It should not be so hard to write both poetry and fiction. Both arts, after all, make use of the same materials, words and punctuation. Poems...
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This is the best book I've read this year (and I read many). Though at first glance (at the title) one might think it is either a New Age treatise on spirituality or an overly academic exploration of the psychological dynamics of the teacher-student relationship it is niether. The book reads like a novel; it's a page turner. I started it one evening and didn't put it down for the next two days until I finished.
The author takes us on a rich journey of spiritual traditions (Hinduism, Sufism, Zen, Tibetan, Native American, Avaita, and Benedictine Catholicism), through the eyes and hearts of its practitioners and champions. The teacher stories in this book are mesmerizing (the story of Murat Yagan the 90 year-old Sufi from Turkey is simply incredible) and the student stories are as compelling and heartfelt. Kain lets us open our eyes and our hearts alongside the voices in the book--I felt like I had walked in the shoes of many of the people in the book.
I dont travel in "spiritual" circles, don't belong to any organized religion but I was interested in the relatinship dynamic, which is what drives this story. I think the author has done a superb job in balancing the mystical and the mundane in this book, he has widened the entry point so "regular" (secular?) folks will get as much out of this book as long time spiritual practitioners. The themes covered are familiar to all of us: The abuse of power, the yearning for fulfillment and love, the tug of desire, egos run amok, the pyschological dynamics of relationship, and--thankfully-- humor (and so much more). HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
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A Rare and Precious Thing: The Possibilities and Pitfalls of Working with a Spiritual Teacher by John Kain
collince14, November 1, 2006
This is the best book I've read this year (and I read many). Though at first glance (at the title) one might think it is either a New Age treatise on spirituality or an overly academic exploration of the psychological dynamics of the teacher-student relationship it is niether. The book reads like a novel; it's a page turner. I started it one evening and didn't put it down for the next two days until I finished.The author takes us on a rich journey of spiritual traditions (Hinduism, Sufism, Zen, Tibetan, Native American, Avaita, and Benedictine Catholicism), through the eyes and hearts of its practitioners and champions. The teacher stories in this book are mesmerizing (the story of Murat Yagan the 90 year-old Sufi from Turkey is simply incredible) and the student stories are as compelling and heartfelt. Kain lets us open our eyes and our hearts alongside the voices in the book--I felt like I had walked in the shoes of many of the people in the book.
I dont travel in "spiritual" circles, don't belong to any organized religion but I was interested in the relatinship dynamic, which is what drives this story. I think the author has done a superb job in balancing the mystical and the mundane in this book, he has widened the entry point so "regular" (secular?) folks will get as much out of this book as long time spiritual practitioners. The themes covered are familiar to all of us: The abuse of power, the yearning for fulfillment and love, the tug of desire, egos run amok, the pyschological dynamics of relationship, and--thankfully-- humor (and so much more). HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
(10 of 10 readers found this comment helpful)