Singing the Way

the long version

"The central theme of this study of the intricately woven subject of poetry and spiritual transformation is the loss of sacred knowledge which accompanies the debasement of poetry. This work underlines the primordial richness of language by focusing upon the spiritual qualities of poetic expression, which serve to bridge the human and the Divine. Ranging across topics as diverse as Hindu poetics, Sufism and poetry, Shamanistic chant, poetry as contemplation in the Chinese classics, direct perception of reality in Japanese haiku, and inspiration in Western poetry, this book directs us to the farthest reaches of language, where word and silence merge in the ineffable Reality of God."--Jacket.