Spiritual Liberation


Book Description

Michael Bernard Beckwith -- the dynamic spiritual leader who touched millions of readers and viewers in The Secret and through the spiritual community he founded, the Agape International Spiritual Center -- is now sharing his transforming central message and his powerfully accessible means for embodying that message in daily life, a process he calls "aspiring toward spiritual liberation." Michael Beckwith teaches that inner spiritual work, not religiosity or dogma, liberates us. He draws on a wide spectrum of ancient wisdom teachers such as Jesus the Christ and Gautama the Buddha; contemporary spiritual luminaries Thich Nhat Hanh, Sri Aurobindo, and the Dalai Lama; and Western contributors to the New Thought tradition of spirituality such as Emanuel Swedenborg, Walter Russell, and Dr. Howard Thurman to create a profound new belief synthesis. Either read silently or aloud, Spiritual Liberation can be included during meditation or prayer. Each chapter includes an affirmation that distills its core concepts into a sentence or two for the reader to easily practice throughout the day. Beckwith's personal and touching accounts guide the practitioner to integrate and activate the intrinsic gifts of divinity into everyday life. The core concepts of Beckwith's teachings are cohesively conceived and convincingly stated in the provocative chapters of Spiritual Liberation. Topics covering "Evolved People," "Transportation to Trans-formation," "Transcending the Tyranny of Trends," and "Inner Ecology" are some of his foundational teachings that bring together insights from a range of spiritual paths to form a coherent practice that is neither Eastern nor Western but truly spiritually global. Regardless of their belief system, readers will find it impossible to finish this book without at least a few "Aha " moments.




Spirituality and Liberation


Book Description

Argues that there should not be a separation between spiritual and temporal concerns, looks at liberation theology, and discusses spirituality and sexuality




Liberation IS, The End of the Spiritual Path


Book Description

In this remarkable book, Salvadore Poe guides you step by step to awakening. There are numerous books that talk about spiritual awakening and enlightenment. And while reading any of them, you may be inspired, and you may be impressed with the wisdom of the author, but you don't awaken. You just add more concepts and beliefs to your mind about what enlightenment is, and this keeps you seeking for answers and resolution. Liberation IS, The End of the Spiritual Path is different. It is intended as a final push for those who are ready to be finished seeking. Through inquiries and experiments, you are guided to recognize your free essential being, and what is revealed in that recognition is that you are whole and complete, lacking nothing, exactly as you are now. When this is clearly seen and becomes doubtless, seeking ends naturally, by itself.







Spirituality of Liberation


Book Description

How is it possible to live a spiritual life? What should the kernel of this spirituality be, in this world of crises, challenges, and change? From his immersion in the violent and struggle-filled reality of Central America, Jon Sobrino articulates a way to imbue the practice of liberation with spirituality--a dimension that critics often charge is lacking in liberation theology.




A Book of Sparks


Book Description

An extended introduction into the universal human capacity for attention and awareness through what the author calls 'mindFullness'--the practice of being filled with the awareness of the presence of God. In this second edition of A Book of Sparks, Shaun Lambert offers an extended introduction into the universal human capacity for attention and awareness, known in the world of psychology as 'mindfulness.' Shaun shows how biblical awareness and attention overlaps with secular mindfulness, and has distinctives. Transformation comes through what Shaun calls 'mindFullness'--the practice of being filled with the awareness of the presence of God. This new edition contains a more detailed introduction and a thought-provoking, practical study guide. It enables us to go deeper on our spiritual journey of transformation through a 40-day study examining the watchfulness modelled by Jesus in Mark's gospel. The writer demonstrates how God can transform us as we develop our own watchfulness, and highlights key contemplative practices such as the Jesus Prayer and Lectio Divina. It is an invitation to mindful reading and living.




The Enneagram


Book Description

It would be impossible for most of us to spend a day without coming into direct or indirect contact with dozens of people family, friends, people in the street, at the office, on television, in our fantasies and fears. Our relationships with others are the most changeable, infuriating, pleasurable and mystifying elements in our lives. Personality types, based on the ancient system of the Enneagram, will help you to enjoy more satisfying and fulfilling relationships in all areas of your life by introducing you to the nine basic personality types inherent in human nature. This knowledge will help you better understand how others think and why they behave as they do, as well as increasing your awareness of your own individual personality. Written by the leading world authority on the Enneagram, it offers a framework for understanding ourselves and those around us, as well as a wealth of practical insights for anyone interested in psychology, counselling, teaching, social work, journalism and personal management.




Gender and Salvation


Book Description

Is a total renunciation of clothing a prerequisite to attaining spiritual liberation? In Gender and Salvation, Padmanabh S. Jaini brings to light previously untranslated texts centering on a centuries-old debate between the two principal Jaina sects, the Digambaras and the Svetambaras. At the core of the debate is the question of whether gender-based differences of biology and life experience shape or limit an individual’s ability to accomplish the ultimate religious goal. For the Digambaras, the example of total nudity set by Mahavira (599–527 B.C.), the central spiritual figure of Jainism, mandates an identical practice for all who aspire to the highest levels of religious attainment. For the Svetambaras, the renunciation occurs purely on an internal level and is neither affected nor confirmed by the absence of clothes. Both sects agree, however, that nudity is not permitted for women under any circumstances. The Digambaras, therefore, believe that women cannot attain salvation, while the Svetambaras believe they can. Through their analysis of this dilemma, the Jaina thinkers whose texts are translated here demonstrate a level of insight into the material and spiritual constraints on women that transcends the particular question of salvation and relates directly to current debates on the effects of gender in our own society. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1991.




The Experience of Luminous Absorption


Book Description

In The Experience of Luminous Absorption, Jeff Carreira describes a powerful meditation practice that allows us to discover our True Self. With careful guidance and precise instruction, you will embark on a journey to the pure awareness that is the ultimate source of who you are. That depth of awareness has always been alive behind every experience you've ever had. It is the consciousness you had before you were born and where you will return when this lifetime ends. This profound discovery is the beginning of a new life because the discovery of your True Self opens the doorway to a life lived in flow with Divinity. As we become free from limiting beliefs about ourselves, we discover that we are not separate from a universal source of wisdom and love. In this book, you will learn how your life can become a creative expression of the higher love and wisdom of the cosmos.




Beyond Piety


Book Description

Who doesn't want a liberated life? Jesus offers us liberation as we grow in a Christian spiritual life. But first we need to liberate our concept of Christian Spirituality from ideas that relegate it to Church on Sunday, new age self help, devotional or ascetical practices, or fundamentalist aggression. Traditionally, Christian spirituality liberates Jesus' disciples from personal sin and helps them to challenge sin's social consequences so that once liberated, they will work to liberate others. Christian spirituality (living the Gospel) brings good news for the poor, liberty for the captives, recovery of sight for the blind, and freedom for the oppressed. This is what Jesus came to do, and this is what we as his disciples are called to do as we live our Christian callings in the world. Whether we are at home, work, or play we are called to be Christian. Beyond Piety invites readers to grow in their understanding of what it means to be a disciple of Christ. More than a book on Franciscan or Hispanic Spirituality, this book is about the Christian Spirituality all Christians are called to live. It is about our human and Christian identity and the God we believe in. It is about getting to know the Word of God and letting that Word get to know us. It is about worship and religious devotion and moving beyond piety to Christian action. It is about the call to justice and liberation.