MSI Press Blog

  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.     

  Today's back story is about the book,  Introductory Lectures on Religious Philosophy,  by Dr. Amir Sabsevary. From the publisher: A colleague of the author, a distinguished dean at a distinguished university but not (yet) highly published, brought to us a collection of the author's lecture notes, asking if they were publishable, especially given that the author was not a native speaker of English or writer of texts in a format expected by American readers. The answer: yes, with some editing. We put one of our best copyeditors to the task, a professor of English with a background in spiritual topics. Together, author and copyeditor worked through the book -- and, upon launch, it became one of our bestsellers. The author has since self-published (with our encouragement) two other books . Paperback available at 25% discount with code FF25 at  msipress.com/shop . Read excerpts and other blog posts about Amir and his book HERE . For more posts about MSI Press's religious books

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 .

Wishing all our Islamic friends, fans, and readers Ramadan mubarak wa kareem.  Here are some books that can take your attention away from long days of fasting: Damascus amid the War Poems and stories from before the war in Syria and during the war by a Damascene experiencing the war first-hand. The pre-war poetry reflects the rich and joyful life that existed then, and the poems and stories written later reflect the starkness and fearfulness of life that now surrounds Damascus and its inhabitants. Introductory Lectures on Religious Philosophy This series of lectures is an overview of five ancient philosophical traditions, focusing on the following questions: More than a series of lectures, this collection of dialogues addresses the following questions: What is the relationship between religion and philosophy? What social and psychological functions do religions serve? What does it mean to be educated? Professor Sabzevary's intellectual nuance is matched only by his clarity, not onl

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

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

  Many MSI Press authors are teachers -- and a number of them write some darn good books for parents, award-winning books, in fact. Here are some of their works that might interest you: Cindy Alder (K-12) 10 Quick Homework Tips   365 Teacher Secrets for Parents Franki Bagdade (K-12)   I Love My Kids, But I Don't Always Like Them TL Brink (university) How to Argue with an Atheist Ekaterina Filatova (university) Understanding the People around You Christina Fisanick (university) The Optimistic Food Addict Tom Garza (university) Practices That Work Julie Gentile (private) 108 Yoga and Self-Care Practices for Busy Mamas How to Stay Calm in Chaos Emily Graves (university) How to Be a Good Mommy When You're Sick Geri Henderson (university) Healing from Incest Noah's New Puppy Darius Husain (K-12) Road Map to Power Muna Imady (private) Damascus amid the War Road Map to Power Omar Imady (university) Erasures  - affiliated The Celeste Experiment  - affiliated The Gospel of Bethany:

  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

  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 .

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