The inspiration and insight of these Gnostic writings can become a companion on your own spiritual journey. Just what is a soul, exactly? Where did the idea come from? How do we experience our souls? Two ancient Gnostic texts-The Exegesis on the Soul and The Hymn of the Pearl, both presented here in all-new translations-hold important clues to the development of the soul as a concept and reveal inspiring ways your own soul can remember and return...

The wisdom of one of the greatest scholars of Islam can be a companion on your own spiritual journey. Considered by many to be the all-time greatest scholar of Islam, Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (1058—1111) was also one of the foremost sages of theology, philosophy and Sufism. His writings on the interrelation of law, theology and mysticism were central in establishing Sufism as a core dimension of orthodox Islamic practice. Muslim communities all...

The timeless wisdom of this classic Taoist text can become a companion on your own spiritual journey. The Chuang-tzu is the second major text of the Taoist tradition. It was compiled in the third century BCE and follows the lead of the best-known and oldest of all Taoist texts, the Tao-te-ching (Book of the Tao and Its Potency). Representing the philosophy of its main author, Chuang Chou, along with several other early Taoist strands, the text has...

Ramakrishna experienced the truth of all religions, inspiring seekers of every creed. Now his "gospel" is made accessible to all readers. Ramakrishna is India's greatest example of God-consciousness and mystical ecstasy in recent history. He became known to the world not merely as a saint but as a divine incarnation and a "supremely realized self." His message has inspired millions of devotees for more than a century-and now his teachings are made...

Teachings from this fourteenth-century mystic provide spiritual direction and call for you to open yourself, body and soul, to divine love. Many people are familiar with the phrase "All shall be well" but do not know much, if anything, about Julian of Norwich, the fourteenth-century English mystic who wrote those words. Thomas Merton declared her to be "without a doubt one of the most wonderful of all Christian voices," and former Archbishop of Canterbury...

Koheleth's powerful guidebook for living without certainty and security in a world of constant change can become a companion for your own spiritual journey. Twenty-three hundred years ago, an unnamed Hebrew sage known only as Koheleth, the Assembler of Wisdom, rocked the ancient Jewish world with a critique of society that shattered conventional notions of God, piety, politics, and power. Koheleth lived in a world of change and challenge not unlike...

The best-selling author of The Essential Kabbalah now offers readers the best introduction to the Zohar. The splendor and enigmatic appeal of the Zohar, the major text of the Jewish mystical tradition, has never intrigued readers of all faiths more than it does today. But how can we truly understand it? Daniel C. Matt brings together in one place the most important teachings from the Zohar, the cornerstone of Kabbalah-described as a mixture of theology,...

Let the Psalms help you forge a deeper connection to the Divine. Showing how the Psalms give profound and candid expression to both our highest aspirations and our deepest pain, the late, highly respected Cistercian Abbot M. Basil Pennington shares his reflections on some of the most beloved passages from the Bible's most widely read book. In this companion volume to The Song of Songs: A Spiritual Commentary, Pennington is once again joined by Jewish...

The Gospel of Thomas-a book of sayings and wisdom of Jesus compiled as early or earlier than the New Testament gospels-can transform your spiritual life. There are many academic commentaries on the Gospel of Thomas, but this book has a different aim. It is meant to be a guidebook, that is, a translation of the sayings into daily practice. The goal of such practice is to become Jesus's twin. This does not, of course, mean becoming an olive-skinned,...