5 comments about Radha: Diary of a Woman's Search.

1. Swami Sivananda is my guru's guru's guru. Swami Radha is a peer of my guru's guru.
   
   It is so wonderful to read of women yogis - those who can and do tread the Dharmic path successfully.
   
   This is a wonderful read that transmits more than the words in print.



2. An intimate and detailed narrative. Highly recommend it to anyone interested in Radha's life and in yoga in general.



3. Uplifting journal like account from a white womans perspective.
   great read on the yogic path.



4. This is a great snapshot of the internal world of a spiritual transformation. Swami Radhananda gives a gripping account of a few months studying meditation in India. She is very frank with her mistakes and experiences. If you liked Autobiography of a Yogi, you will enjoy this book.



5. An uplifting, inspiring, enthralling diary. Recommended by Mas Vidal in Yoga Journal, I bought the book, and read the entire thing in one sitting. You will be left with an uplifted, peaceful spirit. I only wish I could have met Radha while she was still alive.

2 comments about Samuel: The Inspiring Story of How an Amish Boy's Tragedy Brought Two Worlds Together.

1. I picked up this book, intrigued by the picture on the front of an Amish buggy on a lonely road in the country. The heart of this book is amazing! You turn the pages and your heart just fills with the plight of Samuel and his parents as they try to get help for Samuel and his long hospitalization. Robert J. Hastings is incredibly tender in his dealings with Samuel's parents; who take turns in the book, through Bob Hastings interviews, talking about the trials and troubles they go through. I was struck by the innocence and humility of Oba and Lorene. They were as naive as small children in having to deal with all the ugly things of this world; hospital bills, pettiness, uncaring people. Throughout their ordeal however, we are uplifted as the doors swing open for them! The strangers that open their homes and hearts to them. The miraculous survival of Samuel. The charity of Precious Moments artist and creator Sam Butcher who creates a commemorative Amish button that is sold at Hallmark stores and nets the family $20,000. I found their whole story so touching, more so because it was true. This family had to completely trust in the kindness of strangers and this they found in abundance! Read it, you will love it. I immediately bought six more copies and gave them away to people who had a special place in my heart. I now have a special place in my heart for Samuel. It is a beautiful book!



2. If you are reading this you are probably interested in buying it. I really suggest you do. I knew the author personally, he was my pastor. He was a great man, writer and individual. Unfortunately he died several years ago, but part of him still lives on through his ability to touch others with his tremendous ability to write. Bob, as we called him, writes about an Amish boy who is caught in a threshing machine. A boy named Samuel. His father first thinks him dead, but after hearing a slight moan they rush him to the hospital. Samuel lives. His condition allows him to have a phone in his house (which usually isn't permitted in Amish homes) for medical emergencies. It isn't just a tale about a boy, but how we put our faith in Jesus to heal not only our broken body, but our broken spirit. It is an inspirational story, and if you like it, I suggest Bob's other books which are Tinyburg Tales, Tinyburg Revisited, Nickel's Worth of Skim Milk, Penny's Worth of Minced Ham (both about growing up in the Depression), and several others. His work is always uplifting, getting you to focus on God, not on yourself and your own problems. I highly recommend anything he has ever written, because I have read them all. They are all a gift, just as the man himself was to me. Bob, you're missed.

3 comments about It's Never Too Late: How a Teenage Criminal Found His Divine Destiny, Became a Successful Businessman, and Pastor of a Thriving Church With a Global Ministry.

1. I liked the scriptures that he connects to life situations but when It came to his personal life it was mostly lies. How I know because when he tells some of the stories from the pulpit or when being interviewed the story changes.



2. I thought this book would be more motivational. I guess the style of writing didn't turn me on.



3. I had no idea that one of my favorite pastors was writing his first book until I came across an ad in Charisma magazine. When I went online to find out the date of its release, I was counting down to get it. Family Chrstian bookstore had one copy left and it was mine. Once I started reading this book, it was very difficult to put it down.
   
