I acquired this book back in 2000, and I consider it to be one of the most important pieces of my collection. It is a huge 1144 page volume, fruit of research and experience of many, with the aim of the editors (pretty well achieved by the way) of comparing traditional texts in regard with several philosophical questions and aspects of life.

The result is a book where every page is a reflection around some immanent theme: Sacrifice/Death, Illusion, Humility, Combat/Action, Judgement, Symbolism, Pilgrimage, Metanoia, Mercy-Love-Contemplation, Faith, Grace, Love, Ecstasy, Beauty, Peace, Discernment-Truth, Knowledge, Reality, etc. to name just a few.

Among the sources cited are: Hermes, The Qur'an, Eckhart, Sri Ramakrishna, Plato, The Bible, Dante Alighieri, St Agustine, Mencius, Huang Po, Tauler, Peter Sterry, The Bhagavad-Gita, Shakespeare, Huai Nan Tzu, The Talmud, Philalethes, Ibn Al-Arif, Confucius, Black Elk, Cicero, Rumi, and the Zohar, to name just a reduced few.

I have indicated this book as read, but I will probably never finish it completely, as it touches aspects of my life which are interpreted according to my experience.

Wonderful book. ( )

This is the best, most comprehensive anthology of quotations about the spiritual life that I have yet found. It is immensely rewarding, especially to the careful reader. ( )

This book proves that ancient religions (plural) are true. And how does it do that? Simply: quoting their orthodox and authoritative sources. Simply reading the book makes you perceive three things: first, that these ancient sages really grasped something; second, that this "something" is the same for all of them; and third, that no modern (post-XV century) religion did so. ( )