Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

From the vast collective literary output of mankind very few works are worthy of the epithet classic. Robert Pirsig's 1974 semi-autobiographical(?) Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (ZMM) is one of the few - a true modern classic.

Essentially ZMM consists of three distinct but interwoven stories. Superficially it is a travelogue, about a man - the un-named narrator - motorcycling across the United States with his somewhat troubled son, Chris; for the first part of the journey they are joined by friends, the couple John and Sylvia Sutherland. It is also the story of a man haunted by a "ghost", that turns out to be his former self. Finally, as suggested by the subtitle, An Inquiry Into Values, ZMM is a discussion on philosophy inspired by the cultural upheaval of the time (epitomized by the counter-culture and hippie scenes) concluding that a re-discovery of quality is the key to the re-harmonization of an increasingly dichotomous society. (more…)

Think and Grow Rich

In 1908 then small-time reporter Napoleon Hill was invited by steel magnate Andrew Carnegie to interview millionaires with a view to discovering the secret(s) behind their success. First published in 1937, Think and Grow Rich, is the culmination of 25 years of work. That this book has remained not only in print, but also a major seller, for some seventy years speaks volumes for the potency of the message contained within. (more…)

Super Consciousness by Colin Wilson - Reviewed

Many people report having spontaneous Spiritual or mystical experiences which commonly include being aware of the interconnectedness of the universe and having access to profound knowledge. You may even be fortunate enough to have experienced it yourself.

Colin Wilson has been a prolific researcher and writer on mysticism for over 50 years, his works including the 1971 classic, The Occult. In Super Consciousness: The Quest for the Peak Experience Wilson makes a broad exploration of such experiences, which he calls peak experiences, considering what induces such states and whether they may be attained at will. (more…)

How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer

Do you make decisions with your head or your heart? As identified by Jung, thinking and feeling are two distinct modes of functioning and, according to Jonah Lehrer's How We Decide, both have their place in the decision-making process.

Conventional wisdom has long held that rational reasoning is superior to emotion; after all it's the ability to reason that differentiates us from our fellow creatures. Plato likened the emotions to powerful but wild horses that needed to be controlled by a charioteer, the logical mind. However, highly successful people such as Donald Trump often attribute successful decisions to 'gut' feeling. (more…)

Revelations - Talking to the Dead

It was with some trepidation that I sat down to watch a recording of this UK Channel 4 documetary on Spiritualism, as some investigations of this discipline throw objectivity out the window. I need not have worried. (more…)

Watching the Tree

Adeline Yen Mah's Watching the Tree attracted me for two reasons. Firstly, as a Spiritual seeker I thirst for knowledge of the Spiritual traditions of different cultures in order to discern the common threads common to all. Secondly, as citizen of the 21st century I wanted to gain a greater understanding of China, widely predicted to be the world's next economic superpower. Watching the Tree didn't disappoint on either count.

Yen Mah gives a wide-ranging account of Chinese culture, showing how it has been shaped by ancient traditions of the Tao, Confucius etc. She brings the various philosophies to life by describing numerous fascinating episodes from her own past. (more…)

The Universe in a Single Atom

How Science and Spirituality Can Serve Our World by His Holiness the Dalai Lama

First published in 2005 this fascinating account of Buddhism (or more generally Spirituality) meets science has particular relevance in 2009 as we commemorate Darwin's 200th birthday and are reminded of the vigorous scientific vs. Spiritual debate prompted by the theory of evolution.

As anyone who's ever taken the trouble to truly contemplate the basic tenets of the world's major faiths will testify, at root all religions describe the same basic truths. However, over the centuries, science has often appeared to be in conflict with scripture. (more…)

Entangled Minds

Dean Radin's Entangled Minds provides a comprehensive review of the current evidence supporting the existence of various forms of psychic functioning, or psi. Finding there to be overwhelming evidence that something mysterious is going on it proceeds to examine a range of theories that might offer some explanation. Drawing close parallels between psi and the universe described by quantum physics, Radin proposes the latter may hold the key to understanding the former. Entangled Minds concludes by predicting the universal acceptance of psi in the not too distant future, and speculating how this may impact humanity. (more…)

How Mad Are You?

BBC TV recently broadcast a fascinating 2-part episode of popular science documentary Horizon entitled How Mad Are You?. It featured an experiment in which 10 volunteer strangers - 5 previously diagnosed as mentally ill and 5 "normal" spent some time together in an English castle. The conditions of the mentally ill were social anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, bipolar disorder and an eating disorder. (more…)

The Power of Now

Eckhart Tolle's Power of Now is one of the few contemporary Spiritual classics. Its message is deceptively simple but deeply profound, and for the few who manage to apply it will prove truly life-changing and potentially enlightening.

The Power of Now is all about recognizing the illusions that surround us and replacing them with the underlying truth that is ever-present but nearly always obscured. As hinted by the title the first of these illusions is that of time. Time is a creation of the egoic mind to perpetuate its own existence. The mind frequently either looks to some point in the future when everything will be alright/perfect, or harps back to the good old days of the past or is filled with bitterness/guilt/anger/regret over things that should/shouldn't have been said or done. This is all utterly futile since the only moment that exists, that can ever exist, is now. (more…)