Mystics, Masters, Saints, and Sages

Stories of Enlightenment

Mystics, Masters, Saints, and Sages is a compilation of more than thirty unique stories in the lives of ancient and modern saints and masters—from the Buddha to Rumi, from St. John of the Cross to Eckhart Tolle. Regardless of religious traditions, these stories focus on moments of profound spiritual enlightenment. With selections from religious traditions including Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Bahá'i, and Sufism, this collection provides a broad spectrum of spiritual awakenings throughout time. Listen and be inspired by these depictions of divine grace and spiritual self-realization.

©2001 Robert Ullman (P)2001 Phoenix Books, Inc.

Great read

Just awe inspiring. Truly a great read if one is interested in getting an understanding of enlightening experiences with no superfluous information.

Fine, but not what I was expecting

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I enjoyed this book. Some of the stories I found interesting and thought-provoking. But it wasn't exactly what I was expecting. It was in essence readings from either personal diaries of the enlightened person themselves or from someone close to them. It spans a number of centuries, and it covers people I hadn't heard of before (which I would say was a positive factor).
For me (and this might be a personal thing) I felt very removed from the people being portrayed. I would love to have been able to ask questions of these people, but most didn't have as a goal teaching or enlightening others. So it was sort of like being an observer of a very different group of people that you didn't really have a way of connecting with.
That said, it did make me think, and I found the stories of some of these people amazing. So overall I'm glad I listened to it.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Almost every individual story had an interesting aspect. I personally liked the story of the man who figured out that he was happiest when he loved, so he started working really hard on loving everyone, including his enemies. I'm not sure I buy that he also figured out that all actions seemed to stem from his own thoughts, so he was then able to control what happened through his own thoughts. I also had trouble following the poems of the guy from India, although I recognize that they were beautiful poems.

Did Mystics, Masters, Saints, and Sages inspire you to do anything?

I'm not sure it inspired me to do anything, although parts did make me think.

Good way to start the new year

Spiritually minded? Want to start the new year with an uplifting read? Then this may be for you. The stories and writings of a wide spectrum of sages, saints, and so-forth make up the body of this work. Read effectively by a variety of voices, different genders, various ages. I was reminded of the "work" of some inspiring beings and learned of some I have never heard of. I'm glad I stumbled upon this one, it has helped shape a good start to 2012 for me.

Fine, but not what I was expecting

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I enjoyed this book. Some of the stories I found interesting and thought-provoking. But it wasn't exactly what I was expecting. It was in essence readings from either personal diaries of the enlightened person themselves or from someone close to them. It spans a number of centuries, and it covers people I hadn't heard of before (which I would say was a positive factor).
For me (and this might be a personal thing) I felt very removed from the people being portrayed. I would love to have been able to ask questions of these people, but most didn't have as a goal teaching or enlightening others. So it was sort of like being an observer of a very different group of people that you didn't really have a way of connecting with.
That said, it did make me think, and I found the stories of some of these people amazing. So overall I'm glad I listened to it.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Almost every individual story had an interesting aspect. I personally liked the story of the man who figured out that he was happiest when he loved, so he started working really hard on loving everyone, including his enemies. I'm not sure I buy that he also figured out that all actions seemed to stem from his own thoughts, so he was then able to control what happened through his own thoughts. I also had trouble following the poems of the guy from India, although I recognize that they were beautiful poems.

Did Mystics, Masters, Saints, and Sages inspire you to do anything?

I'm not sure it inspired me to do anything, although parts did make me think.

Phenomenal insight! Loved it!

I loved that each segment had a different narrator. It keeps the attention. It was noteworthy for sure!