to promote a cause that was bigger than our own lives - to leave the security of a guaranteed career - to leave a country where comfort was ensured; all to live in a foreign land with few conveniences, traveling and meditating for a more peaceful world. It is what St. Francis did in the 13th century and what Ram Dass did in our lifetime.
When Ram Dass' own father, who had largely criticized his son's unconventional lifestyle, was close to death, Ram Dass devoted himself to 100% service in those final years. He fed his father, he bathed his father, he placed him on and off the toilet until the day he died. Why? Because he felt this was his mandate. He wanted to experience true service on a 24/7 basis and know firsthand the joy that comes from giving one's own life away in the service of others. Always, for over 30 years, Ram Dass was in the service of others.
In 1997 Ram Dass was struck by a semi-paralyzing stroke and became wheelchair bound. Still he wrote of his adventure in a powerful book titled, Still Here. He continued to travel, though he could no longer walk and continued to speak to audiences, though he spoke from a slowed down body, but still he did it to serve others.
Now it is our turn... Ram Dass' body can no longer endure the rigors of travel. He has come to Maui, where I live and write. I speak with him frequently and I am often humbled by the tears in his beautiful 73-year-old eyes as he apologizes for not having prepared for his own elderly health care - for what he now perceives as burdensome to others. He still intends to write and teach; however without the travel - we can now come to him. Maui is healing - Maui is where Ram Dass wishes to stay for now!
He is currently living in a home on Maui, which he doesn't own and is currently in jeopardy of losing. I am asking all of you to help purchase this home and to set up a financial foundation to take care of this man who has raised so much money to ensure the futures of so many others. To live out what Ram Dass has practiced with his actions. Please be generous and prompt - no one is more deserving of our love and financial support. In the end these donations will help ensure that Ram Dass and his work will reach another generation or remind a current generation that it is in giving that we receive.
If there has ever been a great spirit who lived in our lifetime, literally devoting his life to the highest principles of spirit, it has been Ram Dass. I love this man; he has been my inspiration and the inspiration for millions of us. It is now time to show him how we feel by doing what he has taught all of us to do - Just, BE HERE for him, NOW.
In love and light,
Wayne W. Dyer

New Age Garbage
Ram Das is not for the serious practitioner.

A lot of the writings in this book are based upon LSD experiences with Timothy Leary as well as drug advocacy for spiritual reasons. While Ram Das is a very smart person and a good human being as far as humanitarianism goes, there are a bunch of other books to read that have more quality for the spiritual seeker than this one. This is spiritual materialism at it's best. ... Read more

Isbn: 0517543052
Subjects:  1. Hinduism    2. New Age movement    3. Psychology    4. Ram Dass    5. Religion - World Religions    6. Spiritual life    7. Spirituality - General    8. Yoga    9. Body, Mind & Spirit / General   

A Brief History of Everything
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (16 January, 1996)
list price: $15.95
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Editorial Review

This account of men and women's place in a universe of sex and gender, self and society, spirit and soul is written in question-and-answer format, making it both readable and accessible.Wilber offers a series oforiginal views on many topics of current controversy, including the gender wars, multiculturalism, modern liberation movements, and the conflictbetween various approaches to spirituality. ... Read more

Reviews (78)

