The Inner Palace speaks to the richness of human experience, and it expresses itself in a passion for sharing and teaching, both in the many authors that Mitchell quotes and in his own impressive performance. He offers us a wealth of material filled with divine light-giving, the sacred clothed in words, concepts as metaphors of holiness, "Unspeakable Source of Awe." The book is mercifully undogmatic, despite its theme which has often become the most "dogmatic" of subjects. Robert C. Solomon, Ph.D., Quincy Lee Centennial Professor of Philosophy, University of Texas at Austin. Author of Spirituality for the Skeptic.

The Inner Palace has been written with love and scholarly knowledge, a rare combination these days. It is true that the gates to our own inner palace are as innumerable as there are people. Love and knowledge can, however, be counted as its main keys. A fascinating book! Mohammed Siraj, Member of the Gudri Shahi Sufi Order and Moderator of the Chishtiyya Sufi on-line Discussion Group.

Ginsberg leads his reader on a rich and engaging tour through the treasure troves of Buddhist literature, as seen through a mind that has also benefited from Kabbalistic writings, Sufi and Christian mystical treatises and poetry, Taoist literature, and Western philosophy and psychotherapy. Richard P. Hayes, Prof. of Buddhist Studies, McGill University, Montreal. Author of Dignaga on the Interpretation of Signs and Land of No Buddha.

A wonderful book, a precious gift to those interested in the spiritual teachings and practices of humankind - to academics and scholars, to seekers of inner peace and profound religious insights. A multi-dimensional vision of mystical experiences, psychospiritual practices, philosophical systems, and poetical images from the cultures of Far Eastern Chan/Zen and Buddhism, Vedanta, Kabbalah, Christian, and Sufi teachings. An Indra's net of gems offering inter-reflections of the inner palace of the soul of humankind, of our innermost being. Evgeny A. Torchinov, Head of the Dept. of Oriental Philosophy and Cultural Studies, Faculty of Philosophy, St. Petersburg State Univ., Russia. Author of Religions of the World and Daoism.

The Inner Palace, most fitting successor to William James' classic work, Varieties of Religious Experience is, like Varieties, a phenomenology: Faithful to the objective contours of the religious scriptures and wisdom literatures which it draws upon, as a study it focuses on the personal experience of the follower of each such tradition. The scope of this book is breathtaking, its depth of insight into each tradition awesome, and its link to contemporary literature on consciousness impressive and gratifying. Like Varieties, it is sure to become a foundational work for scholars and students in many disciplines - religion, philosophy, psychology, and the history of culture. Maurice Friedman, Professor of Religious Studies, San Diego State Univ. Author of A Heart of Wisdom: Religion and Human Wholeness and Encounter on the Narrow Ridge: A Life of Martin Buber.

Because I am convinced that the profanely secular bias of our modern technocratic world has been a factor in our collective problems, I think that it is important that the voice of the wise of all lands be heard and that, rising above sectarianism, we listen to their chorus. Nobody can educate us so well in what the spiritual traditions have in common as one who, beyond extensive learning, has traveled far and wide, and Mitchell Ginsberg, a learned scholar and a seasoned seeker, has created for us out of exquisitely chosen gems a trans-systemic mystic mosaic of rare value. Claudio Naranjo, M.D., Psychiatrist, Prof. of Psychology (U. of Cal., Santa Cruz) and Comparative Religion (Cal. Institute of Integral Studies); pioneer in the Human Potential Movement; founder of SAT (an integrative psycho-spiritual school); now devoted to working with educators in Europe, Latin America, & Australia toward a post-patriarchal education. Author of 12 books, the most recent of which are The Enneagram of Society, The Way of Silence and the Talking Cure, and Songs of Enlightenment.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Robert C. Solomon, Ph.D.
Overture (First Taste)
Introduction
Scholarly Prelude (Preface)
About the Author
Coda (To the Reader)
Encore

I: Spiritual Gates and Paths
II: Gnostics, Mystics, Accountants, and Surfers
III: What is the Mind?
IV: Higher Consciousness
V: Ego Consciousness, Enlightenment Consciousness
VI: Yearning, Confusion, and the Fulcrum of Consciousness
VII: This Matter of Self-Importance
VIII: The Taste of the Divine
IX: How to Take the First Steps
X: Mood, Thought, and Beyond
XI: Mundane Madness, Crazy Wisdom
XII: The Gradual and the Sudden
XIII: Right Saintly Thinking
XIV: Thought Qualities
XV: No Mind for Stillpoint Wisdom
XVI: No Mind with Thoughts
XVII: The Space of Emptiness
XVIII: Sacred Emptiness
XIX: The Tao
XX: Polysociative Vision

VOLUME 2:
Variations and Modulations (Endnotes)
Scores and Parts (Bibliography)
Themes and Melodies (Index)

Overview

The Inner Palace investigates Wisdom Traditions from around the world and the sacred realities they reveal. These include teachings with Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, and Taoist roots.

It is an investigation into the experiential basis of key transformative moments in the lives of some highly respected individuals from around the world. Its underlying interest is in determining what these experiences were that inspired these people to a new way of being in the world, and then to attempt to share their visions and realizations with other people.

In this way, this book is a phenomenological investigation (concerned with experience itself) into core psychological issues of spiritual traditions -- with a focus on the processes of psychospiritual transformation, as taught by various of the world's great spiritual traditions and the traditions that followed them.

Its discussions are grounded in primary sources from these traditions, with support from some 1500 books. These rich teachings are presented gradually, in a conversational tone, invoking a sense of intimacy and personal warmth, and gently encouraging inner reflection. The Inner Palace takes us into the underlying experiences that sages of these traditions have invited us to contemplate.

There are valuable tools here for describing spiritual paths and mystical experiences, placing them in the context of a more inclusive vision that reflects some of the highest aspirations and heart-felt insights of mankind. A work interweaving philosophy, the phenomenology of religion, the history of ideas, the psychology of spirituality, and transpersonal psychotherapy, it is a treasury of resources for teachers and students and for scholars and spiritual seekers alike.

Blue Dolphin Publishing, 2010