The widely respected social philosopher embarks on his most gripping and broadly appealing work, asking the ultimate question of human nature: Why do we repeatedly violate our most deeply held values and beliefs?After nearly forty years of weighing humanity's deepest dilemmas-working in settings ranging from university and high school classrooms to corporate offices and hospitals-bestselling author, philosopher, and religious scholar Jacob Needleman presents the mo...

For nearly two generations, this translation of the Tao Te Ching has been the standard for those seeking access to the wisdom of Taoist thought. Now Jane English and her long-time editor, Toinette Lippe, have refreshed and revised the translation, so that it more faithfully reflects the Classical Chinese in which it was first written, while taking into account changes in our own language and eliminating any lingering infelicities.Lao Tsu’s philosophy is simple: Accept what...

What is the purpose of life on Earth? Philosopher Jacob Needleman frames man's role on the planet in a completely new and fresh way, moving beyond the usual environmental concerns to reveal how the care and maintenance of a world is something vital and basic to our existence as authentic human beings.In some of his most deeply affecting writing, Needleman draws on his childhood experiences with a terminally ill friend whose impending death forces the young boys to face questions of...

Restores to the forefront of the Christian tradition the importance of the divine feminine• The first complete English-language translation of the original Coptic Gospel of Mary, with line-by-line commentary• Reveals the eminence of the divine feminine in Christian thought• Offers a new perspective on the life of one of the most controversial figures in the Western spiritual traditionPerhaps no figure in biblical scholarship has been the subject of more cont...

In this “striking” meditation on the relationship between the adult self and the inner child, Jacob Needleman presents excitingly “original positions” on age old spiritual and philosophical questions—Ken WilburSeeking to reconcile the split between our inner child and our adult self, eminent philosopher and religious scholar Jacob Needleman evokes the ancient spiritual tradition of a deep dialogue between a guiding wisdom figure and a seeker. The elder offers an in...

A new translation and analysis of the gospel that records the actual words of Jesus• Explores the gnostic significance of Jesus's teachings recorded in this gospel• Explains the true nature of the new man whose coming Jesus envisioned• Translated and interpreted by the author of the bestselling The Gospel of Mary Magdalene and The Gospel of PhilipOne of the cache of codices and manuscripts discovered in Nag Hammadi, the Gospel of Thomas, un...

In his most deeply personal work, religious scholar Needleman cuts a clear path through today?s clamorous debates over the existence of God, illuminating an entirely new way of approaching the question of how to understand a higher power.I n this new book, philosopher Jacob Needleman? whose voice and ideas have done so much to open the West to esoteric and Eastern religious ideas in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries?intimately considers humanity?s most vital...

In Time and the Soul Jacob Needleman uses stories-of a middle-aged psychiatrist going back in time to encounter his younger self; of a mysterious meeting in the Central Asian desert; of the mystic master Hermes Trimegistus; as well as stories from the Bhagavad-Gita, the Bible, and other wisdom traditions-to illuminate the great mystery of time and to help us resolve our increasingly dysfunctional relationship to it. Nearly everyone feels stress and anxiety over what's become known as time ...

This concise volume collects the core writings that have made Ralph Waldo Emerson into a key source of insight for spiritual seekers of every faith—with an introduction by the bestselling philosopher Jacob Needleman.Here is the essential collection of Emerson’s spiritual thought for those readers who understand the transformative quality of ideas. It is concise and suited to years of rereading and contemplation, offering the essays that trace the arc of the inner m...

A new translation and analysis of one of the most controversial of the apocryphal gospels• Emphasizes an initiatic marriage between the male and female principles as the heart of the Christian mystery• Bears witness to the physical relationship shared by Jesus and Mary Magdalene• Translated from the Coptic and analyzed by the author of the bestselling The Gospel of Mary Magdalene (over 90,000 soldThe mainstream position of the Christian church on se...

This inaugural-and all new-Tarcher Cornerstone Edition presents a stunningly relevant and reliable translation of the thoughts and aphorisms of the Stoic philosopher and Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, properly placing the philosopher-king's writings within the vein of the world's great religious and ethical traditions.The late antique world possessed no voice like that of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius (121-180 CE). His private meditations on what constitutes a good...

Philosopher Jacob Needleman's groundbreaking study of America's alternative spiritual movements is back in print with a new introduction by the author.Originally published in 1970, The New Religions was the first full-scale study of alternative spirituality in America. It remains unparalleled for the intellectual depth and seriousness with which it regards Eastern, New Age, and alternative faiths on the American landscape.Needleman’s writing and re...