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PDF Version << Syllabus Home Page2 Page3 Page4 Page5 Page6 Page7 Last >> Creativity and Personal Mastery Course Outline Prof. Srikumar S. Rao
Kauffman, Stuart - At Home in the Universe; Oxford University, 1995 A MacArthur Fellow and a Santa Fe Institute professor, Kauffman is a renaissance scientist, flitting easily between physics, biology and the history of science. He makes a powerful case that evolution by natural selection, the essence of Darwinism, is only a part of reality. Complex entities, from megalopolises to mega corporations, "self organize" according to rules of complexity theory that are only beginning to be understood. There is profound hope for solving many of humankind's most intractable problems if this is true. In any event, the book is fascinating reading. Reading level 2. Kennedy, Dan - The Ultimate Success Secret Kimble and Kennedy Publishing, Austin, TX, 1999 This is a slim self-published book. The binding is poor, the pages aslant, the font varies from page to page and the general production is of very poor quality. There are also typos galore, grammatical mistakes and virtually every other fault you can find in a book. Despite this the book is a gem. The author has had little formal education but has both keen observation and penetrating insight. He bootstrapped his way to financial success and has an impeccable reputation as a marketing wizard. This book is part "how-to" and part personal philosophy and well worth your while. Reading level 1. Kohn, Alfie - Punished by Rewards; Houghton-Mifflin, 1993 Our entire society is based on the concept of rewards and incentives. Teachers hand out stickers to kindergartners. Human Resources vice presidents agonize over merit pay raises. Best sellers advise managers to catch employees doing something right and then praise them. Kohn argues that this is a fundamentally flawed approach because punishment and reward are two sides of the same coin. In his view rewards rupture relationships, discourage risk-taking and actually reduce intrinsic motivation. He also propounds alternatives. Lots of footnotes and references. Reading level 1, frequently 2. Korten, David C. - When Corporations Rule the World; Berrett-Koehler, 1995 We operate under the assumption that liberal democracy, as we understand it, is the "best" form of government and the prescription to salvation for third world countries as well as fallen communists like the many countries released by the fall of the USSR. Korten, a former Harvard Business School professor, asserts that the market system spawned by this form of government is actually responsible for much of what ails humanity. Institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund are captives of the system and perpetuate it to the detriment of entire countries and peoples. Corporate colonialism has replaced the other kind and is greatly exacerbating inequality of all kinds. Many footnotes and references. Reading level 1. Lakoff, George - Don't Think of an Elephant!; Chelsea Green Publishing, 2004 Be warned that Lakoff is highly partisan and his Republican bashing could greatly irritate supporters of that US political party. He is a professor of linguistics and illustrates, in a wonderfully lucid way, how the language in which we describe a problem shapes our views of it. Though he never uses the term, this is a book about mental models and how they are formed and how they can be foisted on a gullible public by shrewd manipulators. Entertaining and revelatory. Reading level 1. Morehouse, David - Psychic Warrior; St. Martin's Press, 1996 In the cold war era the CIA funded a top secret psychic espionage program. Morehouse was one of the small number of trained psychics who were part of that program and he recounts his tales of the rigorous training and double blind tests of validity. His story is that he broke philosophically with the CIA because something as miraculous as remote viewing was a gift to humankind and he did not like it being used solely as an espionage tool. Facing court martial for improper disclosure of classified material, he was discharged from the army and generally harassed. Researchers at other institutions, such as the Princeton Engineering Anomalies Laboratory, have independently corroborated much of what he says - in terms of results obtainable. Morehouse's account is self-serving in some ways and you might want to look up Jim Schnabel's Remote Viewers for a journalist's perspective of the same events. Reading level 1. Phillips, Michael - The Seven Laws of Money; Shambala, 1993 Phillips has had a checkered career in and out of corporate life. He was a bank executive and one of the persons who helped set up what is now Master Card. Takes a hard, candid look at some of our dilemmas regarding money and also posits some unusual rules that govern the money in our lives. See if you can relate to this: "The treadmill is a common example. People work hard to provide themselves and their families with worldly goods, new and better toys, better appliances. Its something we joke about so often - keeping up with the Joneses. Yet the process of working for more money so consumes our time and is considered so valid by our peers that we never stop to consider our values, our priorities." If this strikes a chord, read the book. Reading level 