Singing the Way: Insights into Poetry & Spiritual Transformation (The Perennial Philosophy Series)

this Groundbreaking Book Underlines The Primordial Richness Of Language By Focusing Upon The Spiritual Qualities In Poetry Which Serve To Bridge The Human And The Divine. The central theme of this groundbreaking study of the intricately woven subject of poetry and spiritual transformation is the loss of sacred knowledge which accompanies the debasement of poetry. This work underlines the primordial richness of language by focusing upon the spiritual qualities of poetic expression, which serve to bridge the human and the Divine. Ranging across topics as diverse as Hindu poetics, Sufism and poetry, Shamanistic chant, poetry as contemplation in the Chinese classics, direct perception of reality in Japanese haiku, and inspiration in Western poetry, this book directs us to the farthest reaches of language, where word and silence merge in the ineffable Reality of God. "The central theme of this study of the intricately woven subject of poetry and spiritual transformation is the loss of sacred knowledge which accompanies the debasement of poetry. This work underlines the primordial richness of language by focusing upon the spiritual qualities of poetic expression, which serve to bridge the human and the Divine. Ranging across topics as diverse as Hindu poetics, Sufism and poetry, Shamanistic chant, poetry as contemplation in the Chinese classics, direct perception of reality in Japanese haiku, and inspiration in Western poetry, this book directs us to the farthest reaches of language, where word and silence merge in the ineffable Reality of God."--Jacket. Singing the Way explores the relationship between poetry and true contemplation. Author Patrick Laude seeks first to disperse romantic notions of how the poetic process works, but goes on to suggest that it is inherently more profound than modern practitioners imagine. Laude tells us that in itself true poetry is'transformative'since it brings the soul and all its faculties under the catalytic “spell” of the sacred through the mediation of rhythm and the “lure” of imaginal and verbal beauty. Singing the Way illustrates its points through examples drawn from five rich spiritual and poetic traditions (viz. Hinduism, Sufism, China, Japan, and the European Neo-Platonic and Romantic current). Front Cover 1 Series Page 2 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Table of Content 6 List of Illustrations 8 Introduction 10 1. HINDU POETICS 24 2. ISLAM 56 3. LU CHI’S WEN FU 92 4. JAPANESE POETRY 124 5. WESTERN POETICS 158 6. SINGING THE SACRED WAY 192 CONCLUSION 218 BIBLIOGRAPHY 222 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE 230 INDEX 232 0941532747,9780941532747 World Wisdom,2005 When discussing the philosophy and the methods of Hindu poetics, it is important at the outset to situate poetry within its anthropological and spiritual context.