The Direct Path: Creating a Journey to the Divine Using the World's Mystical Traditions [Hardcover]

Andrew Harvey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 14, 2000

"The Direct Path is the Path to God without dogma or priests or gurus, the Path of DIRECT self-empowerment and self-awakening. Whether you know it yet or not, you have been on it since the day you were born."

Today more Americans than ever consider themselves to be "spiritual" people, and yet regular attendance at religious institutions is down, perhaps because many of us are searching for a way to encounter the divine on our own terms.  We long to connect with something greater than ourselves, but are often conflicted about the teachings and rituals of organized religions, or simply don't know where to begin.  In this groundbreaking, eloquently written work, renowned religious scholar Andrew Harvey builds on his twenty-five-year study of the world's various mystical traditions--including Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Sufism, the Kabbalah, and Christian mysticism--to create an illuminating spiritual map that anyone can use to develop a direct path to the divine.

Andrew Harvey has devoted his life to the study and pursuit of the divine, and in The Direct Path he chronicles his own spiritual journey, revealing the events that led to his own disillusionment with the guru system, and the hierarchy and hypocrisy of many contemporary religious movements.  He then provides us with the tools we need to cultivate a personal relationship with the divine without relying on gurus, churches, or other institutions and intermediaries.  Drawing on mystical traditions from around the world, Harvey outlines eighteen sacred practices--including breathing, chanting, meditation, prayer, and the practice of lovingkindness--that readers can use to unite mind, body, and soul, and he streamlines them into a step-by-step guide to personalized spiritual development and enlightenment. He discusses the four stages of spiritual transformation--awakening, engagement, marriage, and birthing--and shows us how we can incorporate the sacred into everyday life through activities such as dieting and fasting, dancing, laughing, and healing exercises such as yoga and tai chi.  Through practical lessons and exercises, Harvey guides us in excavating our spiritual self, and creating not only a path to the divine but to the millions of other selves who walk the earth with us.

Perfect for anyone who, in this time of spiritual uncertainty, yearns for fresh teachings and wisdom that will bring them closer to their life's purpose and meaning, The Direct Path is an intelligent, beautifully crafted masterpiece from one of today's most celebrated and respected spiritual luminaries.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Andrew Harvey is a renowned spiritual scholar and a master of the world's mystical traditions. He's the author and editor of more than 30 books, but The Direct Path can be viewed as the benchmark of his spiritual philosophy. "I feel I have been waiting all my life to write this book," he states, and at the core of The Direct Path are his clearly defined beliefs: organized religions and guru systems have largely failed to serve the spiritual needs of humanity. We are all children of God since we each contain a spark of God's divinity--i.e., we each have a soul, and as such, we do not require middlemen to mediate our way to God. What is required is the Direct Path, sacred practices of mind, body, and spirit through which we can each attain a personal union with the divine. The fruit of this union is the "birth" of energy, which is transformative and boundless and which must be shared with our fellows through active humanitarian work so that we each become "servant-warriors for peace and justice." And on this birth depends the future of humanity.

"This is a radical vision, of course," Andrew Harvey explains, "but it is not a new one." The prophets across all native and religious traditions have espoused the same essential teachings, that the divine dwells within each of us and that by accessing our divinity we will attain union and so comprehend the true meaning of human fellowship. Judeo-Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, Taoist, Islamic and native, Andrew Harvey draws on mysticism rather than dogma from across the spiritual spectrum. He gives us an eloquent and wholehearted explanation of the Direct Path and its necessary practices--such as breathing, meditation, and focused exercise--and he conveys a compelling vision of why the birth of transformative energy within each of us is so essential to the future of humankind. --Lucas LoBlack, Amazon.co.uk

From Publishers Weekly

HWhen Harvey (Son of Man, 1998) was six years old growing up in India, he sat on the balcony of his home and learned that God was everywhere. He watched in amazement as the kindly, drunken family cook played a drum ecstatically, stopping suddenly to pray. The man explained that God was always listening, always loving us just as we are. This wonderfully bold book is Harvey's latest offering, his song of faith and praise. He begins with a call to spiritual revolution. With great passion, Harvey describes the spiritual longing that led him to abandon a fellowship at Oxford to search in India and other countries for a guru. The wrenching disillusionment he experienced with his guru helped him realize that everyone has the ability to make a "direct and unmediated contact with the Divine." To help others discover the "direct path," he offers a rich compendium of exercises taken from the world's traditions, from prayer to tantric lovemaking to a Taoist laughing dance. Harvey describes each practice with a down-to-earth clarity and simplicity, writing not as a guru but as a spiritual friend eager to share the tools that others have shared with him. Some readers will shy away from Harvey's radical stand, but the friendly wisdom of this book will encourage many others to claim their own power and possibilities. Author tour. (Mar.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 291 pages
• Publisher: Broadway Books; 1st edition (March 14, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0767902998
• ISBN-13: 978-0767902991
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #464,739 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

67 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Direct Path to the Divine, March 29, 2000

By 

Dorothy Walters (San Francisco, Califormia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Direct Path: Creating a Journey to the Divine Using the World's Mystical Traditions (Hardcover)

The Direct Path: Creating a Journey to the Divine Using the World's Mystical Traditions By Andrew Harvey (Broadway Books).

Andrew Harvey, one of the today's foremost mystics and spiritual teachers, brings forth in "The Direct Path" a volume destined to become a classic in our time. Drawing on both personal experience and information gleaned from a lifetime of exploration of the many spiritual realms, Harvey offers an invaluable map for the spiritual voyager. He reveals how the journey may be undertaken, the stages by which it may proceed, and describes both the pitfalls and rewards of the undertaking.

