Michael Toms has narrated 30 audiobooks on Listento.it by 31 authors, with an average listener rating of 4.5★ across 73 ratings. The most-rated is The Wisdom of Joseph Campbell.
A Time for Choices
Summary
"The age of the leaders has come and gone. Every person must be their own leader now. You must remove your projection, and contain the spirit of our time in your own life and your own nature, because to go the old way and follow your leader is a form of psychological imprisonment."Those words are from the late Sir Laurens van der Post, statesman, military leader, philosopher, and native born South African.This is an extraordinary time. The tragic events of September 11, 2001, have propelled us all into a new cycle of our personal, national, and global lives. It will never be the same. There is no "normal" to get back to. Life is in this country has changed forever, and it seems clear that we have entered an era in which new questions need to be asked, because there are no easy answers or quick fixes.Our relationship to the "other" needs to be re-examined. Is it "us and them"? Or is it just us here on the same planet together? This is the territory we explore in this program, with guests Terry Tempest Williams, author of Red: Passion and Patience in the Desert; Harlan Cleveland, who served as assistant secretary of state and U.S. Ambassador to NATO, as well as the first dean of the Hubert Humphrey Institute for Public Affairs, a recipient of the U.S. Medal of Freedom, and the author of Birth of a New World; Marianne Williamson, minister and author of The Healing of America; Sharif Abdullah, director of the Common Way Institute and author of Creating a World that Works for All; Robert Fuller, a physicist, former president of Oberlin College, and author of Breaking Ranks: With All Due Respect; and Thomas Gumbleton, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit.
©2001 New Dimensions Foundation (P)2008 New Dimensions Foundation
East and West
Summary
A Christian monk who lived in India for over 30 years, the late Father Griffiths shares some remarkable insights about the contemplative life. He builds a bridge linking the Gnostic tradition of early Christianity and the mystical tradition streaming down through the centuries with the ancient philosophies of Vedanta and Buddhism. The results are fascinating and profound.
©1983 New Dimensions Foundation (P)2008 New Dimensions Foundation
Sacred Music
Summary
An interview with Father Bede and two musician friends becomes a profoundly moving musical excursion through the deep truths and feelings of the various spiritual traditions represented in their South Indian Christian-Hindu ashram. Through the musical gifts of Russill and Asha Paul, we hear and sense for ourselves how the many different names and descriptions of God are reflections of a single reality. "There is a wonderful underlying unity", says Father Bede, "but it's beyond words. We're all trying to move beyond the words and the languages to the one reality itself, beyond all." The music takes us to a direct experience of the sacred unity beyond cultural differences.
©1991 New Dimensions Foundation (P)2008 New Dimensions Foundation
Return to the Sacred
Summary
This discussion with a remarkable Benedictine monk who founded an ashram in South India is a beautiful, stirring exploration of human spirituality. In a rare synthesis of Christian, Hindu, and modern scientific thought, the late Father Bede discusses the infusing of gross matter and daily life with spirit, the finding of God "in the divine darkness beyond word and thought", technology and simple living, Black Madonnas, mysticism, and monastic life.
©1991 New Dimensions Foundation (P)2008 New Dimensions Foundation
Bede Griffiths
Summary
Father Dom Bede Griffiths was a much revered mystic who grew beyond his Christian traditions to embrace and embody the philosophical grounding of eastern thought. His gift of unconditional love and the divine presence he brought to this world were transformative to his students. His teachings speak to the ever widening numbers of people finding greater meaning beyond the scope of their root traditions. In this conversation Brother Wayne Teasdale and Asha and Russill Paul share their experience of Father Bede and his legacy, and the promise it holds for the world we face today. Russill Paul explains, "As we move into this age in which people feel that they need more than one tradition to feel complete and whole and find balance in their lives, Bede is an icon of interspiritual integrity, because somehow he found a balance in the wholeness of this East-West, male-female, Hindu-Christian meeting point. Somehow he lived and breathed it, and set something in motion for a lot of different people around the world." The late Brother Wayne Teasdale is the author of Bede Griffiths: An Introduction to His Interspiritual Thought (Skylight Paths 2003), A Monk in the World: Cultivating a Spiritual Life (New World Library 2002) and The Mystic Heart: Discovering a Universal Spirituality in the World's Religions (New World Library 1999). Russill Paul is a recording artist and creator of the Yoga of Sound 3 CD set. Asha Paul is a writer, yoga teacher; holds a doctorate in Natural Health, and teaches at the University of Creation Spirituality. Brother Wayne, Asha and Russill are trustees of the Bede Griffiths International Trust.
©2003 New Dimensions Foundation (P)2008 New Dimensions Foundation
Seeking Wisdom
Summary
The oldest human quest serves as the central focus for this wonderful exploration into how truth is revealed. Learning to listen to the inner voice, living in relationship, suffering and liberation, finding providential help along the way and much more are covered by Needleman as he speaks to the depth and breadth of the spiritual search. He emphasizes the power of the oral tradition and the need to be open and receptive to truth when it appears. Jacob Needleman is a professor of philosophy at San Francisco State University and the author of many books including The American Soul (Tarcher 2003), The Wisdom of Love (Morning Light Press 2005), Time and the Soul (Berrett-Koehler 2003), The Heart of Philosophy (Tarcher 2003), Lost Christianity (Tarcher 2003), Money and the Meaning of Life (Currency 1994). A Sense of the Cosmos: Scientific Knowledge and Spiritual Truth (Monkfish Book Publishing 2003), and Why We Can't Be Good (Tarcher 2007). In addition to his teaching and writing, he serves as a consultant in the fields of psychology, education, medical ethics, philanthropy, and business, and has been featured on Bill Moyers's acclaimed PBS series A World of Ideas.
