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God Makes the Rivers to Flow: An Anthology of the World's Sacred Poetry and Prose



SKU: 038-0
Size: 5¾'' x 9¼''
ISBN: 978-1-58638-038-0
Pages: 336
Author: Eknath Easwaran
Formats: Paperback

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Timeless Wisdom: Passages for Meditation from the World's Saints & Sages
 


Table of Contents | Read an Excerpt | Media Reviews and Endorsements | Reader Reviews

This latest edition of Easwaran’s classic anthology, with a beautiful new cover, contains his selection of life-affirming, lyrical writings from the sacred literature of the world. It includes passages from the Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Sufi, and Native American traditions.

These passages can be read for daily inspiration, for their insights into other spiritual traditions, for the light they throw on how to live, for the sustenance they offer when we feel sad or tired, and above all for the deep transformation they can bring in Easwaran's method of passage meditation (see also Passage Meditation: Bringing the Deep Wisdom of the Heart into Daily Life).

This edition includes a new section called Recommended Passages for Specific Uses, with passages for particular stages in life, such as caregiving, families with small children, death and dying, grief and loss. There is also a new list of passages for building positive qualities such as patience, courage, devotion to God, and putting others first.

For anyone seeking to establish or sustain a regular meditation practice, this is a deeply inspiring collection of spiritual texts that will keep your practice fresh and nourishing.

“I have read these passages countless times, yet I have never tired of them. With every encounter I find deeper meaning. May you, too, find in them a river of inspiration without end.”
– Eknath Easwaran

"This book is incandescent with insight and inspiration. It reveals a common wisdom uniting the great spiritual traditions of the world, which is a much-needed realization in our troubled times.
– Larry Dossey, MD, author of Healing Beyond the Body

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.
– Saint Francis of Assisi

"Slow, sustained concentration on these passages," says Easwaran, "drives them deep into our minds. And whatever we drive deep into consciousness, that we become."


Features

* 149 passages from all traditions, some very short, others longer

* NEW extended section – Recommended Passages for Specific Uses

* Spiritual stories from ancient India

* Instructions in Easwaran's method of passage meditation and the eight-point program

* Suggestions on how to use passages for daily reading and general inspiration

* Tips on how to memorize passages

Table of Contents |

Introduction

Part 1: At the Source
Passages that pay tribute to the source of our being in the divine ground of existence

Part 2: Deep Current
Ardent prayers from the world’s greatest lovers of God

Part 3: Joining the Sea
Passages on transcending death, and attaining immortality

The Message of the Scriptures
Passage Meditation
How to Use This Book
Recommended Passages for Specific Uses
Notes
Glossary
Acknowledgments
Index by Author & Source
Index by Title & First Line


Excerpt from God Makes the Rivers to Flow |

The test of suitable meditation passages is simply this: Does the passage bear the imprint of deep, personal spiritual experience? Is it the statement of one who went beyond the narrow confines of past conditioning into the unfathomable recesses of the mind, there to begin the great work of transformation? This is the unmistakable stamp of authenticity. Only such precious writings can speak directly to our heart and soul. Their very words are invested with validity; we feel we are in the presence of the genuine.

The scriptures of the world’s religions certainly meet this test, and so do the statements of passionate lovers of God like Saint Teresa, Sri Ramakrishna, Ansari of Herat. And whatever lacks this validation by personal experience, however poetic or imaginative, however speculative or novel, is not suited for use in meditation.

But there is another thing to be considered: Is the passage positive, inspirational, life-affirming? We should avoid passages from whatever source that are negative, that stress our foolish errors rather than our enduring strength and wisdom, or that deprecate life in the world, which is precisely where we must do our living. Instead, let us choose passages that hold steadily before us a radiant image of the true Self we are striving to realize.

For the great principle upon which meditation rests is that we become what we meditate on.


Read a longer excerpt from God Makes the Rivers to Flow


Media Reviews and Endorsements |

“Powerful, positive, practical, universal in appeal and of great literary beauty, the pieces in the collection remind us that life has a purpose in which each person has a meaningful part; that all creation is one and full of divinity; that every moment is precious; and what gives life meaning is love and human relationships.”
– Fellowship in Prayer

“This is an expertly crafted, beautifully presented book containing words of inspiration from some of the greatest literature, religious and spiritual, from around the world . . . 12-Steppers and others who are seeking deeper readings than short quotations will find it useful and inspiring for meditations and stimulating deep reflections."
– Recovery Times

“As an attractive sampler of sacred literature, God Makes the Rivers to Flow would be impressive enough. But these passages were chosen by writer Eknath Easwaran for their transformative power. The book offers instructions for meditating on the passages, which include selections from the Upanishads, the Torah, the Bhagavad Gita, the Bible, and Taoist and Islamic texts. The meanings and rhythms of the selections are calming. Their beauty inevitably emanates from their simplicity.”
– New Age Journal



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Reader Reviews
Name: Michael Orlando Yaccarino
Date: 06/07/2009
Review: A sublime bouquet of the world's most profoundly moving spiritual writings. Expertly broken into sections by thematic continuities, the scope of the wisely selected texts is universal. The genuine thrill of this collection is reading passages and poems by more familiar mystics and poets alongside those far less known . . . for their message of compassion and love are the same. And thus, Easwaran achieves his purpose in providing us with the evidence of the unitive spirit that crosses all races, creeds, and ideologies.


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