Synopses & Reviews
The author of
The Future of the Body and the author of
Mastery team up to present a proven method for reaching the next stage of human development.
Can people with the time-and energy-consuming concerns of job and family find a way to transform their lives through a regular, long-term program of body/mind/spirit development? Is it possible, through conscious choice, to participate in the next step of human evolution? Two of the most distinguished theorists and teachers of human transformation believe the answer to these questions is yes.
In this inspiring and practical book, George Leonard and Michael Murphy offer a comprehensive program of Integral Transformative Practice (ITP) based on a two-year experimental class that grew out of their lifework. Drawing upon some seventy years of combined experience in the study of human potential, along with the significant findings of their recent experiment, they present step-by-step instructions for joining body, mind, heart, and soul in an evolutionary adventure that has powerful personal and social implications.
Their message will be especially refreshing to those who have become disillusioned by promises of immediate gratification, instant learning, and effortless enlightenment. This book shows the way to profound and lasting transformation through long-term practice. It celebrates the day-by-day joys of the path while opening fresh vistas to human futures.
Synopsis
Two pioneers of the human potential movement offer this new edition of their classic work, updated for a new generation of readers.
George Leonard and Michael Murphy's groundbreaking human realization program has helped thousands of people harness their potential and capitalize on their ability for growth to enrich their lives. Through balanced and comprehensive long-term practice, we can transform our lives using Integral Transformative Practice, or ITP, a program developed by Murphy and Leonard and followed by thousands of people worldwide.
Drawing upon the authors' combined seventy years of experience in the study of human transformation, The Life We Are Given presents an extensive program for realizing the potential of body, mind, heart, and soul, both for individual actualization and community improvement. With inspiring true stories of the struggles and triumphs of ITP workshop students interwoven into the authors' detailed program, this important book provides a rich source of motivation and guidance for the seeker.
Perhaps even more relevant today than when it was published to great acclaim ten years ago, The Life We Are Given urges readers to begin that most important of human journeys: the journey toward a better, more fully realized self.
About the Author
George Leonard has introduced LET to more than 50,000 people in the United States and abroad. He is the author of a number of books on human possibilities and social change, including Mastery (Plume 1992), and lives in San Francisco, California.
Table of Contents
The Life We Are Given Preface:
Joining the Evolutionary Adventure Part I: Vision and Practice
1. A Lifetime's Quest
2. A Householder's Path
Part II: A Transformative Practice for Our Time
3. Stepping on the Path
4. The Powers of Affirmation
5. Catching the Winds of Grace: More on Affirmations
6. The ITP Kata: The Tao of Practice
7. The ITP Kata:Transformational Imaging
8. The ITP Kata: Meditation
9. The Exercise Factor
10. Food for Transformation
11. The Body as Teacher
12. The Marriage of Theory and Practice
13. The Magic of Community
14. The Ultimate Adventure
Appendix A. Futher Resources for Practice
Appendix B. Statistical Summary: Cycle 93
Appendix C. Selected Readings