| | | TCM Classics
Nurturing Spiritual Creativity I
Eliade, Mircea (1973) Australian Religions: an Introduction. Cornell University Press. London.
Foreword, Preface, 1Supernatural Beings and High Gods.
2Cultural Heroes and Mythical Geography.
3Initiation Rites and Secret Cults.
4The Medicine Men and their Supernatural Models.
5Death and Eschatology: conclusions.
Elkin, A. P. (1977) Aboriginal Men of High Degree. 2nd Ed. University of Queensland Press. St. Lucia.
ElkinIntro, Elkin1, Elkin2, Elkin3, Elkin4, Elkin5.
Part1: The Personality, Making and Powers of Aboriginal Men of High Degree.
Part2: The Making and Powers, a survey.
Part3: Aboriginal Men of High Degree in a Changing World.
Armstrong, Karen (2006) The Great Transformation. The World in the Time of Buddha, Socrates, Confucius and Jeremiah. Atlantic Books. London.
Armstrong gives an excellent overview of the religious and political currents of these times. It is an absorbing read, which gives real insight into the foundations that lead into the next two millennia. Daoism also began in these times.
Content,Maps,Introduction,Glossary.
Bibliography,Notes.
1. The Axial Peoples (c.1600 to 900 BCE). Axial1a. Axial1b. 2. Ritual (c.900 to 800 BCE). Ritual2a. Ritual2b,3a.
3. Kenosis (c.800 to 700 BCE). Kenosis3b.
4. Knowledge (c.700 to 600 BCE).
Knowledge4a. Knowledge4b,5a
5. Suffering (c 600 to 530 BCE). Suffering5b
6. Empathy (c.530 to 450 BCE). Empathy6a Empathy6b,7a
7. Concern for Everybody (c.450 to 398 BCE). Concern7b
8. All is One (c.400 to 300 BCE). One8.
9. Empire (c.300 to 220 BCE). Empire9a. Empire9b,10a.
10. The Way Forward. Forward10b.
Lu K’uan Yu [Charles Luk] (1969) The Secrets of Chinese Meditation. Rider. London.
Contents, Preface.
1. Self-Cultivation as Taught in the Surangama Sutra.
2. Self-Cultivation according to the Ch’an (Zen) School.
3. Self-Cultivation according to the Pure Land School.
4. Self-Cultivation according to the T’ien T’ai (Tendai) School.
5. Self-Cultivation according to the Taoist School.
6. Authentic Experiments with Buddhist and Taoist Methods of Self-Cultivation.
7. Physical and Spiritual Culture According to Chinese Yoga. Conclusion.
Glossary.
Wilhelm, Richard (1962) The Secret of the Golden Flower. A Chinese Book of Life. Arkana. London.
Intro/Contents1a. Forward/Discussion1b.
Translation of the T’AI I CHIN HUA TSUNG CHIH. GoldF2a. GoldF2b.
Translation of the HUI MING CHING.
Commentary by C. G. Jung. GoldF3a. GoldF3b. GoldF3c. GoldF3d.
Appendix: In Memory of Richard Wilhelm. GoldF4.
Leggett, Trevor (1982) Encounters in Yoga and Zen; meetings of cloth and stone. Routledge & Kegan Paul. London. Legg1, Legg2, Legg3.
A collection of traditional Japanese and Indian stories used in spiritual training. The Japanese Suiboku style brushed art is by Jacques Allais.
Daisetsu Teitaro Suzuki (1957) Mysticism: Christian and Buddhist. Unwin paperbacks. London. Suz1, Suz2, Suz3.
A study of three great schools of mysticism; Christian, Zen and Shin. The Christian component here derives mainly from Eckhart.
Herrigel, Eugen (1953) Zen in the Art of Archery. Vintage Books. New York. ZenA, ZenB.
Of course, this is actually about a Zen approach to life generally.
