Since Sept. 11, many people have been seeking a stronger spiritual connection. If you're trying to find an appropriate gift of meaning for another or yourself, check out the following thought-provoking books this holiday season:
An Open Heart: Practicing Compassion in Everyday Life by Dalai Lama, Nicholas Vreeland ($22.95). The lessons contained in his latest heart-warming book came from the teachings the Dalai Lama gave to over 40,000 people in New York's Central Park during the summer of 1999.
Until Today! Daily Devotions for Spiritual Growth and Peach of Mind by Iyanla Vanzant ($14). A daily devotion book by the popular, charismatic spiritual teacher. This book of daily teachings is designed to help shift attitudes to guide us toward true happiness.
After the Ecstasy, the Laundry: How the Heart Grows Wise on the Spiritual Path by Jack Kornfield ($15.95). One of America's most beloved teachers of meditation offers a practical look at life on a spiritual path. Using stories from some of the most important teachers of all faiths, he shows how to live more gently with our imperfect lives.
The Dance: Moving to the Rhythms of Your True Self by Oriah Mountain Dreamer ($20). "What if the question is not why am I so infrequently the person I really want to be, but why do I so infrequently want to be the person I really am?" The author poses this question and provides meditations and exercises to help us "live in the question."
Grow Younger, Live Longer: 10 Steps to Reverse Aging by David Simon MD & Deepak Choprah MD ($24). A plan for your life in 10 short chapters, this book encompasses the mind, body and spiritual approach to good health.
Living a Life That Matters: Resolving the Conflict Between Conscience and Success by Harold S. Kushner ($22). This best-selling rabbi, who wrote When Bad Things Happen to Good People, confronts us with the moral questions surrounding a person's longing for significance. He guides us to look at what we do to become a success without losing a sense of being a good person. ©
