My Own Reviews from Amazon.comI thought it might be interesting to post some of the reviews of other books I have submitted to Amazon.com. I invite your own responses to these reviews. So here goes from the most recent to the oldest. The number of stars refers to my own entry.
Breath taking, March 9, 2010
I've listened to these suites for more years than I would care to admit, yet I have never heard a performance of them with the life, feeling, and depth of these by Bailey. Prior to purchasing these, I had never heard of him. His interpretation of these works emphasizes the great sweep of melody and energy of what are, truly, dances, and yet in the sarabandes they whisper with such incredible subtlety and magic, without making them bland through over-refinement. I have owned the Yo-Yo Ma, Isserlis, Fournier, Starker, and Bylsma performances and none of them have the commanding power of Bailey's. I've also listen to one of the Casals recordings and while it was this recording which first introduced these works to me, the age of the sound has become a detriment. If you love this music check out the samples, I hope you can hear them as I have.
One proviso, my love for this recording has had the unfortunate consequence of my listening to my hundreds of other classical disks far less frequently. Could this performance be too good?
Ultimately falls flat, February 9, 2010
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One would think that the decline of the ancient era's greatest empire would be a thrilling story. The fall of Rome has all the essential ingredients, palace intrigue, international conflict, civil war, barbarian invasions, the rise of Christianity, and the occurrence of a charismatic emperor now and then. But this book just feels flat and despite its considerable heft, incomplete. More than anything else, How Rome Fell is a military history and it's easy to see how a military perspective is absolutely central to the examination of this historical epoch, but there must be more to it just a constant stream of battles led by emperors whose names fly by with such abandon as to be utterly without consequence. But even within its military context the author leaves several key questions unanswered. For example, why were the legions apparently populated primarily by barbarians in the last 100 years of the Empire. Where were the Romans? Reading this out loud, with its dizzying explosions of newly anointed emperors only to have them murdered in the next moment began taking on a hilarious absurdity. The reader gets so little feel of what it would be like living in this era. The author seems very removed from his subject matter, despite his obvious vast wealth of knowledge. I suspect that this book would have been a lot more interesting if there was somewhat less seemingly irrelevant detail and a lot more depth of analysis. Frankly, it seems to be written by a rather pedestrian mind. The conclusion is so dull and lacking in depth that it astounded this reader given the electrifying nature of the subject matter.
To give the book the credit it is due, I did learn just how different the decline of Rome is from the seeming decline of the American Empire, although an argument could be made that military over-extension explains the fall of both entities. The author also notes how different the Roman Empire was from the British Empire of the 18-19th centuries, in that Romans never faced internal nationalistic independence movement like Great Britain. Despite its ultimate collapse, people seemed very content living under Roman rule and resisted the attempts to weaken the Empire.
With its several critical weaknesses, this is still an amazing time in the human story. The ability of Roman government to sustain such levels of internal contentment might provide a lesson for our own time.
The World of Dinosaurs Comes to Life, January 24, 2010
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Like so many other young boys, I loved dinosaurs. My parents would get me books about their world and I would just stare, longingly, at the pictures. I dreamed that there was some obscure mountain valley, a Shangri-La, deep in the Himalayas or an island, far out in the Pacific, where the lived on. But alas, they are gone, like their far older trilobite cousins.
Scott Sampson's Dinosaur Odyssey brings this world back to life. This is a book for the very serious amateur dinosaur lover. I really enjoyed the author's love of complexity, for many of the most core issues about how dinosaurs lived are still mysteries. His discussions on the areas of dinosaur metabolism and evolution were particularly fascinating. Sampson does not take the easy road. Rather, he treats his readers with respect. The interplay of evolution and ecology is not always a simple one and Sampson takes the reader into these occasionally murky areas of research and conjecture in ways that are endlessly intriguing. These discussions became rather complex and I really enjoyed the challenge of fully understanding them. His writing style is both technical and passionate. His love for paleontology shines on every page. I found myself even a little jealous of the author, for so many years ago I considered becoming one myself as a geology minor as an undergraduate. After reading Dinosaur Odyssey, I suspect I made the wrong choice.
With all we seem to know about the world of dinosaurs, I now realize that so many of the key questions continue to be mysteries. What was it like to wander along a Cretaceous era river? How did the air smell (Sampson does make some inferences about this)? Did these giant beasts make lots of sounds? Was there constant terror in the air wondering just how close a Tyrannosaurus might be? We may never know the answers to these questions, but Dinosaur Odyssey does an amazing job of recreating this world in the language of science as well as the senses. My one criticism is that there were too few illustrations showing the environmental context of these ancient plants and animals. I found myself typing in the names of many of these plants and animals into my search window and then clicking on "images" to get a better visual idea of what Sampson was describing.
He does remind us, that the world of the ancient dinosaurs lives with us still. I can hear them just outside my window as I type this review and they feed in my back yard. You might call them birds, but in truth they are the living legacy of the mighty therapods that once aroused terror wherever they went. Now these same therapods glide through the air arousing delight and connecting us back to distant times in their song.
Brilliant and timely, January 20, 2010
The Long Descent is the most compelling and convincing account I have thus far read addressing the challenges of the coming age when cheap and plentiful energy ends. The time of peak oil is happening now, so it's all downhill from here. Mr. Greer presents perspectives on the coming crisis that are sobering indeed. While nearly all of us know that the age of oil is coming to an end, few realize how few appropriate energy replacements exist. In terms of the vast scale and availability of fossil fuels those renewable sources that are projected to exist by 2030 will not come close to providing the amount of energy currently being used. Moreover, it will be more costly to produce. Greer shows how the development and implementation of any such replacement infrastructure is highly unlikely to occur. The author presents several reasons for this. One, its implementation would need to have already started, which it hasn't. A feasible energy replacement structure (which doesn't actually exist) would require decades of infrastructural development. Secondly, none of the known sources of renewable energy come close to providing similar amounts of energy compared with what we are currently drawing from carbon-based sources. Perhaps most sobering, alternative sources, like solar energy, depend on means of production that are highly carbon-energy based. Just the kind of industry that is likely to collapse in the foreseeable future. Thus, it certainly appears, that a truly different post-industrial age is arriving at our historical and cultural door step. This book provides a kind of manual to both understand the coming collapse of industrial civilization and what we can begin to do to survive the drastic changes that will occur in the not too distant future.
