Doesn't everyone need Wisdom and Enlightenment in the 21st Century? Throughout life, an independent mind is usually interested in two ever-burning questions: What is truth and what is good? Both these pursuits have been monopolized, rst by science and other by religion. Every institution eventually becomes soulless and ossified, as well as tyrannical over the freedom of mind and soul. Nothing can be taken for granted. Every one of us must keep asking, "What is truth and what is good?" We must not halt at our current stage of understanding. There is always more to learn, whether it is knowledge or ethics. The author writes his views about time, space, the cosmos, and about man-woman relationships, what he found in the history of India, Muslims, and the United States, and how we can make a better world for everyone. We human beings have an ever-burning desire for knowledge and truth. We all belong to same species and evolved from the same batch of organisms, thus there is no justification for gender and caste inequalities in the world. We have evolved so we can look after the interests of the whole living world, nature, and environment. We must work to end the exploitation of animals, the plunder of natural resources, and eliminate pollution. This book further elaborates the views expressed in the author's earlier book Sharda Herstory of Cruelty, which was written to show the suffering, hatred, and folly of human beings.

These past fifty years have seen incredible advances in mankind's scientific knowledge. We can now replace knees, hips, and other joints inside the human body, and we use robots to do critical parts of the surgeries. We are using retroviruses to actually rewrite the DNA within living patients, in order to make their bodies more effective in fighting diseases. We have seen subatomic particles, during their brief appearances, in our supercollider. We have captured images of the moment when two hydrogen nuclei fuse into one helium nucleus. We can speak to anyone in the world if they are in possession of a handheld cell phone. We have orbiting observatories that allow us to see galaxies that are over 13 billion lightyears away, and we have sent probes to other planets even landing one on a comet. With all this new knowledge, and much more, it's time to ask, has any of this information helped us to answer those age-old questions about the purpose of life, the existence of God, the origins of the universe, and our role within it all? In this book, the author emphatically answers yes! We now have enough scientific facts to answer most of those questions. And in a clear and easily readable way, he explains what we now know and how each of us can use these new insights, in order to improve our lives tremendously. This work in intended to improve your life. In fact, I am sure it will.

The Buddha wanted his students to investigate, to see for themselves whether what he said were true. As a student of the Buddha, the Dalai Lama promotes the same spirit of investigation, and recognizes that new approaches are needed to allow seekers in the West to experience the relevance of the liberating message in their own lives. This volume stands as an introduction to Buddhism, and provides a foundation for the volumes to come.

A myth-shattering view of the Islamic world's myriad scientific innovations and the role they played in sparking the European Renaissance. Many of the innovations that we think of as hallmarks of Western science had their roots in the Arab world of the middle ages, a period when much of Western Christendom lay in intellectual darkness. Jim al- Khalili, a leading British-Iraqi physicist, resurrects this lost chapter of history, and given current East-West tensions, his book could not be timelier. With transporting detail, al-Khalili places readers in the hothouses of the Arabic Enlightenment, shows how they led to Europe's cultural awakening, and poses the question: Why did the Islamic world enter its own dark age after such a dazzling flowering?

Plucked from a humble nomad family to become the leader of one of Tibet’s oldest Buddhist lineages, the young Seventeenth Karmapa draws on timeless values to create an urgent ethic for today’s global community. We have always been, and will always be, interconnected—through family, community, and shared humanity. As our planet changes and our world grows smaller, it is vital we not only recognize our connections to one another and to the earth but also begin actively working together as interdependent individuals to create a truly global society. The Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, is uniquely positioned to guide us in this process. Drawing on years of intensive Buddhist training and a passionate commitment to social issues, he teaches how we can move from a merely intellectual understanding to a fully lived experience of connection. By first seeing, then feeling, and finally living these connections, we can become more effective agents of social and ethical change. The Karmapa shows us how gaining emotional awareness of our connectedness can fundamentally reshape the human race. He then guides us to action, showing step by step how we can change the way we use the earth’s resources and can continue to better our society. In clear language, the Karmapa draws connections between such seemingly far-flung issues as consumer culture, loneliness, animal protection, and self-reliance. In the process, he helps us move beyond theory to practical and positive social and ethical change.

This volume addresses the broad spectrum of challenges confronting today?s universities. Elkana and Kl”pper question the very idea and purposes of universities, especially as viewed through curriculum?what is taught, and pedagogy?how it is taught. The reforms recommended in the book focus on undergraduate or bachelor degree programs in all areas of study, from the humanities and social sciences to the natural sciences, technical fields, as well as law, medicine, and other professions. The core thesis of this book rests on the emergence of a ?New Enlightenment. This will require a revolution in curriculum and teaching methods in order to translate the academic philosophy of global contextualism into universal practice or application. Are universities willing to revamp teaching in order to foster critical thinking that would serve students their entire lives? This book calls for universities to restructure administratively to become truly integrated, rather than remaining collections of autonomous agencies more committed to competition among themselves than cooperation in the larger interest of learning. ÿ

In Evolutionary Enlightenment, Andrew Cohen redefines spiritual awakening for our contemporary world—a world characterized by exponential change and an ever-expanding appreciation for the processes of evolution. Cohen’s message is simple, yet profound: Life is evolution, and enlightenment is about waking up to this fundamentally creative impulse as your own deepest, most authentic self. Through five tenets for living an enlightened life, Cohen will empower you to wholeheartedly participate in the process of change as your own spiritual practice. Evolutionary Enlightenment not only makes deep sense of life today; it will show you how to play an active role in shaping the world of tomorrow.