   Dr. Zachery Tims is the pastor of New Destiny Christian Center in Orlando, Florida. I watch the ministry's broadcast via the Word Network and am always challenged and blessed by the messages that God gives him. In reading this book, Dr. Tims uses the same approach when challenging readers to tap into what call and purpose that God has on our lives. He is very transparent when he shares details of his past as a drug dealer and out of control young man who craved the attention and affection that he longed for from his father. He tells how one thing that his mom said to him when he was running the streets..."you're better than that"...made more sense as he got older. When he was incarcerated for attempted murder, those words stuck with him. His mother could not handle him at that time;yet, she still saw something special about her child.
   
   He also gives a rather touching account of how he finally gave his life to the Lord after a co-worker took him under his wing and did not give up on him. This part of the book also challenged me in the area of mentoring those who are new in the things of God. Dr. Tims also shares about the humble beginnings of New Destiny to what it has become today. He comments that he is still looking for the Lord to do great things (paraphrase). It simply shows that he is not one to rest on anything that he has done. He points out, most humbly, that it was the Lord that did it. No bragging about what he has in this book.
   
   This book is not only autobiographical, but also a teaching tool. There are "keys" with Bible verses to support what they pertain to. Dr. Tims makes it a point to let the reader know that no matter how old you are; no matter what mistakes you've made; or how many times you messed up in your walk as a Christian, it's never too late walk in your calling.
   
   Now, I'm going to go back through it to highlight some important points and apply them to my life...

No comments about Beyond Gurus: A Woman of Many Worlds.

3 comments about A Muslim in Victorian America: The Life of Alexander Russell Webb.

1. This look at the life of Muhammad Alexander Russell Webb, one of the first American converts to Islam, is well researched and written in a language that captivates one and takes you on a journey with Mr. Webb on his many travels. People in the West still view Islam as a late entrant to the scene in the US but as muslims continue to integrate in the American social life, one will read and hear (and see hopefully) more and more stories of how muslims have always been a part of the fabric of America. Some estimates say that almost 30% of the slaves brought over to the US were muslims and we have Alex Kronemer coming up with a documentary on the life a African slave who was a Prince and how he fought for and won his freedom after 40 years of slavery here to go back to Africa (The Prince among slaves). Dr. Abd-Allah is educated from Columbia, Cornell and the Univ. of Chicago and taught at King Abdul Aziz university in Saudia for 18 years. He has been back in the USA since 2000 and is the head of a non-profit organization called the Nawawi foundation based in Chicago which is dedicated to provide relevant, meaningful Islamic teachings to America's growing first and second generation Muslims - teachings firmly rooted in authentic scholarship and taught in a way that is dynamic and applicable to the modern world (See website www.nawawi.org). Dr. Abd-Allah is and has always been a voice of moderation amongst muslims scholars and is dedicated to more interfaith dialogue amongst people of various faiths. He has always been a proponent of peace and he has many Audio CD's out in the market dealing with various issues affecting muslims and has made his feelings on extremism and violence quite clear. Mr. Rubin needs to check his sources (if any) before making comments on Dr. Abd-Allah.
   
   
   
   Read the book, you will like it. It is a book about a man of his times, who lived in a time of turmoil and great change in the USA, andshould interest any student of American and Islamic history.



2. Abd-Allah, chair of the Chicago-based Nawawi Foundation, an organization promoting education about Islam, explores the life of Alexander Russell Webb (1846-1916), a convert to Islam who started some of the earliest U.S. Muslim periodicals.
   
   Abd-Allah traces Webb's early life to look for his inspirations for his subsequent conversion. He grew up in upstate New York at the time of the Second Great Awakening, exposing him to an active theological discourse. The Civil War dominated his teenage years. Abd-Allah blames the religious establishment for "beat[ing] the drums" of war and suggests that the destruction wrought might have turned Webb against traditional religion. He also grew disillusioned with post-Civil War materialism and sought solace in other spiritual movements, opening the door to his eventual conversion to Islam. After years of activity in Missouri journalism and support for the Democratic Party, Webb received a presidential appointment to be consul in Manila.
   
   While the Catholic church dominated the Philippines, Webb learned about Islam through Indian merchants and the writing of Indian Muslim intellectuals. It was not long before he converted to Islam. In 1891, he entered into correspondence with prominent Indian scholars and, the next year, resigned his post to travel around India to study and raise money to support a proselytizing mission in the United States. In 1893, he returned to the United States and established a mission and publishing center funded first by Indian and later Ottoman patrons. In 1901, he became the honorary Ottoman consul in New York.
   