good but out of date

The `Èinstein of the New Age`holds forth inhis unique and brilliant styleon the history of world views andhow to put spirit back in our life.If youhave the patienceto learn his jargon and read slowly there is alot of serious brainfood here.
I read this and hisSex, Ecology and Spirituality(1995)with Hofstadter's famous Godel, Escher, Bach(GEB) written in 1980(both of which I have reviewed here).Wilber's work has many parallels with GEB, both of them massive works attempting to tie together disparate fields and different views of life. Unlike Hofstadter, who was mainly interested in the nature of intelligence, Wilber does not treat math, music or DNA, and he concentrates on world views that have a spiritual relevance.He spent a vast amount of time working out the relationships between ideas and how they relate to individual and society, spirit and science.Though he cites GEB(and almost every book of relevance in last 100 years!) he does not specifically use the GEB concepts of recursiveness, incompleteness, and tangled hierarchies.However, Wilber's holons nested in holons, criticism of incomplete ideas that either lack sense(eg, science) or soul(eg, spirit) and his diagrams and descriptions of the hierarchical nature of all holons are much in the spirit of GEB. Hofstadter spent little time on spirit(though Zen pops up now and then) and had little to say about the meaning of it all and has written little on the subject since.
This is a much shorter and moreaccessible version of his famous SES(seemy review).Unlike the former bookwhich has hundreds of pagesof notes and hundreds of references, there is noteven an indexhere(though there is a 2001 edition which may remedy this).Ifyou don't have the time or patience for the whole book, readSuperconsciousnessParts 1 and 2 which are an xlnt summary. His shortest book,`The Marriage ofSelf and Soul`(see my review)is a much easier read that gives you a good ideaof his styleand purpose.
He details alot of intellectual history(philosophy,psychology, religion, ecology, feminism, sociology, etc) and shows where nearly everyonewent too far in the direction ofAscent(to the spirit) or Descent(toscience,materialism, reductionism orFlatland).He trys to showhow to heal the rifts by combining sense andsoul(spiritual andmaterial life, science and religion, internal and external,individualand social).Everything is related to everything else(holons inholarchies).
The Age of Enlightenment denied thethe spirit, the individual and theinterior life but developedart, morals and science and led to democracy,feminism, equalityand ecology, but this reductionism compressed the intellectandthe spirit into the Flatland of science, rationality and materialism. Hesees the loss of the spiritual point of view with the Age ofEnlightenment asthe major factor responsible for the malaiseof modern times, but realspirituality or `intelligent religion`(ie., the quest for enlightenment) as opposed to `primitivereligion`(everything else-see my review of Boyer's `Religion Explained) wasalways rare.It isintelligent religion he sees as the panacea, but it isprimitivereligion that the masses understand, and it too has only materialisticgoals.
In this book, he never makes it clear that Jesus was a mystic in the samesense as Buddha etc, but whatwas to become the Catholic churchlargely destroyed his mysticalaspects(personal search for enlightenment,no mind etc) in favor of primitivereligion, priests,tithes and a structure seemingly modeled on the Roman army(but see his SES p 363). But for the early Christian church, the cognitive templates(see Boyer) wereservants of thegenes and enlightenment was not on the menu. Jesuswas not a Christian, he had no bible and he did not believe in a god any more than did Buddha.We have Christianity without the real intelligence of Jesus and this, as he explains indetail in SES is a major cause of the West's extended stay in Flatland(reductionism).
Wilber is a bookworm and he has spent an incredibleamount of timeanalyzing classic and modern texts.He is extremely bright has clearly had his own awakening, and also knows theminutiae of Eastern religion as well as anyone.I doubtthere are more than a handful in theworld who could write his type of book.
A major shortcoming is that most of thematerial he analyzes is ofquestionable relevance today.They use terminology and conceptsthat were already dated when he was researching and writing15 yearsago. One has to slog thru endless pages ofjargonladen discussion ofHabermas, Kant, Emerson, Jung etc to get tothe pearls. He immerses himself inFreud and the psychoanalyticinterpretation of dreams(eg, p92) , though mostintellectuals nowregard these as merely quaint artifacts of intellectualhistory.
If one is up on philosophy and cognitive and evolutionarypsychology, most of this seems archaic.Like nearly everyone(scholarsand public alike) he seemsnot to understand that the basics of religion, ethics, society, in fact allhuman behavior, are programmedinto our genes.A revolution in understandingourselves wastaking place while he was writing these books and it mostly passedhim by(and most of society). The evidence(for those who need it) is accumulating rapidlythat most ofwhat we do and who we are is resident in universalprograms evolved at least100,000 years ago. Those who doubt thisshould start with Pinker's brilliantbook `The Blank Slate:themodern denial of human nature`, Boyer's `ReligionExplained`, and a couple recent texts with 'evolutionary psychology` in thetitles.
Like everyone up til quite recently,the hundreds of authors hediscusses lacked any real explanationfor human behavior.Why do we even havesuch ideas and behavior? What are the methods we can use to find out? Everything happensbelow the surface. Possibly a fewZen and Hindu mysticsgot some insight into the mechanical churning of the cognitivetemplates buttheir explanations are invariably opaque to therest of us.He seems unaware that his holarchy of themind(except for top 3 levels) operates ineveryone all the timedue to its presence in our cognitive templates(and ofcourse ourgenes).
Though he has read some of John Searle'ssuperb philosophy,and has passingreferences to research in cognitivepsychology,it is amazing that he could extensively researchphilosophy without studying Wittgenstein, religion withoutreadingOsho and psychology without Tooby, Cosmides et al.Much of evolutionarypsychology was only published in journals at the time he waswritingand Wilber has almost no references to journals among the hundredsinSES. But Wittgenstein is the most famous philosopher ofmoderntimes and Oshothe most famous spiritual teacher.It is remarkablethat although he spends somuch time in his books discussing theintellectual aspects of therapy(Freud.Beck, Maslow etc) andclearly understands that the spiritual path is theultimate therapy, he totally ignores Osho, who had the most advancedtherapeuticcommunity in history functioning worldwide for the last 30 years.
A major problem is that Wilber is lost is the airyrealms of intellectualdebate.Basic biology gets the shortstraw. As in SES, probably the worstmistakes he makes(along withmost of the planet) are ignoring andmisunderstanding basic biology. On pg 22-3 he states that the eye and the winghave to evolveall at once and this has to happen in both sexes at the sametime.On page 26 he says the chances of an enzyme originating by chanceisessentially zero(true but irrelevant!). Elsewhere he says Darwinreally does notexplain evolution!Any intelligent high schoolbiology student can refutethis! Ofcourse Darwin did not know genetics nor plate tectonics, but it is nevertheless inexcusable to make such statements without careful qualification.
The brute factis there are 6 billion sets of selfish genes carrying outtheirprograms to destroy the earth.They arean acidthat will eat through any intellectual conclusions, egalitarian fanatasies andspiritual rebirths. Selfishness, dishonesty, tribalism and shortsightednessare not due to accidentsof intellectual or spiritual history. He says that the lack of spirit isdestroying the earth, and thoughthere is of course this aspect to things, it is much more to the point to say that it is selfish genes that are responsible. Likewisehe says `Biology is no longer Destiny`, but it is an easily defensiblepoint of view that the reverse is far more likely. The attemptto understandhistory in terms of ideas ignores biology and inparticular denies human nature.Selfish genes always live in Flatland(his term for reductionism) and, as he noted elsewhere, less than 1000people in all of humanhistory have escaped the tyranny of the monkey mind into enlightenement.
Anothermajor problem(admittedly not unique to him) isthatthis is very elitist stuff.The aim is to rejuvenate humankindand maybesave the world, but I doubt most readers will persistto the end of these booksand that they will come away a changedperson.How is the realization that wecan meld sense and soulgoing to change the world?Itis Wilber's hope we can somehow be enlightened(figuratively orliterally).
Though he severly criticizes the excesses of the two movements, one couldregard this as a deconstructive or postmodern interpretation ofreligion, philosophy and the behavioral sciences from a very liberal,spiritualpoint of view--ie, without the worst of the horrificjargon, rabidegalitarianism and antiscientific antiintellectualism.This is not a criticismof Wilber, but only to suggest that itmight be useful to regard some of hisbooks as belonging to thisgeneral movement.
Wilber embraces a simple utilitarianism(greatest good for greatest number)--ie, the greatest depthfor the greatestspan(p334) but of course this has serious problems.Whichpeople should we makehappy and how happy and when(ie, now or inthe future)?On what basis do we distribute resources now and how much do we save for the future population?He calls upon ourBasic Moral Intuition(BMI) but it is not really to help others but to help ourselves, and the fewthousand(or let's be very optomistic and say few million) who arespritually advanced do not run the world and probably never will.


Insteadof the intellectual or spiritual approach Wilber takes to history,others take ecological,genetic or technogical approaches(eg, JaredDiamonds book Guns, Germs and Steel).In the long run it appearsthat only biology really matters and we see daily how overpopulationis overwhelming all attempts to organize and educate the world.The democracy and equality which Wilber values so highlyarejust means created by selfish genes to facilitate their destructionof theplanet. In spite of the hope of Wilber and manyothers that a new ageis dawning and we will see the biologicaland physical evolution of a new human,the fact is that we arethe most degenerate species there ever was and the planet is nearing collapse. The billions of years of eugenics(natural selection) that thrustlife up out of the slime and gave us the amazing ability to writeand read bookslike this is now over.There is no selectionfor the healthier and moreintelligent and in fact they producea smaller percentage of the children everyyear.Nature doesnot tolerate physical and mental aberrations but societyencouragesthem.Our peak was probably CroMagnon man or maybe even Neanderthals(whohad larger brains) about 100,000 years ago.It seems plausible that only geneticengineeringand an enlightened oligarchy can save us.


In the USA, fundamentalistChristians and the Republican party are now the most powerfulsingle force forplanetary destruction.They are against populationcontrol and forenvironmental devastation in order to maximizethe size and resource use ofthehuman genome.This was a rationalstrategy when it was fixed in the genes about100,000 years agobut it is suicidal now.The spiritual rebirth he talks about is not that of born again Christians nor of Islamic converts.

If Wilber want to get hismessagesto the masses he will have to dumb down his writing and forget abouttrying to incorporate the worlds intellectual history. One ifhis primarymessages is that spirituality(higher consciousness--iethe pursuit ofenlightenment) is a scientific pursuit and so thereis no conflict between itand science(though he only explainswhy in other books such as SES and Marriageof Sense and Soul).I fully agree, but the problem is that most of religioninvolvesthe mechanical churning of the primitive cognitive templates(seeBoyer) and has very little connection withspirituality inthe sense Wilber has in mind.He describes howSchelling and Hegel unitednature and spirit but this seems quiteirrelevant to society and even to Wilber,who presumably wokeup with meditation and not by reading. Finally,(p307)hementionsthat the West mostly lacks the techniques for uniting the two, whichZen has found long ago.