I have just two modest criticisms of this work. One, the author doesn't seem to take seriously the possibility of nuclear war as a consequence of the struggle to control the last remaining regions where oil is still plentiful. I suspect this is a real possibility. And two, as the author concedes in several passages, predicting the future is a highly risky endeavor at best. Given the speed of technological advancement and understanding that the most revolutionary advancements in technology are often unforeseen, I would not, necessarily, rule out the possibility of new energy, likely renewable, sources emerging in the next 10-30 years.★★ 
I really really liked Gary Crowley's first book From Here to Here. It was fresh, succinctly written, and brilliantly original. Alas, his new book has none of these qualities. Frankly, I found this book all but contemptible. It is one thing for a novelist to handle his various characters as chess pieces to propel a narrative forward, after all they are not real people, but it's quite another for a nonfiction writer to treat actual people as pawns to show the reader just how clever and superior he is. Gary Crowley comes off in this book as a clever, arrogant, and altogether shabby person in Pass the Jelly. There is just no love in it. Each of these fairly dull vignettes are mechanisms designed to show the reader how Crowley knows more from the lofty vantage point of his phony "were all just bumbling fools in a cause and effect world", but he's the only one who's in on the game.
I would have given this book, one star, but I will give Crowley two because of his originality in using actual daily life stories as vehicles to express his own, fairly uninteresting, take on non-duality, which is, people do what they do as they do it, and such is life. Life is just the way it is! Voila. If there was even a bit of self-humility in his tone or actual connection with the people in his life as equals, this could have been a good book, but as Crowley himself might say, it could only be this third rate piece of junk, because it is! You see, Crowley can also be a victim of the ruthless Tao that constitutes the efforts of other mediocre writers.★★★★★
No other book exploring the philosophy of Advaita, has the breadth of One: Essential Writings by Jerry Katz. By exploring comparable life perspectives from the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic religions, as well as Native America and ancient China, the author clearly demonstrates the pervasive power of living life without the thought or idea of separation - what is called non-duality. That we are linked emanations from the one source of everything, is a life perspective found all over the world. But more than that, the author also provides interesting essays of Advaita (translated as "not 2) from the fields of psychotherapy and education. I was particularly intrigued by the essay on education, since seeing the contextualization of non-dual planning, organization, and implementation to an educational environment was entirely new to me. This book is, therefore, a great introduction to the philosophy and life perspective of non-duality. There is literally nothing like it that I know of. I should also say that most of the writing in this volume is written by people other than Jerry Katz. He provides short and clear introductions to each section but the essay writers are as diverse as the dispersion of the philosophy by location and culture. Contributors include the rather obtuse Wei Wu Wei to such contemporary writers as Steven Harrison. I strongly recommend this book. My own work reflects much of the same focus of this book.★★★★★ 
Every page of You Are Here glitters with love, insight, and, best of all, practicality. I just love this book because from the very first page it goes to the very heart of the truly awakened life. Also Thich Nhat Hanh pulls no punches, He deals with struggle, pain, and the greatest challenges of life. He can do this with authority because he has lived every bit of it. Frankly, I do not consider myself a Buddhist, since I am, truly, a non-believer except for my own life directly lived, but this book speaks from this powerful voice. I cannot recommend it strongly enough.★★★ 
This volume might be taking the reader to the Heart of the book of changes, and, if so, then my critique is really not for the I Ching masters, but really for the more casual readers that are curious about the origins and meaning of this ancient and revered text. This book is clearly NOT for the casual reader, but for a researcher who wants to dig very very deeply into the subtexts of the I Ching. I am fairly school in the field of ancient Chinese philosophy having read Lao Tzu, Chuang Tzu, Fung Fu Tse (Confucious), and Mencius, but this book was simply far too detailed. I cannot say, with any confidence, that what the book was trying to deliver to the reader was accurate or reliable. I can only hope so after so much difficult and challenging text. If the I Ching is a big part of your life, you might want to take a careful look at this work, otherwise move on and throw those three prosaic coins.★★ 
Simply an Inspired Life is Simply uninspired. This is one of the countless books that have, as their intent, creating a new and better you. As an author and researcher in this very field, I've come to realize that there is only one path to this journey and this is to identify the false as the false. A better "me" is unavailable, because this me is seen to be false in the first place. It is, in itself, a compensatory mechanism designed to adapt to the often contradictory and soul destroying demands of modern life. It is because of that that books like this one exist in the first place. This is territory well worn by many many other writers with experience in the self-help field. There is nothing that I could find here that was new or particularly insightful. I do believe, however, that the author was well intended, but this is more like re-arranging the dishes, rather than throwing away the old set and finding out what is really there once the smoke clear.★★★ 
I believe this is the second in a series of books by these authors seeking to both make available to the non professional reader the findings and insights of some of the most respected philosophers, but also to try to apply these principles to some of the most crucial aspects of life. The these of this book is trying to make sense of death and of course, when we try to make sense of death, we are also, simultaneously, working to make sense of this life. The authors succeed moderately on each level. Of course, not to give away too much at the outset, but life fails to offer itself to making much tangible sense and thus death our struggling to understand our dying doesn't help matters much. This is the reason why this book, ultimately, offers not all that much. Only the easy questions get a satisfying answer, but the hard ones remain unanswered, proving, once again, that philosophy can only take one so far.
I did love the use of New Yorker cartoons mixed in with the text. There are some really great ones included.
This was fun reading and if you're interested in some mildly stimulating fun and this could be the book for you.★ 
I simply cannot understand the ecstatic reviews of this utterly insipid performance of this brilliant work. I've been listening to various performance of this symphony for 30 years and this one stands out as the one that seems most completely off the mark of what Mahler expressed throughout his composing career, namely passion, gravitas, a certain gallows humor, and, ultimately, profound spirituality. While I will admit that it seems a little unfair to criticize a performance of a work that was far from complete at the composer's death, other conductors have done, in my view, an infinitely better job with this still immensely powerful symphony (although not in this deadening performance. Everything seems wrong with it and I literally mean everything. Melodies are muddied by failing to bring out essential voices, moments of breathtaking feeling are rushed through, and appropriate tension building is completely absent. I have never wanted my money back after buying a recording from amazon, but I really wish I could with this one. I was drawn in by the mysteriously enthusiastic reviews for this recording, but I've learned that one, ultimately, has one reviewer he can truly rely on; himself.★★★★★ 
Nirmala is a beautiful communicator of authentic spiritual insight and loving wisdom. I say this because I know from my own experience that his observations mirror that of not only my own experience, but also those of the most powerful and eloquent of spiritual teachers. This book is a particularly on point presentation of heartfelt wisdom.
Often our inability to make breakthroughs in the spiritual life is on account of our assertion that we "exist" in only in our heads. This book takes us out of that constricted dimension and into the broader and warmer dimensions of the heart, where real connection is made. I very strongly recommend this book to anyone seeking more balance, harmony, and most importantly connection in their life.
