Coming Home: The Experience of Enlightenment in Sacred Traditions

Rating:
Summary: A Unique Insight into the Mystical Tradition
Review: An excellent book - well written and insightful.

At one level the book is a survey of "enlightenment" or the mystic experience/way of life (direct experience of the Divine) in several religious traditions.

At another level - and the more important one from my perspective - the book uses its discussion of the particular nuances of each of these mystic traditions to draw a common definition/description of enlightenment. The clear message here is that the apparent differences among religions are more a matter of the nature of human perception/ways of communicating than any fundamental difference at the real level.

The last chapter of the book contains a valuable set of guided exercises in prayer and meditative practice to equip the reader with the tools to embark on the path of mystic experience.

Hixon was both a scholar (Ph.D. in Comparative Religions from Columbia) and a practicing mystic (Sheikh in the Havleti-Jerrahi Sufi Order) so this book combines the best of scholarship and direct experience. He is the author of several other very valuable books.

Rating:
Summary: A Unique Insight into the Mystical Tradition
Review: An excellent book - well written and insightful.

At one level the book is a survey of "enlightenment" or the mystic experience/way of life (direct experience of the Divine) in several religious traditions.

At another level - and the more important one from my perspective - the book uses its discussion of the particular nuances of each of these mystic traditions to draw a common definition/description of enlightenment. The clear message here is that the apparent differences among religions are more a matter of the nature of human perception/ways of communicating than any fundamental difference at the real level.

The last chapter of the book contains a valuable set of guided exercises in prayer and meditative practice to equip the reader with the tools to embark on the path of mystic experience.

Hixon was both a scholar (Ph.D. in Comparative Religions from Columbia) and a practicing mystic (Sheikh in the Havleti-Jerrahi Sufi Order) so this book combines the best of scholarship and direct experience. He is the author of several other very valuable books.

Rating:
Summary: An exceptional guide to the spiritual journey.
Review: As Ken Wilber says, this is the "single best introductory book ever written on the world's great mystical traditions." It is soulfully, masterfully written--seeking not merely to educate but to awaken its reader to the all-encompassing reality of his or her own Consciousness. I recommend it highly.

Rating:
Summary: Think: Ken Wilber with a Lot More HEART
Review: I enjoyed this book so much that I wrote to Lex Hixon. To my suprise, he telephoned me and we talked for an hour! His PhD in comparative religion from Columbia University should not make you think that his approach to the world's mystic traditions was the least bit dry or academic. He was an ecstatic lover of God, like Rumi, while remaining an encyclopedic scholar and a wonderful writer, like---well, like Rumi. I've read all of his books. This is one of his best. Lex Hixon died of cancer at age 55, but like a 20th Century version of Ramakrishna (a great mentor of his) he had lived the lives of several devotees rolled into one.

Rating:
Summary: Truely enchanting!!!
Review: I was very enchanted by this book. Lex Hixon had opened my eyes to the different worlds of faith. It guided me through a vast arrys of Eastern and Western walks of religions. The works in this book had brought a whole new prospective from teahers of different walks of life. I, myself, being the son of a preacher was searching for answers from the loopholes of christianity that was taught to me. Lex Hixon had enlightened my world into a spiritually journey I thought I can never find the answers to. This book had helped me on my search. Even though, I still searching this book had helped me on my quest. Coming Home is well craft and very inspirational. This book will always be a keeper!!