1. Postman, Neil - Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business; Penguin, 1985 Postman, like McLuhan before him, makes the case that the media is the message and that television, by its very nature, has eliminated reason and logic in our political debate. Attention spans are short and the types of involved debates that took place between Lincoln and Douglas – great examples here! – cannot even be conceived of today. Nor, when so much stress is on physical attractiveness, can someone like William Howard Taft, the many chinned, 300 pound 27th President of the USA even hope to be a serious contender regardless of the power of his ideas. Unfortunately the writing is dense, though Postman will probably say that this is precisely his point – we are incapable of using language with the facility of a literate 19th century citizen, the kind who would spend hours listening to the Lincoln-Douglas encounters. Reading level 2, frequently 3. Robbins, John - The Food Revolution: How Your Diet Can Help Save Your Life And Our World; Conari Press, 2001 The author is the son of the co-founder of Baskin Robbins and thus heir to one of the Great American Fortunes. The book is a searing indictment of factory farming as well as the treatment of animals generally. Factual and fact-based, the book makes the case that our food industry, especially the meat-poultry part of it, is destructive of your health and well-being. Throw in the moral dimension as well and the boat is truly foundering. He also lays out economic and environmental reasons for a change in our diet away from animals as food. Compelling presentation. Reading level 1. Shroder, Tom - Old Souls: The Scientific Evidence for Past Lives; Simon & Schuster, 1999 Shroder, a Washington Post journalist, reports on the work of Dr. Ian Stevenson, professor at the University of Virginia, who has documented more than two thousand cases of reincarnation. Quite a skeptic when he began Shroder traipsed behind the good doctor in remote parts of the world and personally witnessed his research procedures and fieldwork. He found the evidence overwhelming and there were cases on many continents. Now he too echoes Dr. Stevenson's refrain, "Why?" Why will the scientific community still not accept such findings? Why is there reluctance to even study the subject more closely given the immense amount of groundwork that has already been done? Scientists have open minds, right? Or do they? Reading level 1. Singer, Peter - Writings on and Ethical Life; HarperCollins 2000 A collection of essays from many of his previous works, this book will make you think. Singer is the poster child for animal rights and he decries 'speciesism' or the unthinking assumption that human life is more sacred than any other. He also has unconventional views on abortion, poverty and how to alleviate it and a host of similar topics. When Princeton offered him a professorship, wealthy donors like Steve Forbes threatened to withhold support. He certainly arouses strong feelings. His logic is unassailable and he lays his arguments on clearly articulated assumptions. Reading level 1. Thought provokers: These are books that pose questions and provide solutions that can have very deep meaning. Quite possibly some of these belong in the life-changing or paradigm buster categories. In any case they will force you to confront the inner life that most of us tend to shy away from contemplating. Allen, James - As a Man Thinketh; Grosset & Dunlap, 1980 It will take you less than an hour to go through this slim volume, but it may well take a lifetime to implement the simple methods he suggests and reap their full harvest. The Path to Prosperity and The Way of Peace are companion volumes and equally good. It shows you how the inner world you create with your thoughts eventually manifests as the outer world that you experience. Reading level 1. Barian, Mark - The Roar of the Ganges; Eshwar, India, 1999 Available from the bookstore at www.arshabodha.com Barian was a successful computer entrepreneur with a big house and all the trappings of the American Dream. He became a monk in a classic Indian tradition with a lifelong vow of poverty. This book is recounting of how this transformation occurred, but it is much more than that. It is also a lucid explanation of concepts such as the true nature of happiness and how it can be achieved. He has a wry sense of humor and makes his points with pithy stories. This book is a real gem. Bettger, Frank - How I raised Myself From Failure to Success in Selling Prentice-Hall 1947 This book is a classic and has been reprinted many times. Reveals how the author, from modest beginnings, became hugely successful in a competitive field. There are many life lessons here about building confidence, how to approach life and how to craft your own future instead of being a pawn of fate. Wonderfully inspiring. Reading level 1. Boldt, Laurence G. - Zen and the Art of Making a Living; Arkana, 1993 The subtitle of this book is A Practical Guide to Creative Career Design and it is that and more. The best book, by far, that I have come across on how to identify what your strengths are, how to visualize your ideal job and how to go about bringing it into existence. Hundreds of inspiring quotes and dozens of thoughtful checklists. If you go through this book with care, it will assuredly be life changing