He sayss(p329) that it is the poorand ignorant whoare the major environmental problem and thatthis is somehow due to our Flatland approach, so if we just wake up, getspritual and help them outthis will solve it.However, its clear that everyoneis part of the problemand if one does the math(vanishing resources dividied byincreasingpopulation)it's clear that a drastic reduction in population is necessary. Atthe very end he tells us that one of the basic ethical principlesis to do noharm, but to live( and above all, to reproduce), isto do harm and if reproductionremains a right then it's hard tosee any hope for the future.Like so many, he emphasizes rights andsaysless about responsibilities.It is a reasonable and necessaryview thatif society is totreat us as human, we must accept responsibility for the world and that thisconcern must take precedence over our personal needs. Of course, it is unlikelythat any governmentwill ever implement this, and equally unlikely that the world will continue to be a place any civilized person will wish to live in.

Mind opening
Ken Wilbur is an insightful writer. I recommend reading this book as it can help deepen your understanding of many concepts.

A convincing call forglobal well-roundedness
This is the first Ken Wilber book I have read. I got halfway through A Theory of Everything and realized I should have read this first. So I did.

Wilber is a prolific and uniquely American philosopher who has written extensively on his developing Theory of Everything. Unlike other all-encompassing scientific theories (systems theory, string theory, m-theory, etc), Wilber's philosophy encompasses thought and spirituality as well. In fact, Wilber's central point is that our modern mode of thinking unfortunately focuses solely on provable, measurable science, ignoring the spiritual and emotional internal aspects of individuals and of society. We are living in a state of what he calls "flatland." This book is basically a call to global well-roundedness in thought.

This is probably the most challenging book I've read in a long time. I have never read anything like it. Wilber's theory fascinating. It joins many of the great philosophies, sciences, and spiritual beliefs and shows how they can live in accord rather than at odds with one another.It traces our development as humans using aspects of developmental psychology, and examines the evolution of our thought from a historical perspective.

As an attempt to incorporate all modes of thought-psychological, scientific, philosophical, religious, etc.-this is a fantastic book. Several of the reviews I've read criticize Wilber for his inability to scientifically prove his theory. But that criticism is missing one of the main points of his theory-namely that science is only one aspect of thought, only one facet of our world. Not everything can be proven through science. Love,sorrow, joy, humor-these things are not measurable with instruments. There is definite moral right and wrong (e.g. Nazis wrong) that can't be proven with science. And Wilber's point is that science can't be used to prove things of a spiritual nature any more than prayer could be used to calculate the boiling point of water. For an individual and a world to be healthy, it must operate and evolve in all quadrants, not just one. It must break out of this "flatland" approach.

My biggest criticisms of A Brief History of Everything are of style more than content. The book is set up as a dialogue between a questioner and answerer. Why this was done is beyond me, and it actually became very annoying. It's a technique a writer might use to help flush out his thoughts, but there's no need for the questions to be included in the final draft.

My other criticism is that, although Wilber's philosophy is not New Age, the terms he uses to describe his concepts have that flavor. He often makes up several words which mean the same thing and unnecessarily uses them interchangeably. It gets a tad confusing at times. And Wilbur has a tendency to end his chapters with a flurry of this language in an overly dramatic way that seems more like bad New Age poetry than anything else. It detracts from his otherwise brilliant theory. ... Read more

Isbn: 157062187X
Subjects:  1. Cosmology    2. Evolution    3. Philosophy    4. Philosophy Of The 20th Century    5. Psychology    6. Spirit    7. Philosophy / General   

Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism (Shambhala Dragon Editions)
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (12 June, 1987)
list price: $14.95
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Reviews (16)

Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism
Trungpa succeeds in a frank and reflective work on Eastern mysticism and spirituality that is felt around the world.

great teacher - trungpa
I read it almost 10 times. Each read gave me a new understanding of myself and the world. And This book gave me the power to escape from a crazy cult. This book tears off the illusion of enlightenment and freedom. But be careful. While this book is very fun to read, it cannot give you the real experience. You need to suffer some changes, I think. I'm much more normal than before reading this book.

Exposes the myth of self-improvement.
This book strips the varnish right off of the concept that enlightenment can be viewed as another form of self improvement.The first two chapters of this book will literally have you scratching your head and wondering how anyone could ever escape the ever complex and ultimately entangling web created by a mind that approaches spiritual development as a means to an end.Only in later chapters does one begin to understand that the process of trying to better oneself is exactly the same process that has created all of our uneasiness and dissatisfaction in the first place.

This book is one of my favorites and I highly recommend it to anyone that is seriously interested in spiritual pursuits, whether they are Buddhist, Christian or any other.Another Trungpa volume, The Myth of Freedom, is an excellent sequel, though not for the faint of heart that would be best read after this book. ... Read more

Isbn: 0877730504
Sales Rank: 282209
Subjects:  1. Buddhism    2. Buddhism - General    3. Philosophy    4. Religion - World Religions    5. Spiritual life    6. Religion / Buddhism   

The Bhagavad Gita
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (25 April, 2000)
list price: $11.00 -- our price: $8.80
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Editorial Review

Prince Arjuna faced a dilemma that many face sooner or later--whether to take action that is necessary yet morally ambiguous. The difference is that Arjuna's action was to wage war against his own family. With the armies arrayed, Arjuna loses his nerve. Krishna, his charioteer and incarnation of divine consciousness, begins to teach him the nature of God and of himself, that Arjuna can attain liberation through union with God, and that there are several available paths. And so the most famous and revered of all Hindu Scriptures goes on to teach the paths of knowledge, devotion, action, and meditation, becoming the seed for all the Hindu systems of philosophy and religion that followed. For all of its profundity, Eknath Easwaran manages to translate the Gita in easy prose that neither panders nor obscures. Coupled with his thorough introduction, Easwaran's version comes off on all the levels it should: as a guide to action, devotional Scripture, a philosophical text, and inspirational reading. So what does Arjuna finally do? He follows his dharma, of course, as we all must. --Brian Bruya ... Read more

Reviews (21)

A gracious and precious description of the human condition
This review is being written by one whose life has been deeply moved by Christ Jesus, but who knows only little about yoga or other religions.

Eknath Easwaran has succeeded in capturing the essence of life the Bhagavad Gita embraces and continues on to describe who we really are and where our strength lies.
The revelation that we are strangers and aliens in the world, that we are (in the deepest sense) not mortal human beings but eternal spiritual beings and belong to and are one with Him and one another can come only to Arjuna from Krishna.
The reliance on and obedience to this inner voice is Action.
There are many paths, but only one journey.
This is one of the most beautiful descriptions of Jesus Christ I have ever read.
If you live in the world, you would do well to read it.