★★★★★ 
I just love this book. Like some of the very best writing, Your Inner Fish showed that human beings are, essentially, fish, but as highly tooled up hot rods (the metaphor belongs to the author). The gills of fish have evolved to become elements of the human larynx. The stapes bone in our inner ear evolved from a much larger bone that forms a large part of the lower jaw of amphibians and reptiles. And these are just two of the many examples presented by Neil Shubin in this very entertaining and informative book.
But what I liked most about Your Inner Fish is something implied in the title; YOUR! Indeed it is our very own Inner Fish that is so fascinating. This was not just the emotion laden wishy washy writing of New Age no nothings - this is science in its most dynamic and liberating forms. How wonderful is that? Few venues have the power to awaken our slumbering selves out of our trance as individual, isolated psychological selves, than does science and this book does just that.★★★★★ J. S. Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II performed by Edward Aldwell
Let me say at the outset - I am not an expert of Baroque keyboard technique. Also, I am not familiar with the highly regarded performances by Turek and Landowska. On the other hand, I've been listening to the WTC for over 40 years. The performances I have owned are Schiff, Gould, and Richter - and recently Aldwell. This one is my favorite. There is a songful dignity to these performances that I just love. Where I am dazzled by Gould and impressed by Schiff, I am moved by Aldwell. Regarding Richter - I like his performances very much, but I sense a thin wall of separation between the music and my heart. It could be the recording quality which is lacking - but I just don't get the same immersion that I experience when I listen to Aldwell playing this incredible music. Very highly recommended.★★★★ 
First, let me say that I am not a follower of ACIM - so, perhaps, my review is tainted by having insufficient background in the subject. First, I really loved and learned so much from this book. Its discussion on ego had so many helpful points. For that alone, this book is important reading for anyone struggling with awakening, persistent sadness, anxiety, and just overall dis-ease. It's really one of the better books in the field.
But here is my problem with it, and it's not a trivial one - it sustains the current of negation of people that I have found in so many books with roots in eastern philosophy. The message suggest, that while all of creation is perfect, human beings are flawed. By making what the authors define as ego (essentially any motivation, thought or emotion experienced) as the enemy, this book contributes to the ever-growing literature that perpetuates the myth that we need to wage a tireless war on the ego. In my own view, this is not only simplistic, it is untrue. We are the spark of creation ourselves - just like everything in the universe. If anyone has any doubts about that, I suggest they try reading Osho, Pablo Neruda, Walt Whitman, or even Ralph Waldo Emerson. Unlike Nouk Sanchez and Tomas Viera they don't assail our humanity, but celebrate it.
So, while there is much to value here, there is also the old, and I believe, worn out (and even dangerous) Christian view of our innate "wrongness" and sinfulness. Unless I am misinterpreting this book and ACIM, this is not a message that serves many of us all that well.★★★ Two Rivers
It seems to be getting more difficult to find novels that are interesting reads, without being ponderous, pretentious, and, frankly, dull. I thought Two Rivers might be one of those books that might satisfy what I was searching for. First, it's hard to imagine anyone disliking this book. It is a good story and it builds as the story reaches it climax. But, on the other hand, it seems predictable and even, a little cheesy. I continue to have the feeling that the author was seeking a movie contract to come out of this book. It persistently had the feeling of a self-consciously written story with cinematic scope - with its themes of racism and civil rights - contextualized within a steamy and intense romance. Just the right ingredients for a summer blockbuster.I found myself chuckling here and there about how predictably the characters responded to events. Thus characters that could have been really interesting, turned-out to be two dimensional and thin. The books tries too hard to take on just too many topical issues. It leaned precariously near sounding absurd and self-satirizing in parts. If you're looking for a breezy and emotion filled story with some sweep, I don't think Two Rivers will disappoint. NOTE: The author made some corrections to my review which showed my own ignorance. She knows Vermont well having grown up there. It was me, that got this part of the review in error. I sent her my apologies.★★ 
I would have given Some of the Dead Are Still Breathing: Living in the Future one star, but the issues it presents are important to elevate this otherwise rather awful book to two star ranking. Books need to engage the reader with the problems, stories, and issues they present. This book fails to do this and it fails in the worst possible way; the author consistently brings the focus on himself. The experience of reading this self-elevating drivel became so disconcerting that I began to feel just a little sorry for him. The issues of survival are critical for our time and the author is to be commended to contribute to this growing library of work. But he does the topic and the reader a significant disservice by presenting himself as the pivot around which this issue revolves. To be avoided.★★★★★ Symphony No. 8 and the Noon Witch by Antonin Dvorak conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt with the Concertgebouw Orchestra
While I love much of the music of Dvorak, his 8th symphony has tended to leave me a little cold - until now. Harnoncourt's performance is nothing short of breathtaking. His phrasing is consistently perfect (yes - perfect), but the feeling he imparts to this music is electrifying. While not quite as widely performed as his 9th Symphony, the 8th is till a battle horse of the classical repertoire, yet hearing Harnoncourt's performance was, and continues to be, like hearing the Dvorak Eighth for the first time. If you like Dvorak, do yourself a very big favor and pick up this CD.★★★★★ 
I have practiced some form of Buddhism (or nonduality) much of my adult life. Frankly, I have found the practice of "mindfulness" which is the purpose of this book, to be somewhat limiting since it often sustains a belief in a "me" that is independent of the field of awareness. This book straightened me out on the practice. It is extremely well written and its greatest power is its consistent pithiness. I very strongly recommend that you pick this book up - it will change your life. But, best of all, it will make meditation to be a part of every waking moment of your life. That is not overstating it.★★★ 
This is a book that I was REALLY looking forward to. I have admired Stephen Mitchell's powerful translation (or interpretation - see below) of the Tao Te Ching. While it is not my favorite translation (that would go to Jonathan Storm's translation) - it is nonetheless a work a great beauty and transformative power. What I was hoping for in this volume was a focus on Chuang Tzu. I was not entirely disappointed. This work is divided between the work of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu. Mitchell's commentaries are excellent. They are revealing and insightful. I must admit I learned a lot from this book.
Here is my problem with it - it's just a little short on content. I think for $25.00 - the reader deserves a little more - after all, half of the book consists of revised translations of existing material. Perhaps, Mitchell would have been better served had he focused on more commentary and less new interpretation. I use the term "interpretation" since Mitchell does not speak or read Chinese - so his "translations" are really interpretations of existing translations. This is not a criticism, just a non-trivial point.