in addition to thought provoking. Reading level 1. Bornstein, David - How to Change the World; Oxford University Press, 2004 This is a book about social entrepreneurs and, in particular, about Bill Drayton and Ashoka. In the Ashoka model, a rigorous screening process identifies persons who have come up with innovative solutions to some pressing social problem. Overwhelmingly these persons arise from those affected, deeply and personally, by the problem. If the solutions are scalable and the social entrepreneur exceeds high bars for personal dedication and ethical behavior, he becomes an Ashoka Fellow and receives a three year stipend that frees him from earning a living while he further develops his idea. More than a thousand Ashoka Fellows of both sexes are quietly improving the lots of millions of persons around the world. Reading level 1. Coelho, Paulo - The Alchemist; HarperCollins, 1993 This is easy reading, but it is profound and has more layers than an onion. It is written like a parable - a form of exposition to which I am addicted - and talks about a shepherd boy who sets out to discover a great treasure and the strange personages who help him along the way. I hope that this book will inspire you to reach for your Personal Legend. You will understand when you read it. Reading level 1. Fleischman, Paul R. - Cultivating Inner Peace; Jeremy Tarcher/Putnam, 1997 The author tries to deliver on the title by defining "inner peace" and outlining simple steps that can be taken to reach the state where the noise and violence is all outside you. He makes reference to powerful role models such as John Muir, Walt Whitman, Gandhi, Thoreau and Tagore and draws lessons from their privations and methods of dealing with them. Reading level 1. Fox, Matthew - The Reinvention of Work; Harper, San Francisco, 1994 A defrocked Dominican priest, Fox is a cult-figure in his own right. He has written a thoughtful treatise on the meaning of work as opposed to jobs. Here is a quote: "...jobs are to work as leaves are to a tree. If a tree is ailing the leaves will fall. Fiddling with leaves is not going to cure an ailing tree; just as one cures an ailing tree by treating its roots, so we cure the crisis in work by treating the root meaning and purpose of work." Drawing on the experience of mystics from all parts of the globe and tying it to a modern framework he offers an alternative vision of the definition of work, the compensation of work and its infusion with ritual and healing. Reading level 1. Frankl, Victor E - Man's Search for Meaning; Pocket Books, 1984 There are many editions of this book. Just pick one that is revised and updated. Frankl lost most of his family in Nazi concentration camps and wondered why, in such horrific conditions, some persons blossomed beyond belief while others sank into a morass of depression and self-pity. Deeply compassionate he recognizes that guards, too, could be victims and details the risks some took to be kind to their charges. How many concentration camp inmates would be capable of saying: "It is apparent that the mere knowledge that a man was either a camp guard or a prisoner tells us almost nothing. Human kindness can be found in all groups, even those which as a whole it would be easy to condemn." And what is it that gives meaning to life? Read the book to find out. Reading level 1. Kabat-Zinn, Jon - Wherever you go, There you are; Hyperion, 1994 A beautiful title, and the statement is indisputable. Kabat-Zinn is a stress reduction specialist with the University of Massachusetts Medical Center and talks about action, patience, simplicity, trust, generosity and similar topics. Chapters are brief and there are exercises at the end of many. Reading level 1. Kapleau, Philip - Zen: Dawn in the West; Anchor Books/Doubleday, 1980 Founder of the famous Zen center at Rochester, Roshi Kapleau made Zen accessible to Americans by stripping away the cultural outgrowths while retaining the essence. This book contains discourses, dialogues, answers to questions, letters and commentaries on texts. He gives practical instructions on such matters as what are unwholesome thoughts and how should one get rid of them. His earlier book, The Three Pillars of Zen, is a classic and also worth perusing. Reading level 1. Kornfeld, Jack - A Path with Heart; Bantam, 1993 Trained as a psychologist, Kornfeld has a deep appreciation of the human predicament. He talks about spiritual practice, the difficulties inherent in the path and methods of coping with them. The language is simple and the meditation exercises quite powerful. Good explanations of such phenomena as the "dark night" mentioned by St. John and descriptions of altered states. Reading level 1. Krishnamurti, J. - Think on these things; Harper & Row, 1964 An excellent compilation from public talks given by Krishnamurti in many settings. He fields questions on ambition, attention, simplicity of life, self discipline and like topics. He is penetratingly lucid and rather sharp at times but always unconventional. His goal is to break you out of mental stupor and his discourses on the nature of mind and thinking do a fine job of this. Reading level 1. Lavenia, George - What You Think is What You Get: Realizing Your Creative Power and true Potential; Earth Foundation, 1997 Another of those books that tell you that you create your world and