Cultivating Spirituality

Four Shin Buddhist thinkers reflect on their tradition’s encounter with modernity. Cultivating Spirituality is a seminal anthology of Shin Buddhist thought, one that reflects this tradition’s encounter with modernity. Shin (or Jod? Shinsh?) is a popular form of Pure Land Buddhism, the most widely practiced form of Buddhism in Japan, but is only now becoming well known in the West. The lives of the four thinkers included in the book spanned the years 1863–1982, from the Meiji opening to the West to Japan’s establishment as an industrialized democracy and world economic power. Kiyozawa Manshi, Soga Ry?jin, Kaneko Daiei, and Yasuda Rijin, all associated with Kyoto’s ?tani University, dealt with the spiritual concerns of a society undergoing great change. Their philosophical orientation known as “Seishinshugi” (“cultivating spirituality”) provides a set of principles that prioritized personal, subjective experience as the basis for religious understanding. In addition to providing access to work generally unavailable in English, this volume also includes both a contextualizing introduction and introductions to each figure included. “Buddhism, whether in Asia or the West, reveals itself to be a rich tapestry of diverse strands in which pioneers risked their standing and even their very lives to establish new pathways appropriate for their times and places. The editors invite the reader to explore developments in Japanese Pure Land Buddhism as emblematic of this tradition of innovation.” — Buddhadharma

Cultivating the Spirit THIS GROUNDBREAKING WORK IS BASED on a five-year study of how students change during the college years and the role college plays in facilitating the development of their spiritual qualities. Students, the authors argue, grapple with the big questions in life: Who am I? What are my values? Do I have a mission in life? Why am I in college? What kind of person do I want to be? What sort of world do I want to help to create? Their answers to these questions help determine their academic and career choices and are tied to the development of personal qualities such as empathy, caring, and social responsibility. The study finds that, while students' religious engagement declines during college, at the same time they become substantially more caring, tolerant, connected with others, and actively egaged in a spiritual quest. Spiritual growth also enhances academic performance, leadership development, and satisfaction with college. The study provides strong evidence pointing to specific experiences during college that can contribute to students' spiritual growth. The need for spiritual development in college is apparent. Two-thirds of the students in the study express a strong interest in spiritual matters, well over half report that their professors never encourage discussions of religious or spiritual matters, and about the same proportion report that professors never provide opportunities to discuss the purpose and meaning of life. Cultivating the Spirit aims to raise the awareness of academic administrators, faculty, and the public at large to the vital role that spirituality plays in student learning and development. Throughout the book, the authors identify strategies for enhancing students' development and encourage the academy to give greater priority to the spiritual aspects of students' educational and personal development.

Mushroom Wisdom explores the universal aspects of the psilocybin mushroom experience as it relates to spirituality. Author Martin Ball explains how mushroom use can lead the spiritual seeker to profound states of self-awareness and radical understanding of the nature of the self, reality, and the sacred. Topics include looking into the spiritual mirror to uncover an authentic sense of self, developing “witness” consciousness to overcome self-limiting concepts and judgments, and removing obstacles of ego and self-induced suffering to trigger the rich experience of “spirit flow.” The book also addresses the creation and use of ritual, sacred objects, and the importance of sound and silence. Ball distinguishes between using mushrooms in spiritual work as opposed to simply having a pleasant psychedelic experience. Not a guide to how to have “fun” with psilocybin mushrooms, Mushroom Wisdom is a serious investigation into deep spiritual nature, drawing on both a wide array of scientific disciplines and ancient shamanic practices.

