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Qniform

4.0 out of 5 starsVerified Purchase

Return to classic historic disciplines

Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2010

Foster identifies and classifies some normative disciplines practiced by Christians into three categories. First, the Inward Disciplines of meditation, prayer, fasting, and study turn the believer toward God. Second, the Outward Disciplines of simplicity, solitude, submission, and service reflect the view toward others. Finally, the Corporate Disciplines of confession, worship, guidance, and celebration are practiced in community with other believers.

While some of the categories Foster defines may overlap with some others, he helps the reader engage with many aspects of Christian life that are often neglected. The very use of the term discipline is informative, as it calls to mind both discipleship and diligence. Many valuable insights and practical suggestions make this book a candidate for every library. For instance, the discussion on obedience within one's own strength (reflecting on Col.2:20-23 and Rom. Chaps. 7-8) shows exceptional insight, and is foundational to Christians beset by legalism and guilt. Foster clearly avoids disputed theological positions, which makes this book very useful in teaching the practical daily application of Christian faith.

Weaknesses in his teaching result when he fails to achieve this goal, a deplorable example of which is his labeling of Dispensationalism as heresy (p.52). Other positions that might be questioned include the idea of an "open universe" (i.e. God changes His mind in response to prayer), the Quaker defined discipline of simplicity (a broader caution about undue attachment to material things of the world might be better), and his reliance on common sense might be questioned by those who view mankind's reason as (at least) untrustworthy after the Edenic Fall. However, the many strengths of Foster's book far outweigh these minor points.

Jesusy - Awesome in practical application

"Describes detailed training of prophecy that a prophet undergoes"

Reviewers love Kaplan: Sounds like this miggt be the best introduction to Kabbalah out there... ie start with this "i wish i started with this" "...instead of Dion Fortune crap" "really good making complex simple to understand">"like the interrelation between spirit and human world parallels, relation with tree of life, the 4 words, and _..." "such great author Rabbi Kaplqn" "helped me understand the really complex esoteric" "great analogies" "inspired me to be a better jew" And because kabbalah tarot and __ is (claimed in one of these books) the foundation to western esotericism it sounds like this might be a solid very? important foundation.

Nov 05, 2020Bogi Takács added it

I decided to read this because I read an article complaining that it had too many computer metaphors. I also really like Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan's books in general, and his translations as well, but that article pushed this book up in the priority queue :) I put Innerspace on my wishlist and I got it as a present from Laura לאה and I am really grateful for that!! Thank you!

Innerspace is really two books in one. (Note: my edition has no space in the title.) The first part is an overview of traditional Jewish Kabbalah, and the second part is a commentary on the first chapter of the book of Yechezkel. Both of these sections were edited from his lectures, but also, he'd written outlines and notes for them, which gave an idea of how he imagined the lectures as a book. The book itself was only published after his very early and untimely passing.

I thought both sections had very clear explanations and I personally really appreciated the modern analogies too. There wasn't an overbearing amount of them. I've also seen this book described as some kind of New Age tome, which really misses the point, this is a mainstream Orthodox Jewish book with no particularly outlandish ideas about Kabbalah. Nothing in it was really "out there" for me and it was mostly a restatement of things I'd already learned in Orthodox contexts, but it was all VERY clearly stated, and this book clarified some confusing spots for me that I hadn't even realized I'd been confused about.

I wish I'd had this book as a teen, because it ties a lot of disparate topics together really well, and it would have been great to have around. It is maybe a bit too dense for an introductory book - I could not read it in one sitting, my brain would have melted -, but it could be great as a second book on the topic + a reference book to have around, it has a thorough bibliography too. (For an introductory book, hmm, maybe The Thirteen-Petalled Rose by Rabbi Steinsaltz?)