Ramacharaka, Yogi (1930) Hatha Yoga: The Yogi Philosophy of Physical Well-Being. Yogi Publication Society. Chicago.
Hatha1. Hatha2. Hatha3. Hatha4. Hatha5. Hatha6. Hatha7. Hatha8.
Desikachar, T.K.V. (1995) The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice. Inner Traditions. Rochester.
Contents, Forward. Introduction.
Part I: The Practice of Yoga.
1. Yoga Concept and Meaning.
2. The Foundations of Yoga Practice.
3. The Principles of Asana Practice.
4. The Careful Construction of a Yoga Practice.
5. Asana Variations. 7. The Bandhas
6. Pranayama.
Part II: The Understanding of Yoga.
8. The Thinks that Darken the Heart. 9. Actions Leave Traces.
10. The World Exists to be Seen and Discovered. 11. Living in the World.
12. The World Exists to Set Us Free. 13. The Qualities of the Mind.
14. Nine Obstacles on the Yoga Way. 15. The Many Paths of Yoga.
Part III: The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali. Sutra1. Sutra2. Sutra3. Sutra4.
Part IV: A Life of Yoga. Krish.
Appendices, Glossary.
Iyengar, B. K. S. (1993) Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali [Patanjali Yoga Pradipika]. Aquarian. London.
Contents, Preface, Prologue. Introduction.
Yoga Sutras: Text, Translation, Commentary.
Part I: Samadhi pada. Part1a. Part1b. Part1c.
Part II: Sadhana pada. Part2a. Part2b. Part2c.
Part III: Vibhuti pada. Part3a. Part3b.
Part IV: Kaivalya pada. Part4a. Part4b.
Appendices. Glossary.
Robinson, James M. (Gen. Ed.) (1977) THE NAG HAMMADI LIBRARY, in English. Harper & Row. New York. Translated by Members of the Coptic Gnostic Library Project of the Institute for Antiquity and Christianity.
NagHam1, NagHam2a, NagHam2b, NagHam3a, NagHam3b, NagHam4a, NagHam4b, NagHam5a, NagHam5b, NagHam6, NagHam7.
For those interested in the origins of Christianity, and the early ideas, tumultuous currents and derivation of its religiosity and spirituality, this is an enormously important book. It is but one facet of the work of the Coptic Gnostic Library Project. The library itself - the scrolls - were discovered at Nag Hammadi, upper Egypt, in late 1945. Each tractate has a brief introduction, usually written by its translator.
Pagels, Elaine (1981) The Gnostic Gospels. Vintage. New York.
Gnost1, Gnost2, Gnost3, Gnost4.
An important, very readable and thought-provoking work on Gnosticism, deriving from and significantly informed by, the Gnostic Christian texts discovered at Nag Hammadi, Egypt. Pagels gives an intriguing and absorbing view of this important component of early Christian spirituality.
Jerome M. Neufelder, Mary C. Coelho (eds.) (1982) Writings on Spiritual Direction; by great Christian masters. Seabury Press. New York.
Topics include: The Need for Spiritual Direction; Images and Models of the Spiritual Director; Seeking and Choosing a Spiritual Director; Secrets of the Heart; Directors’ Advice to their Colleagues; Discernment; Personal Teachings; Obedience.
There is certainly benefit in accessing the thoughts, opinions and sensibilities of people who have preceded us. SpDirect1a, SpDirect1b, SpDirect2a, SpDirec2b, SpDirect3a, SpDirect3b, SpDirect4.
Guillaume, Alfred (1956) Islam. Penguin. Middlesex. UK.
Islam1, Islam2, Islam3.
This is a very good survey and overview of Islam before everything became overly politicised. Alfred Guillaume was Professor of Arabic at the University of London, amongst other things.
Shah, Idries (1967) Tales of the Dervishes. E. P. Dutton. New York. Derv1, Derv2, Derv3.
Teaching stories from the Islamic Sufi tradition.
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