In Search of Enlightenment: 50 Spiritual Masterworks

In Search of Enlightenment: 50 Spiritual Masterworks

by Leo TolstoyWilliam Blake Kahlil Gibran and others
Epub (Kobo), Epub (Adobe)
Publication Date: 31/07/2024

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In Search of Enlightenment: 50 Spiritual Masterworks brings together a profound and diverse collection of spiritual writings that span centuries and continents, encapsulating a vast range of literary styles and religious thought. This anthology invites readers on a compelling journey, with works that explore esoteric mysticism, philosophical musings, and practical spirituality. Among the standout pieces are the contemplative prose of the Christian mystics, the introspective insights of Eastern philosophers, and the poetic meditations of Western sages. The collection encompasses a significant cross-section of spiritual literature, offering a rich tapestry of insights into the human quest for enlightenment. The anthology showcases the works of renowned spiritual luminaries like Leo Tolstoy, Kahlil Gibran, John of the Cross, and Fyodor Dostoyevsky, alongside lesser-known yet equally profound voices. Together, these authors have shaped and been shaped by various historical, cultural, and literary movements, from Christian mysticism to Eastern spirituality and modern philosophical discourse. Each piece in the collection is a testament to the enduring search for meaning, providing contemporary readers with a window into the diverse paths trodden by different faith traditions and philosophical schools. In Search of Enlightenment is an indispensable volume for anyone seeking to explore the depths of spiritual thought from a multiplicity of perspectives. It offers an unparalleled opportunity to engage with the wisdom of some of history's greatest minds, making it a vital resource for scholars, students, and casual readers alike. This anthology not only provides educational value and breadth of insights but also fosters a profound dialogue between the various threads of spirituality woven throughout human history.

ISBN:
4066339592681
4066339592681
Category:
Spirituality & religious experience
Format:
Epub (Kobo), Epub (Adobe)
Publication Date:
31-07-2024
Language:
English
Publisher:
e-artnow
Leo Tolstoy

Russian author, a master of realistic fiction and one of the world's greatest novelists.

Tolstoy is best known for his two longest works, War and Peace and Anna Karenina, which are commonly regarded as among the finest novels ever written. War and Peace in particular seems virtually to define this form for many readers and critics. Among Tolstoy's shorter works, The Death of Ivan Ilyich is usually classed among the best examples of the novella. Especially during his last three decades Tolstoy also achieved world renown as a moral and religious teacher. His doctrine of nonresistance to evil had an important influence on Gandhi. Although Tolstoy's religious ideas no longer command the respect they once did, interest in his life and personality has, if anything, increased over the years.

Most readers will agree with the assessment of the 19th-century British poet and critic Matthew Arnold that a novel by Tolstoy is not a work of art but a piece of life; the 20th-century Russian author Isaak Babel commented that, if the world could write by itself, it would write like Tolstoy. Critics of diverse schools have agreed that somehow Tolstoy's works seem to elude all artifice. Most have stressed his ability to observe the smallest changes of consciousness and to record the slightest movements of the body. What another novelist would describe as a single act of consciousness, Tolstoy convincingly breaks down into a series of infinitesimally small steps. According to the English writer Virginia Woolf, who took for granted that Tolstoy was “the greatest of all novelists,” these observational powers elicited a kind of fear in readers, who “wish to escape from the gaze which Tolstoy fixes on us.”

Those who visited Tolstoy as an old man also reported feelings of great discomfort when he appeared to understand their unspoken thoughts. It was commonplace to describe him as godlike in his powers and titanic in his struggles to escape the limitations of the human condition. Some viewed Tolstoy as the embodiment of nature and pure vitality, others saw him as the incarnation of the world's conscience, but for almost all who knew him or read his works, he was not just one of the greatest writers who ever lived but a living symbol of the search for life's meaning.

