Victor M. Parachin is a yoga and meditation teacher. He has a Master's degree in religion from the University of Toronto and is the author of numerous books about eastern practices and spirituality. He is on the faculty of Yoga Spirit Academy, a yoga teacher training program.
We have given Parachin two S&P Book Awards — in 2007 for Eastern Wisdom for Western Minds, which models hospitality as a way for Christians to enrich their faith with the principles and practices of Eastern religions, and in 2012 for Eleven Modern Mystics and the Secrets of a Happy, Holy Life, an impressive book with an interspiritual flair and a deep appreciation for mysticism.
We share with this author a delight in peppering our writing with quotations and for savoring a broad spectrum of spiritual teachers. We also relish the special role that little things — words, thoughts and objects — play in the Divine picture. Parachin quotes the Sufi Indries Shah who said: "Enlightenment must come little by little; otherwise it would overwhelm."
Using the structure of an alphabet, the author unspools stories, quotations and spiritual lessons from Eastern wisdom, offering us a treasure-trove of light and liberty. Here is a sampler of quotes from this paperback.
"The greatest appointment you have in life is with yourself. Be sure to show up on time and pay attention."
— Laura Teresa Marquez
"Overcoming attachment does not mean becoming cold and indifferent. On the contrary, it means learning to have relaxed control over our mind."
— Kathleen McDonald
"The entire ocean is affected by one pebble."
— Blaise Pascal