   Webb submerged himself in his new faith and wrote that, among Indian Muslims, he had found a society superior to Western civilization. Upon his return, he did not shy away from public lectures but found study circles and, especially, publishing a better investment of time. Eventually, though, neither Indian nor Ottoman patronage could keep Webb solvent. His missions collapsed under a mountain of debt.
   
   Webb's story may have resonance with Abd-Allah, who converted to Islam after reading the biography of Malcolm X. Abd-Allah subsequently drifted from the Nation of Islam to radical Saudi interpretations of religion; for more than fifteen years he taught at King Abdul-Aziz University in Saudi Arabia. Like Webb, he is an American convert to Islam who seeks to propagate its spread.
   
   While Abd-Allah produces a well-researched work, making full advantage of Webb's myriad papers and publications (but not State Department or presidential archives mentioning Webb's mission), his sympathy may lead him to avoid critical questions. What does Webb's abandonment of his diplomatic post say about the compatibility of Islam and U.S. government service, especially after his acceptance of work for a foreign government? Is propagation of Islam dependent upon foreign subsidy? How does Webb compare to those today who drift from liberalism to "spiritualism" and, then, immerse themselves in Islam? For this, the reader will have to wait for another author to examine Webb. For those following Abd-Allah's path, though, the narrative will provide solace.
   
   Michael Rubin
   Middle East Quarterly
   Summer 2007



3. In 1887 Alexander Russell Webb was made the American counsul in the Phillipines, at the time a Spanish colony largely Roman Catholic, but with a Muslim minority. Mr. Webb apparently experenced the Muslim faith at this time and in 1888 he converted. Upon his return to the United States he became active in promoting the Muslim faith including the writing of articles and the creation of study circles in various cities.
   
   Webb could well be called the father of the Muslim movement in America and he lived a life that reflected the best of what the Muslim religion could be. After his death in 1916, he was largely forgotten and the center of Muslim religion in the US moved to Noble Drew Ali in Chicago whose early writings implied that he knew or at least had heard of Webb. After Drew Ali's death the Muslim faith in American split into many factions.
   
   This is the first ever biography of Webb.

1 comments about The Cave of the Heart: The Life of Swami Abhishiktananda.

1. In the years following World War II, a small group of Catholic monks quietly left Europe to immerse themselves in the culture and wisdom of India. Perhaps intuitively sensing a malaise in Western culture whose external expression had been a half-century of war and economic upheaval, these pioneers were less missionaries than seekers of truth, intent on re-examining their own Catholic faith in light of insights gleaned from the religions and philosophies of India.
   
   To their critics, these men would be scorned as apostates or near-apostates who had simply "gone native" as a result of being too far from home for too long. To their admirers, however, they were viewed as prophets of a new Christianity and a new Catholicism, a faith invigorated by contact with the great traditions of the East.
   
   Perhaps the most radical of these explorers of the spirit was Fr. Henri Le Saux, a French Benedictine who left his beloved Brittany in 1948, never to return. This book is his story.
   
   A contemplative - indeed a mystic - in whom the missionary impulse was never very strong, Le Saux dedicated himself to a pursuit of the true Self, the experience of Advaita (non-dualism), the unity of man and God, the core experience upon which Hinduism is ultimately based. As time went by, Le Saux became totally committed to the life of hermit and sanyassin, eventually adopting the Hindu name Swami Abhishiktananda.
   
   Moreso than any of his companions, Le Saux had enormous difficulty reconciling his Hinduism with his Catholicism, and often seemed on the verge of abandoning Catholicism altogether. This was because Le Saux penetrated further into the experience of Hinduism than any of the rest, including Fr. Bede Griffiths, the English Benedictine who came to India a few years after Le Saux and who assumed leadership of Le Saux's ashram at Shantivanam following Le Saux's death in 1973. (By the way, Thomas Merton, the American Trappist monk who gained fame for his autobiography, "The Seven Storey Mountain," and who in his later years also became very interested in Eastern religion, was never involved with Le Saux's group, and - somewhat surprisingly - is never even mentioned in this book.)
   
