What am I now in terms of my spirituality? The Jesus Prayer goes, “Lord, have mercy upon me.” At the end of the prayer, you say: “the miserable sinner.” I am a miserable sinner. I still live in the life of the ego. But I’m trying very hard to be The Self. As far as my own reading goes, I don’t read any books except lives of saints or the books we publish at Fons Vitae. I don’t publish anything that isn’t about “getting there” because there’s no time. I’m a slow reader and any book I read influences me greatly. So all I publish and all I read are things to support and to convince me further of what I know so dearly.
| 1. A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle Tolle writes about metaphysics in regular modern-day terms without attaching religion to it. As a result, people don’t feel dragged down. In A New Earth, he disentangles the ego and its nature and describes how it struggles to hold itself together. He writes about the one-upmanship, needing to be the one who knows — all the ways we strengthen the ego. These are essential things, and Tolle writes about them in a very accessible way. If people read his writing together, it would be impossible to continue doing some of the terrible things we do for the sake of ego. I think the whole world should sit down and read A New Earth together. There would be no Israelis vs. the Palestinians if we all read this book. We would have to stop pretending, stop defending our own personal stories. | |
| Ayyuhal Walad online | 2. Ayyuhal Walad (“Oh Youth”), an excerpt from the Ihya’ul Ulumuddin, by Al Ghazali, who was the head of Baghdad University in the late 1000′s and the greatest scholar on earth at the time. He realized that Islam was already (four centuries in) becoming very literal rather than spiritual-oriented. So he wrote the Ihya’ul Ulumiddin. He went through every aspect of Islam and put the spiritual meaning back into it. It has been in print since the 1100′s and I’ve been publishing translations of sections of it for years. But the volumes may be too much for many to read. So, for interested readers, there is a short book called the ayyuhal walad, or “Oh Youth.” It clearly outlines eight important teachings, including one about self-aggrandizement. |
| 3. The Way of the Pilgrim by an anonymous Russian writer This is the book I would assign to students if I could assign only one book. It’s the story of a Russian pilgrim crossing Russia. He has heard that St. Paul instructed us to “pray without ceasing” the prayer of the heart. So he wants to find a spiritual master to teach him that prayer. Ultimately, he comes across the Philokalia, the early writings of the desert fathers. And here he is, so humble, finally doing the Jesus prayer with a spiritual guide. He’s so joyful whenever someone gives him a crust of bread or takes him in. To witness total joy with having ceaseless prayer and a crust of bread makes a huge impression on one. I always assign this book in the classroom. It’s an essential text.The Way of the Pilgrim. | |
| 4. Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel You can’t hit the goal if there’s someone still there that desires to do so. You can’t hit the real goal if there’s still desire or attachment to reach something. It all goes back to humility. This and The Way of the Pilgrim are two of my favorite books. | |
| 5. Merton & Buddhism: Realizing the Self edited by Bonnie Thurston This is one of my favorite books that we’ve published at Fons Vitae. It’s a collection of essays by various writers, exploring Thomas Merton’s interest in Buddhism. I really enjoyed selecting photos and captions for the pictures from the deep realities Merton had recognized. This book is one of Fons Vitae’s top two bestsellers. | |
| 6. Al-Ghazali’s Path to Sufism: His Deliverance from Error by Al-Ghazali At Fons Vitae, we do a lot of Sufi works by great masters. These are all wonderful — I really don’t publish anything that isn’t. But of all our books on Sufism, one of my two favorites is this one: Al-Ghazali’s Path to Sufism. It’s part of his book, Deliverance from Error, his autobiography of how he was able to make that move in himself. Harvard wanted a smaller volume to use as a textbook, so we were asked to publish the shorter version. With Merton & Buddhism, this is one of our top two bestsellers. | |
| 7. Symbol and Archetype: A Study of the Meaning in the Existence by Martin Lings Symbol and Archetype was Martin Lings’ favorite book and it’s my favorite book because I’m really interested in symbols and archetypes. It’s my main thrust. This is the way I’m journeying — trying to read everything. I read nature. I read events that happen. Something happens: what’s the meaning, the significance? Everything is just in place to get you there. |
Visit the website of Gray’s publishing company, Fons Vitae
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I love anything and everything related to food (growing food, eating food, learning about food)....I think you would LOVE my sister's book (1st place winner of 2012 Gourmand Magazine award in the Fund Raising, Charity and Community division for a USA
If you keep rereading the last chapter, you will never get to the next one..get on with your life.
Do not hide your light so that others won't feel insecure around you. And as you let your light shine, you unconsciously give others the right to do the same.
Organic coconut oil. I was introduced to it by a VN sister a while back. It makes my skin SO smooth and it is great for my thick, curly hair! It has a hundred uses (just look it up online) and it costs so little.
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