JACOB NEEDLEMAN

Philosopher Jacob Needlemans groundbreaking study of Americas alternative spiritual movements is back in print with a new introduction by the author.Originally published in 1970, The New Religions was the first full-scale study of alternative spirituality in America. It remains unparalleled for the intellectual depth and seriousness with which it regards Eastern, New Age, and alternative faiths on the American landscape.Needlemans writing and reportage are unfailingly thoughtful and incisive as he illuminates topics that other scholars failed to consider or could not fully grasp.

What is the purpose of life on Earth? Philosopher Jacob Needleman frames mans role on the planet in a completely new and fresh way, moving beyond the usual environmental concerns to reveal how the care and maintenance of a world is something vital and basic to our existence as authentic human beings.In some of his most deeply affecting writing, Needleman draws on his childhood experiences with a terminally ill friend whose impending death forces the young boys to face questions of the meaning of existence at an early agequestions that Needleman carried with him in his explorations of science and philosophy throughout his career as a scholar of religions. The conclusions that he reaches will give all of us a new sense of the purpose of our lives and the planet we live on.

In this striking meditation on the relationship between the adult self and the inner child, Jacob Needleman presents excitingly original positions on age old spiritual and philosophical questionsKen WilburSeeking to reconcile the split between our inner child and our adult self, eminent philosopher and religious scholar Jacob Needleman evokes the ancient spiritual tradition of a deep dialogue between a guiding wisdom figure and a seeker. The elder offers an initiation to a younger self, an initiation the author feels is missing from our culture. Rendered as a stage play, the conversation between the 80-year-old author and his younger selves unfolds, and an ambiguity emerges as to whether this is strictly the authors internal dialogue or whether the younger self may be nurturing a rebirth of the author. On one level, I Am Not I brings younger readers (teenagers and young adults) face to face with powerful spiritual and philosophical ideas. But as the book progresses, the dialogue delves into questions and insights that carry astonishing new hope and vision for every man and woman, challenging our cultures acceptedand often toxicideas about humanitys place in a living universe.

The widely respected social philosopher embarks on his most gripping and broadly appealing work, asking the ultimate question of human nature: Why do we repeatedly violate our most deeply held values and beliefs? After nearly forty years of weighing humanitys deepest dilemmas-working in settings ranging from university and high school classrooms to corporate offices and hospitals-bestselling author, philosopher, and religious scholar Jacob Needleman presents the most urgent, deeply felt, and widely accessible work of his career. In Why Cant We Be Good? Needleman identifies the core problem that therapists and social philosophers fail to see. He depicts the individual human as a being who knows what is good, yet who remains mysteriously helpless to innerly adopt the ethical, moral, and religious ideas that are bequeathed to him.

Looking at the lives of Americas founders-including Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin-scholar and bestselling author Jacob Needleman explores their core of inner beliefs; their religious and spiritual sensibilities; and their individual conception of the purpose of life. The founders, Needleman argues, conceived of an "inner democracy": a continual pursuit of wisdom and self-improvement that would undergird the outer democracy in which we live today. Any understanding of America as a nation of spiritual values will in the years ahead require Needlemans work as a point of reference.

El tema de estudio planteado en este libro ofrece una opor-tunidad única para examinar la viabilidad de la búsqueda espiritual en el mundo moderno, un mundo que ha diluido de forma significativa la sensibilidad de los seres humanos para el lenguaje y las formas de la tradicion religiosa. Lo que aqui se denominan formas de espiritualidad esoterica en la modernidad redefine e incluso elimina por completo el elemento de creen-cia que subyace en lo que las grandes religio-nes monoteistas de Occidente exigen del individuo. El papel que estas enseñanzas esotericas conceden a las facultades del conoci-miento, la imaginacion, la observacion y la especulacion coloca a estos movimientos, al menos en cuanto a su tono y atmosfera general, mas cerca del talante cien-tifico moderno que de la fe, la confianza y la esperanza que han caracterizado a la cultura religiosa de Occidente. De todos modos, el lector puede preguntarse: ¿como se puede concebir un trabajo colectivo sobre esoterismo cuando no existe acuerdo sobre el significado mismo de la palabra esoterismo? Para evitar cualquier impresion de ambiguedad en el titulo de esta obra, los compiladores han optado por no utilizar el termino en cuestion, sino la expresion espiritualidad esoterica, con la que se designa una pluralidad de formas espirituales. Por otra parte, se limitan a los ultimos cinco siglos, excepto en un capitulo introductorio dedicado a las raices antiguas y medievales de esos. Y, por ultimo, circunscriben su investigacion al mundo occidental y a una idea concreta y restringida de lo que se conoce por esoterismo.

This inaugural-and all new-Tarcher Cornerstone Edition presents a stunningly relevant and reliable translation of the thoughts and aphorisms of the Stoic philosopher and Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, properly placing the philosopher-kings writings within the vein of the worlds great religious and ethical traditions. The late antique world possessed no voice like that of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius (121-180 CE). His private meditations on what constitutes a good life have withstood the centuries and reach us today with the same penetrating clarity and shining light as the words of Shakespeare, Emerson, or Thoreau. In this remarkable new translation, bestselling religious philosopher Jacob Needleman and classics scholar John P. Piazza have retained the depth of Marcuss perspective on life. They have carefully selected and faithfully rendered those passages that clarify Marcuss role as someone who stood within the great religious and ethical traditions that extend throughout every culture in human history. The voice that emerges from their translation is a universal one, equally recognizable to students of Christ, Buddha, the Vedas, the Talmud, and to anyone who sincerely searches for a way of meaning in contemporary life.