   Le Saux lived truly on the edge, and this sometimes caused conflict with his more cautious companions - notably Fr. Jules Monchanin - who were generally of a more bookish, philosophical nature, and of more moderate temperament. But Le Saux was a man of action - spiritual action - who spent days and weeks in solitary meditation, and who made frequent pilgrimages to Hindu holy sites. And, alone among his small group of expatriate Christians, Le Saux actually spent time studying under the direct supervision of an Indian guru.
   
   There are signs that, in the end, Le Saux found what he was looking for - an experience of Unity, a Divine Fire - that permanently burned itself into his consciousness and left him without fear of life or death. And it was in this experience that Le Saux ultimately came to terms with the Catholicism of his early days: the experience of the "I Am" of the Gospel of John, of a Jesus who is indeed Divine, not uniquely Divine as a human being, but only in the Self, the One Self.
   
   So the story has a happy ending, despite the dark times and the dark notes, the details of which are left to the reader.

1 comments about Unbeatable: The Whole Story.

1. Unbeatable is a wonderful, outstanding, heart-wrenching, book with a purpose that extends far beyond beyond dealing with breast cancer -- it gives a real, live, working example of how to deal with any tragedy that occurs in one's life (large or small). The message is that if you try hard enough, and have enough faith in God, you'll be able to find some kind of humor (skewed as it might be) in any situation. That humor will give you the strength to fight, even if all the odds are stacked against you.
   
   As odd as it might sound, there's also a musical version of the book. It may seem like an strange subject for a musical, but the reviews have been incredible. I've seen reviews saying things like "I laughed, I cried, I sympathized, and I was actually educated." I can't wait to see it myself. I understand that it should be coming to New York in March 2009.
   
   In the meantime, I give the book the highest praise that i can. And i give Ms. Frey my deepest respect for sharing her deepest and most intimate moments in order to help others to deal with this (and any other) insurmountable problems they may have. With her kind of courage we can all be UNBEATABLE!

5 comments about Pontius Pilate : The Biography of an Invented Man.

1. Pontius Pilate is known to most as the man responsible for the death of Jesus. Ann Wroe really doesn't harp on this issue one way or another -- but from the scarce few extant artifacts and writings about the man she has extrapolated a superb profile of a biblical figure who many still revile.
   
   My view of Pilate has always been in contrast with that of most others. I have never viewed Pilate as responsible for the murder of Jesus. Along with Caiaphas, the Jewish Priests, the Jewish population of Jerusalem during the time of Jesus, Judas, and the Roman Centurians who actually crucified Jesus, I see them all as "pawns" of God, mortals directed to carry out His plan for mankind. The Bible clearly asserts that God is omnipotent and, secondarily, that it was necessary for Jesus to die on the cross (for the sins of mankind). I therefore can come to no other conclusion than this: if God did NOT want Jesus to die, then all these minor conspirators could not have killed him even if they wanted to.
   
   In any case, Wroe's biography does not conflict with my theory, or anyone else's for that matter. She just presents us with a clear picture of the man, Pontius Pilate. She is equally honest with the reader on the limitations of her source information and doesn't try to fool us in any way.
   
   This book is a page-turner and reads like a good novel. Highly recommended.



2. For those willing to see the truth of Jesus' suffering, buy the Amazon book "Crucified by Pontius Pilate" by C.W. Griffen.



3. Ann Wroe's Pontius Pilate begins with the disclaimer that there isn't very much historical information about the former Prefect of Judea, and then goes on for 400+ pages. In fact, this book could be subtitled - "More than you ever wanted to know about who Pilate might have been." Wroe begins by giving us 3 different scenarios about Pilate's birth, with origins in Italy, or Germany, or Spain. Take your pick. Wroe provides three different stories with little guidance as to which is most likely. She then proceeds to tell us what life was like for the young adult when he lived in Rome. It's not about Pilate, per se, but about life in general for someone like Pilate, although we're not sure if it's the peasant Italian pilot, the swashbucking Spanaird, or the brooding German. Apparently it didn't make too much difference.
   
   Wroe is a very good writer and she's obviously done her homework. So the fanciful sections about what life was like is very interesting and informative, but a reader who was drawn by the title "Pontius Pilate" might feel cheated that Wroe's central character is actually missing.
   
   Here's some examples...
   
