Spiritual Genius: 10 Masters and the Quest for Meaning

(Paperback)

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In Spiritual Genius, journalist Winifred Gallagher, the acclaimed author of Working on God, asks Rabbi Lawrence Kushner to define holiness. "Standing in the presence of God," he says. "Everyone has it, but some people seem to have more of a knack for accessing it." Like holiness, the gift that Gallagher calls "spiritual genius"--which she defines as "the uniquely human ability to search for and find lifes meaning, then express it in our lives as only each of us can"--is one we all possess but dont necessarily recognize.

Whether they are called saints, gurus, tzaddiks, or shamans, there have always been people who possess exceptional insight, altruism, and charisma. In this disarmingly inspirational book, Gallagher investigates what ordinary people trying to live decent, meaningful lives can learn from such extraordinary men and women, who are specially attuned to the deepest truths, and who exemplify-and radiate-spiritual genius.

In a clear-eyed, ecumenical approach that's free of dogma and bias and suffused with profound respect, Winifred Gallagher highlights the common wisdom-and down-to-earth good humor-of these religious leaders, revels in their differences, and identifies the capacity for spiritual genius that all of us share with them. On an island in the Arabian Sea, Gallagher visits Mata Amritanandamayi, regarded by devotees as a Hindu goddess, who transmits divine love through hugs and charities. She travels through America's inner cities with Tony Campolo, an Evangelical preacher who counsels national leaders and serves the poor. She learns how Riffat Hassan, a Pakistani theologian, uses the Quran to defend the rights of her Muslim sisters. She journeys to a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in the Himalayas to understand how an exiled minority has enchanted the world with their deep, resilient spirituality. In these diverse lives, Gallagher argues, we can glimpse our own potential for spiritual genius writ large. Each story testifies to the profound good in the world, even during a troubled time, and to Gallaghers groundbreaking theory of a human capacity for finding lifes meaning that is nothing less than genius.

Reviews

Praise for Winifred Gallagher's Working on God

"Working on God is one of the greatest spiritual works this decade, as delightful as it is wise."
-Anne Lamott

"A fascinating mosaic of contemporary religious thought . . . A rich and beautifully written harvest for the reader."
-The New York Times Book Review

"Rich and intelligent . . . An outstanding piece of writing that shows the strength and beauty of Americas beating religious heart."
-The Boston Globe

Praise for Winifred Gallagher's Just the Way You Are:How Heredity and Experience Create the Individual
"Gallagher has taken a difficult, contentious and often poorly reported body of research material and rendered it intriguing and understandable. After reading it, the next genetic headline will make a lot more sense."
-The Washington Post Book World

"In introducing us to the groundbreaking research on why we are the way we are, as well as its personal, moral, political and social implications, Ms. Gallaghers fascinating book has broadened our capacity to wonder."
-The New York Times Book Review

"Authoritative and immensely readable."
-John Berendt, author of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Praise for Winifred Gallagher's The Power of Place: How Our Surroundings Shape Our Thoughts, Emotions, and Actions

"Bold and fascinatin."
-Los Angeles Times Book Review

"First-rate and alarmingly fresh . . . A brand-new vision of how we are affected by how and where we live. A wonderful book."
-Jim Harrison, author of The Road Home

Author Bio

Winifred Gallagher is the author of The Power of Place, Just the Way You Are (a New York Times Notable Book), and, most recently, Working on God. She has also written for numerous journals, including The Atlantic Monthly, Rolling Stone, and The New York Times. She lives in Manhattan and Long Eddy, New York.