Rami Shapiro, a renowned teacher of spirituality across faith traditions, is an award-winning storyteller, poet and essayist. He is author of The Sacred Art of Lovingkindness: Preparing to Practice, Recovery-The Sacred Art: The Twelve Steps as Spiritual Practice and The Divine Feminine in Biblical Wisdom Literature: Selections Annotated & Explained (all SkyLight Paths), among other books.

Rami Shapiro is available to speak on the following topics:

• Writing-The Sacred Art: Beyond the Page to Spiritual Practice
• Stop Playing God: 12 Steps as Spiritual Practice
• Biblical Wisdom for Post-biblical Times: An Exploration of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Job
• The Sacred Art of Lovingkindness: Cultivating Compassion in Daily Life
• Hasidic Wisdom: An Exploration of Hasidic Storytelling, Theology and Contemplative Practice
• Saints and Sages: Biblical Prophets, Ancient Rabbis and the Building of a Just World

Foreword ix
Preface xiii
Spiritually Independent, Not Spiritually Disinterested xiii
Perennial Philosophy: It's Fourfold xiv
Passage Meditation: Meaningful Memorization xiv
The Five Questions: The Heart of the Spiritual Quest xv
Personal Note xvi
Acknowledgments xvii

What Is Perennial Wisdom? 1

Who Am I? 10

Where Did I Come From? 54

Where Am I Going? 118

How Shall I Live? 176

Why? 258

Sages Cited, Annotated 283

Primary Sources, Annotated 296

Notes 309
Bibliography and Suggestions for Further Reading 310