If you don't mind the money for a light work in size (but not in substance) - then go for it. Addendum: I wish I had given this review 4 Stars - Mitchell really does make quite a few outstanding observations and if you love the Tao Te Ching and the Chuang Tzu, then this book is indispensable. ★★ 
I was really expecting a lot more from this book. The Ten Golden Rules is more of a pamphlet than a book. Much of it is obvious and informs the reader of little that is new or noteworthy. I do think that the purpose of the book is laudable. The wisdom of the ancient Greeks has a lot to offer modern people, but for this message to have an impact, it really needs a lot more "meat" to it. The authors failed to provide this substance and, with this absence, they wind up not taking their reader seriously. This book needs more depth, more insightful analysis, and more critical review if it is to me anything more than light reading.★★★★★ 
This is an important contribution to the understanding of autistic spectrum disorders. While most of the literature on Asperger's syndrome deals with children and teen-agers, Nick Dubin's first-hand accounts of his own experiences as an adult "Aspie" combine with his expertise in the field of psychology to provide many new insights. In particular, the focus on anxiety and how it impacts on those with Asperger's is eye-opening. I recommend this to those who work in the mental health professions but also to those who have been diagnosed with Asperger's/ASD and their loved ones.★★★★ 
First let me say that A Guide to the Good Life is a wonderful book. This book educated me on the beautiful and life affirming philosophy of the stoics of ancient Greece and Rome. Given its name, it's very different from what a casual reader might expect. I really enjoyed the idea of a school of life philosophy as a way of educating a person in how to live a good and happy life. It is very compelling. The book is also well written, clear and even has just the right amount of passion. It left wanting to practice this philosophy. What more can one ask of a book.
So why not five stars? My only problem with the book was the chapter titled Stoicism Reconsidered. First, I didn't find that it contributed to the book. The author has already powerfully made his point that it's time to reconsider both the beauty and utility of stoicism in daily life. But more importantly, his analysis of the evolutionary nature of our psychological being posits positions about our ancestors that are not supported by evidence. Professor Irvine claims that we are evolutionarily programmed to be worriers. That is not true. The meta-analysis conducted by Professor Berman suggests just the opposite, that our distant ancestors had a deep abiding trust in nature to provide for essential needs - even in environments that massively challenge human survival - such as the Arctic. That worry emerged onto the human scene with the development of intensive agriculture and a reliance on religious authority rather than an abiding trust in nature. He also talks about the primacy of social status in our ancestors. Again, this is a position that is controversial at best. Early account of Native American life often describe the complete absence of status jealousy.
This is a wonderful book, but the author just overplayed his argument. Highly recommended even with this one weak chapter.★★★★★ 
I have read a lot of Osho through the years. In general, I have found his insight, passion, and clarity to be a real inspiration. There have been times when I have thought of him as just a little naive and occasionally speaking of matters that he didn't really seem to understand with a tone of a little too much authority and certainty. But this volume is simply outstanding. Each parable (chapter) contains brilliant commentary on the most core issues of our psychology and our unfortunate tendency to search, endlessly, for final answers. If you are someone searching for answers or struggling with feelings of melancholy, frustration, or depression and want the most profound guidance available, I strongly recommend this book.
★★★★★ Symphony No. 13 by Dimitri Shostakovich - Conducted by Mariss Jansons and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
While my collection of Shostakovich is not small, I'm can't compare this performance with others of the Babi Yar Symphony. However, I can say that this performance by Jansons possesses immense powerful and drive. The soloist sounds "so" Russian (which he is), the choral singing is tense and biting, and the orchestral sound is dark, harrrowing, clear, and reeling, exactly as it ought to be in a Shostakovich symphony. Very highly recommended.★★★★★ 
I would be embarrassed to say how many headphones I have purchased over the last 3-4 years. Given my actual income it's unconscionable. But I am very happy to have found these, because my search is done.
I've found pretty good sound (Shure) but poor fit and great fit (JVC and others) with poor sound. These Sony headphones have both great sound and great fit. However, fit is even more personal than sound. Generally, it's impossible to try either in stores, so the purchase of headphones you'll really love is a challenge.
Regarding the sound - there is outstanding clarity. I listen, primarily, to classical music and really appreciate the open precision of the sound of these. I should also say that I have been particularly disappointed with Sony headphones I have previously purchased. They tend to sound tinny and with base (which is often a function of fit). But these are really different. They have great base - not muddy, but sill quite powerful. I can't recommend them strongly enough.★★★★★ 
Steven Harrison is an original (Sarah Palin might call him a maverick). He writes from his experience and his extremely keen observational skills. He has the mark of a true teacher because he refuses to follow any teaching. He questions everything. This is what makes this book outstanding.
I have also written on this subject and I can see, precisely, where Harrison is breaking new ground (my own conclusions are startling similar to his - see: liberationfromthe dot com). I very strongly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in authentic philosophy that is potentially transformative. What makes this book particularly interesting, is that, for the most part, book written from an advaita perspective have become increasingly repetitive and often quite wearisome.
★ How to Be a Complete and Utter Failure in Life, Work & Everything: 44 1/2 Steps to Lasting Underachievement
This book proves that not all English comics are funny. In fact, some are downright dull and predictable. This book works on one singular conceit, namely, that it is really saying the opposite of the "advice" it purports to provide readers. Material like this is not easy, because it needs to either surprise the reader with its cleverness or inform her in ways she might not expect ... that is to say to be either original or so delightful in its wording as to amuse. It is, alas, none of these things. Instead it is utter tripe. It fails on all measures and must be avoided.
★ Soul Wisdom: Practical Soul Treasures to Transform Your Life (Soul Power)
by Zhi Gang Sha
This is a book to be avoided by anyone interested in authentic "spirituality". It is traditional hocus pocus, where the author claiming that he has special and unique knowledge educates the ignorant reader in special chants that will reveal soul to the earnest seeker. This is, of course, childish nonsense. Author's like these are particularly appalling because they USE the vulnerability of their readers to spend money on junk like this. Chanting and mantras are ... oddly just chanting and mantras. If you enjoy doing that sort of thing, then go for it.
One more thing, this book could have been published in pamphlet form. It possesses remarkably little content
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★★★★★ Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America
by Paul Hess
The Smithsonian Field Guide to Birds of North America is an outstanding contribution to a crowded field. Unlike the Peterson and National Geographic Guides (among others), this guide uses high quality photographs taken of the birds in a characteristic environment. Detailed, well colored maps indicate the yearly range of the bird specifying breeding, migration, winter, year round, and rare ranges. Photographic quality is uniformly excellent. But the biggest advantage of this book is that it comes with a comprehensive CD of bird calls beautifully recorded. This is a feature that the other guides lack and is a very strong recommendation for this volume, for, as any birder knows, we hear many more birds than we see.
