Next month, Yale will publish Mark Oppenheimer's Knocking on Heaven's Door, a study of how the 1960s changed the face of mainstream American religion. Similarly, in Following Our Bliss: How the Spiritual Ideals of the Sixties Shape Our Lives Today, religion journalist Don Lattin traces the religious legacy of the turbulent decade. Unlike Oppenheimer, however, he focuses his attention most toward alternative movements: the Esalen Institute, the Hare Krishnas, the Unification Church and the movement founded by Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. In one particularly engaging chapter, Lattin interviews the "dharma kids": second-generation American Buddhists like Dharma Punx author Noah Levine. (Harper San Francisco, $24.95 256p ISBN 0-06-009394-3; Oct.)
More on Thomas
The Gospel of Thomas has been the hot extrabiblical text this year, judging from the best seller status of Elaine Pagels's Beyond Belief and strong sales for translations and interpretations of this once-lost collection of Jesus' more Gnostic sayings. To this we add Lynn Bauman's The Gospel of Thomas: Wisdom of the Twin, which aims to be less a literal translation of the Coptic than an experiential encounter with Jesus as a teacher of wisdom. Each of Jesus'logia, or sayings, is accompanied by explanatory notes and questions for reflection. (White Cloud, $16.95 paper 240p ISBN 1-883991-56-0; Nov.)
Buddha Tome
Weighing in at four and a half pounds, Danielle and Oliver Föllmi's book Offerings: Buddhist Wisdom for Every Day is a bit heavy for a bedside devotional. However, it is visually stunning, with 365 color photographs of Tibetan Buddhists at work and worship amidst the natural beauty of Asia. There is a short quote for each day, many from traditional Buddhist texts and others from contemporary teachers such as Jack Kornfield, Pema Chödrön and the 14th Dalai Lama. The quotes and photos are organized into 52 weekly themes, including impermanence, clarity of mind and change. (Stewart Tabori & Chang, $29.95 764p ISBN 1-58479-315-5; Nov.)
