One Heart : Universal Wisdom from the World's Scriptures

Rating:
Summary: A Beautiful Necklace Made of Spiritual Pearls (Principles)
Review: Bonnie Louise Kuchler did a tremendous amount of research, she sorted, sifted, gleaned, and read a great deal of the scripture and literature of the world's major religions (and some lesser known ones)and like others before her, she noted similarities. However, unlike many, she actually identified and selected passages and ideas which are distinctly clear and nearly identical, creating a harmonious foundation and spiritual unity. She demonstrates that the core values and guiding principles of a `spiritual life' are fundamentally the same for humanity. Her book is truly a jewel, a unique contribution to the growing number of books on this fascinating subject. However, her book stands out as a resource and compendium ... proving there can be harmony and peace in the world, if people of the world would practice what they purport to believe.

I was first impressed with the elegant simplicity of the cover ... the title "one heart' with an acorn between the two words. An acorn is an ideal symbol for the contents of the book, every word and passage within the book is a spiritual seed for growth within a person's life, that is, if they choose to practice the spiritual wisdom they learned. There is nothing trite or trivial in how Ms Kuchler treats this subject. Each chapter begins with the words "from a heart of ..." and each chapter covers a topic with titles, "compassion", "acceptance', "humility", "integrity", "faith", `wisdom", "discipline", and "surrender". Each chapter has a brief introduction written by Andrew Harvey which illustrates through his life example some of the contents. One true story he tells occurred in India when he was despondent and depressed, sitting on the steps of a Hindu temple. Without uttering a word, the caretaker of the temple placed before him a cup of tea and some food. This simple act of kindness from such a poor man touched Andrew Harvey's soul to the core, because he, a Westerner, a stranger, was shown succor and nurturng during his time of need.

Each chapter is further subdivided into six to ten topics or themes, which then have supporting passages from either Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Confucianism, Hinduism, Buddhism, or Taoism, or an American Indian or African traditonal proverb. It is amazing how despite different underlying cultures and dogmatic practices from which the religions arose, the core values and principles that demonstrate spiritual practice or behavior is the same. The reader can open the book to any chapter or any page and find a passage or quotation that is meaningful and helpful ... to open one's heart and create a sense of peace and contentment. This book is most highly recommended for anyone who is interested in the world's religions and the subject of spiritual harmony.
Erika Borsos (erikab93)


Rating:
Summary: An Outstanding Overview
Review: Did you ever think that it was possible that in the beginning there was only one message? That over time, the message was sorted to different cultures and languages to meet their needs and yearnings. Could we all be of the same spiritual being? Is there any proof that this might be possible? This book by Bonnie Louise Kuchler is quite a feat and puts a lot of information out here.

The book does not preach or even analyze, what it does is present the scriptures of the world's major religions side by side for comparison. Ask a question, for instance drinking, and you will see the scriptures from Native American Religions, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Taoism and Confucianism.

This is an outstanding book, for education and enlightenment for anyone that is interested in this type of quest. It's nice to have everything in one book, easy to read, easy to reference. It is the best book on this type of subject that I have yet to read and a good starter point too.

Bottom line, buy this one, read it and keep it

Rating:
Summary: Simple and Essential
Review: The idea behind this book intregued me. Whether or not you believe in a rational basis of truth you'll enjoy how this book wonderfully illustrates how universal religions really are. I'm not a religious person anymore, but I still enjoyed this book. It serves to remind me that reason, common sense, and logical examination are the real languages of truth. FUNDAMENTALISTS BE WARNED.... this book will not reenforce your narrow minded beliefs! This book is for rational thinkers who are interested in a simple but well organized comparison.

On the downside, however, I did get tired of it. I've read much of the material in my studies and I am more interested in espistimology at this point. But I was driven forward out of amazement that someone actually took the time to put all this comparitive data together. While I won't read it again I fully intend to give it as a valauable gift to a fundamentalist. Bravo!



Rating:
Summary: Essential Universal Principles
Review: The library of both popular and scholarly comparative world scripture pointing to universally shared principles of the life of integrity worth living is growing, and One Heart is a very sweet addition to that indispensable collection. Just as Oneness author Jeffrey Moses was determined to self publish in 1981 the 64 principles he personally mined with heart from world scripture, Hallmark-y concept author Bonnie Kuchler found herself compelled to take that same personal research journey -- and, no coincidence, found 65 similar essential principles shared by all religions. With a "Knowing" brief preface by American Buddhist Sylvia Boorstein and heartfelt short essays and practice suggestions by the "exuberant" spiritual teacher Andrew Harvey, One Heart is another of the new integral generation comforting "little" books that should be in every hotel nightstand drawer and every individuating home. Both Oneness and One Heart make sweet gifts for the holiday season or any other. Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Bringing It All Together
Review: This book is what I need right now. It brings the world together for me and lays it all out in bite-size pieces, easily consumed and digested. Carefully organized, this book draws its strength from the major texts of Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Confucianism, and Taoism. The interwoven passages allow me to see the connections of these faiths. Well worth the purchase. I am on my way.....

Rating:
Summary: A faithful pulse...
Review: While the title of this text is 'One Heart', there are in fact many aspects of 'heart' contained here. What the editor Bonnie Louise Kuchler and essayist Andrew Harvey have attempted to show, with some success, is that there are universal aspects to faith and hope across various religious and spiritual communities, which only makes sense at a very basic level -- we are all human, and as such, share many important things in common.

This is not a systematic or philosophical theology book; rather, it is an inspirational and spiritual text. The subtitle of the book, 'universal wisdom from the world's scriptures', gives a key to understanding -- this is not a book of catechisms, or beliefs, or dogmatic structures, or philosophical explanations. No attempt has been made here to examine the differences in the religious traditions, but rather to concentrate on those things that are shared wisdom, those things that draw us together. There are eight chapters, each focused upon a major theme (compassion, acceptance, humility, integrity, faith, wisdom, discipline, surrender), and within these major divisions are shorter subtopics.

The bulk of the text comes from received scriptures of the seven major religions of the world - Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Taoism. However, Kuchler does not limit herself to these, and one finds scattered throughout the text insights and pieces from Greek philosophers, African traditional religions, Native American religions, Sikhism, Jainism, Shinto, and more. These are more than a mere collection of 'quotable quotes' from the world's spiritual traditions (though it could function as such); the grouping of the passages lends weight to the idea that there is much that draws humanity together, with aspects of wisdom and faith that transcend our more temporal and temporary perceptions.

After each chapter, there is a brief description and suggestion for practices the reader can engage to get a deeper insight into the wisdom of the chapter. For example, in the first chapter on compassion, the practice described is prayer with prayer beads. After a brief historical and physical description, there is a chart that shows the way in which this kind of practice has been adapted by various religions (Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, Christian, Ba'hai), and a general prayer for use that is useful for almost everyone. Other practices include sacred reading (lectio divina), home altars/sacred spaces, song, chant and dance, labyrinths, fasting, breathing and meditations. Just as the words in these passages contain shared wisdom, so too do these practices share a long and common history in humankind's traditions of spirituality. The adaptations here for more general use can supplement (rather than replace) practices the reader already has in place, and help those without explicit spiritual practices such as these to develop their own according to gentle and easy-to-engage instructions.

There is great joy in this book. As Harvey writes in one of his essays, the Dalai Lama said that one of the four pillars of wisdom is to be joyful. 'A truly wise one has an inner joy that is like a fire; it warms the world.' Echoes of this can be found in Wesley (the heart that is strangely warmed) as well as other traditions. To read this book is a warming experience, enlightening in a graceful way.