A beautiful, clear, and enlightening translation
Eknath Easwaran's translation is poetic and beautiful making it readable and inspiring and managing at the same time to clearly state Krishna' spiritual message. Easwaran's translation manages to prove its merit for both spiritual and scholarly study. Many of the other translations are very dry coming from scholars who just know how to translate Sanskrit to English mechanically.Whereas Easwaran was a professor of English and now a spiritual guru; so he has a grasp on both worlds. They do not properly help explain the various yogas Krishna tells Arjuna; reading this translation has been the best explanation of yoga I have ever read before. Each chapter has an introduction to it and there is a glossary of terms in the back. The other translations I think fail also to understand and clearly explain the heart of Krishnia's message which is essentially that one's atman, soul, higher self etc. is one with brahman, the divine, the universe, the source of everything etc and that this liberation can be discovered through the path of yoga. There is not just one path of yoga but many like Karma Yoga(path of selfless service) and Raja Yoga(path of meditation.) The beauty of the Bhagavad Gita is that it explains a way to enter the path to liberation, no matter what stage of spiritual awareness you are it. The Bhagavad Gita manages to explain and apply esoteric and mystical practices to ones everyday life.This is why I think The Bhagavad Gita is the most popular text from India's spiritual texts. Also according to our karma and dharma, we will die and be born again and again until he are liberated. The Bhagavad Gita is a text that I believe should be read by anyone on the "spiritual" path. It is by far one of the greatest "spiritual" text ever written and we are fortunate to share this gift because of Easwaran's brilliant translation.

A Nice Introduction Into The Gita
This poetic translation is easy to read and presents the ideas of Hinduism and Buddhism well. As with most religious books, it is filled with lofty ideals that I find nearly impossible to follow. "Selfless service" is one of them in which a follower of Lord Krishna gives up selfish desire and takes action without trying to reap a reward from those actions. Also, one must be of a calm and balanced mind, not getting angry, and you should be able to treat friend and foe alike. Meditation is very important because by clearing the mind of chatter, you are able to achieve peace with the One and I suppose this helps you to follow lofty ideals and also helps you to avoid rebirth back into our madhouse planet. The book gives you an idea of what these religions are all about. ... Read more

Isbn: 0375705554
Subjects:  1. Hinduism    2. Religion    3. Religion - World Religions    4. Religion / Hinduism   

Spirit Room
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (20 June, 2000)
list price: $14.98
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Editorial Review

Jai Uttal has been heralded as a master in the realms of World and New Age music. Uttal's latest offering, Spirit Room, is a fitting tribute to his 10-year recording history with Triloka records. Moving gracefully through traditional Indian sitars, tablas, African rhythms, and modern jazz innovations, Uttal shape-shifts each musical moment into well-crafted songs. His clear, contralto vocals touch deep emotional chords, sparking an awakening of something new and promising, yet warmly familiar. The opening track, "Be with You," is an impassioned work of love and devotion, parting the way into "Guru Brahma," heady, smooth, and seductive. On "Corner," Uttal explores the shadow realm through somber acoustic guitar and sitar. The rest of Spirit Room rounds out with groove-heavy cuts such as "Footprints" and "Malkouns (Night on the Ganges)." While Uttal's talents as a composer, arranger, vocalist, and producer are all noteworthy, it is the basic simplicity of his songwriting that is his most enduring trademark. Spirit Room is a musical sanctuary, where everything comes together in perfect balance. --Leslie Marini ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Spirit Room
I met Jai Uttal and Geoffroy Gordon three years ago in Santa Fe during a Holotropic Breathwork retreat where we did kirtan singing and breathwork over a five day period.To me, Jai has the voice of an angle!Whenever I'm facilitating a breathwork or participating, their music touches a place in my soul that reminds me of my deepest parts of myself.I find their music mesmerizing and have been blessed to hear them up close and in a sacred setting.I love the music on Spirit Room and find that it rekindles the energy and sacred space so vital to my healing and daily practice of living life!

New music that sounds new!
Infusing a modern take into many wonderful classical indian bhajans and songs is in itself a major task. Doing it competently, and venturing sucessfully into a jazz fusion style is a great acomplishment. I did not know of the artist, until a friend told me to listen to this cd. It was a transforming experience. If you can, take an evening stroll in the closest sandy beach, and enjoy this music for a few hours. It changes your mind. Amazing experience !

This is a "best of" CD - and a nice one
... If you are a fan of Jai Uttal's, you'll really like this record. Then again if you are a fan of his, it is likely that you already have everything on this record.If on the other hand, you only kinda like him, or if you (like me) find the "concept" of Jai Uttal kinda cool (a concept that seems to me to consist of jazzy, rockin', westernized versions of "hindu" music - that is bhajans and kirtans), but feel that he has been a bit inconsistent in the fulfillment of that concept over the years - than I reckon you'd also like this record, as it pretty much takes the most successful pieces from his previous records and puts them on a single disc.That is a long winded way of saying: if you like Jai Uttal, and you ain't got his other records, get this one. Otherwise, forget it. ... Read more

Asin: B00004TQSA
Subjects:  1. India    2. Indian Diaspora    3. Int'l & World Music    4. Pop    5. World    6. Worldbeat   

Peace Is Every Step : The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 March, 1992)
list price: $13.95 -- our price: $10.46
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Editorial Review

Thich Nhat Hanh's writing is deceptive in its subtlety. He'll go on and on with stories about tree-hugging or metaphors involving raw potatoes; he'll tell you how to eat mindfully, even how to breathe and walk; he'll suggest looking closely at a flower and to see the sun as your heart.As the Zen teacher Richard Baker commented, however, Nhat Hanh is "a cross between a cloud, a snail, and piece of heavy machinery." Sooner or later, it begins to sink in that Nhat Hanh is conveying a depth of psychology and a world outlook that require nothing less than a complete paradigm shift. Through his cute stories and compassionate admonitions, he gradually builds up to his philosophy of interbeing, the notion that none of us is separately, but rather that we inter-are. The ramifications are explosive. How can we mindlessly and selfishly pursue our individual ends, when we are inextricably bound up with everyone and everything else? We see an enemy not as focus of anger but as a human with a complex history, who could be us if we had the same history. Suffice it to say, that after reading Peace Is Every Step, you'll never look at a plastic bag the same way again, and you may even develop a penchant for hugging trees.--Brian Bruya ... Read more

Reviews (53)

Life Changing Book
I have read this book like 5 times and everytime I read it I learn something new. This book has changed my life and the way that I treat others. I would recomend this book to anyone who is looking for themselves or something bigger than themselves, for anyone who is looking for answers this book has them. I have bought copies for my friends and have loaned my own out and everyone I have given it too has said the same thing that they couldn't put it down and that it was just what they were looking for. Read this book and open your mind and heart up to it and it will change you.

Helpful in so many little ways
I had never read any book before on this topic, and chose this one because it seemed to be so easy to read and understand.I dare say this book changed my life.I came to it while in recovery for an eating disorder (which stems from a lack of coping skills), and this book helped me find peace; it showed me how to transform uneasy feelings; it showed me how to forgive; it showed me how to enjoy the present moment.

I was so moved by these writings.As I mentioned, I enjoy my life more.I enjoy my children more.My marriage has improved.I have improved.