Source of the book: Gift from my wishlist bought by Laura לאה (less)

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Jun 04, 2009Cesar rated it it was amazing

Aryeh Kaplan's introduction to Jewish Kabbalah and Prophecy is the most beautiful and spiritual presentation of the subject I have ever read. He also has an amazing ability to present very complex topics in a comprehensible way. Furthermore, the work is very scholarly, with all statements cited and referenced, with occasional further explanation in the Notes. (less)

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Sep 06, 2017Paul rated it it was amazing

Rabbi Kaplan's little book is the one that provided me with proper introduction to this subject, after a fair amount of stumbling and frustration. Many a other introductory work is either too limited, or too focused on Kabbalah's profane history and so on. This book, however, is very near to perfect. Eminently understandable and elegant, not to mention author's remarkable mastery for allegorical explanations. Going back to it years later, one cannot help but be impressed with it as a pure achievement. (less)

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Jul 09, 2017Christian rated it it was amazing

Shelves: magic-occultism, religion-theology-spirituality, judaica, to-buy-2019

Better get off your Crowley, DuQuette, Rankine or what have you for later and start out with Kaplan's "Inner Space" if you want to have a relly good, thoughtfull and in depth introduction to Kabbalah. This one gives you more than many many other books of this kind a glimbse behind the veil and shows you the really intricate complexities of the tree of live, the four worlds, the soul and their interconnectedness to the Torah as well as some practical aspects. Mandatory reading, especially for those dabbling occultists... (less)

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Jun 04, 2021Aaron rated it it was amazing

A great primer on the subject. Wish I had read this sooner rather than Dion Fortune type crap as my intro. Accessible but still in-depth. Kaplan is a great teacher.

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Apr 04, 2015Pintele Naftali rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

The best intro to Kabbalah out there. Laid out in a orderly and thorough format. It's a must read for any Kabbalah student. (less)

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Apr 12, 2012Jimmacc rated it it was amazing

Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan is one of the two authors who inspire me to be a better Jew, every time I read their material. This book is an enjoyable introduction to kabbalah. Rabbi Kaplan makes esoteric ideas understandable. Very worthwhile read.

IMPORTANT!!! The book you wanT:~700 pages, has 12± original hand illustrations,all 16 ch.(I.e. '67 o '03 publ: London) 200pgs-BADincomplete. 400 p. Editions-TINY TYPE SUCKS! 1 Solution - a Kindle edition, some 0.99- beware-free Kindle v.-shortENED a few chapters

Charles MacKay

Extraordinary Popular Delusions and The Madness of Crowds

1.0 out of 5 starsVerified Purchase

Warning! Do Not Buy the WRONG Version of this Great Book

Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2015

A. Popular Delusions is a truly great book. B. But be careful which of the many offerings you buy.

First off, many of the editions in Amazon are partial reprints of the original 1841 edition. Anything with 200 or so pages is badly incomplete. The book you want must have all 16 chapters.

Second, most of the print editions, especially those claiming about 400-odd pages, are complete, but have type so small as to severely limit your reading pleasure. You must understand there is no copyright protection for the original English author so anyone can rip it off, and to make the most money many of these "artists" try to print as few literal pages as possible. The two editions I have bought (in 1967 at a bookstore and 2003 on Amazon), both published in London, have about 700 pages, including the dozen or so original hand illustrations. This is the print edition you want.

Third, to solve the type-size problem, acquiring a Kindle edition can be a good answer. It can also be priced as cheaply as 99 cents or even 0. But beware of what it contains as well. When I clicked on the Kindle version of a complete 16-chapter print version (the one on which I am writing this review) it turned out that the free Kindle version was shorted to just a few chapters, which I was able to discover only after I downloaded it . Fourth, the completely independent book, Gustave Le Bon's "The Crowd", originally published in 1895 is equally worth reading.

You'll love both books; make sure you actually enjoy them and get the whole things, as well.

