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  excerpt from Introductory Lectures on Religious Philosophy by Dr. Amir Sabzevary From Chapter 1. Introduction to Religious Philosophy [Lester: So this is a course on religion. What do you mean exactly by “religion,” or by “philosophy”?] There is this wonderful animal called a salmon fish, which of course begins life as a tiny egg. By the sheer force of the water, this egg soon finds itself at the bottom of a river and after a few weeks, the shell opens and out comes a fish. At the bottom of the river, this fish makes lots of friends, buys a house, has children, and has everything that could possibly make it happy. In other words, life is really good for this salmon. Without any warning though, she gets attacked by her own psychology. Don’t ask me how it happens, but one morning the fish says to herself, “I don’t belong here. This is not my home. I have a house, but it’s no longer livable. I have a relationship, in which I feel profoundly alone. I have children, but they’re all like

  San Juan Books is the hybrid division of MSI Press LLC. It allows first-time writers to become published in a traditional way through the reduction of risk by sharing publication costs. All other publishing features are traditional in nature, and most SJB authors go on to be offered traditional contracts for their subsequent books. SJB publications are available as paperback, hard cover, and e-book versions. SJB authors' books very much hold their own against their contemporaries in the traditional publishing division. Indeed, a number of them have outsold their traditional compatriots. Today, San Juan Books presents author Dr. Amir Sabzevary. Dr. Sabzevary published Introduction to Religious Philosophy .   Subsequently, he published two other books: MSI Press webstore . To see more posts about Dr. Sabzevary and his books, including excerpts, click HERE .                                         Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter.

  Editor’s Introduction   This book is a transcription of lectures that revolve around two questions:   How does a person become educated?   What does it mean to be a teacher?   Without continuously entertaining the problems that these two questions create, no one should be licensed to discuss religion or philosophy.   These problems seem to have been forgotten in an age when anyone with the privilege of time, intellect and emotions can buy a PhD or publish a book and be considered “educated.”   But if not with the privilege of a PhD or with a voluminous collection of information, what qualifies someone as a teacher?   Introductory Lectures on Religious Philosophy addresses these questions within the context of five ancient traditions: the Epic of Gilgamesh , Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism.   The language of the lectures, the questions that guide the dialogue, and the social atmosphere of this class also comment directly on these problems of education.     

  MSI Press has added to its collection of affiliated books a self-published book by MSI Press author, Dr. Amir Sabzevary: An Interpretative Introduction to Western Religion s: This book is an antidote to contemporary philosophical, religious-spiritual markets and trappings. The book details the physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual subtleties and complexities that exist and are experienced on the quest towards wisdom: the qualities that teachers of wisdom must possess, what is expected from seekers after truth, the teacher-student relationship, the importance of love, the stages of spiritual evolution, and the nature of a spiritual community. This book offers a rare and uncommon glimpse into the inner or esoteric dimensions of the three great Western religious traditions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Using everyday language and examples, the book offers understandable accounts of some of the core and complex practices and teachings of these great traditions. Those inte

  Watch the presentation HERE . For more posts about Dr. Sabzevary, his lectures, and his book, click  HERE .

  Watch presentation HERE . For more posts about Dr. Sabzevary, his lectures, and his book, click  HERE .

  Watch the presentation HERE . For more posts about Dr. Sabzevary, his lectures, and his book, click  HERE .

Watch the presentation HERE .  For more posts about Dr. Sabzevary, his lectures, and his book, click  HERE .

  Watch the presentation HERE . For more posts about Dr. Sabzevary, his lectures, and his book, click  HERE . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter.

  Watch the presentation HERE . For more posts about Dr. Sabzevary, his lectures, and his book, click  HERE . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter.

  Watch Dr. Sabzecvary's YouTube presentation  HERE . For more posts about Dr. Sabzevary, his lectures, and his book, click  HERE .

  Watch the presentation HERE . For more posts about Dr. Sabzevary, his lectures, and his book, click  HERE .

  Watch the presentation HERE : For more posts about Dr. Sabzevary, his lectures, and his book, click  HERE . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter.

  Watch Dr. Sabzecvary's YouTube presentation  HERE . For more posts about Dr. Sabzevary, his lectures, and his book, click  HERE .

   Watch Dr. Sabzecvary's YouTube presentation  HERE . For more posts about Dr. Sabzevary, his lectures, and his book, click  HERE .

Want to expand on the topics in Introductory Lectures on Religious Philosophy ? Watch Dr. Sabzecvary's YouTube presentations HERE . For more posts about Dr. Sabzevary, his lectures, and his book, click HERE .

Dr. Amir Sabzevary holds two Master’s degrees and a PhD; his dissertation is entitled Choiceless Awareness: Psychological Freedom in the Philosophy of Jiddu Krishnamurti. Dr. Sabzevary has taught religion and philosophy for over 30 years at a variety of colleges and universities in the Bay Area and is currently the Chair of Philosophy and Humanities at Laney College in Oakland, CA. For more posts on Dr. Sabzevary and his award-winning book, click HERE .

Recommended by US Review of Books. Read review online . Quote: "Because at our very core, we are lonely, isolated human beings who have to figure out what it is that makes us come to life." Conclusion: Conversational in style, the lectures are easy to read and comprehend. Tackling the difficult task of taking several Eastern religions and packaging them in a manner understandable to a Western audience, Sabzevary uses a light-hearted style, which, rather naturally, defuses the ethereal quality of religious dialogue and insight. On occasion, Sabzevary’s examples take on odd, slightly off-putting sexual themes, and his illustrative stories can change subjects and go in directions the original discussion wasn’t headed. However, most examples successfully illustrate the concept he is discussing in a manner beneficial to the listener, and thus, in turn, to the reader. Someone who picks up the book with the idea that the answers to life’s big questions will be found within

Released today! More than a series of lectures, this collection of dialogues addresses the following questions: Can one be religious in modern, predominantly secular environments? What social and psychological functions do religions serve? Can one truly learn to live religious philosophies in the modern era? Professor Sabzevary's intellectual dexterity is matched only by his clarity, not only into perennial religious questions but also the modern condition. Far from leaving religious concepts in the lofty confines of tradition, Professor Sabzevary speaks a religious language with a modern tongue. Rather than simply detailing the nuances of various religious philosophies, Dr. Sabzevary's dialogues place these nuances within the lives of his students, thus evoking a startling intimacy. More than an ecumenical discourse, these lectures move in a profound depth that cannot but tap into the wellspring from which all religious philosophies draw their substance. Avai