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The Bride's Bible: Preparing Spiritually for the Most Important Day of Your Life (Ncv)
Manufacturer: Thomas Nelson
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The Groom's Bible: Preparing Spiritually for the Most Important Day of Your Life
ASIN: 0718015312 |
Book Description
Are wedding bells chiming for you or a friend?
Customer Reviews:
Conversations with our Lord & Savior.......2007-06-08
Any inspirational book, and this is truly a great one, is welcome today, to help us stay focused on our goal, that is our Lord, to help us navigate on these rough seas that are our hectic lives. Thomas A Kempis brings us a lengthy prayer, a conversation between Jesus Christ and His disciple. We can identify and feel humbled because the words of Christ are a succession of His quotes from the New Testament, only put in the context of a conversation. This way we learn real wisdom, biblical wisdom, but also we see the other side: that of the struggling follower, the man who has trusted Christ with his faith and now wants to grow more and more in Him, because once you've known the Lord you can't help but loving Him more and more. A classic for any Christian's book shelf.
Imitation of Christ.......2007-05-10
I read this book for the first time over 40 years ago. Recently picked it up again and was so impressed that I gave copies to each of my daughters at Easter. You can open to any page and find a message of profound value for your life. It bears repeated readings and reflection on its truths.
Sincerely,
Dianne Luzzi
Landmark of Spiritual Growth.......2007-05-05
Thomas' work is a call to the experience of God in the tradition of medieval spiritual writings. He calls the reader to the disciplines of obedience, humility, and self-denial. If we suffer in this world, we are only to take it as a reminder that our hope and our reward are not here (I.12). We should avert ourselves from the pleasures and conceits of this world to focus on silence and solitude (I.20). Jesus is to be loved more than anything in the world (II.8).
Book three, by far the longest of the four, focuses on renouncing the world for the sake of inner peace. Here Thomas sounds a hint like a Buddhist, unflappable and unaffected, but rather than hoping for the destruction of self as an end in itself, he is hoping for another world that makes this one pale in comparison. Written as a prolonged dialogue between Christ and "The Disciple," we are told, "I desire to have you wholly divested of self" (III.37). Like many works of monastic or medieval spirituality, we seem to receive a lot more on what we are to give up than on the benefits of doing so. In a rare break with the flow of the text, Thomas gives us a rhapsody on the beauty of love (III.5). Aside from that, the primary benefit of self-denial seems to be freedom of conscience.
Book four concludes with a praise of the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, the importance of preparing one's heart for it before receiving it, and the power of being brought into the presence of God through it. This is apparently either the source of or a supreme example of our union with Christ, experienced as we take his body into ours to become his body.
Overall, a powerful call to humility and self-denial that are the prerequisites for the experience of the presence of God.
A Strong Walk with God.......2007-04-11
Have you ever desired more God in your life? The Imitation of Christ provides readers a strong example of a pure and holy Christian walk. Touching on many specific subjects you can feel the connectedness Thomas a Kempis felt with Jesus and his deeper understanding of spiritual truths. This book is great for daily meditations and a inspirational example of a man walking closely with Christ and in harmony with those around him.
The Imitation of Christ by Thomas A. Kempis.......2007-03-15
The Imitation of Christ is a classic and this edition was very good. One problem was that it is a Roman Catholic book, yet the introduction to this edition focused on Martin Luther in a very complimentary way. I did not expect to find that and I was disappointed because I had purchased 40 copies for the young adults in the youth group of my Roman Catholic Church for Lent. I am happy that Lutherans want to read it, but I felt that it was inappropriate to reference Martin Luther since he had nothing to do with it. Perhaps he read it when he was a Roman Catholic monk, as do all Catholic religious and many of the laity.
Book Description
The beloved Carmelite classic on how to reach intimate union with God through prayer. About 3 pages per day. Covers the whole spiritual life. Based on the traditional liturgical calendar. Gives an absolutely Catholic view of life.
Customer Reviews:
Avoid the price-gougers. TAN is reprinting soon!.......2006-04-22
It is more than a bit shameful, the price gouging that's been going on for this book while out-of-print. YAY, though. TAN is reprinting and will be available very soon.
YEAH!!! TAN is Republishing.......2006-04-18
As a Catholic priest, I think it was rather sinful the prices people were charging for an used copy of this book (the 1 Volume edition). Hundreds of dollars for a book that sold for $40 just a year or two ago? I guess it does atest to the great value of this book.
Well I have good news; TAN Books has decided to republish this work, in a new one volume, leather-bound edition. They hope to start shipping them on April 30, 2006. They will list for $48, but they are on sale now for $40.
a precious resource for Christian contemplation.......2005-12-31
This book is the best one on Christian contemplation I've ever read. It is a perennial source of insight into God's love, without soft-pedalling the frightening consequences of sin. I hope to find it in print again, and will buy several copies right away for friends. Too bad about the price-gouging going on now: it's a wonderful part of any Catholic library but wait 'til there are enough used copies out there for the price to drop below the outrageous $250 or more for a copy requested by certain used booksellers. I bought mine for $31.50 two years ago,new. Hope that Loreto comes through in Jan 2006.
I've heard good things about this book..........2005-12-21
And desire to purchase it. But with all due respect to the people charging many hundreds of dollars for a used copy, this book is being re-published by Loreto in January 2006.
http://www.loretopubs.org/
A 'must have' for all Catholics.......2005-10-14
I am a Secular Discalced Carmelite, and this is a MUST for those of us who have chosen this contemplative way of life. It is a shame that TAN has ceased publishing this book, since it is now very difficult to obtain. I have several on order through Amazon, but they have them on backorder, because TAN won't publish them. Please, please, TAN! Publish this much-needed book again, or turn the rights over to a publisher that WILL!
Sr. St. John of the Cross, OCDS
Amazon.com
In The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins proposed the concept of the meme as a unit of culture, spread by imitation. Now Dawkins himself says of Susan Blackmore:
Showing greater courage and intellectual chutzpah than I have ever aspired to, she deploys her memetic forces in a brave--do not think foolhardy until you have read it--assault on the deepest questions of all: What is a self? What am I? Where am I? ... Any theory deserves to be given its best shot, and that is what Susan Blackmore has given the theory of the meme.
