Crazy Wisdom [Paperback]

Wes Nisker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1998

Take a wild and rickety ride through the philosophies of the East and West to discover the madmen, dreamers, and unconventional wisdom seekers in the abridged, better-than-ever version of our best-selling cult classic. ESSENTIAL CRAZY WISDOM delivers the most significant, most lunatic, and most compelling insights of the ages. Scoop Nisker patches together the unorthodox teachings that have bubbled up through the words of such crazy visionaries as Rumi, Gautama the Buddha, Mark Twain, Lao Tzu, Albert Einstein, Mahatma Gandhi, Allen Ginsberg, and Lily Tomlin. Discover the common thread in these multiple perspectives and travel on this comedic course to enlightenment!

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Irreverence, multiple perspectives, absurdity, cosmic unity, accepting circumstances, getting along--Crazy Wisdom, a cult classic on the wild side of philosophy is more than just a romp through titillating ideas. Wes Nisker actually hits on a string of similarities East and West that unites the visions of the poet, philosopher, artist, and guru. This book will take you on an enchanting and mind-expanding journey, liberally seasoned with quotations from Mark Twain, Chuang-tsu, various Zen masters, Albert Camus, Allen Ginsberg, Rumi, and other crazy fools gushing with wisdom. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"CRAZY WISDOM is deeply wise . . . wonderfully insightful and delightfully humorous. . . . "a good place to begin . . . its strength lies in its wonderful assemblage of life-changing quotes and stories."-Utne Reader"A dim sum feast of perceptive and amusing morsels. Nisker succeeds in fashioning an original pattern from motley patches of wisdom."-San Francisco Chronicle"The author . . . takes us on a wild and lively ride through Eastern and Western philosophy and spirituality. Along the way, there are plenty of humorous sidebar quotations. . . . Now more than ever, we need this brand of wisdom that opens us to wonder and hospitality."- Spirituality & Health --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press (September 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580080405
• ISBN-13: 978-1580080408
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,990,317 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If it makes sense, then its not philosophy., September 20, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (San Francisco Bay Area, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crazy Wisdom (Paperback)

Our world is plagued by rigid, intolerant religions, dogmatic "truths" and people who take themselves and their ideas too seriously. Then along comes Wes Nisker with his humble little paperback that can hold its own next to The Bible on the bookshelf. This book explores everything that is central to true enlightenment: the ridiculous, the blasphemous, the paradoxal, the rebellious, the foolish. This book embraces all that society rejects, and in doing so, unearths the very missing link to our spiritual evolution. There's no reason to fear. Journey with Wes and his troop of clowns, poets, mystics, thinkers and fools as they explore the philosopies of East and West with a grain of salt the size of a boulder. Along the way he points out that the world's greatest and most revered thinkers, prophets, poets, scientists, artists and activists were all considered "crazy" in their day and viewed as outlaws and criminals by their contemperaries. Partake in this humourous and easy to read exploration of the absurb side of philosophy, and see that the various spiritual and philosophical traditions of the world have more in common than they'd probably like to admit to each other.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars provocative,funny journey through the Crazy Wisdom landscape, June 12, 2000

By 

cynic observer (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crazy Wisdom (Paperback)

Romp with Wes through the world of clowns, jesters and fools while you unearth the paradox that is present in our daily lives. This irreverent look at the world from the mindsets and customs of both the Eastern and Western world will make you laugh and realize that what you you will eat for breakfast is the most important thing in the world. For those who enjoy seeing esoteric views of our world and enjoy humourous examinations of our many follies, pick up your pack and join the archetypes as you travel down the road.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars "Look What They've Done To My Song, Ma", July 25, 2008

By 

Parkerhear (Left of Central) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Essential Crazy Wisdom (Paperback)

To whomever stole the guts from Wes Nisker's original 1990 publication titled, "Crazy Wisdom" could you kindly return them?
With the original version out of print, I bought this one as a gift.
Alas, when this sad imposter arrived, I searched the pages for my favorite chapters and quotes but found that, even the tricksters were missing from this dummed down version. Like Chicken Soup for the Souless. How sad.