Now in paperback, revised and redesigned: This is Thomas Merton's last book, in which he draws on both Eastern and Western traditions to explore the hot topic of contemplation/meditation in depth and to show how we can practice true contemplation in everyday life.

Never before published except as a series of articles (one per chapter) in an academic journal, this book on contemplation was revised by Merton shortly before his untimely death. The material bridges Merton's early work on Catholic monasticism, mysticism, and contemplation with his later writing on Eastern, especially Buddhist, traditions of meditation and spirituality. This book thus provides a comprehensive understanding of contemplation that draws on the best of Western and Eastern traditions.

Merton was still tinkering with this book when he died; it was the book he struggled with most during his career as a writer. But now the Merton Legacy Trust and experts have determined that the book makes such a valuable contribution as his major comprehensive presentation of contemplation that they have allowed its publication.

This is a revised edition of John Milbank's masterpiece, which sketches the outline of a specifically theological social theory.
The "Times Higher Education Supplement" wrote of the first edition that it was "a tour de force of systematic theology. It would be churlish not to acknowledge its provocation and brilliance."
Brings this classic work up-to-date by reviewing the development of modern social thought.
Features a substantial new introduction by Milbank, clarifying the theoretical basis for his work.
Challenges the notion that sociological critiques of theology are 'scientific'.
Outlines a specifically theological social theory, and in doing so, engages with a wide range of thinkers from Plato to Deleuze.
Written by one of the world's most influential contemporary theologians and the author of numerous books.

The essential companion volume to the phenomenal self-help bestseller THE POWER OF NOW - 'the must-read bible du jour'. Eckhart Tolle's book describes the experience of heightened consciousness that radically transformed his life - and shows how by living in the moment we can also reach a higher state of being where we can find joy and peace and where problems do not exist. The invaluable companion volume - PRACTISING THE POWER OF NOW - contains all the essential techniques we need to start to put this important book into practice in our own lives. No reader will be complete without it.

Sarfraz Manzoor was two years old when his family emigrated from Pakistan to join his father in Bury Park, Luton. His teenage years were a constant battle to reconcile being both British and Muslim. But when his best friend introduced him to Bruce Springsteen, his life changed for ever. In this affectionate and timely memoir, Manzoor retraces his journey from the frustrations of his childhood to his reaction to the tragedies of 9/11 and 7/7.

Original, darkly tender and wryly amusing, this is an inspiring tribute to the power of music to transcend race and religion and a moving account of a relationship between father and son

'Dreams are products of the mind, and do not come from any external source' Artemidorus' The Interpretation of Dreams (Oneirocritica) is the richest and most vivid pre-Freudian account of dream interpretation, and the only dream-book to have survived complete from Graeco-Roman times. Written in Greek around AD 200, when dreams were believed by many to offer insight into future events, the work is a compendium of interpretations of dreams on a wide range of subjects relating to the natural, human, and divine worlds. It includes the meanings of dreams about the body, sex, eating and drinking, dress, the weather, animals, the gods, and much else. Artemidorus' technique of dream interpretation stresses the need to know the background of the dreamer, such as occupation, health, status, habits, and age, and the work is a fascinating social history, revealing much about ancient life, culture, and beliefs, and attitudes to the dominant power of Imperial Rome. Martin Hammond's fine translation is accompanied by a lucid introduction and explanatory notes by Peter Thonemann, which assist the reader in understanding this important work, which was an influence on both Sigmund Freud and Michel Foucault.

Born in Balkh (present-day Afghanistan), Jelaluddin Rumi (1207-1273) is one of the greatest Persian mystics and poets the world has known. His message of love speaks directly to the heart and transcends the limitations of language and the boundaries of time.

In the vast depths of Rumi's work the short quatrains, the Rubaiyat, are like crystals. They sparkle with the many hues of the rainbow and contain worlds inside. As we hold them iin our hands they capture us with their mystery. Transparent and clear they open doors into the wonder of inner spaces and longing. Whispers of two lovers in a crowd.

When was the last time you heard a Muslim woman speak for herself without a filter? It's Not About the Burqa started life when Mariam Khan read about the conversation in which David Cameron linked the radicalization of Muslim men to the `traditional submissiveness' of Muslim women. Mariam felt pretty sure she didn't know a single Muslim woman who would describe herself that way. Why was she hearing about Muslim women from people who were demonstrably neither Muslim nor female? Taking one of the most politicized and misused words associated with Muslim women and Islamophobia, It's Not About the Burqa has something to say: twenty Muslim women speaking up for themselves. Here are essays about the hijab and wavering faith, about love and divorce, about queer identity, about sex, about the twin threats of a disapproving community and a racist country, and about how Islam and feminism go hand in hand. Funny, warm, sometimes sad, and often angry, each of these essays is a passionate declaration, and each essay is calling time on the oppression, the lazy stereotyping, the misogyny and the Islamophobia. It's Not About the Burqa doesn't claim to speak for a faith or a group of people, because it's time the world realized that Muslim women are not a monolith. It's time the world listened to them.

