Zen, Yoga, Gurdjieff- perspectives on inner work: Metaphysical Humanism

Friday, March 6, 2020

Metaphysical Humanism

Is now available in epub format on Amazon.com.

Click on the link to go to the page.

Intended for a world where meanings have steadily been eroded, traditions are being thrown under the bus, and mankind seems to have lost its moorings, Metaphysical Humanism is an investigation aimed at restoring an inner meaning to life.

This meaning is emphatically stated as a counterpoint to the western dogma of mechanistic rationalism, which is the dominant accidental, tale-told-by-an-idiot interpretive structure of the modern scientific and technological world.

Rooted in questions about why meaning exists at all in the first place, the book attempts to explore the cosmos as an emergent entity with an essentially human, yet metaphysical, form. Drawing on the teachings of Gurdjieff, Swedenborg, Meister Eckhart, and insights gleaned from contemporary science, a conscious, emergent, and intelligent universe is proposed.

In addition, a fractally related structure of humanistic—as opposed to merely physical—universal behavioral laws which define the nature of humanism through emergent interaction is explored.

In the process, more comprehensive fractions of what is actually a very ancient and human—as opposed to mechanical—cosmology emerges.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

Recommendations and current reading list

Lee's current reading list (all recommended)

The Iceberg- Marion Coutts. This extraordinary book deserves to be read by every individual engaged in an inner search. The questions it raises about life, death, and relationship are framed by the authors responsibilities to her very young child and her dying husband. This is a book about real work in life, not esoteric theory.

Far From The Tree: Andrew Solomon. Parents, Children and the Search for Identity. Highly recommended.

Inner Yoga, Sri Anirvan—This extraordinary book is essential reading for any serious student of Gurdjieff or Yoga practice. Written at a level of both practical and philosophical discourse well above other contemporary work, Anirvan investigates the deep roots of Yoga practice, theory, and philosophy in a deeply sensitive series of insights. Of particular interest is the extraordinary and challenging piece on Buddhi and Buddhiyoga, which examines the questions of practice, life, and death with an acuity rarely encountered in other work of this nature.

Divine Love and Wisdom, Emmanuel Swedenborg. Swedenborg gives us a detailed report on Reality as received from higher sources, reflecting many Truths one would be wise to study carefully. Readers will be astounded by the extraordinary degree of correlation between Swedenborg and Ibn 'Arabi. Many fundamental principles introduced by Gurdjieff are also expounded on in fascinating detail by Swedenborg. All of Swedenborg's works are well worth reading.

The Divine Governance of the Human Kingdom, Ibn 'Arabi. Another real gem, this book ought to be read by every seeker on the spiritual path. If you can only find the time to read one book by Ibn 'Arabi, this ought to be the one. By turns lighthearted, serious, insightful, and ingenius, al 'Arabi introduces us to our inner government character by character, explains their relationships, and indicates how to bring them into a state of harmonious cooperation. Written with love, the book deftly manages to avoid being didactic, delivering instead a sensitive, poetic, and even romantic look at how to organize our inner Being.

The Bezels of Wisdom—Ibn al 'Arabi. A compendium of observations about the nature of "The Reality"—what al 'Arabi calls God— from a 13th century Sufi master. This towering work easily holds its own against—and is worthy of comparison to—13th century masterpieces from other major religious traditions such as Dogen's Shobogenzo and Meister Eckhart's sermons.

Also worthy: William C. Chittick's The Sufi Path of Knowledge, an extensive review of al Arabi's works.