I had never experienced the concepts of "inter-are" and how things don't have to be either right or wrong... things can just "be".I can just be.

I keep this book by my side because although it is a short book, it is so deeply profound that it might take me years to grasp everything in it.

Practice This Book's Contents
Following Nhat Hanh's book "Being Peace", this is my next favorite by this articulate Zen master. Within you will find commentaries and meditations straight from the heart of Thay, as well as stories of his life as an activist for peace. It is so very applicable to our daily lives. Lately it's become all too clear that this world needs a healthy serving of peace. Our spiritual mouths are so hungry for this. The meditations Thich Nhat Hanh has been celebrated worldwide for are captured within this deceptively slim book. For those of you who have come to know Thay through his wide body of books, you know how well he communicates points to all of us; always with a soothing ease and simplicity. That style is more than ever evident in this text. This work is a remarkable starting point for someone interested in looking into Buddhism, searching for balance in their lives; it's for non Buddhists who are simply looking for a way to bridge the gap of divisiveness.Thich Nhat Hanh is such a good friend to us all, and buying this magnificent book can help all of us become better friends to the world at large. Enjoy it. ... Read more

Isbn: 0553351397
Subjects:  1. Buddhism    2. Buddhism - Zen    3. General    4. Religion - World Religions    5. Religious life    6. Body, Mind & Spirit / New Age   

Us
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (29 September, 1992)
list price: $18.98
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Editorial Review

Since his departure from Genesis, Peter Gabriel has crafted a very successful career blending his slight, anguished voice with studio sorcery and a bevy of world-music influences. However, Us does very little to build a case for his artistic growth during the six years that separate it from the commercial milestone of So. During the hiatus, Gabriel's marriage broke up, which undoubtedly contributes to the self-consciousness and introspection that permeate the album. The pop psychology of "Love to Be Loved" and "Washing of the Water" is overwrought. The exotic instrumentation on "Come & Talk to Me" seems intrusive and contrived. "Steam" and "Kiss the Frog" lighten the tone, but, as good-natured rockers, they are no matches for "Sledgehammer" or "Big Time." The production values and supporting players are of the highest order, but, with this material, Gabriel comes across as hypersensitive. Except for die-hard fans, Us is So-lite. --Rob Stewart ... Read more

Reviews (91)

Reasonable followup to "So".
Peter Gabriel's followup to "So" must have been one of the more difficult albums to make-- with huge singles like "In Your Eyes" and "Sledgehammer" on "So", repeat expectations were high.Gabriel, however, has never really been known as one to rest on his laurels, and his sound has evolved over time.This album is no exception.Gabriel regulars David Rhodes (guitar), Tony Levin (bass), and Manu Katche (drums) are present again, along with producer Daniel Lanois and engineer David Bottrill.Additionally, Sinead O'Connor sings on a pair of tracks, and whole bunch of other performers, including Brian Eno, Hassam Ramzy, Shankar, Peter Hammill and John Paul Jones show up.

The album works best when Gabriel spreads his wings and covers new directions."Blood of Eden", "Steam" and "Kiss That Frog" are a bit too much of the same mold and formula of the last album.Don't get me wrong, they're decent songs, but Gabriel does better more when finding new directions.

Songs like "Come Talk to Me", with its great harmonized vocal and brilliant percussion, the funky and emotional "Love to Be Loved", and the positively angry and haunting "Digging in the Dirt" succeed much better.The latter appears to be the natural successor in the chain of brilliant songs like "Family Snapshot", but adds an aggression not found in any of Gabriel's other really dark songs.Also of note are the pseudo-electronica of "Only Us"and "Fourteen Black Paintings" and the bubbling, funky "Secret World", the three of which in their own way I think paint the way for Gabriel's next album, and the delicate "Washing of the Water", one of the really unrecognized gems in Gabriel's catalog.

Overall, its a decent album, but a lot of the material is not quite up to the level of expectations that "Peter Gabriel 3", "Security", "So" and "Passion" placed on Gabriel's music.

Peter Gabriel wants US to share the pain
It took almost 5 years for Peter Gabriel to record a pop music follow-up to the massive "So," but he endured a lifetime's worth of experiences through the period. The soundtrack to Martin Scorcese's "Last Temptation Of Christ" took up a huge amount of his creative juice, and a divorce also took place. The resulting "Us" aches from the beginning plea of "Talk To Me" to the final "Secret World" question of "what was it we were thinking of?" Peter is certainly asking us to feel his pain, but it isn't always the cathartic kind (think Phil Collins' "Face Value").

The other problem with "Us" is that Gabriel was beginning to sound like formula. Both "Steam" and "Kiss That Frog" are far too similar to "Shock The Monkey," "Big Time" and "Sledgehammer" from previous efforts to think that Gabriel was investing much thought into them. They stand out like sore thumbs from an artist that derives most of his best music from his startling originality.

Which is not to say that "Us" doesn't frequently strike its emotional target. "Blood Of Eden" and "Washing Of The Water" do find that emotional catharsis that Gabriel so obviously was trying to purge. "Only Us" and "Digging In The Dirt" meditate and shout at the causes of his loss, and "Fourteen Black Paintings" is clearly influenced from the "Last Temptation" compositions.

What it leaves us with is a so-so album from an artist who frequently turned his emotional tumults into brilliant art (even the dramatic downer "Up" pushes this CD aside). While even a dodgy Peter Gabriel album puts most other artists to shame, there are other Gabriel CD's that would make a better purchase than "Us." For me, this is the only CD post PG3 that is less than stellar.

Passionate examination of love and the pain it can cause
US lets Gabriel examine the emotional ups and downs of relationships. Starting with the plaintive cry for communication on "Come Talk to Me," US takes the listener on a journey through the passion,("Steam") playfulness, ("Kiss That Frog")and the pain ("Digging in the Dirt," Blood of Eden")of life's great challenge, our ability to love and what can happen when it doesn't last. The music's softer here than on his earlier work; it has a meditative quality befitting the subject matter. The emotional depth here is stunning; Gabriel allows you to feel what he feels. A daring example of an artist whose willingness to share his turmoil has resulted in a moving experience. ... Read more

Asin: B000000OSW
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock   

Passion: Music For The Last Temptation Of Christ
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (01 June, 1989)
list price: $18.98
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Editorial Review

To call Peter Gabriel's Passion a pivotal recording in the development of the world music genre would be a significant understatement. What makes Passion so undeniably huge is, of course, its global reach but also its expert handling of what could've easily become polyglot babble. Vocalists Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Youssou N'Dour, and Baaba Mal bring strong Middle Eastern and African voicing to the project, and Balkan textures come via the ney flute and doudouk. But Gabriel is the glue, offering electronic ambient flows between the multiple streams. Gabriel also brings something even less tangible: an awesome visual imagination that takes often seamless sounds and makes them impress the listener with picturelike colors and phrasing. This is, however, far more than an ambient global mix. To be certain, the intertwined rhythms stand out but always do so both unto themselves and as brushstrokes on a larger canvas. Never mind that Passion helped launch North American careers for N'Dour and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, this is a stellar musical achievement by any standard. --Andrew Bartlett ... Read more

