Wisdom Walk: Nine Practices for Creating Peace and Balance from the World's Spiritual Traditions

For ordained minister Bennett, familiarity breeds wisdom. She examines eight of the world's great faith traditions, mining them for transcendent practices and forms applicable to any spiritual discipline. Prior to a culminating multifaith chapter on service, Bennett explores Hinduism's home altars; Buddhism's meditation practices; Islam's rewards of surrendering in a daily cascade of prayers; Judaism's observance of the Sabbath to keep relationships with friends and family intact; Christianity's rich legacy of forgiveness; Native American spirituality's nature insights; Taoism's trust in the processes of life; and New Thought's application of "visioning" to discern calling and course. Each chapter uses broad brush strokes to cover the elements of each tradition, as well as the author's running personal narrative to reveal how this approach has unfolded in her own life and teaching. Bennett's thrust is always on seeing how other traditions can support, not erode or supplant, an existing faith. Practical application steps and stories of how her students reacted to and integrated these gifts further serve to make this a lively, honest and substantive conduit toward meaningful conversation in the explosive arena of religion. (Apr.)