Harvey begins with a compact account of his own amazing spiritual adventure. Born in India, he experienced, even as a child, deep mystical encounters. Sent to England for schooling, he won a scholarship to Oxford, and seemed destined to achieve a brilliant career as a don (the youngest ever appointed at All Souls College.) Disillusioned by the prevalent cynicism and skepticism of the university scene, he simply walked out and returned to India to seek his spiritual roots. There, he encountered a charismatic young woman whom he accepted as his guru, venerating her as an avatar. Ultimately, he left her when he found her deeply flawed. His continuing explorations have led him to the discoveries presented in "The Direct Path."

Harvey has explored at length the many spiritual traditions of the world, including Buddhist, Tibetan, Sufi and Christian, and he has written eloquently about all. In particular, he is a recognized authority on the Sufi mystic/poet Rumi, and his translations and biographical/literary study ("The Way of Passion") rank among the finest in this blossoming field. Recently, he has focused primarily on Christian mysticism ( Son of Man, 1998). In this work, he emphasizes that personal piety is of little value unless it is yoked to active striving for societal change.

Throughout his writing, Harvey has consistently presented the feminine principle-the intuitive, receptive, creative factor-- as the key element of the sacred journey. In "The Direct Path" this emphasis emerges through a remarkable collection of meditations and practices which prepare the student to experience the divine presence "directly" (without intermediary such as guru or prescribed dogma.) These exercises are rich gems retrieved from a lifetime of profound spiritual study and exploration. In essence, they are techniques to "open the heart," so that the sacred reality may come in. Drawn from the major spiritual traditions of the world, many utilize breath, mantra, and chanting. Other approaches range from "practicing the presence of the beloved," to "Becoming Buddha or Christ" and "Birthing the Divine Child in the Mother." As with all mystical techniques, their value is to be known through the actual experience rather than verbal description. Their usefulness is not limited to the "independent seeker" nor to the advanced student: they can easily be incorporated into the practices of church or other spiritual groups, and they are readily accessible to beginner and adept alike. What they offer is a way to know the sacred essence immediately, rather than merely hearing about it. Their effect can be immediate and astonishing. In times past, such expert instruction would have been available only to a select few associated with esoteric groups or cult leaders. Now this invaluable information is available to all of us for the asking.

In addition, Harvey offers guidance in various other areas, including the uses and care of the body, sacred sexuality, and the experience of dying. He emphasizes, however, that the ultimate aim of the mystic path is not ecstasy nor the attainment of esoteric "powers," but to serve humankind in the humblest, most selfless way. Only through such dedication can we truly function as "tireless instruments of God." "When you discover for yourself how real the Direct Path is. . . your whole life will change and you will discover with wonder and delight why you are here and what you are here for. You will discover. . . the freedom that is yours by right of being a child of God, the freedom of your divine nature and your divine truth, and this freedom and this truth will make you increasingly an empowered agent of change in every arena in the world." Andrew Harvey's own selfless dedication, his willingness to surrender egoistic ambition for "worldly" success is evident in this and the many other volumes he has produced (over thirty in all). At the book's beginning, he quotes the Bodhisattva's vow: "However innumerable sentient beings are, I vow to save them." Like the Bodhisattva in action, he does not rest until the world begins its collective journey home.

"The Direct Path" is an indispensable guide to all who wish to join this crucial endeavor. It is a priceless gift to each one of us in this critical time.

Dorothy Walters

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars a bit exhausting, July 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Direct Path: Creating a Journey to the Divine Using the World's Mystical Traditions (Hardcover)

This is the fourth book by Andrew Harvey that I have read. I don't think I have ever encountered anyone whose spiritual path has taken him in so many different directions. This broad background makes Harvey an excellent spokesperson for the "direct path"--a spiritual approach that bypasses the authority of institutions or teachers. The majority of the book is devoted to spiritual exercises derived from a wide variety of spiritual traditions. There are so many exercises to choose from that some readers may be left feeling a bit overwhelmed. Harvey is a master writer, and his luxuriant use of language can be very seductive. Emotionally he tends to lean toward the extreme. His description of his love for his pet cat as "deranging," for example, sort of put some of his other statements into perspective--at least for me! Although I think this is an excellent sourcebook for the spiritual seeker, I gave it only three stars mainly because of my own reaction to it. After reading the book, I was left with the same emotional reaction that I experienced after reading Harvey's "Son of Man" and after hearing Harvey speak on tape. Harvey's sense of urgency that informs nearly every sentence he writes leaves the impression that we all should have been transformed yesterday, and the world may already be doomed because of our failure to do so. While a sense of urgency is understandable in times such as these, Harvey's often borders on hysteria. I don't want to leave the wrong impression. This is an excellent book, and Andrew Harvey has the potential of being a great spiritual teacher. I just wish he would calm down a bit and consider the needs of those members of his reading audience (such as myself) who may be less spiritually advanced than he is.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Answer is Within, March 27, 2000

By 

"grandmother" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Direct Path: Creating a Journey to the Divine Using the World's Mystical Traditions (Hardcover)

I've been a searcher for several years now and went shopping, as the saying goes, for the answer. I took a journey of leaps and bounds, twists and turns but am delighted to end up with this book. If I could have written a book, this would be it. A compelling message of what must be discovered within to save the World Soul. Read it, ponder it and find it yourself...within.