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by Lama Surya Das
Broadway Books, New York
 "Since
I received enlightenment in the infinite wonders of truth,
I have always been cheerful and laughing." – HUNG
CH’ENG-CH’OU
These words of wisdom, quoted
in Awakening to the Sacred, nicely sum up the joyously
affirmative approach to spiritual matters taken by its author,
Lama Surya Das. Like his previous work, the best-selling Awakening
the Buddha Within, this book conveys a great deal of solid
information without ever overloading the reader with too much
detail or heavy verbiage. While such simple language is often
delivered with an air of condescension, here the tone is as
warmly conversational – and welcome -- as a letter from
an old friend.
Since Surya Das is the most
highly trained American lama in the Tibetan tradition, it’s
only fitting that Buddhist practice is the major touchstone
in this book. Yet the fact that he is Jewish, and that he
also embraces many spiritual practices of the Christian, Native
American and other traditions, attests to the remarkable breadth
of sacred wisdom which he draws upon here.
With his considerable gift
for conveying the essential harmonies in a variety of seemingly
disparate paths, he is a prime exponent of a thoughtfully
eclectic approach to spirituality, which is variously described
as "post-denominational," "interfaith"
and "interspiritual." Surya Das strongly believes
that this approach is uniquely sited to our multicultural
Western way of life. "So many of us grew up in families,
towns and neighborhoods that can be described as ‘mix
and match’ that a spirituality that combines elements
of several traditions makes sense," he writes. "It
fees authentic and true to who we are."
The book is divided into
three sections. In the first, Matters of the Spirit,
the author gives us his take on several key concepts, such
as faith, rebirth, mysticism, enlightenment, karma, and making
spiritual choices. In Approaches to Spiritual Practice,
the second section, we are given basic information –
and varying degrees of instruction -- on a wide range of meditative
practices. Among others, these include mindfulness, yoga,
chanting, journaling and centering prayer. In the final section,
Coming Home to Your True Nature, Surya Das zeroes in
more on how an individual comes to refine his or her own natural
sense of spirituality, and offers practices which are designed
to aid in that process, such as "Dream Yoga" and
"Natural Light Energy Meditation."
The abundant wisdom and
endearing soulfulness of this book make a valuable contribution
to the growing body of interfaith literature. It is highly
recommended for anyone who seeks a more direct experience
of divinity and more ways to express the sheer joy of the
spiritual life.
Review by BOZ MARTYN
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