The Mystic Heart : Discovering a Universal Spirituality in the World's Religions

Drawing On His Experience As An Interreligious Monk And Mystic, Brother Wayne Teasdale Reveals In The Mystic Heart What He Calls Interspirituality, A Genuine And Comprehensive Spirituality That Draws On The Mystical Core Of The World's Great Religious Traditions. After Years Within The Catholic Lay Monastic Community, Teasdale Found Himself Drawn To The Visionary Path Of Father Bede Griffiths, Who Initiated Him In The Way Of Sannyasa, The Life Of Renunciation And Dedication To The Quest For God. As A Sannyasi, Teasdale Combines His Profound Christian Faith With An Intimate Understanding Of Other Religions' Ancient Traditions. From This Spiritual Vantage, The Mystic Heart Shows That What So Often Forms The Basis For Conflict Can Really Be A Meeting Place Of Understanding. Through Scholarship, Stories, And Personal Practice, Teasdale Demonstrates That The Final Goal Of Authentic Spirituality Is Realizing Our True Nature As Mystics.--jacket. Foreword / His Holiness The Dalai Lama -- Preface / Dr. Beatrice Bruteau -- Pt. 1: Finding What Unites Us. Introduction: The Mystic Heart : Our Common Heritage ; A Bridge Across The Religions And Beyond ; Crossing Over: Pioneers Of Interspiritual Wisdom ; The Mirror Of The Heart: Consciousness As The Root Of Identity ; The Paths Are Many But The Goal Is The Same : Discovering The Way -- Pt. 2: The Practical Nature Of The Mystical Way. The Mystic Character ; Spiritual Practice : The Crux Of Inner Change ; Out In The World : The Spirituality Of Action -- Pt. 3: The Mysticism Of The Natural World. Natural Mysticism : Reading The Book Of Creation -- Pt. 4: Global Mysticism. The Promised Land Of The Spiritual Journey ; Opening The Heart Of The World : Toward A Universal Mysticism. Foreword / His Holiness The Dalai Lama -- Preface / Dr. Beatrice Bruteau -- Finding What Unites Us -- Introduction The Mystic Heart: Our Common Heritage -- The Interspiritual Age -- The Parliament Of The World's Religions -- The Turn To Spirituality -- A Dot On A Blackboard -- A Bridge Across The Religions And Beyond -- What Is Spirituality? -- Spirituality In The Religions -- The Nature Of Mysticism And Spirituality -- What Is Interspirituality? -- The Treasure Of Community -- Crossing Over: Pioneers Of Interspiritual Wisdom -- The Meeting Of Christianity And Hinduism -- Dialogue Between Catholicism And The Other Religions -- Buddhism Comes To The West -- Finding Your Place In The Interspiritual Movement -- The Mirror Of The Heart: Consciousness As The Root Of Identity -- Hinduism: Supreme Identity In The Mahavakyas -- Buddhism: Enlightenment, Shunyata, Nirvana, And The Doctrine Of No-self -- The Greeks: Plato And Aristotle -- The Christian Understanding -- Who We Are Is Where We're Going -- A New Paradigm Of Identity: We Are Consciousness -- Quantum Physics Shows Us Reality And Self-identity -- The Nature Of The Divine -- The Paths Are Many But The Goal Is The Same: Discovering The Way -- The Inner Path: The Way Of Contemplation -- The Outer Path: The Way Of Action -- The Place Of Spiritual Transformation -- The Asramas And Margas: Living The Sacred -- The Integration Of Action And Contemplation -- The Goal Of The Spiritual Journey -- The Practical Nature Of The Mystical Way -- The Mystic Character. Wayne Teasdale ; Foreword By His Holiness The Dalai Lama ; Preface By Beatrice Bruteau. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.

Drawing on experience as an interreligious monk, Brother Wayne Teasdale reveals the power of spirituality and its practical elements. He combines a profound Christian faith with an intimate understanding of ancient religious traditions.

Publishers Weekly

Teasdale is a sannyasa, or Hindu monk, who also practices Roman Catholicism and serves on the board of trustees of the Parliament of the World's Religions. Here, he proclaims the advent of a new movement toward interspirituality--one that claims as its heritage all valid spirituality from any and all faiths. Teasdale distinguishes spirituality from religion, explaining that Being religious connotes belonging to and practicing a religious tradition. Being spiritual suggests a personal commitment to a process of inner development that engages us in our totality. For the author, religion is a potential means to the greater end of genuine spirituality, which is highly mystical. Teasdale identifies what he considers the main elements of true spirituality and their manifestation in various religious traditions. Although he is Catholic and the book appeals to the unity underlying all traditions, most of his terminology derives from Buddhist and Hindu sources. Teasdale's style is gentle and winsome. Those who disapprove of eclecticism in religion will at least find this a clear presentation to react against, while those who share Teasdale's optimistic vision of the coming age as fostering spiritual unity among diverse peoples will consider the book an inspirational guide. (Nov.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

"Drawing on his experience as an interreligious monk and mystic, Brother Wayne Teasdale reveals in The Mystic Heart what he calls interspirituality, a genuine and comprehensive spirituality that draws on the mystical core of the world's great religious traditions. After years within the Catholic lay monastic community, Teasdale found himself drawn to the visionary path of Father Bede Griffiths, who initiated him in the way of sannyasa, the life of renunciation and dedication to the quest for God."--BOOK JACKET. "As a sannyasi, Teasdale combines his profound Christian faith with an intimate understanding of other religions' ancient traditions. From this spiritual vantage, The Mystic Heart shows that what so often forms the basis for conflict can really be a meeting place of understanding."--BOOK JACKET. "Through scholarship, stories, and personal practice, Teasdale demonstrates that the final goal of authentic spirituality is realizing our true nature as mystics."--BOOK JACKET. Drawing on his experience as an inter-religious monk and mystic, the author reveals a genuine and comprehensive spirituality that draws on the core of the world's greatest traditions. From this vantage point, sources of conflict can be the meeting place that leads to a greater truth An exploration of interspirituality, which draws on the mystical core of the world's great religious traditions to form a new understanding of what it means to be spiritual. My own interspiritual journey began in earnest in 1973, when Bede Griffiths and I began to correspond.