   "...we have little more to rely on when we come to his age, or his marriage, or how bright he was. Of his age, we can only be certain that he was not younger than 30 when he went to Judea. That was the minimum age for governors..." (p. 40)
   
   "The presence of Procula [his wife] in Judea, if she was there, has often been taken as an indicator of love. In the early years of the empire, wives did not normally accompany their husbands to the provinces." (p. 44)
   
   "Ti estim alethia? was what he [Pilate] said, according to John; and if indeed he said it, Greek was very probably the language he used. This was the lingua franca of the eastern empire. Even a rough soldier would have a smattering of it, and a governor could not work without it, unless he dared to put himself at the mercy of interpreters....It is easy to imagine him mangling his Greek as English-speaking diplomates still mangle French...The state of Pilate's Greek, possibly fluent, possible awful, adds a peculiar poignancy to his supposed exchanges with Jesus... " (p. 50-51)
   
   Wroe is stronger when she looks at the changes in perceptions of Pilate as she dissects the Medieval and later literary and stage personas. We see him change in appearance and temperament as each age re-invents him for their own purposes. She thoroughly documents each turn in the saga of the Pilate family, from his wife to his kids and dog. There is no history here, except the history of the history, which I guess is better than no history at all, but (as Albert Schweitzer said about Jesus) we shouldn't mistake this for history.
   
   This book will appeal to anyone interested in history, especially as it pertains to Christianity. But it should be approached as a general study of the times, and not as a biography of Pontius Pilate.



4. Writing now in the advent of the movie the Da Vinci Code, there will no doubt be a spur of interest in books such as these about the characters surrounding the life and mission of Jesus. Like Thomas of the Gospel of John, believers and non believers alike seek to touch the wound and thereby gain "actual proof" of what the faithful maintain.
   
   Today you can go to any coin show and buy a copper slug, sometimes recognizable in its imagery minted under the prefectorate of Pontius Pilate. Alternatively, if you're really so inclined, you can visit Israel and see the ancient remains of Caesarea Maritima, Pilate's old base camp, where a replica of the Pilatus inscription is on display against the backdrop of the mediterranean. Or, you can go to the Israel musuem and see the artifact itself, protectively encased.
   
   At the library, you can read Josephus or Tacitus or the other minor references to an individual who was -- in his time -- largely irrelevant. Together these references would fail to even fill this page.
   
   So who was Pilate? And what did this "invented man" really do?
   
   It's rare that historical scholarship actually rises to the level of being great literature but amazingly, after putting in four years of thought and contemplation, great literature and great historical scholarship is just what Ann Wroe managed to do.
   
   For those who get the chance there's a book club presentation by Wroe that periodically runs on cable. And it's well worth watching to see this proper British lady as she attempts to explain her book.
   
   Her difficulty, our difficulty is that what we see all too often more the product of our cynicisms or unfounded hopes than what really exists. Is it a cloud in the shape of a bunny or a unicorn?
   
   And what would Pilate say if we could ask him? Did you wash your hands? Did you condemn the savior? Did you make it so that we could gain salvation through Jesus Christ himself?
   
   Would he say? "Me? I did that for you?"



5. Either Ms Wroe wants to write a fictional novel based on Pilate or a historical analysis of the character. Reading this book it seems that she can never quite make up her mind. One minute we are reading what Josephus or Philo said about him in antiquity the next we are treated to a sample of the author's writing skills. It is almost like she cannot help herself and succumbs on every page to exercising her writing techniques by exploring imagery and metaphor.
   Before I bought this book I assumed there was little or no detail about Pilate to work with. By the time I was finished with it my assumption remained the same. The only problem was that along the way I had to endure Ms Wroe's disjointed writing, pointless reference to medieval pageantry (the world is flat era), and endless waffle that has no place in a book that Pilate purports to be.
   mmmmmmmmm.......

5 comments about Compassionate Action.

1. Zach Larson has allowed us to dive knee-deep into the truly wonderful wisdom and spiritual teachings of Chatral Rinpoche. I am deeply impressed by the purely spectacular lessons of this book. It's a must read!
   
   -Matt Kline



2. I've read many dharma books in the last few years, and this is one of my two favorites. Chatral Rinpoche is an amazing teacher, one whose impact on the Buddhist world will be felt for many generations to come. I knew very little about him before, but after reading COMPASSIONATE ACTION I now have profound respect for him and the good work he does for all living beings.
   
