The Direct Path : Creating a Journey to the Divine Using the World's Mystical Traditions - Softcover

Harvey Andrew

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0712603670 ISBN 13: 9780712603676

Publisher: Random House, 2001

Synopsis

Andrew Harvey writes: 'I feel I have been waiting all my life to write this book, that it will represent the culmination and consummation of twenty-five years of seeking and inner experience and practice in many of the mystical systems of the world, and that there could not be a more important book for the contemporary seeker. As the times become more and more difficult and challenging, and the bankruptcy of all the inherited religions and mystical transmission systems becomes more and more starkly apparent, nothing is more essential, I believe, than to give people everywhere assurance and confidence that a direct approach to the Divine is possible; that anyone with good will, an open heart, and a commitment to serious, humble practice can attain it; and that this direct contact can work in very powerful transformative ways to change completely, over time, the quality, direction and inner meaning of one's life.' The Direct Path is a major work by an author hugely respected, not only for the quality of his writing, but also for his ability to put across profound ideas in an astonishingly accessible way. Full of concrete practices, and rich in mystical feeling, this is a book which we are proud to be publishing on the Rider list, and one which will backlist for many years to come.

About this title

Review

Andrew Harvey is a renowned spiritual scholar and a master of the world's mystical traditions. He's the author and editor of more than 30 books, but The Direct Path can be viewed as the benchmark of his spiritual philosophy. "I feel I have been waiting all my life to write this book," he states, and at the core of The Direct Path are his clearly defined beliefs: organized religions and guru systems have largely failed to serve the spiritual needs of humanity. We are all children of God since we each contain a spark of God's divinity--i.e., we each have a soul, and as such, we do not require middlemen to mediate our way to God. What is required is the Direct Path, sacred practices of mind, body, and spirit through which we can each attain a personal union with the divine. The fruit of this union is the "birth" of energy, which is transformative and boundless and which must be shared with our fellows through active humanitarian work so that we each become "servant-warriors for peace and justice." And on this birth depends the future of humanity.

"This is a radical vision, of course," Andrew Harvey explains, "but it is not a new one." The prophets across all native and religious traditions have espoused the same essential teachings, that the divine dwells within each of us and that by accessing our divinity we will attain union and so comprehend the true meaning of human fellowship. Judeo-Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, Taoist, Islamic and native, Andrew Harvey draws on mysticism rather than dogma from across the spiritual spectrum. He gives us an eloquent and wholehearted explanation of the Direct Path and its necessary practices--such as breathing, meditation, and focused exercise--and he conveys a compelling vision of why the birth of transformative energy within each of us is so essential to the future of humankind. --Lucas LoBlack, Amazon.co.uk

Book Description

Rather than depending upon gurus to mediate our way to God, a renowned spiritual scholar maintains that what is required is the Direct Path, sacred practices of mind, body & spirit through which we can each attain a personal union with the divine

Edition details

• Publisher: Random House
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0712603670
• ISBN 13: 9780712603676
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 301