Reviews (190)

Mind, ear, eye, and throat-opening...
In 1989 Peter Gabriel held the status of household name. Two years earlier his album "So" dominated pop music with a hegemony rarely seen. Brazen pop songs such as "Sledgehammer", "In Your Eyes", and "Big Time" were still in fairly strong rotation when "Passion" appeared on the shelves. Needless to say, fans of "So" likely furrowed their brows at the sounds that emerged from their stereos. "The Feeling Begins" gently opens the album with an Armenian melody played on a doudouk. As the album continues, rhythms and instrumentation from Asia, Africa, and The Middle East blend with electronic instruments in pure Gabriel-esque fashion. Add to this amazing open-throated wailing by the likes of Youssou N'Dour, Baaba Maal, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and Gabriel himself, and a musical experience unlike any other available in 1989 emerges. Without doubt, "Passion" helped energize and define the genre of "World Music". Gabriel somehow managed to combine multifarious and diverse musical styles with his own without coming across as an exploitative appropriator of those styles. Ultimately, Gabriel's global fusion comes across as a tribute to the cultures and styles he meshed together. The result was one of the best albums of Gabriel's career. Songs such as "A Different Drum", "Passion", "With This Love", and "It Is Accomplished" will remain unforgettable to even those who reluctantly open up to all the album has to offer.

To top it off, "Passion" was the official first release of Gabriel's "Real World" label. The motivation behind the label was to showcase non-western or non-mainstream music from anywhere in the world. Many well-known global artists recorded for Real World, including: Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Shelia Chandra, Papa Wemba, Afro Celt Sound System, Geoffrey Oryema, Tabu Ley, and countless others. "Passion" initiated this ambitious and much needed project.

In addition, the film for which "Passion" served as soundtrack, Scorsese's "The Last Temptation of Christ", wreaked fervent controversy upon its release in 1988. Did this help or hurt the soundtrack? Looking back, the music seems untouched by the controversy of the film. Regardless, Gabriel's music provided the perfect backdrop to Scorsese's version of the Passion story. Gabriel actually reworked most of the music included in the film (the music in the film differs in many ways from the Gabriel album). This explains why the soundtrack didn't appear for a good year after the film. Not only that, Gabriel's "Passion" doesn't include the entire soundtrack of the film. Gabriel also released (appropriately, on Real World) "Passion Sources" which includes the remaining music featured in the film. It provides the perfect accompaniment to "Passion".

"Passion" has proved to be influential as well as highly listenable. The spread of "World Music" or "World Beat" in the 1990s doubtlessly owes it some gratitude. The album also introduced some amazing performers to the rather closed musical mainstream of the west, most notably the mesmerizing Qawwali vocalist Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. It represents the culmination of Gabriel's movement away from traditional rock towards something new (which arguably began with Gabriel's third solo album, featured heavily on his fourth, "Security", de-emphasized on "So", and re-emphasized on "Passion" and subsequent albums). "Passion" stands as one of Gabriel's greatest achievements.

it is accomplished
The test of any work of art is if it lives. Both Scorsese's film, and Gabriel's music, will live. A near-perfect disc. "Disturbed=>It is Accomplished=>Bread and Wine" a bleedingly right expression of The Passion.

Mesmerizing...feel it overcome you...
The first time I heard this soundtrack was in 1990 when I was only a teenager.
I remember the exact time and place as it had a profound impact on me. I remember the darkness of the house and the eerieness The Passion impacted on it.
To this day, I listen to this album with the same emotions, feeling as if Peter Gabriel's work, of unexplainable nature, was meant to bring us to a higher level.
This is intensity at its optimal.
Best listened to in moments of emotional and spiritual need, with the lights turned down and the mind wide open. ... Read more

Asin: B000000OR5
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock   

Chants Of India: Ravi Shankar; George Harrison
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (06 May, 1997)
list price: $17.98 -- our price: $13.99
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Editorial Review

Mantram is Ravi Shankar's effort to set Sanskrit chants from ancient Hindu scriptures to music, and the result is a captivating mix of chant and music. Produced by George Harrison, this collection of mantras and prayers from the Vedas, Upanishads, and other scriptures powerfully transports the listener to a place of peace where it's possible to be one with the universe. It's as if a heavy, enveloping cloak of serenity falls from the dark, floating sounds of cello opening the CD. Shankar employs flute, tamboura, harp, and other instruments to accent the mighty "Om" thread that weaves itself through the cloth of this album, bringing together deep, ominous voices with delicate, earthly instruments. One looking for extensive Shankar sitar might be disappointed, but the beauty of this artist's creativity and spiritual vision sweeps one away into a larger, more meaningful listening experience. Highly recommended. --Karen Karleski ... Read more

Reviews (47)

beautiful...
i love this cd, track 15 prabhujee is gorgeous! you can listen to it on repeat and just melt,
the translation is:
"Oh Master, show some compassion on me. Please come and dwell in my heart because without you, it is painfully lonely. Fill this empty pot with nectar of love. I do not know any Tantra, Mantra or ritualistic worship. I know and believe only in you. I have been searching for you all over the world. Please come and hold my hand now."

Quintessential Chants of India
This is a beutiful CD with religious Hindu chants. Those interested in the religion would do well to start with this. The chants are all in Sanskrit and have many different mantras etc. which are part of daily Hindu life. I have had this CD for years and is played frequently on different occasions or for no reason at all. Explore away!

Pleasing to my ears and heart
The point of this cd, to me, is that it is *chant.*It is primarily vocal music, rather repetitive but tuneful, and it is designed to be sung by ordinary people, not necessarily trained voices. It is not sitar or ragas. I am not Hindu or a specialist in music of any kind, but I find it pleasing to listen to--it is exotic without being overly weird, it is relaxing without being soporific, and I enjoy it while driving.I don't know that it will bring about enlightenment, but it lightens my day. ... Read more

Asin: B000002SMC
Subjects:  1. Asia    2. Classical    3. Early Music / Chant    4. India    5. Indian    6. Indian Classical    7. Int'l & World Music    8. Raga    9. Spiritual    10. World Fusion   

Catalogue of Desires
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (23 February, 1999)
list price: $15.98
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Reviews (3)

a multi-faceted ambient masterpiece
This is one of those albums that you grow more and more to appreciate.At first listening, it isn't as catchy or gratifying as the more conventional structures of Duniya, Amrita, or Loop Bites Dog.Instead, it's a far more surreal, atmospheric, and truly impressive sonic adventure.More varied and diverse than The Third Chamber, it's not just an awesome CD to fall asleep to... it's a seriously powerful, beautiful, and often-times EERIE soundtrack.I say soundtrack mainly because Catalogue of Desires is THE absolute most amazing album to read books to (sci-fi / fantasy especially).This thing will transform reading experiences into something far more vivid... falling somewhere in the realm of a moving picture, and yet, even better... it's a tool to aid your brain into creating it's own version of a movie.