Blackmore is a parapsychologist who rejects the paranormal, a skeptical investigator of near-death experiences, and a practitioner of Zen. Her explanation of the science of the meme (memetics) is rigorously Darwinian. Because she is a careful thinker (though by no means dull or conventional), the reader ends up with a good idea of what memetics explains well and what it doesn't, and with many ideas about how it can be tested--the very hallmark of an excellent science book. Blackmore's discussion of the "memeplexes" of religion and of the self are sure to be controversial, but she is (as Dawkins says) enormously honest and brave to make a connection between scientific ideas and how one should live one's life. --Mary Ellen Curtin
Book Description
'Any theory deserves to be given its best shot, and that is what Susan Blackmore has given the theory of the meme I am delighted to recommend her book.' Richard Dawkins Humans are extraordinary creatures, with the unique ability among animals to imitate and so copy from one another ideas, habits, skills, behaviours, inventions, songs, and stories. These are all memes, a term first coined by Richard Dawkins in 1976 in his book The Selfish Gene. Memes, like genes, are replicators, and this enthralling book is an investigation of whether this link between genes and memes can lead to important discoveries about the nature of the inner self. Confronting the deepest questions about our inner selves, with all our emotions, memories, beliefs, and decisions, Susan Blackmore makes a compelling case for the theory that the inner self is merely an illusion created by the memes for the sake of replication. 'Anyone who hopesDSor fearsDS that memetics will become a science of culture will find this surefooted exploration of the prospects a major eye-opener.' Daniel Dennett
Customer Reviews:
From the Oxford University Press Editor.......2007-05-18
The following elucidation of her text, copied from the back cover- does much to reveal the content of Dr. Blackmore's insightful and often controversial insights into the perspective of life from the view of memes. What it fails to portray are Dr. Blackmore's total reversal of every aspect of human life, viewed not from the everyday perspective, but from that of the self-replicating selfish "mental" gene, the Meme.
Humans are extraordinary creatures, with the uniques ability to imitate, and so to copy from one another ideas, habitats, skills, behaviours, inventions, songs, and stories. These are all memes, a term first coined by Richard Dawkins in his 1976 book "The Selfish Gene." Memes, like genes, are replicators, competing to find space in our minds and cultures, and this enthralling book investigates the consequences. Confronting the deepest questions, from why humans have such a big brains and language, to altruism, sex and the Internet. Susan Blackmore makes a compelling case for the theory that even our inner conscious self and our sense of free will are illusions created by the memes for the sake of their own replication.
Copied from the text by: Bryan McGilly
clear and interesting, but... .......2007-05-16
I just finished the book and think it is a clear and interesting introduction on the subject. On the other hand I felt it was rushing into too many generalizations and the arguments on science vs. religion sounded quite empty.
The Meme Machine.......2007-05-08
This book was just plain fun to read and has given me new insights into why people push there points of view even when you wish they would not bother you with them. Reading this book has brought an increased sense of humor to my experience in relationships with people where discussion about religion are concerned. My tolerance for meme campaingns has increased, and I feel better able to accept my own "meme" infections. While this is a relatively serious topic, it is also a fun one. After reading the book, I am aware that I too am pushing my own meme preferences in sublties, and am able to laugh about it when I catch me doing it. better, I am doing it less and less. My daughter is a mom with a little daughter, and we laugh and play with the memes we are passing along to her. Some "memeing" is useful enough, and supports having a quality life experience. Reading this book has opened my eyes to why I got caught up in certain beliefs that were without practical applicatons in my life. It explained to me why belief agenda's get promoted and why I bought into some of them unwittingly. I jokingly refer to replicators, and meme fountains in causual converstaions now with others who have read the material. I feel better able to choose my loyalty to certain meme complexes now. I can stop the insanity of participating with the subtle control that can happen in a society where people don't ask why. And, I am having a lot more fun dealing with the meme fountains in life experience now~ including dealing with those who push their invasive and distructive memes unmercifully onto others who are innocent and unaware of the affects it will have on them to remain passive. If you want to wake up and smell the roses on purpose, read this book~
An aid to understanding thought contagion.......2007-01-13
Blakemore's book endeavors towards two goals:
1) A recapping of the origins of meme theory...which she does exceedingly well and
2) Humble suggestions on the place of memes in consciousness...where she seems to stumble.
In relation to her first goal, Blakemore admirably retraces the work of the likes of Richard Dawkins and Dan Dennett. For his part, Dawkins coined the term "meme" in his 1976 book "The Selfish Gene" wherein he described meme as a process or idea subject to replication. The song "Happy Birthday" for example would be a meme. Dennett built on Dawkins work by saying in his 1991 book "Consciousness Explained" that consciousness is a combination of in built human cognitive systems (like our innate understanding of physics or our ability to acquire language) along with memes.
Blakemore also recapped Dennett's later book "Darwin's Dangerous Idea" for his tower of states of consciousness, viz. a first level occupied by Darwinian creatures who have to produce a new generation in order to acquire new abilities, a second and higher level occupied by Skinnerian creatures that can acquire new abilities inter vivos but only through operant conditioning, a third and still higher level occupied by Popperian creatures -- for Karl Popper -- capable of abstract reasoning to acquire new abilities and a final highest level occupied by Gregorian creatures that can pick up additional abilities by means of culture or memes.
Building on these earlier thinkers Blakemore asserts that meme theory in and of itself can explain everything from temporary fads like the tulip craze bemoaned by Charles Mackey in his 1841 book on the Madness of Crowds to religion itself.
The mechanism by which Blakemore posits the transmission of memes is one of virture wherein superiorly altruistic memes will oust those previously occupied by more selfish memes. Her thinking is that the vehicles of meme transmission, us, will be more favorably disposed to ideas disseminated by people who have been nice to us than by those who haven't.
To the extent Blakemore ventures out on her own, I would part company with her.
Understanding any aspect, let alone persuasion of others, of human behavior is tricky business. And while Blakemore would posit a subtle arithematic to human behavior the truth probably lies closer to a delicate calculus.
As she herself indicated in her book, understanding consciousness is probably best begun with an understanding of first principles, namely that that subset of evolution relating to human behavior is but a special case for the general rules bearing on behvaioral evolution generally.
In other words, human consciousness is not different in kind but rather merely in degree from animal consciousness generally.
As shown by evolution, animals with motility will have to have both the ability to differentiate between themselves and their environment as well as discriminate the ingredients of their environment between potential areas of sustance and potential areas of threat. And so, the seemingly nettlesome questions of consciousness kind of answer themselves.
A sense of "I" exists because it evolutionary has to and the likes and dislikes of "I" (the so called "qualia" question) really amount to a running tally of emotionally encoded learned experiences.
To be sure, that sense of "I" is different for a person than a pidgeon but again, the differences of degree (albeit, in some cases a great degree, rather than kind).
So, to take religion as an example:
1) From pidgeons to humans, it's an aspect of cognitive perception to allow for false connections or superstitions to arise. And so, the difference between a pidgeon dancing around a machine to obtain randomly produced pellets is not that different from a person performing an elablorate ritual prior to gambling.
2) In the case of humans, theory of mind works powerfully to over ascribe personality. And so, the gambler makes his petitions not to chance but to Lady Luck personified.
3) Because, as noted by Dennett, we have in built cognitive systems, those systems can be decieved from time to time in remembering certain types of knowledge in preference to others. And so, while most English verbs use "ed" as past tense, the special case, commonly used verbs have irregular endings to promote their specialized recognition and recall. In the same way, we remember novel creatures over others. And so, Lady Luck is just like any woman but if pleased can grant you unlimited fortune.
4) Humans also respect strategic knowledge. From evolution in an environment where an extended knowledge of strategic relationships was helpful, we are capable of understanding metarepresentational interactions up to the sixth level. What I think that you may know about what someone else believes that somone else said is not a meaningless sentence. This quality fires our mythologies just as certainly as our soap operas. If we could experience an alligator religion or soap opera, I think we'd be bored.