William Blake

William Blake was born in London in 1757. He was apprenticed to a master engraver and then studied at the Royal Academy under the guidance of Joshua Reynolds. In 1789 he engraved and published Songs of Innocence and the contrasting Songs of Experience came later in 1794. A poet, painter and printmaker of great originality and imagination, his work was largely unrecognized during his lifetime and he struggled to make a living. Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age. He died in 1827.

Kahlil Gibran

Poet, philosopher and artist, Kahlil Gibran was born in 1883 near Mount Lebanon, a region that has produced many prophets. His poetry has been translated into more than twenty languages. His drawings and paintings have been exhibited in the great capitals of the world and compared by Auguste Rodin to the work of William Blake. Kahlil Gibran died in 1931.

Poet, philosopher and artist, Kahlil Gibran was born near Mount Lebanon. The millions of Arabic-speaking peoples familiar with his writings in that language consider him the genius of his age, but his fame and influence spread far beyond the Near East. His poetry has been translated into more than twenty languages and his drawings and paintings have been exhibited all over the world.

His many works include The Prophet, his masterpiece of religious inspiration; The Garden of the Prophet; The Storm: Stories and Prose Poems; The Beloved: Reflections on the Path of the Heart; Jesus: The Son of Man; The Voice of Kahlil Gibran, an anthology of his writings; The Vision: Reflections on the Way of the Soul; and Spirit Brides. He was for many years the leader of a Lebanese literary circle in New York, where he died in 1931.

Saint Augustine

Saint Augustine of Hippo was born in Thagaste, present-day Algeria, in 354 AD. A theologian and philosopher, his writings, including Confessions and The City of God, have left an enduring legacy on Christian thought.

He is recognised as one of the Latin Fathers of the Church and as a Roman Catholic Doctor of the Church.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803-April 27, 1882) was a famous lecturer, philosopher, poet, and writer. He led the transcendentalist movement of the 1800s, mentored Henry David Thoreau, and was a pioneer of multiculturalism in American writing.

Charles Spurgeon

Charles H. Spurgeon (1834-1892) was a British Baptist preacher who remains highly influential among Christians of different denominations, among whom he is still known as the "Prince of Preachers." He preached his first sermon, from 1 Peter 2:7, in 1851 at 16 and became pastor of the Church in Waterbeach in 1852. He published more than 1,900 different sermons and preached to around 10,000,000 people during his lifetime.

In addition, Spurgeon was a prolific author of many types of works including an autobiography, a commentary, books on prayer, a devotional, a magazine, poetry, hymnist and more. Many sermons were transcribed as he spoke and were later translated into many languages. Arguably, no other author, Christian or otherwise, has more material in print than C.H. Spurgeon.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky

The brilliant Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1821–81) is celebrated for such classics as Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov whose psychological examinations of the human soul had a profound effect on the 20th-century novel. His influence resonates in the works of such latter-day authors as Proust, Faulkner, Hemingway, and Kafka. Dostoyevsky also wrote many shorter works that are masterpieces in their own right.

Florence Scovel Shinn

Florence Scovel Shinn carried out her work in the first half of the 20th century.

Through her teachings and numerous books, she was a profound influence on Louise Hay and other pioneers of personal transformation.

Andrew Murray

Andrew Murray has been Chief of Staff of Unite union since 2011, and was previously its Director of Communications. He was Chair of the Stop the War Coalition from 2001 to 2011, when he was replaced by Jeremy Corbyn, and again from 2015 to 2016.

From 1978 to 1984 he worked as a parliamentary and political correspondent for the Morning Star newspaper. He is the author of a number of books on history and politics, including Off the Rails: The Crisis on Britain's Railways (Verso 2001), A New Labour Nightmare (Verso 2003) and Stop the War: The Story of Britain's Biggest Mass Movement (Bookmarks 2005, with Lindsey German). He worked as part of the strategic leadership of Labour's 2017 general election campaign.

William Walker Atkinson

William Walker Atkinson (1862—1932) was a noted occultist and pioneer of the New Thought Movement. He wrote extensively throughout his lifetime, often using various pseudonyms. He is widely credited with writing The Kybalion and was the founder of the Yogi Publication Society.

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