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Introduction: Georg Feuerstein's Holy Madness
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19525 |
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BOOK WORLD
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11 / 1991 |
291 Words |
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In Holy Madness (excerpted in the following pages) Georg Feuerstein makes a historical survey of "rascal gurus, crazy-wise adepts, and holy clowns" in several religious traditions. He also examines the moral and psychological controversies swirling around such teachers as Bhagwan Rajneesh, Chogyam Trungpa, Georgei Gurdjieff, and Aleister Crowley, among others. The spiritual leaders under study in this work are notably defiant of social conventions and traditional moral restraints. Indeed, the flouting of convention appears to be an essential part of their practice. Feuerstein draws upon his own experience in an unnamed cult to examine these leaders through a critical lens, all the while arguing that the rigors of discipleship frequently offer rewards worth having.
Are these figures in fact self-serving frauds, or authentic religious leaders? How does an outsider distinguish the true from the false, the profound from the perverse? Are they practitioners of an archaic religious form that is nonetheless rich with insights for the modern age? To answer these and other questions four scholars respond to the book in a written symposium following the excerpt. First, theologian and rabbi Richard Rubenstein (p.368) discusses the goal of enlightenment sought by these teachers, contrasting the Western and the Eastern concepts of self-advancement. Folklorist Roger Welsch (p.380) discusses the trickster myths and to what extent these contemporary tricksters are human conductors of primordial truths. Jesuit theologian David Toolan (p.386) takes a critical look at the impact of these teachers on the larger society. Finally, religious studies professor Mary Farrell Bednarowski (p.394) measures the book as a subtle work of theology, evincing the author's agenda for a revitalized spirituality for the West. See an editorial on the book by THE
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