★★★★ Radical Hope: Ethics in the Face of Cultural Devastation
by Jonathan Lear
Radical hope explores the question of how cultures, in this study the Crow Tribe, respond to the one situation that cultures are incapable of imagining, the demise of the core culture. The Crow were dependent of buffalo hunting and personal warriorship against their rivials the Sioux (Lakota) and Cheyenne. With the near extinction of the buffalo and the collapse of traditional life on the plains, Crow culture evolved to total irrelevancy overnight. This book focuses on the life of the last great Crow Chief Plenty Coups, who said that after the demise of the buffalo "nothing happened". This is the void that engulfed Crow culture in the last decades of the 19th century.
Radical Hope is a detailed exploration of the ultimate chaos that can afflict cultures when they quickly collapse from external pressures. This book shows how insight and the use of traditional problem solving provided Crow leadership with a pathway to re-establishing themselves in this most challenging of circumstances.
This book is highly recommended to those people fascinated with how culture institutions respond to crippling challenges and how hope can emerge in the bleakest of circumstances.
★★★★★ Love's Quiet Revolution: The End Of The Spiritual Search
by Scott Kiloby
What I have read in the area of finding one's self through the schools of Buddhism, Hinduism (Advaita), Taoism, and, let's call it, "other", could fill a small library. But this book is simply the clearest, most direct, and emotionally charged book in the field. This is IT ladies and gentleman. If you are wandering the wide wide fields of seeking the Self, this is THE book for you. The sooner you get it, the "happier" (just a joke), you'll be.
★★ American Shaman: An Odyssey of Global Healing Traditions
by Jon Carlson
I know that a lot of well informed people respect this book and have learned non-western approaches to disease and emotional dis-ease. As someone who has spent quite a few years working with Navajo healers, this book felt false and pretentious. For me, it had the critical flaw of being organized around the concept of the "very special" person with the simplistic notion that conventional western approaches are lacking in wisdom, while traditional/tribal approaches to "life out of balance" are consistently more powerful, if elusive. First off, the white iconoclast should not be the center of a book of this type. At best, he can only be the "messenger". But the bigger problem for me was in how these materials were conveyed to the reader lacking any element of scientific hesitation to make extreme claims for radically different approaches to human health problems. It could be true that we have much to learn from non-western/tribal sources of health care, but they are not a universal panacea. Not all "healers" are wise and not all tribal healing practices are effective. To place modern science on a pedestal far above traditional people is an error, as well as its opposite.
This is a very difficult area to find reliable information, but there are better sources than American Shaman.
★★ FileMaker Pro 9 Bible
by Raymond Joseph Cologon
The Filemaker Pro 9 bible contains tons of information. No dispute there. But this book, contrary to nearly of the other reviews, is both limited and confusing.
It is limited because it requires the reader to build a solution exactly as it is descrbed in the text. Therefore, if you need information on a specific element of Filemaker, is often not possible to derive the information through looking at a specific section of text. Information is presented contextually and while this has certain advantages, it also has grave disadvantages.
It is confusing because the author consistently presents fairly complex scripting steps and calculations without providing any explanation to the novice or SOMEONE LEARNING THE APPLICATION. And this is the key point. The book requires extensive knowledge of Filemaker language and techniques in order to be understood.
This book is, certainly, not for the beginner and, in many cases, it is not for the intermediate user. Its range of use is really quite narrow and it is for this reason that I have trouble understanding all of the accolades for this volume.
Finally, the writing style of the book is often lacking in clarity. The author assumes so much on the part of the reader that many of his examples are rendered inexplicable.
This book is recommended only for Filemaker experts and for them, the information, maybe pedantic.
I believe that this book could have been vastly improved if it didn't follow a contextual approach, but one that was more pedagogical, where techniques were taught from the perspective of generalized problem solving.
★★★★★ The Essential Laws of Fearless Living: Find the Power to Never Feel Powerless Again
by Guy Finley
26 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
Just fantastic, May 14, 2008
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I've not always been Guy Finley's biggest fan, but this book is just fantastic. All that you will ever need to know to make that elusive breakthrough to the awakened life is here. It is simply the clearest approach to awakening from the dream of the false-self I have ever read. Get this book.
Awesome power, profound mystery - Great, April 20, 2008
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This is a great performance of the Mahler Sixth. Gergiev's approach is one of dynamism and forcing the music ever forward. It is percussive and the marches have fantastic momentum. But, and this is why I so strongly recommend this recording, the mystical interludes in the final movement are just so much more evocative of the transcendental than one finds in the performances by Bernstrein, Eschenbach, Jansons, and Abbado. Their dark power is made possible because of Gergiev's take on the rest of the score. Their stillness reverberates in the overall violence of the massive fourth movement
Compaint one - Gergiev orders the movements so that the andante is the second movement. I prefer the more conventional movement of placing the andante third.
Complaint two - Bernstrein truly captured the existential horror of the final movement using the brass in the opening section to literally howl with passionate hysteria. Gergiev fails to reach this amazing high.
It is for these reasons that I don't give this performance the 5 stars.
But, if I had to pick, I would choose the Gergiev, Bernstein and Eschenbach as the three best performances of this work and each are sufficiently different to merit their inclusion in a anyone who loves this music.
The Real Thing, April 20, 2008
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I loved this book and I have read, quite literally, hundreds of book focusing on the philosophy of the self, Buddhism, Taoism, and Advaita. This one, finally, lays to rest the myth of enlightenment and brings the restless soul to peace. Life is not a matter of searching for an ever-ellusive happiness. Rather, as Brown says, it is about ending this search through integration - that true peace is a consequence of living the life of our unchanging self, what he calls the vibrational self. This is a MUST read for anyone "entranced" with such a search.
Alas, I do have just one complaint....sometimes the writing becomes a little dense and convoluted and its potential for clarity suffers as a result. The positive side of this problem is that it forces the reader to concentrate that much harder to find the gems of insight embedded deeply within the test.
Very, very strongly recommended.
★★★ So Brave, Young and Handsome: A Novel
by Leif Enger
Leif Enger's So Brave, Young, and Handsome is one of those books that you would like to like, but it just lacks the muscle and heft that is essential for a book set in the post-twilight of the American West. The story is told by its narrator and principle character. It is the very meekness of this character that works against the potential power of the story. He someone who is ceaselessly nice and always a little frightened of the new and dangerous world he tends to find himself. This mousy character acts as a drag to what would have been otherwise, a fun and engaging story.
I also had the misfortune of reading this book just after finishing Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy. One could not experience such a massive contrast in writing and approach between two authors dealing with "western" materials. Where McCarthy is allegorical, pretentious, sadistic, Enger is straight-forward, humble, and bloodless. Where McCarthy glorifies violence, Enger is terrified by it.
In summary, this is a small work that makes for a generally fun read, but for me, it just failed to grab my imagination.