Michael Richard Laffin demonstrates the promise of Martin Luther's thought for contemporary political theology by showing how Luther has been over-determined in standard genealogies of modernity which frequently deafen us to his unique contribution. Laffin argues that contemporary theologians have typically followed a narrative derived from the work of a previous generation of political historians and philosophers, which tend to screen out or distort the Reformers' contribution to political theory. Common to these narratives are charges against Luther for his perceived univocal and nominal ontology resulting in a privatized and spiritualized Christianity, thus falsely dividing the world into autonomous spheres. Additionally, the narratives claim that Luther follows in the wake of voluntarism, leading to an insistence on human passivity that leaves no room for pagan virtue. Thus, politics is reduced to an authoritarian imposition of order. In contrast to the dominant narratives of political modernity, Laffin re-examines these narratives by focusing on the political significance of areas in Luther's corpus often neglected in contemporary accounts of his political thought, especially his commentaries on Scripture and writings on the sacraments. Attention to these writings brings forth the crucial themes of the two ecclesiae and the three institutions. Constructively, these themes are deployed in critical engagement with contemporary political theology, particularly as represented in Radical Orthodoxy and the new-Augustinianism.

A groundbreaking new theory of religion Religion remains an important influence in the world today, yet the social sciences are still not adequately equipped to understand and explain it. This book advances an innovative theory of religion that goes beyond the problematic theoretical paradigms of the past. Drawing on the philosophy of critical realism and personalist social theory, Christian Smith explores why humans are religious in the first place-uniquely so as a species-and offers an account of secularization and religious innovation and persistence that breaks the logjam in which religious scholarship has been stuck for so long. Certain to stimulate debate and inspire promising new avenues of scholarship, Religion features a wealth of illustrations and examples that help to make its concepts accessible to readers. This superbly written book brings sound theoretical thinking to a perennially thorny subject, and a new vitality and focus to its study.

Heretic and impostor or reformer and statesman? The contradictory Western visions of Muhammad In European culture, Muhammad has been vilified as a heretic, an impostor, and a pagan idol. But these aren't the only images of the Prophet of Islam that emerge from Western history. Commentators have also portrayed Muhammad as a visionary reformer and an inspirational leader, statesman, and lawgiver. In Faces of Muhammad, John Tolan provides a comprehensive history of these changing, complex, and contradictory visions. Starting from the earliest calls to the faithful to join the Crusades against the "Saracens," he traces the evolution of Western conceptions of Muhammad through the Reformation, the Enlightenment, and the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and up to the present day. Faces of Muhammad reveals a lengthy tradition of positive portrayals of Muhammad that many will find surprising. To Reformation polemicists, the spread of Islam attested to the corruption of the established Church, and prompted them to depict Muhammad as a champion of reform. In revolutionary England, writers on both sides of the conflict drew parallels between Muhammad and Oliver Cromwell, asking whether the prophet was a rebel against legitimate authority or the bringer of a new and just order. Voltaire first saw Muhammad as an archetypal religious fanatic but later claimed him as an enemy of superstition. To Napoleon, he was simply a role model: a brilliant general, orator, and leader. The book shows that Muhammad wears so many faces in the West because he has always acted as a mirror for its writers, their portrayals revealing more about their own concerns than the historical realities of the founder of Islam.

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER In this book, that combines cutting edge science with real world applications, Chopra and Kafatos redefine our nature of reality and what is possible. Here they ask 9 questions: What Came Before the Big Bang? Why Does the Universe Fit Together So Perfectly? Where Did Time Come From? What Is the Universe Made Of? Is There Design in the Universe? Is the Quantum World Linked to Everyday Life? Do We Live in a Conscious Universe? How Did Life First Begin? Does the brain create the mind? You Are The Universe offers answers that open up new possibilities for all of us to lead more fruitful, peaceful and successful lives.

Believers is a scientist's answer to attacks on faith by some well-meaning scientists and philosophers-a firm rebuke of the "Four Horsemen": Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens. Melvin Konner, who was raised as an Orthodox Jew but has lived his adult life without such faith, explores the psychology, development, brain science, evolution and genetics of the religious impulses we experience. He views religious people with a sympathetic eye; his own upbringing, his apprenticeship in the trance dance religion of the African Bushmen and his friends in Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and other faiths have all shaped his perspective. He concludes that religion does much good as well as undoubted harm and that for at least a large minority of humanity, the belief in things unseen neither can nor should go away.

This attractive FIRST MASS BOOK for boys was carefully written to enable children to take a more active part in the Mass. It features beautiful, full-color illustrations of the Mass and the Life of Christ as well as a complete Prayer Section.

Type 1: The Moral Perfectionist, from The Enneagram Collection, is for anyone who loves the Enneagram and wants to go deeper with this interactive book exploring the unique motivations, longings, and strengths and weaknesses of a Type 1-those who have a core desire to have integrity, to be good, balanced, accurate, virtuous, and right. The Enneagram has never been more popular. This ancient personality typing system identifies nine types of people and how they relate to one another and helps people discover what motivates them, their fears, and how best to interact with others. With the growing popularity of this self-assessment tool in all spheres of life, including personal relationships, professional relationships, faith communities, students, and even pop culture, these interactive books are great for anyone newly interested in the Enneagram or the longtime Enneagram enthusiast. With space to journal about the unique motivations, longings, and strengths and weaknesses of a Type 1-those who have a core desire to have integrity, to be good, balanced, accurate, virtuous, and right, Beth McCord shows how to transform self-limiting behaviors into life-enhancing personal empowerment. In addition to deeply informative content from Enneagram expert Beth McCord, the pages include interactive prompts and space provided for reflection and notes. Each book teaches about the strengths, challenges, and opportunities for that personality type in order to lead to a more meaningful life, lasting relationships, and a deeper understanding of God and yourself.