5) Again, as noted by Blakemore, game theory gives us a sense of the outer contours of religious belief. In this regard, the recent Jeffrey Moses book "Oneness" which is a verbatim repetition of religious principles from around the world shows that the similarities in the main statements of religions around the world (e.g. all of them have a "golden rule," advice to respect elders, educate children and the like) shows that all human religions have made basically the same types of prescriptions and prohibitions.
6) And powerfully, finally a sense of group membership. Are you or are you not one of us?
As can be seen, though the exchange of ideas operates in each of the six domains (and there are certainly others in some cases) the interplay of those ideas varies in individual cases. In this way, while why humans religiously ideate is certainly a question of history and society it's also a question of individual psychology.
Like choas theory operates to produce no two snowflakes that look alike so again no two personal histories are the same respecting their religious ideation.
In other words, while Blakemore's provides some helpful aid in understanding memes and their place in thought contagion, the ultimate answer is certainly much more complicated than her impressions would suggest not only on religious ideation but as to the other examples of meme transmission she discussed.
Before closing, it's noteworth that there's a definate Daoist feel to her last chapter wherein she renders her advice for taking the "I" out of your consciousness. Though she didn't intend it, it certainly does provide some interesting food for thought as to why attempts at Daoist living have such a...well...Daoist feel to them.
Really Fun!.......2006-12-13
I won't try to describe the book's content as several excellent reviews below have done. I just want to add that this book is one hell of a read. It's great fun and will stretch your mind (if there's really a "you" in there - see the book for more on this). I could barely put it down. Memes were definitely transferred!
Average customer rating:
- Utterly fantastic
- If only more people read this book
- Classic Christian study in discipleship
- nourishing
- uplifting
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The Imitation of Christ (Vintage Spiritual Classics)
Thomas a Kempis
Manufacturer: Vintage
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The Practice of the Presence of God
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The Way of Perfection
ASIN: 0375700188
Release Date: 1998-03-24 |
Amazon.com
The Thomas à Kempis fan club includes St. Ignatius, Thomas Merton, Thomas More, and even Agatha Christie's Miss Marple. (She reads a chapter of The Imitation of Christ every night before sleep.) Imitation has exerted immense influence on Christian worship, ethics, and church structure, because it gives specific yet broad-minded guidance about the central task of Christian life--learning to live like Jesus. Better to read this book a little here and there, now and then, than to try gobbling it cover to cover. Imitation is no triumph of orderly thinking, but it's a great monument and incentive to deep living. --Michael Joseph Gross
Book Description
Only the Bible has been more influential as a source of Christian devotional reading than
The Imitation of Christ. This meditation on the spiritual life has inspired readers from Thomas More and St. Ignatius Loyola to Thomas Merton and Pope John Paul I. Written by the Augustinian monk Thomas à Kempis between 1420 and 1427, it contains clear instructions for renouncing wordly vanities and locating eternal truths. No book has more explicitly and movingly described the Christian ideal: "My son, to the degree that you can leave yourself behind, to that degree will you be able to enter into Me." With a new Preface by Sally Cunneen, author of
In Search of Mary: The Woman and the Symbol.
"God is our home but many of us have strayed from our native land. The venerable authors of these Spiritual Classics are expert guides--may we follow their directions home."
--Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Download Description
Often considered second only to the bible, this classic Christian devotional has taught and inspired generations.
Customer Reviews:
Utterly fantastic.......2007-08-06
Probably the best spiritual reading I have ever done. Every little chapter has profound relevance to the Christian life.
If only more people read this book.......2007-06-30
I'm not even a Roman Catholic (I'm about as Protestant as you get I suppose) and I still loved this book. Reading it I felt like highlighting or underlining just about every other sentence. This book is filled with deeply profound statements and insights, and has many timeless principals that challenged me to take my walk with God to the next level and to strive towards greater holiness. This book really does show you how to imitate Christ.
In a culture where sin is considered glamorous, the only absolute is that there aren't any, and morality is considered a matter of personal taste this book comes a breath of fresh air. Even hundreds of years later, this book is just as relevant (if not more so) than it was then. As I understand it, a Kempis was writing this book because he felt that the church had become corrupt; well, I'd certainly say that that applies today, with the church becoming more and more like the world every day. Unbelievers are often turned off by hypocrisy and worldliness in the church and, as believers, we are in serious danger of losing our effectiveness. This book helped me recognize areas in my life where I was not conforming my thoughts and actions to God's Word and I think it will help others too. I honestly can't recommend this book enough and think that this book is just what the church needs right now. If I could make all Christians read one book other than the Bible itself it would certainly be this book.
As Paul said, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." (Romans 12:2). This is exactly what the church needs right now (in fact, that's what the church ALWAYS needs, but especially now) and that's exactly what this book will show you how to do. Jesus calls us to a radical holiness and a separation from worldliness, and this book will help you glorify Jesus more by imitating Him and to overcome (or at least begin to overcome) worldliness.
If you don't own this book yet, I would recommend doing so. This one is definitely worth buying; I anticipate re-reading my copy over and over again because this book has so much insight. This is the kind of book that you can re-read multiple times and get more (and different) benefits from it each time. This is also a superb, elegant translation that makes the book almost poetic at times and certainly retains the beauty of the text. Strongly recommended.
Classic Christian study in discipleship.......2007-05-16
There are so many great works out today on being a true disciple. Yet this is the paradigm on which all subsequent work has been based. Thomas a Kempis here shares the fruits of a life devoted to the spiritual disciplines. It is at times inspiring and always challenging. Meditation on the insight he shares is inspiring. Practicing the life it implies is challenging, some might even say impossible. It is the perfect work for meditation in prayer that leads to a true sense of awe for a God that loves us so much. A good work to which to return from time to time.
nourishing.......2007-01-28
A wonderful book to meditate on and take in slowly. Humility and grace are covered quite well. I understand why this has been an oft-printed book.
uplifting.......2007-01-15
supposedly ranks second only to the bible in terms of number published. easy to pick up and read anytime, even if for only a few minutes. it's from hundreds of years ago, so it's pretty conservative, traditional reading in contrast to some of today's swinging, feel good concepts.
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- Roman Catholic Daily Missal
- An excellent tool to grow in the faith.
- All in one
- Need to know...
- Excellent Companion for the Daily Communicant, but wanting nonetheless
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Daily Roman Missal (Burgundy Imitation Leather)
James Socias
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Handbook of Prayers
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Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church
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Daily Roman Missal: Burgundy Genuine Leather
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Rites of the Catholic Church
ASIN: 1584591943 |
Book Description
One complete large-print volume with generous, easy-on-the-eyes 12-point type! A wonderful gift for priests, deacons, seminarians, families, and seniors.
Includes:
• Sunday and Weekday Masses (Proper of Seasons, Proper of Saints, Common Masses, Ritual Masses, Masses for Various Needs and Occasions, Votive Masses, Masses for the Dead). All complete with Revised New American Bible readings for each Mass - no need to flip pages!
