Showing results by author "David Christopher" in All Categories

The true story of how famed K2 mountain climber Paul Petzoldt killed his friend and mentor, Dr. Julian P. Johnson at a spiritual ashram in India. Explores the controversy surrounding what happened on that fateful night on January 25, 1939, and the spiritual scandal that ensued in the Punjab.

This diary covers the period between 1999 and 2001 and discusses science, philosophy and religion via the lens of surfing. Penned by David Christopher Lane, a longtime professor known for his critical books on cults, this book takes a very personal look at the deep questions of human existence coupled with seasoned (and at times humorous) observations of day to day life. Lane uses surfing as the guiding metaphor throughout the text.

Although there is now a plethora of books by and about Rumi, I thought it might be instructive to republish a small portion of Edward Henry Whinfield's English translation of Rumi's Persian masterpiece. I think it is vitally important in today's social climate to focus on those aspects of Islam which elevate humankind and I can think of no better place to start than with the Sufi mystics of Islam, of which Rumi is the most famous (and perhaps finest) example.

Tom Blake changed the face of surfing and has long been lauded as one of the true pioneers and innovators in the sport. Although much has been written about him and his contributions (culminating in Gary Lynch's magisterial biography of him, Tom Blake: The Uncommon Journey of a Pioneer Waterman, published in 2001), very little work has been done on Tom Blake's Einsteinian philosophy.

This book presents a glimpse into the fascinating life and work of Baba Faqir Chand, the famous "unknowing" sage of India. Faqir explains in vivid details how gurus do not know about the miracles and visions attributed to them. He also explains the secrets behind surat shabd yoga practice and provides a detailed description of how to transcend visionary phenomena.

The true story of how a young boy at the age of 15 discovers a Perfect Coke at Fedco in Van Nuys, California, in the summer of 1971. Describes how any object can potentially serve as a hierophany, which is an ordinary object that serves as conduit for the transcendent. Touches upon Jorge Borges' famous short story about the Zahir, a talisman that conveys far more than its intrinsic worth. Includes implications drawn from physics, probability theory, and mysticism.

What makes Errol Flynn so fascinating is that he lived a life that was so adventurous and seemingly impossible it borders on the surreal. Refreshingly, Flynn makes no apologies for his lifestyle and even revels in his iconoclastic ways. Flynn captures the essence of his thinking when he opines, "I know that truth is sometimes an octagon and that I am one. Contradiction is a cardinal element of life and of itself may be no contradiction."

This little book focuses on two famous spiritual leaders: Adi Da and Paul Twitchell and how devotees of each try to defend their actions. The author then presents a counter-critique to their respective defenses. Also included is a brief essay on Ken Wilber's transcendental sociology, as well as a spirited defense of a neuroscientific approach to understanding consciousness.

This little book explores the projective nature of consciousness by using various rides at Disneyland to explain how awareness works as a virtual simulator.

I have had the wonderful privilege of introducing Einstein's theory of relativity to thousands of college students in my Introduction to Philosophy courses at Mt. San Antonio College and in my upper division course on Science and Religion at California State University, Long Beach. Although Einstein's concept is difficult to grasp at first, given enough time and study it becomes easier to understand over time.

Presents a critical overview of guru succession in the Radhasoami tradition from its inception in the mid-1850s up until early 1991. Provides vital information for anyone interested in the politics behind guru succession in general. Includes extensive notes and an exhaustive bibliography.

The first part of this work includes four original essays by Professor David Christopher Lane on the Darwin-Wallace debate, focusing on the contentious issue of whether or not natural selection can explain the human mind or soul. In part two we have included the two original essays by Darwin and Wallace in 1858 concerning their discovery of evolution by natural selection as presented to the Linnean Society in London, England.

This book provides a wide overview of Darwin's views on a variety of subjects. It also draws out some of the implications of his groundbreaking work on psychology and philosophy.

This text contains a number of timeless essays from several classic (and mostly out of print) works focusing on the love of books, collecting books, organizing one's library, and how books become lost over time. It is a judicious selection on bibliomania from such distinguished authors as Eugene Field, Christopher Morley, and Issac Disraeli

Faqir Chand was a remarkable Indian sage who spent over 75 years practicing an ancient meditation technique, popularly known today as surat shabd yoga, which attempts to induce a consciously controlled near-death experience. This book contains Faqir Chand's unique autobiography which was dictated shortly before his death in Urdu and translated during his lifetime into English. It also includes a seasoned selection of Faqir Chand's radical teachings.

What Faqir Chand has discovered is that religious visions, no matter how profound or uplifting, are self-generated and are not due to the miraculous energies of a saint or a master. Yet, disciples worldwide tend to believe otherwise and thereby project power and omniscience on their respective gurus who, in truth, have neither. Therein lies the great religious trap. An unscrupulous guru is akin to a parasitic vampire who psychically lives off the deepest yearnings and sincerest intentions of their devotees, never letting on that they are completely devoid of power.

The Chandian Effect describes subjective visionary manifestations in which a devotee has a transpersonal encounter involving a sacred figure or form, of which the object of devotion is unaware. The term was first coined by David C. Lane, and so called because Faqir Chand was the first Sant Mat guru to speak at length about the unknowing aspects of such encounters.

This book consists of six distinct essays describing how science works, with special attention to how Richard Feynman viewed the scientific method. Chapter one explores the difference between evolution and mysticism's version of intelligent design. Chapter two is entitled The Feynman Imperative and explores a contentious debate over reductionism and its role in the hard sciences, particularly in explaining consciousness.

What is matter anyways? - From organisms to cells to proteins to molecules to atoms to electrons to light? The most famous equation in modern physics is Einstein's E=MC2, which, if we pause for a second, is as mysterious as anything written in our ancient religious scriptures and measurably more radical. My point is that the resistance we have to reductionists who say we are "just matter" is because we tend to think of matter as flat. It is, of course, anything but.

Heretical Thinking has five distinct chapters, raising critical questions concerning how to properly study mysticism, the radical (and forgotten) message buried within the life and death narrative within the Four Gospels concerning what early Christianity really taught, the differences between Eastern and Western religions via certain mythological icons, why karma theory may be nonsensical, and finally exploring the connection between mysticism and quantum theory.