With my classes over for the term, here are some of the things I’m reading and watching as my summer commences. None of these books are new—in fact, they’ve all been around for years—but they’re worth mentioning anyway for those who, like me, haven’t already read them.
The Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton. Amazon.com summarizes Merton’s autobiography this way: “In 1941, a brilliant, good-looking young man decided to give up a promising literary career in New York to enter a monastery in Kentucky, from where he proceeded to become one of the most influential writers of this century.Talk about losing your life in order to find it.” Even though Merton’s spirituality is very different from my own, you just can’t keep from being impressed by the depth of his faith and the beauty of his prose.
A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose by Eckhart Tolle. Tolle takes the best of Eastern thought and New Age thinking and distills it into a readable, remarkable spiritual guide.
Paths to God: Living the Bhagavad Gita by Ram Dass. The thing about this book is that it isn’t really about living the Bhagavad Gita, at least not in the way you think it’s going to be. It’s about meditating, keeping a journal, doing Yoga, practicing silence, fasting, doing good works, and other things that will make your life healthier, holier, and happier.
And here is a lovely video from The New Earth. Watch and enjoy!