• Order of Mass in Latin (Editio typica 3a) and English, with responses in Latin and English
• Excerpts from the Catechism of the Catholic Church before each Sunday cycle of Readings
• 300 pages of Prayers and Devotions
• How to Be a Better Catholic
• Basic Prayers
• Midday and Evening Prayers
• Preparation for Mass
• Prayers for Before and After Mass
• Eucharistic Adoration
• Guide for a Good Confession
• Devotions to the Blessed Trinity, Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and St. Joseph
• Meal Prayers
• Prayers at the Time of Death
• Blessings
5½″ x 8″ Burgundy Leatherette Hardcover Edition also includes:
• Large, easy-to-read 12-point type
• Six place holder ribbons
• 200 black and white and two-color illustrations
Customer Reviews:
Roman Catholic Daily Missal.......2007-04-01
Excellent service; and received exactly what I thought, in a timely manner. Thought that it would be a hard item to find (A new version of the, Daily Roman Missal), but that was not the case. Very pleased!
An excellent tool to grow in the faith........2007-01-25
"Truth in Advertising" compels me to state that I am reviewing the HARDCOVER standard size version of the Daily Roman Missal. That said, the editor(s) deserve a lot of credit for putting out in a single volume the whole Roman Missal with all the readings in full. Five stars just for that.
The illustrations are superb. They strike the right tone throughout the book and are a very nice support to the various seasons and Masses.
The inclusion of relevant sections from the Catechism of the Catholic Church is a stroke of genius. A very original and effective way of marrying two pivotal and important documents for the average churchgoer.
Coincidently, I recently received the 1962 version of the Roman Missal published by Angelus Press. Two Latin/English Missals separated by 400 years. Both having the Latin texts for the Order of Mass. However, I'm disappointed that the prefaces in the 2006 Daily Roman Missal do not have the corresponding Latin texts. I suppose that space considerations played a part in the decision. Too bad. Perhaps in the next edition.
The devotional prayers are an excellent addition to this (massive) volume of material and do a nice job in rounding out a complete, usable prayer book. My only disappointment is that this does not include any part of the excellent Liturgy of the Hours - especially excerpts from Morning and Evening Prayer and Night Prayer. However, I can't be too unhappy with the existing prayers. Perhaps for the next edition too?
All in all, a must-have for any Catholic who values his or her faith. An excellent tool to grow in the faith.
Post-script: As anyone may know, the present translation of the English texts is currently undergoing a complete revision mandated by Rome. I suspect that we will see and experience these new texts in late 2008 or sometime in 2009. When that happens, this edition will mark the end of the 1970's era of translations and launch us into a more faithful and exact translation of the Latin texts.
All in one.......2007-01-04
was looking for an affordable weekday missal. Found not only a good weekday missal, but also a sunday missal and prayer book all in one at a reasonable price.Very well satisfied.
Need to know..........2006-02-26
Amazon should state that the version being sold is the New American Bible version.
I'm not in the states so I didn't want that version but I'm stuck with it now.
Aside from that it's a great Missal to have. I know it will come in handy if I ever visit the states.
Excellent Companion for the Daily Communicant, but wanting nonetheless.......2006-02-17
In general, a much-needed volume to those Novus Ordo attendees who crave an all-too-often elusive stability in today's liturgy.
I lament, too, with another reviewer, the exclusion of the Latin prefaces from the 6th Edition. In addition, those following the parallel Latin text may, like me, often be disheartened by the glaring infidelity of the English translation; e.g., the attenuation/truncation of the Gloria, "credo" being patently mistranslated as "We believe," the "Orate fratres" blurring the distinction between the sacrifice of the ordinary priesthood and the common priesthood, the "Domine, non sum dignus" being gutted of its biblical and theological richness, to name only a few. The antiphon for the Psalm and/or the Alleluia acclamation are more painfully sore spots in the English translation, or gross lack thereof.
One can also keep tabs of how improvisational many priests have made the Liturgical prayers, and much of the Liturgical rite itself, due to the vernacular having uniformly supplanted the Latin; a practice which, by the way, has absolutely no substantial ground in the documents of Vatican II.
So, this Missal can be both bane and blessing, depending upon who is attending to it at the time, and depending upon how far flung is the local church's practice of the Liturgical Rites from their sacrificial and uniquely Roman Catholic core.
The cruel severity of liturgical and doctrinal abuses in my home diocese (of Albany, NY) is such that I travel into the adjoining (Syracuse) diocese and attend the Tridentine Rite Latin Mass, and use the 1962 Roman Missal. In short, this post-Vatican II convert is truly at home in the "old" Latin Rite. And I fervently pray that the Church never, ever loses this priceless Liturgical Treasure!
Book Description
The spiritual classic by à Kempis, the second most widely read spiritual book after the Bible, has had an astonishing impact on the spiritual lives of countless saints, peasants, and popes for centuries. Even today, the soul-searching words of the fifteenth-century cleric Thomas à Kempis continue to resonate, unbounded by time or geography. Drawing on the Bible, the Fathers of the early Church and medieval mysticism, his four-part treatise shrugs off the allure of the material world, blending beauty and bluntness in a supremely spiritual call-to-arms. This beautiful translation by Ronald Knox and Michael Oakley is considered by many teachers, writers, and readers to be the best English translation ever, and one that greatly enhances the life-changing insights of Thomas à Kempis. Illustrated.
Customer Reviews:
A MUST for all Christians!!.......2007-03-29
What a great, timeless classic. This has become a fabulous guide for our family to help us become more Christ-like! Check out "The Imitation of Christ for Children" by Elizabeth Ficocelli for the children, too!
Listening with the Heart.......2007-01-11
"Want to know the best advice I ever heard?" asked Larry King, in an interview published today in Canada's National Post newspaper: "I never learned ANYTHING while I was talking." 50 years experience at the interviewer's microphone and Larry's best advice comes down to one word. "Listen!"
Coincidentally (or maybe not!) I picked up this just-received book, sent to me by a dear friend who recalled my reviewing an earlier published edition of this same "Ronald Knox translation." And it literally it fell open to these words,
"By all means ask questions, but LISTEN to what holy writers have to tell you . . . often enough, (when we hear) Holy Scripture, we are distracted by mere curiosity; we want to seize upon some point and argue about it, when we ought to (listen) and move on."
I flipped open "The Imitation" just now and my eyes (lately fixated on my newest pride and joy were these: (p 32 under the heading, "ABOUT SELF-CONFIDENCE, AND HOW TO GET RID OF SELF-CONCEIT")
"It is nonsense to depend for your happiness on created things (and) why all this self-importance? Do not boast of riches, if you happen to possess them . . . nor about the important friends you have; boast rather of God's friendship.
"Do not give yourself airs, if you have physical strength or beauty; it only takes a spell of illness to waste the one, or mar the other. Do not be self-satisfied about your own skill or cleverness; God is hard to satisfy, and it is from him that they come, all these gifts of nature.
"He reads our thoughts, and will only think the worse of you, if you think yourself better than other people. Even your good actions must not be a source of pride to you: If you have any good qualities to show for yourself, credit your neighbor with even better qualities: that is the way to be humble.
"To be humble is to enjoy undisturbed peace of mind, while the proud heart is swept with gusts of envy and resentment."
