Upanishads are mankind's oldest works of philosophy, predating the earliest Greek philosophy. They are the concluding part of the Vedas, the ancient Indian sacred literature, and mark the culmination of a tradition of speculative thought first expressed in the Rig-Veda more than 4000 years ago. Remarkable for their meditative depth, spirit of doubt and intellectual honesty, the Upanishads are concerned with the knowledge of the Brahman, the Ultimate Reality, and Man's relationship with it. The name Upanishad is derived from the face-to-face mode of imparting knowledge - in the utmost sanctity and secrecy, to prevent its trivialisation or perversion. Composed in Sanskrit between 900 and 600 BC, the Upanishads presented here are by far the oldest and most important of those that exist. Twelve were first translated more than a hundred years ago, and have been extensively revised and edited. The thirteenth is an entirely new translation by Suren Navlakha.

Who were the Twelve Tribes? What actually happened at the LastSupper? Many people are familiar with the Bible, but few have readit in depth let alone in its entirety. Reverend Doctor MichaelHinton bridges the gap with this pocket-sized, modern summary,distilling the essential elements from Creation to Revelation intoan accessible page-turner for today's time-pressed reader. Aninstant best-seller in Great Britain and translated into manylanguages, this 100-minute read covers all of the decisive momentsand influential characters in short, straightforward chapters. Thisnew way of looking at the Bible and the story of Christianity isthe perfect companion for the airplane, bedtime, or the dailycommute.

Rabbi Steinberg identifies seven strands that weave togetherto make up Judaism: God, morality, rite and custom, law, sacredliterature, institutions, and the people. A classic work directedto both the Jewish and the non-Jewish reader.

The story of novelist and poet Deborah Larsen's youngwomanhood, The Tulip and the Pope is both an exquisitelycrafted spiritual memoir and a beautifully nuanced view of life inthe convent.In midsummer of 1960, nineteen-year-old Deborah sharesa cab to a convent. She and the teenage girls with her, passionateto become nuns, heedless of all they are leaving behind, smoketheir last cigarettes before entering their new lives. In the sameartful prose that distinguished her novel The White ,Larsen's memoir lets us into the hushed life of the convent. Shecaptures the exquisite peace she found there, as well as theextreme constriction of the rules and her gradual awareness of allthat she is missing. Eventually the physical world—the lush tulipshe remembers seeing as a girl, the snow she tunneled in, and eventhe mystery of sex—begins to seem to her an alternative theater fora deep understanding and love of God.

Early one morning, for no earthly reason, Sara Miles, raisedan atheist, wandered into a church, received communion, and foundherself transformed–embracing a faith she’d once scorned. A lesbianleft-wing journalist who’d covered revolutions around the world,Miles didn’t discover a religion that was about angels or goodbehavior or piety; her faith centered on real hunger, real food,and real bodies. Before long, she turned the bread she ate atcommunion into tons of groceries, piled on the church’s altar to begiven away. Within a few years, she and the people she served hadstarted nearly a dozen food pantries in the poorest parts of theircity. Take This Bread is rich with real-lifeDickensian characters–church ladies, millionaires, schizophrenics,bishops, and thieves–all blown into Miles’s life by the relentlessforce of her newfound calling. Here, in this achingly beautiful,passionate book, is the living communion of Christ. “The most amazing book.” –Anne Lamott “Engaging, funny, and

The Holman Illustrated Pocket Bible Dictionary gives you the essential information you need to study the Bible in a handy, pocket- size format. With more user-friendly features than ever. this edition is designed for those who need information quickly, but also want in-depth information on a variety of topics. Numerous color photographs, recon- structions, maps and charts illuminate the text and help you process information in a way you never thought possible,

In a narrative that is at once thoughtful and passionate,hopeful but without illusions, award-winning historian ZacharyKarabell reveals the history of peaceful coexistence among Muslims,Christians, and Jews over the course of fourteen centuries untilthe present-day. The harsh reality of religious conflict is daily news, and therising tensions between the West and Islam show no signs ofabating. However, the relationship between Muslims, Christians, andJews has not always been marked with animosity; there is also adeep and nuanced history of peace. From the court of caliphs in ancient Baghdad, where scholarsengaged in spirited debate, to present-day Dubai, where members ofeach faith work side by side, Karabell traces the forgotten legacyof tolerance and cooperation these three monotheistic religionshave enjoyed—a legacy that will be vital in any attempt to findcommon ground and reestablish peace.

Dating from around 300BC, Tao Te Ching is the first great classic of the Chinese school of philosophy called Taoism. Within its pages is summed up a complete view of the cosmos and how human beings should respond to it. A profound mystical insight into the nature of things forms the basis for a humane morality and vision of political utopia.