If you choose the Kindle version, the following provides the correct arrangement and listing of the Volumes and chapters as found in the unabridged version: Volume I - National Delusions (missing in the Kindle version) The Mississippi Scheme The South Sea Bubble The Tulipomania Relics Modern Prophecies Popular Admiration for Great Thieves Influence of Politics and Religion on the Hair and Beard Duels and Ordeals The Love of the Marvellous and the Disbelief of the True (missing in the Kindle version) Popular Follies in Great Cities The O.P. Mania (O.P. And Thugs are missing in the Kindle but you probably won’t care.) The Thugs, or Phansigars Volume II The Crusades The Witch Mania The Slow Poisoners Haunted Houses Volume III - Philosophical Delusions (missing in the Kindle version) Book I - The Alchymists Part I - History of Alchymy From the Earliest Periods to the 15th Century Part II - Progress of the Infatuation During the 16th and 17th Centuries Book II - Fortune Telling Book III - The Magnetisers

115 people found this helpful

Interesting insider view of the Mossad; a somewhat biased perspective, but a fascinating read

Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2017

It's incredible that Victor Ostrovsky's memoir of life inside one of the most secretive intelligence agencies on earth is still eminently readable and selling well since it was first published in 1990. Kindle and paperback versions are still available via Ostrovsky's own small press publishing house. Having read several books about the Mossad, I was looking for something different. I heard of Ostrovsky via YouTube -- where a treasure trove of Ostrovsky interviews and speeches can be found on subjects ranging from Israeli national security to intelligence operations to post-911 counter-terrorism (for many years he was the go-to man for news agencies looking for a Mossad insider). I found his books and discovered Ostrovsky's work is certainly different. Because unlike other memoirs by former Mossad agents, "By Way of Deception" is the personal narrative of a disgruntled former katsa (case officer), one who left the service under a cloud, with bones to pick and unafraid to name names. For a variety of reasons, some alarming, others somewhat self-serving, Ostrovsky fell out with his employer and eventually left Israel for the life of a writer and artist in Arizona USA. I won't spoil the reader by trying to explain all the whys because I think people should read his book. Besides being a memoir, Ostrovsky shares organizational and supposed tradecraft secrets that one assumes must have been highly classified at the time of publication (unless his entire publishing career is just a huge disinformation campaign -- a real possibility!). He also shares some conspiratorial concepts about secret intelligence agencies that will be familiar to readers of Victor Suvorov (KGB/GRU), Lev Timofeyev (KGB), Fletcher Prouty (CIA), David Talbot (CIA) and others worth comparing with. Ostrovsky is a decent non-fiction memoirist but having read his fiction before (several self-published novels; not very well written) I assume Claire Hoy did the heavy lifting to make this the fast-moving and fascinating read that it is. But it's Ostrovsky's book nonetheless. In fact, Ostrovsky followed this up with a sequel, The Other Side of Deception, that I hope to read soon. I know a little about intelligence myself and have spent some time in Israel so this book was right up my alley. But it's so well-written that even newcomers to these subjects will find it enjoyable. But be warned. His revelations are messy, disturbing and he is undoubtedly biased. But this book is still recommended. Highly.

Read this.

Richard Haight is the real deal. I have read a number of texts on meditation, and dabbled with many styles. Richard’s Total Embodiment Method is the most straight forward and pragmatic approach to meditation that I have found.

Richard writes incredibly well. He is very clear, and thorough, while making the information accessible to people coming from any number of background. Whether it be traditional meditation, neuroscience, psychology—Richard finds a way to make his message land; it cuts through the nonsense in a really profound and beautiful way.

If you are interesting in beginning meditation, or have been meditating and are looking to expand your practice, I could not recommend this book strongly enough.

I liked the author’s unique take on meditation and his presentation of this new way of looking at meditation outside the usual concentration methods. His focus on the five senses, and ultimately using 'spherical' body awareness as the final step in meditation, really has some positive points and actually works (in calming the mind and offering a new perspective to live from). He also includes some very useful information on general lifestyle supporting tips, such as diet, environment, etc. The book as a whole was about the right length. I really liked the appendix and explanations at the end of the book. Worth a read/listen for anyone interested in different meditation techniques and perspectives

I have read a few books on mindfulness and meditation, and typically find them educational and constructive in helping me develop my own practice. This book not so much. It was a short read, however not engaging in the least, and the story of living as a Samurai, which I thought would be so interesting, was definitely not.

The last 6 or so summary pages are the highlight of the book and the only real value I got out of it. I feel very cynical about this book, as others said it was great, but for me it was far from it. Wish I had $16.98 back.