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Enlightened Contemporaries: Francis, Dōgen, and Rūmī: Three Great Mystics of the Thirteenth Century and Why They Matter Today
By Steve Kanji Ruhl
271 pages
8 hours
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Description
Enlightened Contemporaries is the first book to compare the lives and teachings of three of the world's most admired spiritual masters: Francis of Assisi, the Christian saint; Dogen, the great Zen Buddhist teacher; and Rumi, the Islamic Sufi master. They lived during the same turbulent century. They integrated mystical experiences of the sacred into their lives, and they can inspire us to do the same.
Enlightened Contemporaries combines robust scholarship with brisk, engaging, lyrical prose. Offering a thorough introduction for the general reader as well as specialists, it will appeal to those who enjoy an interfaith approach to spiritual exploration, one that links Christian, Buddhist, and Islamic mystical teachings within a vibrant historical context and shows how they not only complement each other but remain profoundly relevant in the twenty-first century.
Bringing Saint Francis, Dogen, and Rumi vividly to life as complex and compelling human beings, Enlightened Contemporaries lucidly explains their spiritual paths, explores the dynamic age in which these three pioneering teachers struggled and triumphed, and investigates their remarkable poetry. It also deftly examines how Francis, Dogen, and Rumi engaged the world in the context of five shared themes: spiritual love, nature, the body, the role of women, and balancing retreat from society with active involvement. By interweaving the spiritual lives of these Christian, Buddhist, and Muslim teachers, Enlightened Contemporaries will help readers enhance their own lives and find new paths of spiritual understanding.
Inspirational
New Age & Spirituality
Religion & Spirituality
Islam
Religious
Christianity
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PUBLISHER:
Monkfish Book Publishing
RELEASED:
Jun 16, 2020
About the author
SRSteve Kanji Ruhl
Steve Kanji Ruhl received his Master of Divinity degree from Harvard University and his B.A. in Religious Studies with high honors from Pennsylvania State University. An ordained Zen Buddhist minister, Reverend Kanji has served as a Buddhist adviser at Yale University and is a core faculty member in the Shogaku Zen Institute and in the multi-faith Spiritual Guidance Certificate Training Program at the Rowe Center in Massachusetts. He also works in private practice one-on-one with spiritual guidance clients. Reverend Kanji has been a guest speaker or workshop facilitator at Harvard’s Center for World Religions, Yale Divinity School, Harvard Divinity School, the International Conference on Socially Engaged Buddhism, the Omega Institute, and elsewhere. He is a contributing author to the book The Arts of Contemplative Care: Pioneering Voices in Buddhist Chaplaincy and Pastoral Work and author of The Constant Yes of Things: Selected Poems 1973-2018. Visit www.stevekanjiruhl.com
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Enlightened Contemporaries: Francis, Dōgen, and Rūmī: Three Great Mystics of the Thirteenth Century and Why They Matter Today Paperback – June 30, 2020
by Steve Kanji Ruhl (Author)
4.1 out of 5 stars 9 ratings
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Print length
220 pages
Editorial Reviews
Review
"A beautiful, rich, and vivid weaving of the experiences of awakening by three great mystics and teachers, this book is a treasure and inspiration for our time." —Roshi Joan Halifax, Abbot, Upaya Zen Center
"The gift of Steve Kanji Ruhl’s Enlightened Contemporaries: Saint Francis, Dogen, and Rumi is its ability to bring these awakened masters to life in a manner that allows them to speak Truth without the trappings of power. This is a book to be treasured." —Rabbi Rami Shapiro, author of Perennial Wisdom for the Spiritually Independent
"In the 13th century three great mystics awakened to their True Nature, or God. Steve Kanji Ruhl shows how their inward journey, pursued with devotion, transformed their world and continues to inspire ours in this superbly written, stirring book." —Roshi Eve Myonen Marko, founding teacher, Zen Peacemaker Order
"Steve Kanji Ruhl writes beautifully, and Enlightened Contemporaries is a fascinating study. This is sure to be a well-received and much-appreciated comparative study of Dogen, Francis, and Rumi." —Dr. Anne Monius, Professor of South Asian Religions, Harvard University
"Enlightened Contemporaries provides an introduction to the thought of three contemporaneous spiritual masters in a way that bridges the past and present and affirms and inspires the human compulsion to find meaning." —Dr. Nina Safran, Associate Professor of History, Director of Middle Eastern Studies, Pennsylvania State University
"This is an excellent group biography of three mystics of critical importance to their own traditions and to mysticism as a whole."—Publishers Weekly
About the Author
Steve Kanji Ruhl received his Master of Divinity degree from Harvard University and his B.A. in Religious Studies with high honors from Pennsylvania State University. An ordained Zen Buddhist minister, Reverend Kanji has served as a Buddhist adviser at Yale University and is a core faculty member in the Shogaku Zen Institute and in the multi-faith Spiritual Guidance Certificate Training Program at the Rowe Center in Massachusetts. He also works in private practice one-on-one with spiritual guidance clients. Reverend Kanji has been a guest speaker or workshop facilitator at Harvard’s Center for World Religions, Yale Divinity School, Harvard Divinity School, the International Conference on Socially Engaged Buddhism, the Omega Institute, and elsewhere.
