Notable Books

Something New

The Masters Speak: An American Businessman Encounters Ashish and Gurdjieff, Seymour B. Ginsburg, Quest Books, TPH, Wheaton, IL 2010, page 308, $18.95.

We hear of a book that is sometimes referred to as the "sleeper of the year". If so, this book has to be the "Sleeper of the Decade"!  I knew of Seymour ("Sy") from his published articles in the American Theosophist, and his talks he gave at Olcott (Headquarters of the TSA) in Wheaton, IL. I was so impressed that I drove about 8 years ago over to Olcott late afternoons to attend his series of classes  on Gurdjieff and his relation to the TS which lasted until he retreated to Florida. In my classes with Sy, I was impressed at how he could move between Theosophy and Gurdjieff; illustrating similarities and differences. 

Something New

Swedenborg:  Introduction to His Life and Ideas, Gary Lachman, Tarcher/Penguin, New York, paper back,  page 181, $16.95.

Something New

Meditation as A Way of Life: Philosophy and Practice Rooted in the Teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda, Alan L Pritz. Quest Books, TPH, Wheaton, IL, 2014, page 262, $17.95.

Something New

Living the Season: Zen Practice for Transformative Times, Ji Hyang Padma, Quest Books, Theosophical Publishing House, Wheaton, IL, 2013, pp. 228, $14.95

As I read this book, I kept thinking this is one of the most practical book that I've recently read. So many of my books get weighted down with theory that I lose sight of the goal. Practice becomes just an item that can be useful IF you apply it to the theory. Somewhere I quickly thought of the quote that I have jotted down in my Journal and periodically review: 

"Disciples and devotees…what are most of them doing? Worshiping the teapot instead of drinking the tea!”

 Wei Wu Wei

Something New 

A Woman's Work (with Gurdjieff, Ramana Maharshi, J. Krishnamurti, Anandamayi Ma, and Paksubuh): The Spiritual Life Journey of Ethel Merston, Mary Ellen Korman, Arete Communications, Publishers, Fairfax, CA, 2009, 309 pages, $24.95.

I love books that quite often work on the fringe of Theosophy. This is how I see a new angle to an idea, a concept, or simply a topic that I didn't understand. This book has a heavy slant toward G. I. Gurdjieff, but just looking at the ‘complete’ title you can see that it covers the 'whole waterfront' to use a cliché. 

Obviously, Krishnamurti was the draw for me; however, many Theosophists are also quite familiar with Gurdjieff. I first ran across Anandamay Ma in Paramahansa Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi 

Here is an interesting (historical) YouTube clip where both of them meet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q046Etdc9Ak

Something New

Mystical Journey: An Autobiography, William Johnston, Orbis Books, Maryknoll, NY, 2006, Pages 230, $24.00

“Zen and Christianity are the future.”

Thomas Merton, speaking to his editor the day before his accidental death
Currently, I'm reading The Cloud of Unknowing and The Book of Privy Counseling which was written by an unknown mystic of the 14th century. This is not my first attempt, and I still find it a challenge. The best translation and edited version that I have worked with is by William Johnston. You will note that is the same author as the book under review: Mystical Journey. Because of my high regard for Johnston and his Theosophical overtones I decided to review this last book he wrote before he died. But first, let me provide the details how he and the Society became intertwined.

When I first became active in the Society (American section), I worked closely with Dora Kunz who was president from 1975 to 1987. She and I were co-editors of the Theosophical Research Journal, I chaired the Theosophical Research Institute (TRI), and served on the Educational Committee where Dr. Renee Weber was chairperson. The 'new age' era of the 60s had passed and the invasions of the gurus was in full swing. Many of us on the committees worked very hard to stay current with the trends that came and went. One of the authors that we found reliable was our author William Johnston. He was a Jesuit Priest, wrote his PhD on The Cloud of Unknowning, and spent off and on 5 decades in Japan. One book that was of particular interest to me was his The Still Point: Reflections on Zen and Christian Mysticism. At that time, anything with the word Mysticism in it was guaranteed to draw a crowd.