   Zach Larson has done a wonderful job editing the book. It's clear and concise, and full of great stories about Rinpoche's life and times. There are also many photos of Rinpoche, his family, and other eminent teachers. Included in the text of the book are several teachings given by Rinpoche that I found deeply moving.
   
   I highly recommend COMPASSIONATE ACTION. It's a book that you'll easily read several times.
   
   Oh, my other favorite is WORDS OF MY PERFECT TEACHER. I'll have both of these books with me for the remainder of this life time.



3. As a new Buddhist practitioner, though in the Nichiren tradition, not the Nyingma tradition of Chatral Rinpoche, I am in a process of reading the works of many revered Buddhist teachers and practitioners. Compassionate Action by Chatral Rinpoche, and edited by Zach Larson, provides wonderful insight into the diversity of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition through a series of essays, interviews, prayers and photographs. I read it cover to cover on a flight from New York to Chicago.
   
   The highlight of Compassionate Action for me was his explanation of one of his most well known actions. He releases 70 truckloads of fish from the market in Calcutta annually, an action that allows the live caught fish to re-enter life with a greater possibility of being born into Dharma practice and ultimately attain liberation. In an interview, he details his reasoning behind the sign that hangs in his monastery: "In this Buddhist monastery the consumption of meat, alcoholic beverages, and tobacco as well as playing cards or gambling is strictly prohibited." Citing the early teachings of the Buddha, and eventually basing his ideas on the laws of cause and effect, he simply notes the negative influence of both killing and not taking action to prevent the killing of other beings has on our own spiritual lives. Chatral Rinpoche is committed in his practices and beliefs around the preservation of all life -- insect, animal and human.
   
   In the West we most often hear of the Dalai Lama as the foremost representative of Tibetan Buddhism. Chatral Rinpoche has taken a different approach to his practice of the Dharma than the Dalai Lama. While the Dalai Lama makes great efforts to travel and teach as many as will listen all across the world, Chatral Rinpoche offers teachings to very few people, often only a few of those who have spent a minimum of six years at his monastery. He is a part of a complex system of lineage that has developed for centuries in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. In the end, I am still a bit confused about the exact meaning of it all, who is an "emanation" of whom, but appreciate the overall reverence for spiritual ancestry.



4. Compassionate Action is the first English-language book of Himalayan yogi Chatral Rinpoche, who has influenced Western Buddhist consciousness for decades and was dubbed "the greatest man I ever met" by Father Thomas Merton in 1968. Presenting Chatral Rinpoche's biography and autobiography, six of his essays, five prayers that he wrote, an exclusive interview, and color photographs from the different phases of his life, Compassionate Action is a "must-read" for anyone seeking to learn from this quintessential wise and holy man. "Conscious abstention from hunting and killing living beings, besides inspiring others to do the same, are actions behooving the kind-hearted and pious. For instance, the milk of human kindness requires us to not harm migratory birds in any way, such as casting stones or nets or shooting them while they are resting for brief moments in the course of their long journey from one country or continent to another. On the contrary, we should provide help to them in all possible ways before they reach their final destination." Highly recommended especially for students and practitioners of Buddhism.



5. Chatral Rinpoche is truly a living Buddha, one of the greatest masters of all time. He is the Vajra Regent of three major lineages of the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism--Dudjom Tersar, Longchen Nyinthig, and Sera Khandro. He rescues the lives of millions of animals each year and has been a vegetarian for 50 years, epitomizing the Bodhisattva ideal.
   
   This collection of his teachings, life story, and photos is priceless. The book starts out with a comprehensive recounting of his amazing life. In the 1940's, he was the head spiritual master of Regent Reting, the political leader of Tibet. He came to Bhutan in 1958 and started many retreat centers throughout the Himalayas. In 1968, he met Father Thomas Merton, who famously remarked that he was the "greatest man I ever met." Since then, he has become a fully enlightened Buddha, whose compassionate activities are limitless.
   
   The book goes on to share many of his essays and prayers, which are filled with whit and wisdom. Compassionate Action concludes with his words of advice, long life prayers, and a special Dzogchen prayer for dedicating merit. I can't recommend this book highly enough.

No comments about Biographical Dictionary of Christian Missions.