What Fred Has Read

Stephen Batchelor has written several books about Buddhism. He lectures and conducts meditation retreats worldwide. He is a contributing editor of Tricycle and is director of studies of the Sharpton College for Buddhist Studies and Contemporary Enquiry, Devon, England. This book contains much that is not in Book 735.  Read more

Arthur Versluis holds a doctorate from the University of Michigan and has published numerous books and articles. Among his books are Magic and Mysticism: An Introduction to Western Esotericism. I thought it would be interesting to compare this brief book with Aldous Huxley’s classic The Perennial Philosophy (Book 667), first published in 1945.  Read more

Eben Alexander was an academic neurosurgeon for more than 25 years. (For his books I’ve read, click on his name.) Karen Newell is a lifelong seeker of esoteric wisdom with first-hand experience exploring realms of consciousness. This was a gift book.  Read more

Leszek Kolakowski (1927-2009), a professor of history of philosophy at the U. of Warsaw, went into exile in 1968 and also became a senior research fellow at All Souls College, Oxford. He wrote many books and received many awards. This gift book has 27 essays.  Read more

Huston Smith (1919-2016), born in China to Methodist missionaries, has meditated with Tibetan Buddhist monks, practiced yoga with Hindu holy men, whirled with ecstatic Sufi Islamic dervishes, and celebrated the Jewish Sabbath with a daughter who had converted to Judaism. His world-wide fame was for his classic The World’s Religions (Book 17). (For his books I’ve read, click on his name.)  Read more