The Science of Spirituality is a ground-breaking book that integrates the individual systems of science, psychology, philosophy, spirituality and religion into a unified system that describes the multi-dimensional nature of man and the universe. It provides a more comprehensive description of reality than conventional science can offer and fully explains the mechanisms behind an array of paranormal phenomena that mainstream science chooses to ignore. It explains the science behind religious, spiritual and new-age belief systems, and sheds light on some common misconceptions. The Science of Spirituality systematically describes the mechanisms behind a diverse range of subject matter including: consciousness, sleep and dreams, reincarnation, religion, creation, evolution, space and time, higher dimensions, heaven and hell, ghosts, angels and demons, out of body experiences, near death experiences, clairvoyance, psychic abilities, personal development, meditation and the meaning of life.

Cultivating Personal and Organizational Effectiveness presents a holistic understanding of personal and organizational development. It builds on the African concept of personhood and community known as ubuntu and draws on insights from the wisdom contained in African proverbs. Malunga shows that the human spirit is the missing link or ingredient in most change efforts and initiatives. Most individuals and organizations are not able to surface, identify, and confront their shadows to enable lasting transformation because they do not go deep enough to touch and unleash the human spirit. Cultivating Personal and Organizational Effectiveness aims to raise the consciousness of the significance of the human spirit in personal and organizational development. The book discusses the concept and indispensability of the human spirit, the stages of spiritual development, ways to cultivate the human spirit, and the place of the human spirit in personal and organizational effectiveness.

The much-needed message of this book is that spiritual practice is not a weekend hobby or an activity for adolescent seekers (of any age). Instead, Lalitha makes a case for mature spirituality, which evolves from a serious commitment to the Path, and assumes dignity, integrity and personal responsibility for one’s life choices. She proposes a series of “questions that matter”. . . including: • What Path Are You Really On? • What Are You Seriously Committed to? • What Do You Call Love? • Are You on Your Deathbed? The playing field of spiritual maturity can never be separate from one’s everyday life—one’s work, relationships, art, physical limits, suffering, aging and dying—Lalitha affirms. And, it will always reflect a sacred regard for the highest principles (one’s aim), along with gratitude for what is, and kindness, generosity and compassion toward others. Lalitha is a spiritual teacher and a farmer—her ashram in BC is also a working organic farm. She knows the disciplined efforts needed to prepare a ground for planting, to nurture and maintain young shoots, to guard against predators and to harvest a mature crop. As a long-term spiritual practitioner, she has worked with students for over twenty years. She knows the risks, the sweat and the fruits of the spiritual path. Full of practical help, her book cites dozens of examples relative to spiritual authority, doubt and confusion, a life of practice, and the facing and embracing of death . . . as well as other issues that matter! She is the author of Waking to Ordinary Life, and several books on health and healing.

Incline Your Ear: Cultivating Spiritual Awakening in Congregations introduces faith communities and individuals to the centuries-old principles and practices of spiritual direction. Spiritual direction, as Chad R. Abbott and Teresa Blythe practice and teach it, emphasizes four aspects of the faith journey: becoming more aware of the presence of the Holy in our daily lives, reflecting on that awareness and deepening our relationship with God, discerning where God is leading, and sharing our spiritual gifts with the world. Abbott and Blythe also share simple ways to evaluate the outcomes of spiritual awakening: "fruits of the Spirit." As a middle judicatory minister and spiritual director who work with clergy, lay leaders, and congregations around issues of spiritual life and energy, the authors long for churches to become vital spiritual communities that meet the needs of people right where they are. They strive to nurture congregations where pastors don't have to do it all; where members are equipped to share their gifts with one another; where leaders rest easy, knowing the board has discerned the vision well; and where all discover the rich array of spiritual food Christianity serves. In these complex and confusing times, the authors extend to us an invitation and hope: "Incline your ear... that you may live." As communities of faith study and experience Incline Your Ear together, they will find new ways to be in love with God and listen to the Spirit.

Raising Spiritual Children is a practical resource for parents who want to raise their children to be whole, healthy, and capable of using their spiritual gifts with wisdom. What does it mean to have spiritual gifting? How can we help our spiritually gifted children's stay on the right path? What do our children's dreams mean? This book answers these questions and many more. Book jacket.