This is a book about God and gods, Spirit and spirits, prayer and sacraments, ghosts and resurrection, Jesus and the church. It grows out of immersion in Catholic and Anglican traditions and acute awareness of abuses in their name. It is an honest and personal exploration of what still holds up and what has had to be discarded.

Buddhism is a religion lacking the idea of a unique creator God. It is a kind of trans-polytheism that accepts many long-lived gods, but sees ultimate reality, Nirvana, as beyond these. It does, though, see Dhamma/Dharma as a Basic Pattern encompassing everything, with karma as a law-like principle ensuring that good and bad actions have appropriate natural results. This Element explores these ideas, along with overlaps in Buddhist and monotheist ideas and practices, the development of mor...

This careful analysis of early Buddhist thought opens out a perspective in which no permanent Self is accepted, but a rich analysis of changing and potent mental processes is developed. It explores issues relating to the not-Self teaching: self-development, moral responsibility, the between-lives period, and the 'undetermined questions' on the world, on the 'life principle' and on the liberated one after death. It examines the 'person' as a flowing continuity centred on consciousness or di...

In this new edition of the best-selling Introduction to Buddhism, Peter Harvey provides a comprehensive introduction to the development of the Buddhist tradition in both Asia and the West. Extensively revised and fully updated, this new edition draws on recent scholarship in the field, exploring the tensions and continuities between the different forms of Buddhism. Harvey critiques and corrects some common misconceptions and mistranslations, and discusses key concepts that have often been ...

Highly regarded today as one of the greatest novels in English literature, Little Dorrit presents both a scathing indictment of mid-Victorian England and a devastating insight into the human condition. Examining the many social and mental prisons which incarcerate men and women, the novel also considers the nature of true spiritual freedom. Against a background of administrative and financial scandal, Dickens tells the moving story of the old Marshalsea prisoner who inherits a fortune and his...

'Clennam rose softly, opened and closed the door without a sound, and passed from the prison, carrying the quiet with him into the turbulent streets.' Introspective and dreamy, Arthur Clennam returns to England from many years abroad to find a people gripped in their self-made social and mental prisons. Against a background of government incompetence and financial scandal, he searches for the key to the affairs of the Dorrit family, prisoners for debt in the Marshalsea. He...

What guidance can Buddhism provide to those involved in armed conflict and to belligerents who must perhaps kill or be killed or defend their families, communities or countries from attack? How, moreover, does Buddhism compare with international humanitarian law (IHL) – otherwise known as the law of armed conflict – which protects non-combatants and restricts the means and methods of warfare to limit the suffering it causes?Despite the prevalence of armed conflict in parts of the B...

Teenage angst and rebellion might feel like a modern phenomenon but, Bella and Edward, Ferris Bueller and Mean Girls couldn't have happened without 'Hard Times'. Family, work and rebellion are all at the heart of this, one of Dickens' shortest works.Mr Gradgrind gives his two children Tom and Louisa a totally Utilitarian upbringing, disregarding the value of the human heart. What this creates, is the first traces of the modern teenager - rebelliousness and emotional turmoil create ...

A journey full of laughter, mishaps, eccentric characters, and the timeless charm of Charles Dickens. The Pickwick Papers is the delightful debut novel that launched Charles Dickens into literary stardom. Originally published in 1836, this classic follows the misadventures of the lovable and naive Mr. Samuel Pickwick and his eccentric companions in the Pickwick Club as they travel across the English countryside in pursuit of knowledge, friendship, and—often unintentionally—comic chaos. ...

'His characters are marvellous, his insights wonderful ... You don't expect reality but you get something bigger and better' Ruth RendellThe Old Curiosity Shop was an instant bestseller that, even while it was criticized for its sentimentality, captured the hearts of the nation with its portrayal of little Nell Trent, who is thrown into a terrifying world when her beloved grandfather is unable to pay his debts to the loathsome Quilp. Alongside the pathos of the innocent, t...

Discover the extraordinary literary legacy of one of the greatest novelists in history through this comprehensive collection of timeless classics. Explore "The Complete Novels and Novellas of Leo Tolstoy," a remarkable anthology bringing together the celebrated long-form fiction of one of the most influential writers in world literature. Renowned for his profound psychological insight, unforgettable characters, and masterful storytelling, Leo Tolstoy created enduring works that continue to...