I know it may sound silly...but, give it a try.I have used this CD on many a sci-fi book, and it has yet to disappoint.This is a true feat of Loop Guru's amazing ability to deftly layer so many different types of mood on this album.It's all so subtle...but, each track really has such amorphous properties as to compliment whatever scene is occurring in any given book.Highly recommended.

Artistic accomplishment
Although not as immediately accessible as albums like the outstanding/Duniya/, I see /Catalogue of Desires/ as Loop Guru's most artisticallyaccomplished album, and fans of ambient music will find much to appreciatehere.More substantial than /Fountains of Paradise/, /Catalogue/ showcasesLoop Guru's dynamic range, shifting effortlessly from hypnotic grooves tofloating atmospheres, and characterized by exotic, organic sounds and alush chill-room vibe.

A Rather Tame Offering
There's probably no such thing as a bad Loop Guru cd.However, after hearing Duniya, I can't be faulted for comparing everything else to it.This one doesn't seem to have enough to grab me and make me listen to it. I find myself drifting and that's something I don't do when I'm listeningto Duniya.So for some background music that's better than most of thegarbage being produced, and, to hear a different side of Loop Guru, this cdis okay.I'm still waiting for something to knock me out like Duniya. None of their other cd's come even close. ... Read more

Asin: B00000HXTG
Sales Rank: 195374
Subjects:  1. Ambient Dub    2. Ambient Techno    3. Dance Music    4. Electronica    5. Pop    6. Trance   

Complete Poems (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics)
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 January, 1994)
list price: $24.95 -- our price: $15.72
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Reviews (3)

D.H.
I became acquainted with Lawrence's novels my sophomore year in college, and was hooked. A couple of years down the line, a professor recommended I take a look at his poetry, which he suggested was equally great, if not greater. He said he was like a British Whitman. Investigating the analogy, I came across this quote of Lawrence's: "Whitman, the great poet, has meant so much to me. Whitman, the one man breaking a way ahead. Whitman, the one pioneer. And only Whitman. No English pioneers, no French. No European pioneer-poets. In Europe the would-be pioneers are mere innovators. The same in America. Ahead of Whitman, nothing. Ahead of all poets, pioneering into the wilderness of unopened life, Whitman. Beyond him, none." Hyperbolic? Could be, and I'm admittedly a poor judge of poetry, much of it passing over my head, but there is more than enough in this hefty 1,000+ page paperback edition to convince me of Lawrence's greatness in verse. The book is split into "Rhyming poems," "Unrhyming poems," "Pansies," "Nettles," "Last poems" and "Uncollected poems." A couple of the shorter ones--
SUNSET
"There is a band of dull gold in the west, and say what you like
again and again some god of evening leans out of it
and shares being with me, silkily
all of twilight."
REVOLUTIONS AS SUCH!
"Curiously enough, actual revolutions are made by robots,
living people never make revolutions,
they can't, life means too much to them."
TALK OF FAITH
"And people who talk about faith
usually want to force somebody to agree with them,
as if there was safety in numbers, even for faith."
LUCIFER
"Angels are bright still, though the brightest fell.
But tell me, tell me, how do you know
that he lost any of his brightness in falling?
He only fell out of your ken, you orthodox angels,
you dull angels, tarnished with centuries of conventionality."

A must for all Special Forces.
This is the best book that i have. It is a must read for all who can read and all Special Forces. It put life on hold as you read it.

The most moving is "self pity"

I never saw a wild thingsorry foritself. A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough without ever havingfelt sorry for itself. --D. H. Lawrence

To this reader,poems and essays of DHL are his best works.
This book of poems shares the top spot in my bookcase with Whitman's"Leaves of Grass".They are accessible, highly perceptive,pertinent and intensely personal.My favorites are:

"FIDELITY"- "...The wonderful slow flow of the sapphire..."

"GOD IS BORN" - "...And so we see, Godis notuntil he is born.And also weseethere is no end to the birthofGod."

"SHIP OF DEATH" (Appendix III version) -"...Pulling the long oars of a lifetime's courage, ...and eating the brave bread of a wholesomeknowledge..."

"GRIEF" - "...How am I clotted togetherOut of this soft matrix...The air, theflowing sunshine and brightdust..."

"WEDLOCK" - "...How sure the future iswithin me.I am like a seed with a perfectflower enclosed..."

Finally, as a scientist I marvel at hisintuitive grasp of relativity in "SPACE" and"RELATIVITY" - ..."As if the atom were an impulsive thingalways changing its mind."

I would be delighted to share myenthusiasm with other readers. ... Read more

Isbn: 0140186573
Sales Rank: 104104
Subjects:  1. English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh    2. Lawrence, D. H. (David Herbert), 1885-1930    3. Poetry    4. English    5. Poetry & poets: from c 1900 -    6. Works by individual poets: from c 1900 -   

Grace and Grit : Spirituality and Healing in the Life and Death of Treya Killam Wilber
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (06 February, 2001)
list price: $19.95 -- our price: $13.57
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Reviews (34)

Heartbreakingly Beautiful...
Upon reaching the end of this text, I literally had to hold the book vertically in front of me so that the steady flow of tears (of overwhelming joy and sadness) would not drench it.

This book is a guide to being a support person.

This book is a guide to living and dying.

This book is biographical and autobiographical.

This book is one of the most vulnerable and skillfully conveyed pieces of practice I have ever encountered.

Please read this book AT LEAST once.

Namaste!

lover of grace
This is simply THE most wonderful book I have ever read , Ken is amazing and so real, And she just IS.

Another read
Okay, after writing my last review a few days ago, I picked up Grace & Grit again and have now read this book THREE times.This time I am blown away by Wilber's lucid, deep, and inspiring discussions about the difference between "exoteric" and "esoteric" religions as well as a cool, rational explanation of mystical thinking (e.g., Buddhism).He has answered all of my initial questions about "spirituality" and how it all fits together.This is still a juicy read and, of course, incredibly moving. ... Read more

Isbn: 1570627428
Sales Rank: 12768
Subjects:  1. Developmental - General    2. Diseases - Cancer    3. General    4. Inspirational    5. Inspirational - General    6. Psychology    7. Philosophy / General   

Natural Mystic: Legend Lives on
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (23 May, 1995)
list price: $18.98
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Reviews (18)

Feel it in the one drop
This is a great compilation of songs that belong on Legend, so if you already own Legend you should probably get this.The songs here are from albums not included on Legend like Natty Dread, Survival and Rastaman Vibration.Those 3 albums are amoung Bob and the Wailers' best works and they should definitely be heard. The instrumentation here is just as good as on legend, and the songs here are fan and collector favorites so you will be sure to enoy them as well.I am glad that Natural Mystic has continued to help the legend live on, and if you like Legend get this cd and you will be well on your way to a fine Wailers collection.

Mystic Marley !
Natural Mystic is by far one of the best Bob Marley collections, along with Legend & Songs of Freedom. Bob Marley fans certainly won't be dissappointed with Natural Mystic. Bob inspires us as he sings his songs of love, hope, peace, and freedom. The message is certainly clear and evident in each of these songs.