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Seven years ago (on my birthday actually) I wrote my very first review for Amazon.com -- for an earlier re-print of this same translation. This latest version, from Ignatius Press of San Francisco, is far-and-away the most beautiful and features cover art by Andrea Solario (1480-1540) from the "Galleria Borghese, Rome" -- painted about a century after Thomas a Kempis produced his "Imitation." Inside artwork includes some marvelous, same-period woodcuts by Albrecht Durer.
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In his (2005) FOREWARD to this new edition, psychologist and priest Benedict Groeschel (seen by millions on his "Sunday Night Live" TV show on EWTN) recalls stealing his first copy of the "Imitation" from the public library in his Caldwell NJ hometown - slipping it into his schoolbag intending to return it "to its rightful place on the shelf, in two weeks time, the ordinary period for a book loan in those days."
"The title suggested to my 12-year-old mind that this must be a story about someone who pretended to be Jesus. I went and sat by a window . . . the spring sun (shining) on the oak table, I can still see my blue-sweatered arm around the book as I began to read:
"'Vanity of Vanities - all is vanity except to love God and serve him alone.' At that moment I was electrified, and I sat there reading page after page . . . . for two hours, mesmerized by the book!"
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As for the translation? Is it really the best-ever? I stand by my thoughts of seven years ago:
"I have several translations of the Imitation but I keep coming back to this one. I believe many readers will find this translation 'flows' better than the others, written as it is in a warm, gentle and accessible style by a master translator and communicator, Monsignor Ronald Knox. A convert to Catholicism who produced an acclaimed Latin-to-English translation of the Bible, Knox completed the first 30 or so chapters of the Imitation before his death in 1957. He wrote to Michael Oakley, two months before his passing: "If I die without finishing my translation, please tell my executors that you are to finish it." The younger Latin scholar did a splendid, seamless job of completing Knox's superb translation of what was--until this century--the second most widely read book in the world. What a delight that this version is once again available, [50 years] after its first publication. If you purchase only one copy of the Imitation in your lifetime, make it this one."
And now for something different...........2006-11-05
Going into the details of questions of authorship (did Thomas a Kempis actually write this, or did he translate it, et cetera) is not quite as important to me as the import of the message and how it is phrased.
The Imitation of Christ is essentially a minor treatise, but a better and more helpful description might be personal record and observance, on how to realize the Christ within. It has the conversational style, rendered in lovely prose by Knox (and for the sections left uncompleted after his death, Oakley), which can successfully draw the reader into a conversation with the author about his own spiritual and personal development.
It is not like reading the Beattitudes or the Ten Commandments, where instructions or broad pronouncements are supposed to be self-evidently obvious to the reader, who is assumed to be earnest in his quest for understanding. Instead, it is like discussing one's personal life, one's very serious doubts and concerns about one's conduct and inner life with an ardent, energetic and thoughtful monk.
It is a book to ponder over and indeed, non-Christians and Christians, the areligious and religious, alike can benefit from actively thinking about some of the arguments Kempis makes about, say, criticizing others when so much work still needs to be done on oneself (nothing less than a pithy expatiation on casting the first stone!). Indeed, the first great modern proponent of Vedanta, Yoga, and Hinduism, Swami Vivekananda, said that while he loved and read many different works from all sorts of cultures, the two he always carried with him were the Bhagavad Gita and The Imitation of Christ. Quite an endorsement, considering that Protestants and Catholics alike have gained so much from it from all these centuries.
a spiritual classic.......2006-08-05
I first read this book early in my spiritual journey. Then, a decade later I pulled it out and read it again. Each time it impacted me deeply, powerfully.
I find it amazing that a monk (the author might not have been Thomas a' Kempis, we don't know for sure) was able to write a book that has resonated with Christians and non-Christians, Protestants and Catholics, seekers and believers for more than 500 years.
Some people say it's the second best-selling book of all time (trailing only the Bible). I'm not sure. But I do know that it has helped a lot of people just like me discover how to follow and imitate the greatest person to ever live.
Book Description
Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the God's Promises line--over 15 million sold--God's Promises for Your Every Need now features scripture in NKJV and a soft, richly colored leather-like casing. You will find comfort and hope found only in God's Word. No matter what your situation, God has a promise for you!
Customer Reviews:
book review.......2007-05-15
I love the book and find the scriptures very helpful in my day to day life; it's so nice to be able to go directly to the scripture you need for a particular problem. The book has been a blessing in my life and I've gifted many friends with it for that reason.
Customer Reviews:
Know, Live, and Love the Mass!.......2004-06-09
Know, live, and love the Mass. Every Sunday enjoy and participate in the Mass. This book filled with the liturgy in ordinary time and in the liturgical calender, plus papal guides to prayers. With this missal you won't feel left out at any part in the Mass. You can also say prayers at home that are included in the missal with friends, family, or in private.
Vatican II Sunday Missal.......2003-05-14
Having my own personal Sunday Missal is one of the best purchases I have ever made! I feel very satisfied with it. I know I am more organized and better prepared for Mass. I can read the commentary ahead of time and reflect on the Readings/Gospel if I choose. It has also helped me select songs for choir practice that fit the theme for each Sunday.
Overall, it is a great bargain! The Millennium Edition lasts until at least 2021. Very inexpensive when you think how long it lasts. Most importantly, and the main reason I purchased it, is that I am the only person to handle it. Just think about how many hundreds of people (with colds and flu) handle the paper copy in the pew....
Able to read along with the Priest.......1999-07-18
Follow along with the Priest/Deacon each Sunday. If you are ill, do not miss out on the Bible readings. Always feel that you are there and part of the mass, part of the community, part of a family.
Book Description
The Simplest Path, Step One: Free Your Mind delineates, in one slim volume, a complete system for achieving personal spiritual awakening, along with a straightforward, no-nonsense plan individuals and groups so enlightened can follow to awaken Humanity en masse and positively transform the world. This book contains keys to awakening. Awakening from our personal dream shatters the solid "box" of limitation memes have built around our lives, and frees us to fluidly craft our personalities, environments, relationships, careers, etc. as an artist paints a landscape or a sculptor teases form from formless clay. All of us awakening together from the shared dream of the planet will mark the birth of our species out of our current global nightmare of decline into a limitless future literally beyond our present ability to imagine, even in our "wildest dreams," indeed.
Customer Reviews:
Way Beyond "Socrates Revisited".......2007-08-22
After reading the commentary attached to the one star rating given by the young man from Texas, I feel compelled to step forward in defense of this very fine book. With only one exception, every point made in that negative review is simply wrong. Just not factually correct. The reviewer identifies himself as a young man (... "to my young mind"), and since all of his other Amazon reviews are of TV episodes on DVD, video games and rock music CDs I take him at his word. Well, I am an "old man," closing in on my sixty-third birthday, and I came to Mr. Casspriano's book after six decades of life experience, the last three of those decades a zealous practitioner of Zen Buddhism. I say this not to "brag," but simply to qualify myself as a reviewer before beginning.
I'll start where the one star reviewer closed his argument, with his statement that the simplest path reduces to two Socratic concepts: "Admit that you don't know anything" and "know yourself."
