The Enlightened Mind: An Anthology of Sacred Prose

by Stephen Mitchell (Editor)

A magnificent compilation of sacred writings from all traditions and the perfect companion to Stephen Mitchell's poetry collection,  The Enlightened Heart , and the bestselling  Tao Te Ching A collection of prose--discourses, sermons, essays, and aphorisms--includes texts and authors such as the Hindu, Confucian, and Buddhist sciptures, Heraclitus and Plato, Chuang-tzu, Jesus, the Tibetan Book of the Dead, Symeon the New Theologian, the Chinese Zen masters, and others.

Genres: Philosophy, Spirituality, Poetry, Religion, Nonfiction, Zen, Essays

240 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1991

About the author

Stephen Mitchell was educated at Amherst College, the Sorbonne, and Yale University, and de-educated through intensive Zen practice. He is widely known for his ability to make old classics thrillingly new, to step in where many have tried before and to create versions that are definitive for our time. His many books include The Gospel According to Jesus, The Second Book of the Tao, two books of fiction, and a book of poetry.

Mitchell’s Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke has been called “the most beautiful group of poetic translations [the twentieth] century has produced.” William Arrowsmith said that his Sonnets to Orpheus “instantly makes every other rendering obsolete.” His Book of Job has been called “magnificent.” His bestselling Tao Te Ching, Bhagavad Gita, and Gilgamesh—which are not translations from the original text, but rather poetic interpretations that use existing translations into Western languages as their starting point—have also been highly praised by critics, scholars, and common readers. Gilgamesh was Editor’s Choice of The New York Times Book Review, was selected as the Book Sense 2004 Highlight for Poetry, was a finalist for the first annual Quill Award in poetry. His translation of the Iliad was chosen as one of the New Yorker’s favorite books of 2011. He is a two-time winner of the Harold Morton Landon Translation Award from the Academy of American Poets.

His books for young readers include The Wishing Bone, winner of the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award as the best book of poetry for children published in the United States in 2003, and Jesus: What He Really Said and Did, which was chosen by the American Library Association’s Booklist as one of the top ten religious books for children in 2002.

He is also coauthor of two of his wife Byron Katie’s bestselling books: Loving What Is and A Thousand Names for Joy. www.thework.com

You can read extensive excerpts from all his books on his website, www.stephenmitchellbooks.com.

Reviews

[kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can you really give the collective wisdom of mankind throughout the ages anything less than 5 stars?

[Tg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent compilation of Saints , Mystics, Sages and Philosophers--I give it a 4.65 out of 5
I love the sections on Thoreau, Socrates, Dogen--The Buddha, Jesus and many others...
Definitely an compilation extensive ---Superbly done...……….. I bought this book 20 years ago when I was really Soul searching in my thirties ….it definitely was a beacon of hope....

[Mckinley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Excerpts of religious people through the ages. Not much about the author or context. Hard to know how I'd refer to this since you can't really read it in the typical way.

[Ben Tipper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad book at all. The first quote/page/part was so good that it compelled me to read through a ton of God stuff that I wasn’t at all times feeling in the middle. It’s a nice collection though, and will certainly serve as a jumping off point to find more readings from. Would recommend as a spiritual reading.

[Mark DeGange · Rating 5 out of 5]

This compilation of words by master spiritual teachers is fantastic. I give it the highest rating because it offers so much from so many masters. You drink it in, go over it again. Mitchell has siphoned the wisest sayings of each down to a few that feed the spirit. It would be neat to see an update or more contemporary spiritual thinkers, or maybe going on Instagram is enough.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved reading most of these poems aloud--to myself--to hear their cadence, and to feel their power, and I highlighted several passages for later reflection. I also loved reading the bibliographic matter at the end. Talk about enlightening! 😊

[Kalle Wescott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read /The Enlightened Mind: An Anthology of Sacred Prose/, by Stephen Mitchell (https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/...).

[Patricia Tennesen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first half and highlighted several sections as being thought provoking. As the enlightened mind became more current, I found myself skipping sections.

[Nicolas Shump · Rating 4 out of 5]

Both of these anthologies, The Enlightened Heart and the Enlightened Mind, are edited by the scholar, poet, translator, Stephen Mitchell. For those of you interested in poetic and religious ecumenism, I would highly recommend these two works to you. The first is an anthology of world poetry with mostly religious and mystical themes. The second is a related collection of writings from sacred scriptures from nearly all of the major world religions.
Both works demonstrate how much we all, as world citizens, share despite our national, cultural, ethnic, or religious differences.

[Ms. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quotes from the book which is an anthology of writing by sages:

"That is perfect. This is perfect. Perfect comes from perfect. Take perfect from perfect, the remainder is perfect. May peace and peace and peace be everywhere."

"Grant me, Apollo, contentment with what I have
and let me, whole in mind and in body,
enjoy an old age not lacking in honor
and cheered by the presence of the poem." (Montaigne)

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a collection of fascinating essays on some of the deeper thoughts of some of the deeper thinkers from history. It was given to me by a close friend long ago and I doubt I'll ever get rid of it. I just enjoy reading some good deep stuff sometimes, I find that my own thoughts start reflecting the thoughts and tone of the things that I read, and so this was pretty good.

[Ashton · Rating 5 out of 5]

a book i return to again and again

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This companion volume to The Enlightened Heart is a joy to read.

[James Spada · Rating 5 out of 5]

page 80, Yun-men really makes it a gold winner.

[Jes]

in the currently reading queue as a possible source for readings during my wedding.

[Douglas Beagley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really nice book that collects sayings and passages from major works of philosophy. I found this when I was fifteen and was really moved by some of what it held.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting compilation.

[Salvatore Familia]

A magnificent compilation of sacred writings from all traditions and the perfect companion to Stephen Mitchell's poetry collection, The Enlightened Heart, and the bestselling Tao Te Ching.