One can certainly see where Marley gets the title "King of Reggae" from as he chants down on songs like "Easy Skanking", "Iron Lion Zion" "Pimper's Paradise" "So Much Trouble in the World". Bob also does an awesome rendition of Curtis "the Pioneer" Mayfield's song "Keep on Movin." And last but certainly not least the heartfelt "Time Will Tell". This is a must have for all Marley fans both young and old. The Legend continues as our Natural Mystic's voice continues to echo.

Though the shell is gone, the spirit remains as the Legacy continues and the message remains the same. Bob, thank you for your Songs of Freedom. R.I.P., Our Lion from Zion!

Truly timeless
I've owned this CD for some time, now and I'd have to agree that Bob Marley's music should be denied by no one.I pop it into my CD player in the car and at home and can't help but turn it up after the first couple of tracks play through.The music is mass-appealing and his voice is unmatched.If you don't own any of Marley's CD's yet this would be a great first, as is "Legend".It is a necessity for anyone who appreciates great music and lyrics that are fulfilling and passionate. ... Read more

Asin: B000001E83
Sales Rank: 29804
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Reggae   

Jet Smooth Ride
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (18 March, 1997)
list price: $16.98
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Reviews (1)

buy it, but don't lend it to anyone -- they won't return it
i had seen the ominous seapods play a couple of times live before i purchased Jet Smooth Ride, and was instantly impressed with the power, presence and talent.Of all the top jam-based rock bands out today, including Phish and Dave Mathews, the Ominous Seapods are the best when they are on the stage. for this reason, i did not expect too much from a studio album. was i ever wrong.Jet Smooth Ride blew my mind.the CD remained in my CD player on repeat for days.Since then, i have lent it to 4 different friends, and I have had to fight them to return it after a month. through the disc, elements of great bands such as the allman bros, the grateful dead, and the who could be found.much like there shows, the album proved to be original, moving, and powerful. if this is what they can produce in the studio, i can't wait for there live album due this week. ... Read more

Asin: B000005X2F
Sales Rank: 252070
Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. American Trad Rock    3. Jam Bands    4. Pop    5. Post-Grunge    6. Rock   

Handspring Visor Platinum (Silver)
Average Customer Review:
Electronics
list price: $199.99
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Editorial Review

One of Handspring's two new Visors running with the faster 33 MHzMotorola Dragonball VZ processor, the Visor Platinum offers a competitive optionto the Palm V series. Although it doesn't sport a color display like its newsibling, the Visor Prism, the Platinum offers 16 shades of gray, outputtingsharper graphics in games and applications. It also features 8 MB of memory likethe Visor Deluxe, providing plenty of room for storing contacts, notes, and e-mails.

But the Visor Platinum's selling point is its new processor, which performsfaster than other Visors or Palm handhelds (Handspring claims up to a 50 percentincrease in speed). While we didn't put a radar gun to the Platinum, itcertainly felt speedier than the Visor Deluxe--tapping on an application openedit almost instantaneously.

Using a USB cradle, our desktop synchronizations sped along nicely, usuallycompleted in just a few seconds unless we were adding applications.Additionally, since the Platinum uses the Palm OS, most third-party programswritten for Palm handhelds will work for the Platinum.

One difference between the Visor Platinum and the Palm V series that Handspringmost likely won't boast about is its size. Where the sleek Palm V series sportsa depth of only 0.4 inches, the Platinum retains the standard Visor form factorof 0.7 inches.

But when you've got the expandability that the Handspring's Springboard moduleslot offers--allowing you to add a digital camera, a cell phone, a Tiger Woodsgolf game, or an MP3 player--you don't need to quibble over slimness. Also, likeother Visors, the Platinum features a built-in microphone (though you'll need toadd a module, such as a voice recorder or the phone module, to use it).

If you're already a Palm or Handspring user, there may not be enough about thePlatinum to sway you to pick up this new product. But if you're looking for thecutting edge of handheld speed, the Platinum is ready and raring to go. --J.Curtis

Pros:

• Fastest Palm OS processor around
• 8 MB memory
• Expandable using Springboard modules

Cons:

• Thicker than Palm Vx
• Microphone, but no voice recorder built in

... Read more

Features

• 50 percent faster than Handspring Visor Deluxe
• 8 MB RAM stores thousands of addresses, appointments, to-do items, and more
• Features address book, to-do list, memo pad, date book, advanced calculator, and world clock
• Fully compatible with thousands of Palm OS applications
• What's in the box: Visor Platinum, Graphite HotSync cradle, 8 MB RAM, AAA batteries, Graphite snap cover, Leather case

Reviews (77)

Great product...until you try to have it repaired
My Handspring was a trusted resource for the first 9 1/2 months I had it. Last week, it suddenly stopped working. I went to Handspring's site and filled out the return form only to be told it was out of warranty, which wasn't true; I have 2.5 months left on my warranty. I called Customer Service and was told of my options: Call Tech Support with my claim, which charges a flat fee of $20; have it repaired "out of warranty," for $100; or, as Handspring's website suggests,
"Sometimes the cost of repairing an older device is almost as much as purchasing a new one. We welcome you to explore your options: maybe it makes more sense to simply buy a new device of the same type, or even treat yourself to the latest & greatest..."

Thanks, Handspring, I've explored my options--and I'm switching to Sony.

The platinum is GOLD
I bought this after much hesitation that I would "never need a PDA." Well, with the included software, sync-cradle and it's onboard memory, I couldn't live without it.From addresses to 3rd party software, it's my constant companion.
By sync-ing it with my work PC, I have all my emails, spreadsheets,[microsoft and word]documents in one convenient place.
I am also sold on AvantGo, a online site that downloads at sync all the things you ask it to: weather, sports, financials, etc.
Batteries are a [reasonabley priced] but it must know that because it uses them fairly frequently- but not like my GPS.It warns you, but listen to the warning- if you wait too long, your data's gone....until the next sync.
Very efficient on memory but you can always buy more-never had to.
Recommend if you want a black and white, no-frills, fast and convenient PDA that you can customize until the cows come home.

Wonderful, wonderful device except for...
...occasionally bits of memory mysteriously disappears.For example, of my daily mileage tabs for the past six months, November's mileage records have inexplicably vanished, though this month's (December 02) mileage records are intact.This happened to me a while back with September's mileage records, but they inexplicably reappeared a few weeks later!I'm hoping the same will happen to the missing November records...

This is my first PDA, so have no idea if this is just a fact of life with all PDAs or what.

Other than that this PDA is more than enough for my needs, no need to blow $300-500 for some fancy schmancy full-color 400 MHz (same as an old Pentium II desktop!) HP or Sony running Pocket Windows, which is actually not as easy to use as Palm OS. ... Read more

Asin: B00004Y7TC
Subjects:  1. Personal Digital Assistant (PDA, Electronic Organizer)    2. Handspring Visor (Hand spring handspringvisor)    3. Handheld (Hand Held)