The first part is nominally true (the exception). Like Zen Buddhism, a central tenet of the simplest path is working to release the false notion we all hold that we know ourselves, other people, the world around us. But identifying and releasing our attachments to our illusions is a life's work, not some brash "I don't know nothin'!" as the young Texan seems to imply. Under normal circumstances, we go about our daily lives with no idea we are deluded about anything, as Maya (the illusion of the phenomenal world around and even inside us) is so convincing that most of us never even think to question its validity. Casspriano did not invent the notion of human beings being trapped in illusion, as this truth was known to the timeless authors of the Hindu Vedas and is central to all schools of Buddhism (not just Zen). But his scientific/spiritual exploration of the mechanism by which Maya ensnares our minds and can, with effort, be overcome is among the best "plain English" explanations of this process I have read. There is no "inscrutable mystery" in the simplest path (a criticism that has been accurately leveled toward Zen Buddhism, as a lot of Eastern thought truly does come off as "inscrutable" when translated into English and/or the metaphors of Western culture). Casspriano lays out in no-nonsense American English exactly what our brains are doing when they create the illusion we mistake for reality, then shows the reader in the same clear terms how to train his or her brain to break free of illusion and taste reality as-it-is. In just 216 pages, that is no mean feat. After thirty years of Zen practice and numerous kensho experiences (of varying depths and intensities), I can say from personal experience that Casspriano is correct. Enlightenment comes as the fruit of a long, incremental process of retraining the mind to touch reality in a new way, and the process described in the simplest path is the same as that followed in Zen practice, especially Rienzi Zen koan study (I'll have more to say about this in a later paragraph). Casspriano's approach and language is very different from traditional Zen (more "scientific," and no sitting meditation is required), which I think would appeal to Americans and other Westerners seeking to experience "awakening" without necessarily committing themselves to a religion like Buddhism, but the internal mental/spiritual process and final destination are the same.
"Know yourself," on the other hand, is not in this book at all, at least not in the way the young reviewer, or Socrates for that matter, uses the phrase. As in Buddhism, Casspriano takes pains to demonstrate that "self" is as much of an illusion as our misapprehension of the phenomenal world, and is a byproduct of exactly the same mind process that creates outer Maya. A core teaching of Buddhism is that our "self," our personality/ego, is nothing more than an aggregation of outside influences that cluster together in our minds like shiny stones gathered into a pile, and which we mistake not only for something "real," but tragically, for our essential selves. Yet this "pile" has nothing really to do with who we are at all. Buddhism teaches "no-self." Belief in the illusion of a unique and independent "self" is our greatest obstacle to enlightenment. Wasting time and energy getting to "know yourself" in the Western sense is foreign to Eastern thought. Casspriano again does a great job of translating the Buddhist concept of "no-self" into Western scientific/spiritual terminology. He shows the process by which our ego/personality aggregate "piles up," as well as how to take the pile down, stone by stone. Enlightenment is what the pile was covering up, and so it naturally appears as soon as the pile is removed - but oh how we cling to our personal pile of stones! "Self" is what we must trade for enlightenment, what must be surrendered, and Casspriano returns to this truth many times in the simplest path. My point is that the one star reviewer's reduction of the simplest path to "know yourself" has no basis at all in the actual book.
As to the book being "gimmicky": Yes, the words "The Simplest Path" recur frequently throughout the book, but not in reference to the book itself (at least that's not how I took it), but rather to the system of understanding the mind and working toward "awakening" Casspriano is describing - and it is a complete system that deserves to be considered as a whole, on its own. At times the repetition does have a feel of "branding" in the commercial sense, so I understand where the reviewer may have taken his impression. But the simplest path, while resonant with Zen Buddhism (and apparently, according to Casspriano, with the Toltec philosophy espoused by Carlos Castaneda, of which I have no personal knowledge, so I'll have to take the author's word for that) is far enough different that it needs its own "name" to set it apart from other schools of similar but not identical thought. The reviewer's criticism is like saying that every use of the term "Zen" in a book called "Zen Buddhism" should be taken as a reference to the book, and not to the larger practice of Zen Buddhism as a spiritual discipline that the book is describing. Casspriano's point in repeatedly linking The Simplest Path, Zen Buddhism and Toltec Shamanism throughout the book, at least as I understood it, is to highlight these three spiritual practices as related reliable paths through a dark forest of illusion, a forest in which many apparent (and more popular) paths, including most (all?) religious beliefs, actively vie to mislead travelers toward deeper ensnarement in the dream, rather than leading them toward "awakening."
I want to say a word about koan study in Rienzi Zen and how it relates to the simplest path. Koans are those quirky Zen sayings and stories like "what is the sound of one hand clapping?" or "what was your original face before you (or your parents) were born?" that have no rational answer, and which Zen students turn and turn in their minds like the tumblers of a combination lock until their imprisoned psyches "explode" in a "super-rational" experience of reality beyond the illusion ("irrational" would be the wrong term, as that implies "nonsense"). That "super-rational" vision of reality is called "kensho." I have experienced it myself, more than once in my lifetime. I have come to think of Casspriano's "Key Questions" in the second half of the simplest path, especially the later seven of the ten, as "cultural koans" designed to trigger "collective kensho" for the whole human race at once. Like "what is the sound of one hand clapping?", unflinching consideration of the value of human life, of how our beliefs about the future shape the present, of the true origin and destiny of life on Earth, etc., especially as seen through the lens of Casspriano's "Key Question Technique," reveals that none of these questions have rational answers, yet all require our active and immediate response. Successful resolution of these larger riddles that impact everyone will require us all to eventually "explode" into reality, together, in a "super-rational" way. We'll have to break through the illusion and wake up together, as one (which has been the goal of Mahayana Buddhism, of which Zen is a sect, since around 200 BCE). That is the "Planetary Awakening" addressed in this book, and I believe Casspriano's "Key Questions" are a concrete step in that direction. I'm glad I spent my fifteen dollars.
This is my "old man" take on the simplest path, having encountered it after 30 years of Zen Buddhist practice (I'm not veering off my chosen path here, just bowing respectfully in passing toward Casspriano's). From a Buddhist perspective, the simplest path is true Dharma, though I do not get the impression from reading his book that Vincent Casspriano is himself a Buddhist or a follower of any religion. That to my mind makes his book all the more interesting.
True, but gimmicky.......2007-08-09
Casspriano's book is scientifically and philosophically sound as best as my young mind can tell, but I don't recommend this book. Its scattered with numerous pages of advertising about how his "program" works and how it compares to other religions and spiritual movements. Why must this author physically write out "The Simplest Path" in reference to his book every other page, and talk about his second volume? Perhaps because he's not out for pure truth, but for our money.
All this book comes down to after you strip away the nonsense is two things. First, admit that you don't truly know anything. Second, know yourself. Do those two things (they essentially both mean to question EVERYTHING), and you'll have Casspriano's "Planetary Awakening," with 15 bucks still in your pocket. And you'll be following the fundamental truths already said by Socrates.. so do yourself a favor and pick up Plato's "Apology" and read up on the Socratic dialogue on how to live a good life. And don't stop there, because you can't be sure he's right.
