“Groundbreaking…Essential Spirituality is the first book that identifies and brings together the shared practices found in the world’s religions.”
Angeles Arrien, Ph.D., author of The Four-Fold Way
“I could not imagine a better person to write this book.”
Charles Tart, Ph.D., author of Waking Up
“A truly groundbreaking and seminal work…an invaluable guidebook for modern spiritual seekers.”
Stanislav Grof, M.D., author of Beyond the Brain and The Cosmic Game
“A wonderful and practical overview for anyone wanting to begin a spiritual journey.”
Phillip Moffit, former editor of Esquire
“Essential Spirituality is as significant as Aldous Huxley’s The Perennial Philosophy and could be one of the most important books of our times. It deals with profound spiritual issues in a very clear and own-to-earth way and provides practical exercises that are simple, straightforward, and effective.”
Peter Russell, author of The Global Brain Awakens
“An engaging, inspiring synthesis of the core insights of humanity’s spiritual traditions. This is a rare gem of a book—a unique treasure distilled from a quarter century of deep spiritual practice and intellectual inquiry. Essential Spirituality is a book to live with and work with, filled with simple though powerful exercises that invite people to discover for themselves the truths about which Roger Walsh writes so beautifully and lovingly.”
Duane Elgin, author of Voluntary Simplicity
“A harmonious presentation sung sweetly in the various voices of sacred traditions of the single central truth of freedom and happiness that is the shared heart of them all.”
Sylvia Boorstein, author of It’s Easier Than You Think: The Buddhist Way to Happiness
“Walsh has opened what we would traditionally call ‘grace’ to empirical replication, a way to domesticate peak experience. Following his exercises you will se your own tradition in a new and glorious light and connect more deeply with its treasures of the spirit.”
Rabbi Zalman Schacter, author of From Age-ing to Sage-ing
“A good choice in the general spirituality category….The Dalai Lama provides an elegant foreword.”
Publishers Weekly
“An important book…a rich offering of perennial wisdom and spiritual direction….The breadth and depth of Roger’s spiritual practice imbues his writing with a powerful sense of authenticity.”
Pathways magazine
“Extraordinary….Walsh gives an invaluable compilation of stories, myths, exercises, practices, and meditations that carefully but effectively invite the reader into a direct experience…a guided tour, if you will, of your own soul….It give you both an amazing accurate summary of the world’s great wisdom traditions and a superb outline of spiritual practices that alone disclose that wisdom…in a class by itself.”
Institute of Noetic Sciences Review
“Deceptively simple. Its power is rooted not only in Dr. Walsh’s formidable intellectual capacity to effectively deal with a vast body of religious literature but in his own deep spiritual practice in a multitude of disciplines over many years. An important contribution.”
Ram Dass, author of Be Here Now
“An absolute masterpiece…Essential Spirituality is helpful to both the unseasoned and seasoned seeker. The writing is deep, simple, and clear yet at the same time poetic and musical. A must read.”
Gerald G. Jampolsky, M.D., author of Love is Letting Go of Fear
“Energetic, engaged, and occasionally electrifying…Roger is thoroughly grounded in actual spiritual practices, without which any writing on spiritual topics remains anemic and untrustworthy. The field of spiritual books has been looking for its own Lewis Thomas or Carl Sagan, and I believe Roger Walsh may be that one. ”
Ken Wilber, author of One Taste and A Brief History of Everything
Roger Walsh is professor of psychiatry, philosophy, and anthropology, as well as professor in the religious studies program at the University of California at Irvine.