everything in it. That you are responsible for anything in your life that is not working well and can change it at will. What makes it different is the simplicity of exposition and the power of the examples and the quotes, sayings and meditations. Savor it like a fine wine and spend hours following each train of thought it opens up. It will be time well spent. Reading level 1. Millman, Dan - Way of the Peaceful Warrior: A Book that Changes Lives H J Kramer/New World Library, 2009 A reprint of the 1984 classic, this is an account of a gifted gymnast who came across a shadowy mystic called Socrates who ran a gas station close to the University of California at Berkeley. Millman was on the gymnastics team there and an Olympic contender but was quite far from personal mastery. The book is about how Socrates led him on a journey of inner discovery. Absolutely fascinating and there is much wisdom here. Reading level 1. Needleman, Jacob - Money and the Meaning of Life; Doubleday Currency, 1991 Money is the great taboo in our society. We scramble after it and animatedly discuss what ballplayers, celebrities and chief executives make. We do not ever discuss what money means to us, what compromises we make in life in our own quest for it and how big a place it occupies in our thinking and actions. Needleman, a philosophy professor, discusses such topics as the limits of material happiness and whether money can buy love. This book will help you accept and come to terms with money in your own life. Reading level 1. Sennet, Richard - The Corrosion of Character; W. W. Norton, 1998 This is a series of essays and reports on interviews with bakers, barmaids and advertising executives. There are ruminations on the nature of work and time in our new post-industrial economy and how the advantage of flexibility may perhaps be more than overshadowed by the loss of a sense of purpose. Many questions, few answers, but then the author does not believe that there are any easy answers. Reading level 1. Shore, Bill - The Cathedral Within; Random House, 1999 A social entrepreneur himself, Shore talks about the need to give back, to do something that benefits society, to find meaning in one's life. Great cathedrals, such as the one in Milan, survive for centuries. This is because "Somehow, it had been both communicated and understood that it wasn't just that building a truly great cathedral would require everyone to share their strength, but rather that everyone sharing their strength would result in a truly great cathedral." Many stories of remarkable individuals who have inspired such effort and a great list of others. Reading level 1. Thurman, Robert - Inner Revolution; Riverhead Books, 1998 A one time buddhist monk, personally ordained by the Dalai lama, Thurman is now a professor at Columbia University and a mini celebrity in his own right. He has done as much as anyone to focus attention on the plight of Tibet and the atrocities it has been subjected to. In this book he argues that the "cool revolution" launched by the Buddha, as opposed to revolutions that involve violence and bloodshed, is a model worth emulating and a phenomenon that is still far from having run its course. He tellingly makes the point that military prowess cannot be equated with greater civilization and presents an alternate vision of how governments and citizens can relate to each other. Reading level 1. Tolle, Eckhart - The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment New World Library, 1999 The story goes that Tolle, at age 29, underwent a profound spiritual experience that destroyed his previous identity and plunged him into an inward journey that led to enlightenment. There are certainly well documented instances of something similar in spiritual literature, but don't waste your time trying to figure out if this is 'true'. Focus on whether what he says is helpful to your journey. He has much to offer and the discussions of psychological time and the havoc it can wreak are profound. It has become a best seller and well deserves to. Reading level 1. Ullman, Robert and Judyth Reichenberg-Ullman - Moments of Enlightenment MJF Books, Fine communications, NY, 2001 This book was previously published as Mystics, Masters, Saints and Sages. Enlightenment is a goal in many traditions and many are the travelers who have arrived there. Each serves as a unique beacon that appeals to still others. This book is a collection of the enlightenment experiences of several masters ranging from the supremely well known such as the Buddha, St. John of the Cross and Ramana Maharshi to the relatively unknown such as Suzanne Segal and A. H. Almaas. In most cases the accounts are in their own words and the cultural contexts come across clearly. Reading level 1. Walsch, Neale Donald - Conversations with God: Book 1; Putnam 1996 It purports to be a conversation with the Big Cheese - the author poses the questions and transcribes answers, which appear automatically. It has been on the New York Times bestseller list for nigh on two years. Despite these two strikes against it, it has profound insights into the nature of human suffering, life and liberation. Particularly good explanation of how thought leads to manifestation. Reading level 1. PDF Version << Syllabus Home Page2 Page3 Page4 Page5 Page6 Page7 Last >> |
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