And I have 10 bucks that says these other couple of reviews were written by the book publisher. In any case, ignore the hype.
A Unique and Inspiring Wake-up Call.......2007-05-15
This is one of the most clear-headed books I've read in years on the subject of real, nitty gritty, get your hands dirty spiritual development (as opposed to the fru fru New Age variety). So much of what passes for "spirituality" in our time amounts to some author, celebrity, priest, philosopher or self-appointed guru telling us what to "believe," sight unseen, if we want to reach heaven, attain enlightenment, achieve "ascension," etc. Casspriano takes an at times startling opposite approach. For Casspriano, such unquestioned/unquestionable beliefs are not only NOT the path to spiritual awakening, they represent the chief obstacle blocking our realization of higher consciousness. And it's not just religious beliefs ("faith") he's talking about, but all our beliefs about reality, especially those that enclose our thinking in "boxes" that limit our freedom to find solutions to real-world threats like Peak Oil, overpopulation, Global Warming, etc. Though much of the book focuses on individual enlightenment, for Casspriano, these larger planetary issues are "spiritual," as well. Whether the issue is our personal inability to find happiness or Humanity's collective rush toward physical extinction, the cause is the same - our wrong-headed beliefs about what's real. The solution is the same, as well - continuous, deep questioning. Using Richard Dawkins' concept of "memes" as a central metaphor, Casspriano first breaks down the basic process of belief, showing the mechanism in our brains by which beliefs misdirect and control our psyches, then he walks the reader through an exploration of a series of ten "anti-meme questions" aimed at breaking down the walls of our mental "boxes" and setting our minds free. With each question, he supplies an exercise designed to allow the reader to attain a personal taste of reality "beyond the box," especially as flavored by that chapter's "Key Question." For the most part, this formula works very well (with a few rare moments of over-exuberance on the author's part, as already described in other reviews, though as a card carrying vegan environmentalist, I can't say I particularly minded), delivering a cumulative series of death-blows to some of the most basic "pillars" of our present human consensus reality. Beyond the walls those pillars supported lies real reality, where we are all interconnected and interdependent, and, in Casspriano's view, mutually destined for greatness, if we can just wake up and grab the reins of our runaway culture in time. This is not a book for spiritual "feel gooders" seeking soft assurances that they're perfect just they way they are and everything's going to be all right, no matter what. This is a wake up call, a tool kit and a concrete action plan for becoming individually enlightened and collectively saving the world, all rolled up into one. That, I think, is a cause well-worthy of exuberance.
Challenge Consensus Reality!.......2007-05-10
This is a thoughtful book that addresses how we may go about developing a process to question our everyday consensus reality. I suppose if I have learned anything in 49 years of life, it is that all personal and social problems stem from our fundamental views on the nature of reality itself. Vincent Casspriano uses the concept of a "meme" as a fundamental unit of ideas, assumptions, etc. that often block our understanding of reality itself. One such meme, for example, may be that we have to "fight for our freedom" or the world's a "fearful" place and hence, we have to be ready to kill to protect ourselves. I suppose you could also use the word "paradigm" here as well, but the essential point of this book is that we "unconsciously" function in our life with many limited points of view that block our ability to solve problems on both a personal and a social basis.
While Vince Casspriano is to be congradulated for producing a book that presents both a methodology and a motivation for personal transformation, there are a few pitfalls here that the potential reader should be aware of before tackling this material. The author has some rather strong views on fossil fuel consumption, meet consumption, and the role of humans in the cycle of procreation. While I generally agree with his analysis on fossil fuel consumtion and meat consumption (as I have viewed large tracks of deforrested grazing land in developing countries), these viewpoints can distract the reader from the essential point here which is to rigourously question consensus reality. Since I am single, and have no motivation to have children, I definitely disagree with his views on the necessity of human procreation on this planet, but here again, it is important to extract the essential meaning rather than get caught in the specific political/social debates that these issues may spawn.
If you are serious about personal transformation with the potential for changing our global consciousness, than this book can be an invaluable tool. I do agree with the Author that a world population of "high functioning" people can resolve every planetary problem we face today. As we systematically question our consensus reality, we will see our problems in new ways, and with this new perspective, problems can often be quickly resolved or transcended.
A Simple Cure For What's "Eating Us".......2006-11-13
I considered titling this review, "Stop Whining, Wake Up and Get Busy Saving the World," but decided "Eating Us" would be more attention-grabbing - which matters because I believe Vincent Casspriano, Jr.'s "The Simplest Path, Step One: FREE YOUR MIND" is an important book, and I want to do whatever I can to draw your attention to it. Pick the title you like best. Both very fittingly describe what you will find within the pages of this remarkable new release from New Paradigm Press.
I have selected three short quotations to explore in this review that I think best summarize Casspriano's overall message:
From Chapter One, "The Boxes We Dream In":
"Right now, this very moment, you are asleep... Even if you are reading these words in broad daylight - sitting at your desk or beside the kitchen table, your feet firmly planted on the floor, eyes open, senses alert, feeling the weight of this book in your hands as sounds of life rise and fall rhythmically around you - you are deeply asleep, and dreaming furiously"
Now, the idea that Humans are sleeping, and must therefore "awaken," is by no means unique to Casspriano's "Simplest Path" spiritual system, being the root observation underlying pretty much all Eastern religion, and a lot of Western Occultism and New Age metaphysics, as well. In fairness, Casspriano makes no claim to this as an original insight, openly supporting his assessment of the human predicament with quotations taken from Animism, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Islam. He then flows seamlessly into a list of complementary illustrations from the secular realms of Quantum Physics, brain/consciousness research, and most to-the-point, the study of memes and memetics, ala Evolutionary Biologist and world's best-known cheerleader for scientific atheism, Richard Dawkins.
If you've never heard of memes or memetics, a quick Google of those terms will reveal hundreds of serious, information-rich websites devoted to this now thirty-year old science. In a nutshell, a "meme" is a sort of contagious thought-form that spreads between people by way of imitation. Obvious memes in our environment include advertising jingles, fads and fashions, etc. Casspriano somewhat radically extends the concept to include just about everything that makes up the contents of our individual brains and shared human culture. While he resists redefining the word "meme" wholesale, he decidedly expands its definition to make memes and "memeplexes" (what you get when a number of memes band together into an organic, relational unit, like a religion or cultural or political movement) the basic, fundamental building blocks of everything we habitually label "real..."
And then he demonstrates, in at times excruciating detail, the complete emptiness of the "apparent-reality" that is a byproduct of memetic activity in our brains. What we call "real" is not real at all. It's an illusion spun up by our memes. And our memes are not original to us. They are "viral invaders" assailing our minds from without. Worse - and, while even this thought is not wholly unique to Casspriano, he certainly gives it his own very effective spin - memes are by no means mere passive beliefs or simple "harmless ideas." They are, Casspriano believes, actively predatory psychic parasites whose survival depends on our buying into the illusions they create in our minds. Think of illusion (Samsara, Maya, etc.) as a web we're caught in. Memes are the spider. We are the fly. Gotcha.
