#2

I've read dozens of books about mysticism and religion, and this ranks with the very best. Aldous Huxley was particularly refreshing after suffering through C.S. Lewis's tepid nonsenselast year.

Every faith has a piece of the elephant; Huxley knew it, and was the best at demonstrating the tenents of the perennial philosophy clearly through his incisive interpretive gifts. Unfortunately for the Earth and its inhabitants, most practitioners of all faiths miss the point, and never achieve 'unitive thinking' or awareness of the 'divine ground' underlying existence. Huxley uses the writings of mystics from all faiths and ages to batter conventional views of religion and to argue what it truly means to be a Christian or a Hindu or a Moslem. Excellent stuff.