Very pleased, April 3, 2008
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I really enjoy and respect the writing of Steven Harrison. Unlike so many other writer in the field of eastern philosophy, he seems particularly original and, despite his diatribes against thought, thoughtful in the best sense of the term. He is a deeply engaged writer and I strongly recommend this very small, but wonderfully insightful, book.
Inspired, March 27, 2008
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Jim Hightower is not only a good writer, but he is an inspirational one as well. This book is designed for the disenchanted liberal who is regaled with stories of how individuals fought entrenched interests and won. The obvious message is that the individual can make a difference. Highly recommended for the disenchanted and cynical.
Clarity, March 24, 2008
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I am not a musicologist, but I am someone who has listened to quite a few performance of the Art of the Fugue over the last 45 years and I can say that I find the Aimard performance to be among the very best. I did carefully examine the review be Villegem and also looked, in detail, at his many other reviews. He is obviously a discerning and well informed person, but I simply find his review of this breathtaking performance, at best, academic in the worst sense of the word. If Aimard's technique fails to conform to the scholarly work of several musicologists, what difference does that really make? Can we say with certainty that that is true? I very much doubt it.
We are separated by a vast gulf of time between the writing of this music and now. Who knows how Bach would have preferred to have the Kunst der Fuge performed? Who is to say that even his conception and personal style is the best for this music? How we listen and enjoy music is very subjective. I haven't found the performances of Copland's music conducted by the composer to be the best. The same holds for Stravinsky. I do know that Aimard's performance is like light penetrating the massive complexity of this work. The end of the final fugue is truly a moment of immense and cosmic proportions. This performance is very very highly recommended.
The story overcomes its limitations, March 12, 2008
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I have worked with Native American tribal organizations for many years and am strongly sympathetic for encouraging the voice of Native people in our culture. The profound racism of the American experience, particularly as it relates to Native people ought to be a source for national shame, but shame does not come easily to many "Americans". I think that presenting Native/white history from a Native point of view is terrific and necessary. Hundred in the Hand is a good story and tells the story of one of several major conflicts between the Lakota and US forces.
Unfortunately, the writing is often oddly stilted and occasionally contemporarily idiomatic in an off putting way as in the use of the phrase "it's all good (p. 72 I believe). Also, the story is overwhelmingly military. I would have liked to hear more of the voice of Lakota people in its retelling. Also, while the author is a member of the Rosebud Sioux, parts of the story had the feel of European stylized writing with strangely romantic flourishes, which just rang false for me.
But, I really don't want to sound overwhelmingly negative. Marshall succeeds in building up excitement and the book turns into a real page turner. I'm looking forward to the other volumes in this series. Also, I want to reiterate just how important this story is for non-Native people. Given my work with these communities, it might even be more important for Native people to be reading.
THE bottom line, March 12, 2008
First these headphones sound quite good across the spectrum. Bass is good, but not overwhelming...thankfully. Very clear and pleasant sound.
BUT - be warned. They are crudely manufactured and fall apart quite easily - this has been also the experience of other reviewers at this site.
Also, the just don't fit snugly or comfortably. I've tried every combination, but they never quite feel right and if you are using them while "moving" they will easily fall our of your ear.
Bottom line - make sure you have some super glue to repair them when they fall apart, remain still and enjoy the terrific sound....or find something better, I'm sure it's out there (not necessarily Shure, incidentally).
Pure advaita - I guess, December 20, 2007
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Dennis Waite knows his Advaita and when you're done with "Meet Yourself", you will too. The book traverses the land of what you are not for about 250 pages, which is approximately 200 pages too many - but you (ha ha) get the point. It's wordy and, ultimately, not all that intriguing. There are better and more concise books out there.
Fun, light, funny, and, unfortunately, a little irrelevant, October 16, 2007
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The Year of Living Biblically has an amusing premised - living the life proscribed by the over 700 rules contained within the Hebrew Bible. The author is faced with the monumental task of making the obtuse and strange literal in the modern world. The result is often quite funny. I laughed outloud at several moments. The writer's style is breezy and journalistic.
But after 100 pages, the premise gets a little tired. The reader is thrust into the absurdity of the Bible's rules page after page, and after awhile - we get it! As good as Jacob's writing is - in its breeziness, if not its weight, which is pretty much absent, it just get maintain the humor and irony. It just gets tried, as the reader gets tired.
Also, this book relegates much of the Hebrew Bible to irrelevance and in this way it trivializes something that for all of its challenges, is not something that lends itself to persistent trivialization. So not only does the reader grow weary of the writer's conceit, he may also grow a little annoyed at the writer's position. The world which created the Old Testament is long gone. What mattered to the culture that created it, comes off absurd in the post-industrial universe of New York City in 2007. We get it.
Outstanding summary of "modern" advaita, September 17, 2007
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The spiritual philosophy of Nisargadatta (hopefully I have the spelling right) and "Sailor Bob" could not be any clearer than it is presented in this outstanding volume. I did not give it five stars because starting around page 180 the reader has pretty much heard it all and I'm being a little charitable on the page count. It is, nonetheless, a terrific presentation of these ideas...as clear as I have seen anywhere else and I have read broadly within this category. Very strongly recommended.
a brilliant mind, April 9, 2007
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White is clearly a very intelligent writer, but he is also a cultural snob. His attacks on Terry Gross are just ridiculous and to chose her as your enemy at time when the Bushes, Cheneys, and Roves rule the country is patently stupid and banal.
Clear and Extraordinary, February 11, 2007
Mandala of Being is a brilliant discussion of finding your true self and transforming your sense of being, utterly. I wish I wrote it! A must have if you're inspired to finally get off the merry go round of self improvement and enlightenment seeking. I would give it 10 stars if Amazon made it possible.
Beautiful, but with a cost, February 11, 2007
Byron Katie writes and speaks beautifully. The 4 questions of the Work are truly transformative. Their power resides in their capacity to force us to look inside ourselves when we turn our criticism about others and the world around. This is a fantastic process.
She also asserts that when we disagree with reality we are always wrong. So she says that she does not interfere with God's business, which is, simply, fully accepting the way things are. Amen.
But there is a powerful downside to her system and that is the risk of passivity. We live on a planet that is literally dying. We live at a time of war and violence. That is the real state of the world. To disagree with that is to live in delusion. I believe that Ms. Katie would agree with that statement.
People have the capacity to make change. History shows that. Particularly at times of great suffering some people will emerge and be a force of powerful change against enormous and powerful adversaries.
If we are to be in love with the way things are, we run the risk of passivity. Some of us may believe that this is God's business and not our own. I would strongly disagree.
There is a German poem that says:
When the Nazis came for the communists, I remained silent
I was not a communist.