One thing I like very much about Casspriano's book is that he never asks us to take anything on faith, least of all this rather ugly depiction of the human psychic/spiritual condition. He not only challenges readers to test his hypothesis firsthand in order to experience what is real and true for ourselves, he spends a large chunk of the book outlining specific exercises anyone can do to escape memetic interference and personally experience reality as-it-is. The exercises in Part II of the book are powerful medicine... But this is a digression, so let me return to the point.
Memes are the spider, and we are the fly. A better metaphor might be that memes are the farmer, and we are the cow. Domesticated and docile, we allow memes to milk us daily, to extract from our minds the potent human psychic energy which, if reclaimed by us and put to proper human use, would quickly and positively transform our lives and our world. This transformation is awakening, ascension, enlightenment, metanoia, the Buddha-like change of consciousness most religions and spiritual systems on Earth hint at, but few ever actually deliver to followers. In this analysis, Casspriano's "Simplest Path" is very much in line with Gurdjieff's "Fourth Way," Carlos Castaneda's Toltec sorcery, and a few other well known spiritual practices inhabiting a somewhat darker, though perhaps more realistic corner of the New Age. But unlike most of those other systems, Casspriano's prescription for escaping illusion and awakening to reality is remarkably, well... simple.
From Chapter Three, "Waking Up":
"The simple truth is that we are sleeping because we lack sufficient energy to wake up."
And later in the same chapter:
"The real work that brings about awakening, rather than merely granting the external appearance of "being spiritual," while actually embroiling us ever more deeply in the dream, is a rigorous, daily commitment to the identification and elimination of every self-serving belief from which our personal dream-lives are constructed."
For "belief" in the quotation above, read "meme/memeplex." Casspriano certainly does, treating the terms as largely interchangeable. In the end, this genuinely simple - at least in the sense of being uncomplicated and pragmatic - spiritual practice amounts to discovering reality as-it-actually-is less by searching for a glimpse beyond the illusion, than by systematically withdrawing our participation in, and identification with, the dream. When we disentangle our psyches from memetic illusion, only reality remains. We don't have to chase it; to a meme-free mind, reality just appears. This is "Satori" in Zen Buddhism. This is "stopping the world" in the Toltec sorcery of Castaneda and others. Casspriano's genius lies in his talent for exposing the core mechanism behind such complex and often inscrutable spiritual systems, and for putting into plain language clear instructions for unraveling the dream and achieving personal awakening. The virus-like process by which memes take over and control our human minds, as described by Casspriano is, to my mind, very complicated (but well worth struggling through). What is genuinely simple about "The Simplest Path," however, is Casspriano's prescription for breaking those bonds, once you've made the effort to understand how they are created and maintained. For Casspriano, remaining a victim of spiritual sleep and energetic exploitation by memes is a complex activity in which we unconsciously invest enormous amounts of psychic energy every day of our lives. Awakening is the product of a simple act of withdrawing that investment, which automatically re-energizes of our minds and lives. Or as Casspriano cleverly phrases it when closing Chapter Three, "Waking Up":
"Unweave the tapestry of the dream, and awakening happens."
Anyone can do this. Spiritual awakening, in Casspriano's view, may be hard work, but it is not complicated work. The path to enlightenment is really rather shockingly simple. Fall out of love with the dream. Reclaim your psychic energy. Wake up to reality.
The ten "Key Questions" Casspriano explores in the second section of the book are designed to put the theory laid out in Part I to practical and immediate use. Essentially, I think Casspriano sees these ten issues - why we treat enlightenment as an "airy-fairy" ideal instead of a measurable transformation of brain functioning, the excuses we make for avoiding personal responsibility and integrity along the lines of Castaneda's "impeccability," the fallacy of belief in a "separate self," etc. - as pillars of both our personal and collective human dreams. They are by no means an exhaustive listing of the memes twisting our minds. But they are primary keystones on which layers upon layers of the grand illusion are built. Topple these ten baseline pillars and the larger structure crumbles.
Casspriano explores some "Keys" more successfully than others. One downside to the book is that, especially in the "Keys," Casspriano's own memetic prejudices shine at times rather glaringly through, as when, in his discussion of the American "What Would Jesus Do?" religious fad, he characterizes the Evangelical Christian purveyors of WWJD as, "ultra-conservative, right wing ideologues." Even should the reader personally agree with such pronouncements, its hard to resist thinking, "Hey Vince! Your memes are showing!" But where he nails his point, Casspriano's prose can be downright inspiring, as with the "Key" cosmological study "Is Earth the Center of the Universe?," which explores the gap between what we know, scientifically, about the Universe and what our daily choices and behavior says we really believe, about the cosmos and about ourselves. His closing "Key" "Are We Alone?" so poetically frames the true stakes of our global human predicament - species survival VS extinction - that its hard to imagine anyone keeping their gaze glued squarely to their own self-involved navel in the wake of reading it. Of course we are not alone. There are six and a half billion of us on Planet Earth, and whether we awaken to what's best in us or follow our darkest drives over History's cliff into oblivion, we do so as one. One planet, one fate.
This notion of "oneness" and of a common, intertwined human spiritual and biological destiny is a core theme in The Simplest Path, Step One: FREE YOUR MIND that sets it apart from any spiritual book in recent memory. My final quotation from the book returns us to the opening lines of Chapter One, "The Boxes We Dream In":
"We are all aware of the challenges facing us as we enter together into the 21st Century:
· World oil supplies are running out.
· Global warming is transforming the Earth into a steamy greenhouse.
· Even as our technology connects the world, ideological extremism, terrorism and militarism divide us as never before.
· Headlines bombard us with news of war, famine, pestilence and death until we feel overwhelmed and unable to respond.
· Time is running out..."
Vincent Casspriano, Jr.'s "The Simplest Path to Personal and Planetary Transformation, Step One: FREE YOUR MIND" does not offer easy escape from these very pressing real-world human ills, but rather, a down to Earth, workable prescription for their cure. Yes, we must awaken as individuals, and, rest assured, "The Simplest Path" shows spiritual seekers exactly how to do that. But a prime message of "The Simplest Path" is that, for personal awakening to have meaning, it must occur within the context of a complete re-visioning of global culture, and a mass wrenching away of the wheel of History from the control of viral memes, that we might create a common cosmic human destiny worthy of our highest potential as a species.
Now that's a meme worth feeding.
Books:
- The Catholic Youth Bible Revised: New American Bible
- The Clinton Crack-Up: The Boy President's Life After the White House
- The Complete Book of Fly Fishing
- The Complete Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales
- The Complete Wreck (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Books 1-13)
- The Dark Is Rising Sequence: Silver on the Tree; The Grey King; Greenwitch; The Dark Is Rising; and Over Sea, Under Stone
- The Dead Beat: Lost Souls, Lucky Stiffs, and the Perverse Pleasures of Obituaries (P.S.)
- The Divine Comedy: Inferno; Purgatorio; Paradiso (Everyman's Library)
- The Divine Comedy: Inferno; Purgatorio; Paradiso (Everyman's Library)
- The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri: Volume 2: Purgatorio (Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri)
Books Index
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