He is a contributing author to the book The Arts of Contemplative Care: Pioneering Voices in Buddhist Chaplaincy and Pastoral Work and author of The Constant Yes of Things: Selected Poems 1973-2018. Visit www.stevekanjiruhl.com
Product details
Publisher : Monkfish Book Publishing (June 30, 2020)
Language : English
Paperback : 220 pages
#210 in Sufism (Books)
#467 in Mysticism Christian Theology
#571 in Zen Spirituality
Customer Reviews: 4.1 out of 5 stars 9 ratings
Steve Kanji Ruhl
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Top reviews from the United States
Ellen D.
5.0 out of 5 stars Three Extraordinary Spiritual Mentors
Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2020
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Kanji Ruhl drops the reader into the global scene of the 13th century with rich, vivid prose so that one feels a part of the landscape, commerce, and religious experience of the times. The revolutionary brilliance of these three spiritual reformers, St. Francis, Dogen, and Rumi, provides inspiration and opportunities for spiritual deepening for seekers today. As a professional spiritual guide myself, one who has been a devotee of St. Francis' spiritual example and a lover of Rumi's gift of poetry, my understanding and appreciation has greatly expanded with Ruhl's historical grounding with these three luminaries. I especially appreciate getting to "know" Dogen, to whom I'd previously been only sketchily introduced. What a treasure this book is! Ellen Dionna
One person found this helpful
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Jenny
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb writing makes this historical exploration a fascinating read!
Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2020
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Enlightened Contemporaries traces the mystical origins of three world religions – Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism – through the spiritual lives of St. Francis, Rumi, and Dogen, whose parallel journeys into the sacred through nature and poetry unfolded around the globe simultaneously during the 13th century. Ruhl's lyrical prose vividly sparks life into the outer landscapes of middle age Italy, Persia, and Japan and the rapturous inner landscapes of these three spiritual seekers. Superb writing makes this historical exploration a fascinating read and truly inspiring for anyone curious about the mystical underpinnings of these religions. Steve Kanji Ruhl's Enlightened Contemporaries would make a fabulous edition to any college level religious studies course!
One person found this helpful
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Lori
5.0 out of 5 stars Mysticism in 13th century and for today
Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2021
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A fascinating look at life for 3 great mystics, in very different worlds and religions. I especially enjoyed the connections to what they continue to offer in our own lives. As the author points out, "We can learn to live the everyday astonishment of this sacred world. They show us how."
One person found this helpful
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kalia furnari
5.0 out of 5 stars Love 💜💜
Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2021
Verified Purchase
Just beautiful. 🙏🏼💜
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Craig
5.0 out of 5 stars Masterpiece
Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2021
Kanji is a masterful writer. He brings to life three incredible teachers in a digestible and engaging way that makes you never want to put the book down. Wow.
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Ward Stevens rated it it was amazing
I enjoyed this beautifully written introduction to the lives and works of three mystics from different spiritual traditions. The author guides the reader through fascinating biographical and historical information. He compares and contrasts their lives and works according to five main themes: the natural world, spiritual love, the physical body, the role of women, and engagement with society. He also provides a brief discussion of their poems. I already knew a bit about Francis of Assisi, and I've enjoyed Rumi, but Dogen was entirely new to me. I'd recommend this to anybody who's looking for an interfaith view of mysticism, focused on three innovators who all lived at the same time in history. (less)
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Gerald McFarland
Oct 24, 2020Gerald McFarland rated it it was ok
This book is okay as an introductory summary of the lives of the three thirteenth-century mystics who are named in the title. Many readers can probably learn a lot from that summary. The second half of the book in which Ruhl compares and contrasts the beliefs of the three enlightened seekers sometimes strains to find similarities.
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