When they locked up the social democrats, I remained silent
I was not a social democrat.
When they came for the trade unionists, I did not speak out
I was not a trade unionist.
When they came for me, there was no one left to speak out.
That, is the downside to the philosophy of everything as it is is perfect. Perhaps, if Germans were less compliant and more thoughtful, a monster like Hitler could never have come to power. Life calls on us to think and use our minds. It does NOT ask us to see it as always perfect. Many of the great discoveries of modern medicine can be attributed to seeing life as problematic and needing the dynamic participation of the human mind.
As beautiful as the vision of Ms. Katie appears to be, its appearance of love and beauty possesses the great risk of obligating us to inappropriate acceptance. Her voice becomes the voice of authority and there is great danger in that. In these times, life calls us to be bold and to live our passion as if that is the only thing to live for. Corporations want us to be passive, government wants us to be passive, and too often philosophy rooted in Asia wants us to be passive.
Perhaps Ms. Katie would agree entirely with this review...she might and she might not. If we truly are of God, and if God is the natural world, then we need to regain our balance and find our own harmony. That might require finding our love and our anger, if that powerful emotion motivates us to finally do what we know in our hearts is right. We can say, yes, the world is the way it is. It is threatened by our pollution and excess and it is threatened by war and violence. I accept that and am willing to do what I need to do to make a difference.
We are not placed here ONLY to love everything the way it is....there is another part of our lives. I think we need to find that part as well.
If you would like to learn more check out liberation from the lie, which is one word. There are some intriguing ideas there.
Missing Information in this Information Book, December 1, 2006
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This book gets great reviews from enthusiastic readers. I need to wonder how carefully they read it. I have gone through several of the teaching examples in the first section of the book and there are so many editing errors that this book might be a contender for the Guiness Book of World Records. Consistently the author neglects to inform the reader of key details and before you know it, you're lost.
Warning! This book is so poorly written that you need to have very advanced knowledge of the software to get through it. In that case, I would skip the whole first section and start with the second part of this book where the author explores some interesting examples of Filemaker solutions. Were I the publisher, I would just cut out the whole first section (pages 1-141). Start at page 143.
Serious and incisive, November 2, 2006
First a confession - I have not read this book, but I have read essentially all of its content through the Empire Burlesque blog. The work is consistently accurate, passionate, and frightening, as it details the US's descent into a neo-capitalist, fascist state. Chris Floyd nailed massacres in Iraq well before they were noted at other web sites. If this book has a flaw, it is its proclivity to project a kind of inevitability as the US morphs its Constitution to permit a Soviet style dictatorship and how it uses its all volunteer armed forces to support a burgeoning US corporate/military empire. I believe that the US does have the opportunity to reverse these tendencies with a change in political party. At least this is a possibility not discussed seriously by the author. This is, nonetheless, a well written book that should be considered an alarm for people who care about the country and our world.
As close to the truth as words can go, August 31, 2006
This is the MUST read for anyone drawn to what is "truly" true. This is the path of unknowing, of finally relinquishing one's personal story utterly. This is the guide.
A Fascinating Read, July 17, 2005
The first half of the Laughing Jesus is a fierce attack on "literal" Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The authors claim that Judaism's claim to the be the world's first monotheistic religion is a lie, that the God of the ancient Judeans was cruel and jealous, and that the stories of Moses are utterly false. The authors also claim that Christ never lived and that the "literal" church fathers trashed Gnostic Christianity to create a severe patriarcal faith; one that is often brutal. Of Islam they describe Mohammed as a man (actual in this case) utterly corrupted by his own faith and power. He becomes a kind of spiritual mobster. This corruption led to his becoming egomaniacal and creating a faith at war with the rest of the world - at once militant and bloodthirsty! For some readers these claims will astonish and create many new questions, others will find it repeditive and predictable. I found the writing a little too "easy" and personal to be as credible as the authors I believe would have preferred.
The second half of the book is a description of gnostic Christianity, which I found very compelling. It is a form of philosophic thought with many similarities to taoism, Buddhism, and Indian Vedantic thought. However, I really liked how the authors were able to differentiate gnostic Christianity from these other traditions and describe an approach to living that was creative and dynamic. Eastern philosophies often fail to provide approaches to living that capture the spontaneous quality of living in preference to modes of life that are synthetic, espousing requirements for "loving-kindness" and other life modalities that are subtly judgmental and coercive. Also in their rigorous denial of selfhood and existence of the "I", they leave readers in a kind of static limbo where choice is absent and irrelevant. The authors of the Laughing Jesus provide readers with a way of understanding choice and action without undermining the integrity of the philosophy. Strongly recommended.
Extraordinarily Clear and airy, but...., March 27, 2005
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I bought the Shure E2C headphones with great anticipation. I adore classical music and listen to a lot of Mahler and other music that demands a very wide range of audio dynamics. These headphones absolutely crystal clear. I hear new details everytime I listen and noticing these new details draws you a lot deeper into the music. But, they also lack base. For those other reviewers who insist that the base on these is realistic, I would recommend that they go out and listen to music live. The bass on these is just weak. You hear the drums very clearly, but you don't experience the real impact. This is my only disappointment.
Utterly extraordinary, March 2, 2005
This is an outstanding book. If you are interested in discovering the source of your inner conflicts and finding a way to navigate through confusion and uncertainty then you must get a copy of this book and READ IT! I've read hundreds of books on eastern philosophy, but this is among the very best and most powerful. Get a copy now!
5 Stars Fall Short, May 22, 2004
If your spirit is excited by Advaita/Zen philosophy and living in a way that reflects that immediate understanding, then this book is pretty much all you will need for "your" journey. I have struggled with "understanding" advaita philosophy for many years. I "wanted" advaita/zen to have some significant impact on how I lived my life. I sought tangible answers, big experiences...but this book put in all in perfect perspective. Reading it is truly and utterly liberating experience. No other book is so radiantly clear on a subject that cannot be put into words (thought) Reading Awake in the Heartland was like reading my own inner sense of this moment to moment experience of life.
Strongly disagree, March 1, 2004
I strongly disagree with the other reviewer, although I can see where he is comining from, and respect his point of view.
If you are looking for a translation that seeks to accurately translate the words of this elusive text, then this is not the version of the Dao De Jing for you. This translation makes no attempt accuracy or precision.
I have read and studied dozens of versions of these great works and really appreciate the effort made with this version.
The dao is really impossible to put into words, an idea which is expressed quite powerfully in this text (ironically). The idea is for words to guide us to wordlessness through CLARITY of verbal conception. It is in this respect that I believe this translation comes off beautifully. It is clear NOT because it has a western bias, but because Dr. Schoenewolf understands the underlying concepts of daoism very well and is able to express them clearly.
