Dear Speed Seduction(R) Students,
Every once in a rare while I like to recommend some really good books. So I thought I’d share with you what I’m reading this week and they are all really good ones.
1. Heart Of The Revolution-The Buddha’s Radical Teachings On Forgiveness, Compassion And Kindness, by Noah Levine
Noah is one of my favorite teachers, and you will often find me at his center in Santa Monica on any given Monday night, practicing meditation with his sangha.
This book is a very good exploration of the more “heart centered” Buddhist practices, as contrasted with the very heady and intellectual teachings of Shinzen Young(still my favorite!). Get this book.
2. Necessary Endings-by Dr Henry Cloud This book is an astonishing exploration of what it means to make good decisions around when to end a business or personal relationships. One of the top books I have read in the past decade and well deserving of “highest possible recommendation” status. GET IT NOW!
3. Sit Down And Shut Up-by Brad Warner. Brad Warner is a former punk rocker turned Zen teacher and he is one hell of a great writer. This book demolishes the Hollywood myths around Buddhism, Zen and enlightenment. Should be required reading for anyone who wants to steer clear of the New Age perversions that are passing themselves off as Buddhism. Highly recommended!
4. The Road To 9/11: Wealth, Empire, And The Future Of America-by Peter Dale Scott As many of you are aware, I studied political science at UCLA and got a degree with a specialty in international relations. And I guess I never entirely lost interest in the subject.
This book is a complex, brilliant and deep read. I have always held “9/11 Truthers” in well deserved contempt and continue to do so.
However, this author argues cogently and convincingly(without drawing any big conclusions as to why) that the official 9/11 Commission report distorted testimony, withheld evidence and distracted away from some disturbing facts centering around the location of Vice President Cheney on the morning of the attacks, the discrepancies around what orders were given, by whom and when, and most interestingly, the long relationship between the US intelligence community and Al Qaeda itself, most notably Ali Mohamed who trained the 9/11 hijackers.
This book is about much more than 9/11-it is a very thorough examination of the “deep state’s” relationship to drug-running, war, oil and terrorist networks used to forward and advance the interests of the petroleum industry and military industrial complex.
I am most impressed that the author leaves aside ludicrous arguments about remote controlled airplanes and Israeli agents and sticks with what he can document, without jumping to conclusions. He merely points out that certain things are being covered up, without reaching any conclusions about what happened that day and I respect his intellectual honesty.
Very high recommendation, but this is NOT casual reading!
There you are, my friends.
Peace and piece,
RJ
