Showing results by publisher "MSAC Philosophy Group" in All Categories

Farid ud-Din Attar occupies a prominent place in the roll of distinguished Persian poets. His most famous work on Sufism, written eight centuries ago, is the Mantiq-ut-Tayr, or the "Colloquy of the Birds," an allegorical poem in which the gifted mystic describes the quest of the birds (symbolizing Sufi pilgrims) for the Simurg (the Lord of Creation).

This is an abridged edition of a classic text on Rumi and Sufism which was first published in London in 1920 under the title The Persian Mystics and authored by F. Hadland Davis. This special edition contains selections from the poetry of Rumi. Also included is an analysis of Sufism and the concept of love. Edited by Professor David Christopher Lane, PhD.

This remarkable text by the renowned shabd yoga sage Baba Faqir Chand describes the journey of the soul after death. This is volume one, which contains three parts. From the introduction by Professor Bhagat Ram Kamal: This book, entitled Garud Puran (a mystical doctrine), was written by his holiness after listening to the traditional Garud Puran from the pandits during the religious performances as per rituals of Sanatan Dharam for the first time. It covers all the aspects of human life and throws an abundant light upon what happens with us after death.

This is a remarkable travel recollection from that most remarkable woman, Gertrude Bell. Provides a number of nice glimpses into the people and culture of Persia during the latter part of the 1800s. Now in a new, inexpensive edition. 

L. Williams, in translating Giordano Bruno's Gli Eroici Furori (Heroic Enthusiasts) from the original Italian into English back in 1887 and 1889, has done a great service to humanity. His introduction is especially illuminating as it contextualizes Bruno's life until his tragic death at the age of 52 and provides us with a tantalizing glimpse into his cosmological philosophy. It is my hope that this small book, which is drawn exclusively from Williams' work, will serve as an intellectual appetizer and lead to a deeper plunge into Bruno's fascinating thought.

It is not too often that a brilliant scientist is also a wonderfully gifted writer. Sir Arthur Eddington was both. Brought up as a Quaker (he was a pacifist during World War One), Eddington was by all accounts a brilliant mathematician and physicist, who eventually became a professor of astronomy at Cambridge University. Sir Arthur Eddington is perhaps most famous for partially confirming Albert Einstein's theory of relativity back in 1919.

This small audiobook provides two insightful biographical glimpses into the life and ideas of one of the great thinkers in Roman Catholic history. Sound interesting? The authors thinks so too! Listen to Giordano Bruno and Infinity and learn about Christianity and history.

Charles Sanders Peirce is perhaps the greatest philosophical mind to emerge from the United States. He was hugely influential on William James, Alfred North Whitehead, and many other eminent thinkers. This small volume includes two famous essays by Peirce, "The Fixation of Belief" and "Questions Concerning Certain Faculties Claimed for Man." Also included is a short, intellectual biography of Peirce which focuses on his many contributions to science and philosophy. Chosen and very slightly edited by Professor David Christopher Lane, PhD.

Hazrat Inayat Khan (1882-1927) was a distinguished musician, a prolific writer, and a great advocate of Sufi mysticism. I first learned about Khan from a long quote on “abstract sound” that was included in Julian P. Johnson’s famous book, The Path of the Masters (1939). It focused on listening to the inner sound as a spiritual practice and underlined how such was efficacious for uplifting one’s consciousness to higher regions. The following excerpt is from Khan’s 1923 work, The Mysticism of Sound.

Although there is now a plethora of books by and about Rumi, I thought it might be instructive to republish a small portion of Edward Henry Whinfield's English translation of Rumi's Persian masterpiece. I think it is vitally important in today's social climate to focus on those aspects of Islam which elevate humankind and I can think of no better place to start than with the Sufi mystics of Islam, of which Rumi is the most famous (and perhaps finest) example.

Tom Blake changed the face of surfing and has long been lauded as one of the true pioneers and innovators in the sport. Although much has been written about him and his contributions (culminating in Gary Lynch's magisterial biography of him, Tom Blake: The Uncommon Journey of a Pioneer Waterman, published in 2001), very little work has been done on Tom Blake's Einsteinian philosophy.

This small book contains two parts: 1) the words of Ramana on his spiritual methodology: "Who Am I?" And 2) an original essay by Dr. David Christopher Lane describing, in brief, the life and work of this most remarkable Indian sage, who is more influential today, decades after his death, than ever before. 

This a classic occult novel from the late 19th century that touches upon such themes as karma, reincarnation, secret societies, meditation, yoga, Saint Germain, conspiracies, and much more.

This delightful and insightful series of essays on the practice of science was written by one of the great minds of the 19th century, Thomas Henry Huxley, a great friend and defender of Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution by natural selection. It includes Huxley's autobiography and essays covering improving natural knowledge; a liberal education; on a piece of chalk; the principle subjects of education; the method of scientific investigation.

Joseph McCabe was a remarkably courageous thinker and writer, who was not shy from pointing out the numerous errors he found in the monastic lifestyle which he eventually felt distracted human beings away from an unvarnished and more honest approach to understanding the cosmos around us and how to live within in it. The problem with Roman Catholicism, as Joseph McCabe will illustrate throughout his text, is that it is too concerned with its own survival as a worldwide organization and less as school for open and unabashed inquiry. 

This audiobook contains two essays from Thomas H. Huxley, the famous defender of all things Darwinian, explaining at length why Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection is a tremendous breakthrough in biology and why his book, On Origin of Species, is a worthy companion to such tomes as Newton's Principia. Clear and informative essays.

This book covers four distinct areas concerning the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Taken as a whole, it provides a new way of looking at Jesus and early Christianity.

This is an English translation of Guru Nanak's famous Sri Japji Sahib, which was originally written in Gurmukhi script. This is rightly regarded as one of the world's great spiritual classics. It is uplifting and universal in its message of love and devotion. 

This is a delightfully insightful overview of the life and work of Herbert Spencer, the famous evolutionist of the 19th century. Although Spencer's thought is not without controversy, he was nevertheless responsible for a number of important contributions, not the least of which is his coining of the term "survival of the fittest", which Charles Darwin (on the advice of Alfred Russel Wallace) used as a placeholder for his more generalistic term, "natural selection". 

The human dilemma is that we have an innate tendency to conflate our current brain state with how reality apart from ourselves really is, forgetting, in the process, that our subjective experiences may be inaccurate or misleading representations of our objective surroundings. There are, of course, good evolutionary reasons for why this is the case, since in our struggle for survival, we have to rely on our mental maps (and take them seriously) in order to find food, ward or fight off enemies, secure housing, find mates, protect offspring, and so on.