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Framed as a philosophical dialogue between teacher and student centered on a question of supreme interest to all thinking persons – whether man’s soul or essence is immortal – the work is an attempt to reach a conclusion by integrating into a coherent whole various diverse influences in the life of the author. Inspired by various sources, Eastern and Western, and many years or personal soul searching, the dialogue reflects an optimism in the face of pain or loss that is the result of the author’s lifelong passion for philosophy. When it was first suggested to the author that a brief introduction to John’s Song of Life might be helpful to the reader, his initial reaction was that the dialogue should speak for itself. After some reflection, however, he came to the conclusion that a few words about his background and how this work came to be written might be of interest to at least some of his readers. The effort to philosophically bridge the gap between East and West made herein is the result of the author’s attempt, after many years of study and reflection, to assimilate and integrate into a coherent whole, if possible, differing influences in his life and, specifically, to summarize a personal faith which is both religious and philosophic. Born and raised a Catholic in New York, the author readily acknowledges his debt of gratitude for the invaluable education, religious and secular, he received at the parochial schools he attended over the course of twelve years. Then, after starting college over forty-five years ago, he was introduced one fateful day by a friend to Samuel Weiser’s bookstore at 845 Broadway in New York. There he discovered a veritable treasure-house of countless gems of Eastern wisdom. One of the staff was especially helpful and introduced him to the works of Paul Brunton, an Englishman who became an authority on Yoga and India’s higher philosophy. In a short while, the author, who had theretofore read only Western philosophy in school, became a serious student of Eastern philosophy and, in the process, a pretty good customer of the bookstore. Eventually, one of the proprietors was instrumental in the author’s acquisition of some of Paul Brunton’s letters from a dealer in California. The author never became a professional philosopher. He went from college to law school and thereafter chose a legal career with the State of New York. He did remain a student of Eastern philosophic thought. And was fortunate enough, over the years, to have enjoyed many peaceful weekends of quiet reflection at St. Ignatius Retreat House in Manhasset, New York. It is in this vein that he offers his own reflections for whatever they may be worth to other seekers after truth. What is it really that we seek? One author, John Levy, aptly says that the words “ultimate reality” refer to “a hunger which concepts . . . even creeds, entirely fail to meet, a hunger that is innate in every enquiring person.” Can this hunger ever be satisfied? That ancient classic of Eastern wisdom, the Ashtavakra Gita, repeatedly enjoins us to “be happy.” This command implies that man’s innate hunger and heartfelt longing for the Ultimate can be completely satisfied, notwithstanding the failure of finite human intellect to comprehend It. But does Western wisdom agree? Happily, the answer is yes. The Judeo-Christian tradition includes the beautiful Book of Psalms where we find the famous injunction, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalms 46:10). Clearly, these words indicate that knowledge of God awaits the man or woman who can find the stillness behind the ever-moving mind. But in our hectic society, can such stillness ever be found? What is Yoga if not a discipline to achieve such an end? That such a discipline has existed in the West as well as the East, though under a different label, is clear from the English mystical classic The Cloud of Unknowing. The author, in examining life as Socrates urged, is an optimist at heart. In the dialogue whic

John Song

Research Assistant Professor of Mission Daryl R Ireland

Published: 2020-08-15

Total Pages: 270


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A comprehensive overview of the musical career of Elton John provides the full story behind all of the musician's recordings, a complete chronicle of his concert tours, an assessment of his musical odyssey, and a study of his sometimes turbulent personal life, along with more than forty photographs and a complete discography.
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Years n the making, here is the unforgettable life story o an African American Woman who brought joy to the whole world and changed the way people thought of themselves. She fought prejudice, suspicion, hatred, sadness, and all the things that drive people apart. Sister Thea Bowman, a pioneering leader of interracial relations, brought the experience of growing up a black girl in civil-rights-era Mississippi to a convent of white Catholic sisters in Wisconsin, and then to the world beyond. Her groundbraking work across the United States and overseas helping people to build interracial bridges during the 1980s has been the subject of numerous articles, books, and TV shows.
"A biography focusing on the poet John Ashbery's early life"--
For at least two and a half millennia, the figure of Orpheus has haunted humanity. Half-man, half-god, musician, magician, theologian, poet and lover, his story never leaves us. He may be myth, but his lyre still sounds, entrancing everything that hears it: animals, trees, water, stones, and men. In this extraordinary work Ann Wroe goes in search of Orpheus, from the forests where he walked and the mountains where he worshipped to the artefacts, texts and philosophies built up round him. She traces the man, and the power he represents, through the myriad versions of a fantastical life: his birth in Thrace, his studies in Egypt, his voyage with the Argonauts to fetch the Golden Fleece, his love for Eurydice and journey to Hades, and his terrible death. We see him tantalising Cicero and Plato, and breathing new music into Gluck and Monteverdi; occupying the mind of Jung and the surreal dreams of Cocteau; scandalising the Fathers of the early Church, and filling Rilke with poems like a whirlwind. He emerges as not simply another mythical figure but the force of creation itself, singing the song of light out of darkness and life out of death.
Sir James MacMillan first burst into prominence in 1990 with The Confessions of Isobel Gowdie. A steady stream of works has followed, with commissions from many of the world's major orchestras. A prominent part of his work is his religious composition, which includes settings of both the John and Luke passions, Tu Es Petrus (for the 2010 papal visit to Britain) and numerous smaller choral pieces. His works are heard all around the world – Seven Last Words from the Cross has been performed in 24 countries since its premiere in 1994, and his Stabat Mater received a private performance at the Sistine Chapel in 2018. He is a trenchant commentator on a wide range of political, social and theological issues, many of which spring from his commitment to the cultural life of Scotland. He is a passionate advocacy of community involvement in music and set up the burgeoning music festival The Cumnock Tryst in 2013. Much of his music reflects his strong Scottish roots and interest in all aspects of musical tradition.
In his first and only official autobiography, music icon Elton John reveals the truth about his extraordinary life. Me is the joyously funny, honest and moving story of the most enduringly successful singer/songwriter of all time. The Sunday Times bestseller with a new chapter bringing the story up to date. 'The rock memoir of the decade' – Daily Mail 'The rock star's gloriously entertaining and candid memoir is a gift to the reader' – Sunday Times ______________ Christened Reginald Dwight was a shy boy with Buddy Holly glasses who grew up in the London suburb of Pinner and dreamed of becoming a pop star. By the age of twenty-three, he was performing his first gig in America, facing an astonished audience in his bright yellow dungarees, a star-spangled T-shirt and boots with wings. Elton John had arrived and the music world would never be the same again. His life has been full of drama, from the early rejection of his work with songwriting partner Bernie Taupin to spinning out of control as a chart-topping superstar; from half-heartedly trying to drown himself in his LA swimming pool to disco-dancing with the Queen; from friendships with John Lennon, Freddie Mercury and George Michael to setting up his AIDS Foundation. All the while, Elton was hiding a drug addiction that would grip him for over a decade. In Me Elton also writes powerfully about getting clean and changing his life, about finding love with David Furnish and becoming a father. In a voice that is warm, humble and open, this is Elton on his music and his relationships, his passions and his mistakes. This is a story that will stay with you, by a living legend. ______________ 'Self-deprecating, funny . . . You cannot help but enjoy his company throughout, temper tantrums and all' – The Times 'Racy, pacy and crammed with scurrilous anecdotes - what more could you ask from the rocket man' – Guardian (Book of the Week) 'Chatty, gossipy, amusing and at times brutally candid' – Telegraph