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Spiritual Genius: The Mastery of Life's Meaning
In Spiritual Genius , journalist Winifred Gallagher, the acclaimed author of Working on Go d, asks Rabbi Lawrence Kushner to define holiness. "Standing in the presence of God," he says. "Everyone has it, but some people seem to have more of a knack for accessing it." Like holiness, the gift that Gallagher calls "spiritual genius"--which she defines as "the uniquely human ability to search for and find life’s meaning, then express it in our lives as only each of us can"--is one we all possess but don’t necessarily recognize.
Whether they are called saints, gurus, tzaddiks, or shamans, there have always been people who possess exceptional insight, altruism, and charisma. In this disarmingly inspirational book, Gallagher investigates what ordinary people trying to live decent, meaningful lives can learn from such extraordinary men and women, who are specially attuned to the deepest truths, and who exemplify-and radiate-spiritual genius.
In a clear-eyed, ecumenical approach that's free of dogma and bias and suffused with profound respect, Winifred Gallagher highlights the common wisdom-and down-to-earth good humor-of these religious leaders, revels in their differences, and identifies the capacity for spiritual genius that all of us share with them. On an island in the Arabian Sea, Gallagher visits Mata Amritanandamayi, regarded by devotees as a Hindu goddess, who transmits divine love through hugs and charities. She travels through America's inner cities with Tony Campolo, an Evangelical preacher who counsels national leaders and serves the poor. She learns how Riffat Hassan, a Pakistani theologian, uses the Qur’an to defend the rights of her Muslim sisters. She journeys to a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in the Himalayas to understand how an exiled minority has enchanted the world with their deep, resilient spirituality. In these diverse lives, Gallagher argues, we can glimpse our own potential for spiritual genius writ large. Each story testifies to the profound good in the world, even during a troubled time, and to Gallagher’s groundbreaking theory of a human capacity for finding life’s meaning that is nothing less than genius.
Whether they are called saints, gurus, tzaddiks, or shamans, there have always been people who possess exceptional insight, altruism, and charisma. In this disarmingly inspirational book, Gallagher investigates what ordinary people trying to live decent, meaningful lives can learn from such extraordinary men and women, who are specially attuned to the deepest truths, and who exemplify-and radiate-spiritual genius.
In a clear-eyed, ecumenical approach that's free of dogma and bias and suffused with profound respect, Winifred Gallagher highlights the common wisdom-and down-to-earth good humor-of these religious leaders, revels in their differences, and identifies the capacity for spiritual genius that all of us share with them. On an island in the Arabian Sea, Gallagher visits Mata Amritanandamayi, regarded by devotees as a Hindu goddess, who transmits divine love through hugs and charities. She travels through America's inner cities with Tony Campolo, an Evangelical preacher who counsels national leaders and serves the poor. She learns how Riffat Hassan, a Pakistani theologian, uses the Qur’an to defend the rights of her Muslim sisters. She journeys to a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in the Himalayas to understand how an exiled minority has enchanted the world with their deep, resilient spirituality. In these diverse lives, Gallagher argues, we can glimpse our own potential for spiritual genius writ large. Each story testifies to the profound good in the world, even during a troubled time, and to Gallagher’s groundbreaking theory of a human capacity for finding life’s meaning that is nothing less than genius.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 23, 2010
This was a book about people of different religions throughout the world. It was interesting but got a little dull sometimes. It amazes me what people can endure and what makes them great!
November 29, 2009
I love this book--this was a re-read for me and I found it replenishing at a time in my life when my own religious routines have been feeling stale of late. An insightful journalist traveled the world to explore the lives of recognized "geniuses" from a variety of religious traditions: Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, etc. The only name among the ten "geniuses" figured that I knew was Huston Smith, because I attended one his lectures at Cal once and read one of his books. Learning even more about him was wonderful. I also loved learning about the reincarnated Hindu goddess who lives on an island off the coast of India and spends all day long expressing divine love by hugging her devotees who line up for the experience by the hundreds (sounds preposterous until you read Gallagher's account). And the doctor in India who has figured out how to do ten times the number of cataract operations at one tenth the cost of western opthamologists and frames his work among the poor as a spiritual journey. Gallagher does a terrific job of keeping her own biases in the background and showcasing that there are many many ways to the divine. The geniuses in any relgious or cultural tradition can be examples to them all.
January 22, 2013
The real genius of this book lies not in the selection of these particular masters, but in the way each master is described. Winifred Gallagher is a journalist, and so the language is clear and simple, while painting a vivid picture of each person's character. However, I did so enjoy learning about each master Gallagher describes. The most interesting to me was Riffat Hassan, but I did very much enjoy the chapters about Ammachi Karunamayi, Tenzin Palmo, and Huston Smith as well. Another favorite aspect of mine was the way Gallagher infused her own opinions and personality into the chapters, without making it seem obtrusive or irrelevant. As a future religion major, I thoroughly enjoyed reading each person's perspective on their faith, and will be thinking about their words for a long time after finishing it. I would absolutely recommend it to anyone even remotely interested in spirituality/religion.
April 27, 2011
This came off of my "to read" list and it has been a good book for me. Though, I really had to concentrate on the insights that some of the people Gallagher interviewed, bestowed. She selected spiritual people that she feels have a genuine connection to "spirituality." This book reinforced for me the longing that I have felt over the years that my religious background was not quite what I needed. Then, I discover that all religions have the same nugget of truth. Then, I discover, like Jung says, that "everything is everything -- we are all one." Ha! What next? Oh, there is a spiritual community in Osage Springs, OK, of all places.I am enlightened!
June 28, 2009
This was really interesting and inspirational book. It explores how people of different religions are leading spiritual lives in their own way and gives tips on how each of us can apply some of their teachings/findings to our own lives. Although sometimes hard to read because of technical terms, I found it to be moving and very uplifting.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews