The Essential Mystics: The Soul's Journey into Truth

by Andrew Harvey (Editor)

Hardcover, 1998

Status

Available

Call number

291.422

Genres

Religion & Spirituality

Philosophy

All Topics

Nonfiction

Collection

Gifts

Publication

Castle Books (1998), 256 pages

Description

Whether based on the Buddhist vision of the Bodhisattva or the Christian concept of service, the mystic's journey is one taken on behalf of all humanity, and this is the message that Andrew Harvey - one of the nation's most celebrated authorities on mysticism - has succeeded in communicating in The Essential Mystics, a brilliant introduction to the essential texts and themes of the world's great mystic visionaries. Beautifully introduced with vital historical information, The Essential Mystics offers thematically grouped extracts from many traditions, including Buddhist, Taoist, Jewish, Christian, Hindu, Islamic, Hopi, and Aborigine. Paying special attention to the sacred feminine, these poignant selection illustrate the unique and inspiring personalities that embody the mystic experience. The result is not only a collection of carefully chosen and thoughtful texts, but also a practical handbook "for anyone who wants to serve as effectively as possible the new balanced humanity that is trying to be born."… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member tuckerresearch

For some reason, not as good as the others in the "The Essential" series.

1 more

LibraryThing member drardavis

This is not an analysis of mysticism, it is a collection of primary sources grouped by the cultures that wrote them, with very brief introductions into each section. As such, it is an interesting first glimpse at the subject, but the author’s repeated references to the end of the world, “the

human race may die out”, “in a time when the natural world is being destroyed”, “crucial now to our human survival”, “as we all face the threat of extinction”, make me think of a long-haired, white robed, man in the supermarket parking lot with a sign, handing out pamphlets of unintelligible gibberish. Why were these fragments chosen? Why were others omitted? Why be concerned about the fate of one planet, one species, even if it is ours, when mysticism claims the entire universe is “god”? I prefer my mysticism more up-to-date, sprinkled with a bit of quantum mechanics and wondering about the life that exists on the thousands of exo-planets recently discovered. This book is twenty years old, and we’re still here. We should look elsewhere for enlightenment.

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