"The New Essential Steiner" is an illuminating, completely new introduction to the philosophy and essential writings of Rudolf Steiner, introduced and edited by Robert McDermott, who also edited the now-classic "Essential Steiner." This new volume offers selections from a wide variety of Steiner's published works, presenting a broad, accessible overview of Anthroposophy. In his introduction, McDermott recounts Steiner's life and work, from his childhood and education to his work as a natural scientist, philosopher, scholar, educator, artist, interpreter of culture, and seer. He places Steiner in relation to major traditions of thought and explores the genesis and development of Anthroposophy. Although Rudolf Steiner is considered by many to be the greatest spiritual seer and philosophical thinker of the twentieth century and is credited with major cultural contributions such as the worldwide Waldorf school movement and the ever-growing biodynamic agricultural movement, he nevertheless remains relatively unknown to both academics and the public. The purpose of this volume is to redress that situation by introducing Steiner's work to a broader audience and making his name more universally recognized. "The New Essential Steiner" includes selections from Steiner's writings, which are grouped into chapters that demonstrate the breadth of his thinking and spiritual accomplishments.

Rudolf Steiner's ideas have reached all corners of the globe, touching areas such as agriculture, education, spirituality and medicine. This book examines the impact of Steiner's philosophy in relation to signficant American thinkers, including R. W. Emerson, Henry Thoreau, Josiah Royce and John Dewey. Includes contributions by David Ray Griffin, Gertrude Reif Hughes, Frank M. Oppenheim, S. J., Douglas Sloan and Robert McDermott.

Readers interested in Sri Aurobindo's life, poetry, philosophical thought, or spiritual practice can now find a great many resources to help them gain a deeper insight into this towering figure of twentieth-century India-one of the great triad that consists of Rabindranath Tagore, Mahatma Gandhi, and Sri Aurobindo. Given the large amount of literature now in existence, to wrestle with Sri Aurobindo's works and vision can take a lifetime. The question will always be, where to start to discover the measure of this man? How to begin to comprehend something of the great arc of life and spirit experienced by this extraordinary seer, thinker, poet, and mystic? These essays on the significance of Sri Aurobindo's six major works provide an excellent starting point for retracing his spiritual vision. They help us in so many ways to understand what he saw with such strength and conviction: how the historical evolution of cosmos, life, and history form one grand synthesis and symphonic whole. Aurobindo, the revolutionary turned yogi, was a puzzle to his contemporaries and remained one to later generations. This is probably still true today. But puzzles are there to be solved. These essays can help to do that. They dissolve some of the enigmas that surround Sri Aurobindo, even though not answering all our questions. They provide much substance for thought and further discussion, and invite us to gain a deeper familiarity with one of the great minds of modern India, whose inspiring spiritual message can transform one's life and help to change the world. -Ursula King from the Foreword

This introduction to modern Indian thought establishes the historical context in which Indian thinkers of the past century developed their ideas, showing how those ideas comprise a coherent vision that is both Indian and contemporary. The Spirit of Modern India offers a full treatment of these ideas in an intelligible and concise approach and format. Despite a growing interest in Indian thought and life, the best writings of major twentieth-century thinkers have not been well presented within their cultural framework. This is the first single volume to offer such a wide representation of India's experience and scholarship through traditional and contemporary strains as articulated by her greatest modern thinkers. The period designated "modern" refers to the remarkable century between the mid-1800s and the mid-1900s. The Spirit of Modern India includes writings by Sri Ramakrishna, Vivekananda, Tagore, Ghandi, Nehru, Radhakrisnan, and Sri Aurobindo. These writings are arranged according to each era of Indian thought and culture-philosophy, religion, ethics, education, esthetics, and national vision. Each is introduced to illuminate the material and put the selections into their historical and cultural context. A chronology lists important dates and works of major authors and dates related to Indian and Western intellectual history. A glossary of important names and terms makes the more technical selections readily accessible. The bibliography will guide the reader to further reading. The Spirit of Modern India provides a valuable service to those who wish to better understand India and it modern roots.

Here is a compact, accessible, illuminating introduction to the basic writings of the great modern spiritual teacher who has been an immense influence on contemporary education, literature, art, science, and philosophy. Robert McDermott offers selections from sixty of Rudolf Steiner's published works, showing the extraordinary range, vision, and power of his thought. In his introduction McDermott recounts Steiner's life and work, from his childhood and education to his work as a natural scientist, philosopher, scholar, educator, artist, interpreter of culture, and seer. He places Steiner in relation to major traditions of thought and explores the reasons why. Although Steiner is credited with major cultural contributions and as the founder of the worldwide Waldorf school movement, he remains remarkably little known by both the academic community and the general public. Selections from Steiner's writings are presented in five chapters with introductory commentaries: Knowledge, Nature, and Spirit: early writings (1894-1904) on philosophy of nature, spiritual thinking, and the knowledge of higher worlds; Spiritual Anthropology: on Steiner's theory of human nature as a combination of the physical, etheric, soul-life, and spiritual; Historical Vision: Steiner's interpretation of history from Egyptian and Buddhist culture, to the Greeks and the modern age; Esoteric Christianity: Steiner's esoteric interpretation of the Christ event and Christian revelation; Society and Education: on social philosophy and education, of particular releveance to contemporary issues. THE ESSENTIAL STEINER is an invaluable compendium and an accessible introduction to the foundational works of Anthroposophy.

Sri Aurobindo stands out as one of the deepest and most profoundly relevant of contemporary Asian spiritual masters speaking to the West. His vision transcends the distinctive strengths and weaknesses of India and the West, and his discipline brings the yogas of the Gita to the task of world transformation. His collaborator, The Mother, offers a blueprint for the utopian community Auroville, giving sage advice on the ideal of a spiritually based approach to education. Robert McDermott's afterword in this revised edition recounts the increased significance of Aurobindo's message in the West-especially for America-since the book was first published in 1973. Here is an invaluable resource for understanding the underlying connections and common ground between Eastern and Western teachings and traditions for modern thinkers and spiritual seekers.