This paperback by Philip Zaleski and Paul Kaufman presents a rich array of principles and practices that have been used to accent the sacred in everyday life and to mark the passages in the life cycle. Executive editor Daniel Goleman has assembled a board of advisors including Dr. Dean Ornish, Brother David Steindl-Rast, Rabbi Jonathan Omer-Man, Ram Dass, and others who offer their own spiritual teachings on the contemplative disciplines.
All of the great religious traditions are represented on these pages. A section on morning meditation, for example, includes praying the divine office in a monastery, Jewish morning prayers, Black Elk's prayer to the daybreak star, morning worship at the family altar in Shin Buddhist households, and the morning prayer of the Abaluyia in Kenya. There is much to be learned about the sacred by studying Hindu mantras, the recollection of God as done by Muslims, the lectio divina of the Christian monastic tradition, and the ethical wills drawn up by Jews at the end of their lives. This admirable book presents a treasure trove of ancient religious practices just waiting to be resurrected in the rhythms of our everyday lives.