I do agree with the critical review that the illustration are neither beautiful nor helpful.
The dao is like jazz. If it sounds good, it is good. I believe that this version sounds good.
Masterful, January 25, 2004
Even if secular medieval music is NOT one of your favorites genres, the energy and mystical beauty of this CD shines throughout all 20 tracks. The recording quality is magnificent. I cannot recommend this CD strongly enough!
Possibly the Best Billy, June 23, 2003
James Judd's Billy the Kid easily ranks with Bernstein's as the most elegaic, powerful, and sensitive performance of this seminal American work. I would, however, rank it above Bernstein on account of the fine quality and price of this Naxos CD. If you enjoy "American" music and want the feel, if not the sound of the old West, buy this CD. You will NOT be disappointed.
Tao Te Ching
by Lao-Tzu
15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
Many translations - this one is the best, May 25, 2003
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The Tao Te Ching is, quite obviously, a work that poses great challenges to translators. Apparently it takes much more than just a through knowledge of the language, but also many years of involvement with spiritual practices that are organized around the principles of the tao. I have read all of the "important" translations of this work and know something of the philosophy of the tao, and say, without reservation that Hinton's translation is the most sublime, the most poetic, and the most profound. Compare them yourself. See what you think and feel.
Good, but not exciting., March 9, 2002
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I was looking forward to this CD, there doesn't seem that much that is exciting about one of America's most innovative and intriguing musical minds. This CD didn't do it for me. I particularly did not care for the use of the chorus in the third movement of Three Places in New England. Too many fragments with little flow.....alas, someone else will need to fill this void and I don't think that it will be Michael Tilson Thomas.
Perhaps an Ultimate Spiritual Book Purchase, March 9, 2002
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While this review may not be all that popular with the folks at Amazon.com, I believe that this book could, if not should, be your last spiritual book purchase. Harrison points out that buying such books are part of a continuing pattern and life process oriented around the idea that there is something fundamentally wrong with yourself, that you are searching for THE answer, when the answer is just who you are as you are. His antidote is similar, if not identical, with the taoist idea of wu wei, doing nothing, that the process of doing something is where we all go wrong, where we exchange a real "now" world with that of our psychological confusion, seeking happiness, and seeking survival. Harrison says that since there is really nothing you can do about it anyway, just give it up, SEE who you are as you.
A little disappointed, December 31, 2001
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Arjuna's other work is considerably clearer and more usable than the material presented in this volume. It is, nonetheless, an excellent, but not outstanding, presentation of Advaita philosophy.
Surprising, December 31, 2001
I had fairly low expectations about Barenboim's interpretation of the Rite and La Mer, but I was very wrong. This is an outstanding Rite and, I believe, one of the very best La Mers. I have never heard such clarity to the woodwinds in the Rite particularly in the Glorification of the Ancestors and the Fertility Dance. Barenboim brings a kind of luxuriant radiance to the work that has only been subtly hinted at in other performances. This is a Rite with ecstasy. Like so many other performances, this one lags in the final section, because it lacks sufficient forward momentum and orchestral clarity. The only performance that pulls this off perfectly is that of Zander, which is a must buy.
This La Mer is powerfully romantic and it simply never disappoints or falters. It does have just a bit of schmaltz in the last section, but it expresses the great majesty of the sea as powerfully as any performance I am familiar with and I know many. I recommend this CD highly.
This is a must buy!, December 25, 2001
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I have read hundreds of books on Zen, Taoism, Buddhism, and Advaita, but this is the best, the clearest, and most endearing. STOP searching NOW (this might have been a better title) and get this book now, read it and read it again, then be brave and live the realization.
You Are Not
by Stephen Wolinsky
36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
Nisargadatta Made Clear, December 25, 2001
I believe that this is the clearest exposition of not only the philosophy (for lack of a better term) of Wolinsky, but of Nisargadatta as well. Like other Wolinsky books there is no talk of love or of God's love or seeing with love, or cultivating awareness, or any love, etc., etc. Rather this book follows in the footsteps of his previous works, namely a thorough deconstruction of the concept of self, of body, and even of aware-er. This is profound philosophy and possibly, for some, a path to the deepest Self-realization. I do believe that at times Wolinsky, in his near desperate search to put the ineffable into words, trivializes his topic with some of his examples. But there is a lot of terrific material here...and, after all, who knows what combination of words will trigger insight?
Undefended Love
by Jett Psaris
21 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
A Masterwork, August 13, 2001
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This is one of THE great self help books. It is essential reading for anyone, even those not in a relationship. If you are interested in discovering your true self under all of the defenses and even under the injured person beneath the defenses, this book shows the way. This is a truly powerful work.
A Nice Surprise, August 13, 2001
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I looked at this book with fairly low expectations, thinking that it was of so many simplisitic self-help loosely based on Buddhist principles. But I was surprised to discover just how insightful and often profound it is. True, there are many tried and true aphorisms included here, but there are several "mini-chapters" that were very original and powerful for me. I have been a student of Zen and Buddhism for many years and I found this book particularly interesting. Somewhere in these pages is the "way".
A Very Clear Explanation of the Path, June 28, 2001
It is apparent reading Huber's books that she is has truly traveled the path. This particular book is particularly outstanding for two reasons. One, it clearly sets out three fundamental tenets through which the seeker may finally find her/himself. Two, the responses of many of her students are included. These are helpful because the issues they raise are often the same one that I experience. Huber shows us clearly how we produce our own suffering. It is a choice we make out of egocentricity - basically believing our own conditioned projections about the world and "our" individual experience. Believe Nothing seems to me to be the most powerful element of her teaching. I strongly recommend this book.
Clear and Sounding Very True, March 1, 2001
I have read literally hundreds of books on the philosophy of zen, buddhism, and advaita, but this book is one the clearest discussions of the process, the seeing, and the realization. Best of all, it sounds completely unpretentious and real. I very strongly recommend this book to anyone involved in awakening!
Extraordinary Insight and Real Results, May 29, 2000
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This is truly an extraordinary book for any spiritual seeker. I have read literally hundreds of books on transformational psychology and Eastern spirituality, but this work is both superior and more applicable to daily life. Ruskan describes in detail a transformational path that you can commence immediately and if you follow his instructions, meaning not to analyze, blame or intellectually mediate, you will experience the liberating effects of this meditative approach. It is groundbreaking.
Transcendant performance, January 9, 2000
This CD is not only a terrific bargain, but having listened to several performances of the Cantus Arcticus, this one possesses the greatest majesty and power. Also the Piano Concerto and 3rd Symphony are interesting and occasionally great works, that take a little more effort on the part of the listener.