Wisdom of the Ages - Softcover

Wayne W. Dyer

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0732264510 ISBN 13: 9780732264512

Publisher: Harper Collins, 1999

Synopsis

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

This inspiring book by Wayne Dyer, author of the bestselling classics Your Erroneous Zones and Pulling Your Own Strings, delves into the teachings of intellectuals of our past to mine values and wisdom for the present.  

"What do our ancestral scholars, whom we consider the wisest and most spiritually advanced, have to say to us today?" asks Dyer. The answer lies in this powerful collection of writings, poems, and sayings by some of the greatest thinkers of the past twenty-five centuries. In succinct original essays, Dyer sets out to explain the meaning and context of each piece of wisdom, and, most important, to explain how we can actively apply these teachings to our modern lives. From sixty ancestral masters – Buddha, Michelangelo, Rumi, Whitman, Jesus, Emily Dickinson, and Emerson, among others – here are treasured passages on a variety of subjects, including solitude, time, and passion. Among the contributions are words on inspiration from Pantanjali, author of the Hindu classic Yoga Sutras; teachings about the power of prayer from 13th-century monk St. Francis of Assisi; and thoughts about the importance of action written by Mother Teresa.

The voices collected here cut across a wide range of historical eras and cultures, yet they communicate universal truths about the human experience. Wisdom of the Ages provides us with a marvelous dual opportunity: to receive guidance from our great ancestors and to recognize our own potential for greatness

About this title

Review:

Wisdom of the Ages reads like a workshop on "What the Masters can Teach You." Author Wayne Dyer offers wisdom taught by the world's "great teachers" (such as Buddha, Jesus, Confucius, Michelangelo, and Emily Dickinson) and then provides an easy-to-digest interpretation for modern readers. The book is formatted into daily, quoted passages (around a page in length) from 60 of these teachers--the "60 Days to Enlightenment" in the book's title. After each quote, Dyer offers his own thoughts on how the "lesson" can be applied to contemporary life. After his essay, the author includes a list of exercises to put the teacher's advice to use. Each passage includes a heading--"Soulcenter" for a quote from Herman Melville's Moby Dick, or "Communication" for William Blake's poem "A Poison Tree," for example.

While his tone is always reverent, Dyer's interpretations occasionally sound flat and obvious--as if he is dumbing down the language for his audience, rather than elevating readers to a higher consciousness (or at least a higher education). This is a shame, because when Dyer writes with the eloquent and enthusiastic voice that earned him his huge popularity--glimpses of that voice do appear in this book--one sees why so many consider him a "master teacher" in his own right. --Gail Hudson

From the Back Cover:

In this inspiring audiobook, bestselling author Wayne W. Dyer poses the question, “What do our ancestral scholars, whom we consider the wisest and most spiritually advanced, have to say to us today?”

The answer lies in this powerful collection of writings, poems and phrases by some of the greatest thinkers of the past twenty-five centuries. In succinct original essays, Dr. Wayne W. Dyer sets out to explain the meaning and context of each piece of wisdom, and most important, to explain how we can actively apply these teachings to our modern lives.

From ancestral masters including Buddha, Michelangelo, Rumi, Whitman, Emily Dickinson, and Jesus, here are treasured passages on a variety of subjects, including solitude, time, and passion. Among the contributions are thoughts about the importance of action written by Mother Theresa, words in inspiration from Patanjali, author of the Hindu classic Yoga Sutras, and teachings about the power of prayer from thirteenth century monk St. Francis of Assisi.

The voices collected here cut across a wide range of historical eras and cultures, yet they communicate universal truths about the human experience. Wisdom of the Ages provides us with a marvelous dual opportunity: to receive guidance from our great ancestors and to recognize our own potential for greatness.

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About this edition

• Publisher: Harper Collins
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0732264510
• ISBN 13: 9780732264512
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 290