©1988 New Dimensions Foundation (P)2088 New Dimensions Foundation
Human Mind/Animal Mind
Summary
Ever get that eerie feeling that your cat or dog knows what you're thinking? They just might! Scientist Rupert Sheldrake brings you five years of extensive research on animal behavior, challenging traditional scientific assumptions that pets do not warrant serious study. Well-known for his controversial and revolutionary theory of "morphic resonance" and "morphogenetic fields," Sheldrake applied this to his subject with ingenious questions that have resulted in confirmation that animals do indeed possess psychic and intuitive abilities. You'll also hear astonishing stories involving parrots, termites, and farm animals that will have you looking at the animal kingdom in a whole new light. Rupert Sheldrake studied natural sciences at Cambridge and philosophy at Harvard, took a Ph.D. in biochemistry at Cambridge and is the author of more than 50 scientific papers. He's the author of many books including The Presence of the Past (Times Books 1995); Seven Experiments That Could Change the World: A Do-It Yourself Guide to Revolutionary Science (Riverhead Books 1995); A New Science of Life: The Hypothesis of Morphic Resonance (J.P. Tarcher 1995); The Rebirth of Nature; The Greening of Science and God (Bantam 1991); Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home: And Other Unexplained Powers of Animals (Three Rivers Press 2001); The Sense of Being Stared At: And Other Aspects of The Extended Mind (Crown 2003); co-authored with Matthew Fox Natural Grace: Dialogues on Creation, Darkness; the Soul in Spirituality and Science (Doubleday 1996); and The Physics of Angels: Exploring the Realm Where Science and Spirit Meet (HarperSanFrancisco 1996).
©1999 New Dimensions Foundation (P)2008 New Dimensions Foundation
The Soul of America
Summary
If you have found U.S. history boring in the past, this program is a must! Jacob Needleman, internationally acclaimed author and philosopher, takes us on a journey back to the beginning of America, re-telling the story of the country in a way that inspires and invites us to explore the lives of our forefathers and the sacred dimension of their founding principles. His portraits of Washington, Jefferson and other famous historical figures ignites our imagination, and instills in us a deep reverence and appreciation for the unwavering vision that was necessary to establish our government. In his re-telling of the American story, Needleman brings to light the nation's deep hunger for meaning. "The human psyche needs the nourishment of great philosophical ideas. These ideas have been part of great cultures, and were once a part of America. America needs to bring these ideas back to the culture." Jacob Needleman is a professor of philosophy at San Francisco State University and the author of many books including The American Soul (Tarcher 2003), The Wisdom of Love (Morning Light Press 2005), Time and the Soul (Berrett-Koehler 2003), The Heart of Philosophy (Tarcher 2003), Lost Christianity (Tarcher 2003), Money and the Meaning of Life (Currency 1994), A Little Book on Love (Doubleday 1996), A Sense of the Cosmos: Scientific Knowledge and Spiritual Truth (Monkfish Book Publishing 2003), and Why We Can't Be Good (Tarcher 2007). In addition to his teaching and writing, he serves as a consultant in the fields of psychology, education, medical ethics, philanthropy, and business, and has been featured on Bill Moyers's acclaimed PBS series A World of Ideas.
©2001 New Dimensions Foundation (P)2008 New Dimensions Foundation
The Past Is Present
Summary
This dialogue reviews Sheldrake's theory of "morphic resonance," which challenges some fundamental assumptions of established science. Sheldrake offers a revolutionary alternative to the mechanistic worldview, and points toward a new understanding of the nature of life, matter and mind. One of the more profound implications of Sheldrake's account here is his suggestion that the brain may be more like a tuning system than a recording device. Rupert Sheldrake studied natural sciences at Cambridge and philosophy at Harvard, took a Ph.D. in biochemistry at Cambridge and is the author of more than 50 scientific papers. He's the author of many books including The Presence of the Past (Times Books 1995), Seven Experiments That Could Change the World: A Do-It Yourself Guide to Revolutionary Science (Riverhead Books 1995), A New Science of Life: The Hypothesis of Morphic Resonance (J.P. Tarcher 1995), The Rebirth of Nature; The Greening of Science and God (Bantam 1991), Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home: And Other Unexplained Powers of Animals (Three Rivers Press 2001), The Sense of Being Stared At: And Other Aspects of The Extended Mind (Crown 2003), and co-authored with Matthew Fox Natural Grace: Dialogues on Creation, Darkness, and the Soul in Spirituality and Science (Doubleday 1996) and The Physics of Angels: Exploring the Realm Where Science and Spirit Meet (HarperSanFrancisco 1996).
©1988 New Dimensions Foundation (P)2008 New Dimensions Foundation
Gardening the Soul
Summary
Walker, best-selling author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book The Color Purple and of Anything We Love Can Be Saved, offers a fresh look at how to live in a complex culture. She reminds us that something precious is gained or enhanced when we honor our intrinsic sense of awe toward nature and our deep desire for connection with our human community. This dialogue between Walker and Toms is brimming with inspiration for celebrating life in all its vibrant moments.
©2000 New Dimensions Foundation. (P)2000 New Dimensions Foundation.