Footsteps

I have been reading Karen Armstrong's The Spiral Staircase this month and last and have enjoyed it immensely.

It is an autobiography of Ms. Armstrong's life as a Nun and after she left the convent. Her writing is elegant yet clear and precise and she doesn't shirk from personal responsibility.

Even though I am not familiar with catholic religious orders, I have a deep interest in spiritual callings and Armstrong clearly describes her life with this in mind. She shows us that some searches are universal no matter what name we give them. Highly recommended.

Some quotes:

"I needed to escape into other people's books and minds, because when left entirely to own devices, I found that I had nothing to say." Page 31. An experience that I fight every day.

"...the ability to experience pain and sorrow is the sine qua non of enlightenment..." Page 263. Add forgiveness to the equation and you have a key.

"We are...most fully ourselves when we give ourselves away, and it is egotism that holds us back from the transcendent experience that has been called God, Nirvana, Brahma or the Tao." Page 279. A paradox. And a concept that most of us are afraid to try.

And my favourite sentence:

"You have to be prepared to extend your compassionate interest when there is no hope of return." Page 299. This is an important point where most of us fall down. If we humans, followers of various gods and deities, would be able to follow these simple words, we would then surely follow in the footsteps of the great prophets and redeemers of history and myth.