The Spirit Lives recounts the author's struggle with the death of his young son and his subsequent journeying in search of stability and meaning. During his encounters with Christian monasticism, Balinese Hinduism, a variety of traditions in north India, Japanese Zen Buddhism, and Native Canadian religion, he experiences firsthand what Aboriginal people in Australia had been trying to teach him for more than a generation: The spirit lives. It sustains us. It moves us to our finest moments.
"'The Spirit Lives' moves from (relatively) personal to (relatively) impersonal - despair to hope and from darkness to light. . . . It is a popular work in the genre of memoirs and is more straightforward and didactic than mystical, philosophical, or anthropological. It should be of great interest to those in the West." (Bhupinder Singh, Punjabi University, India)
"This is an adventure story of a most exciting kind. It involves journeys around the world in often dangerous venues, and also journeys into the soul of various cultures - journeys which persistently and consistently to the author's wonderment, re-affirm values already understood in an aboriginal context and validate his evaluation of his psychic experiences. David's painfully lonely burden, his desperate adventures, his incredible openness and vulnerability in embracing the traditions of other cultures and his explanations of the commonality of religious experience leave the reader with not only a greater understanding of world religions in general, but also a deeper faith in the continuity of the life of the spirit. This book is a comfort to all who grieve and a hope to all who pray." (Dale McInnes, Trinity College, Canada)
"This is an adventure story of a most exciting kind. It involves journeys around the world in often dangerous venues, and also journeys into the soul of various cultures - journeys which persistently and consistently to the author's wonderment, re-affirm values already understood in an aboriginal context and validate his evaluation of his psychic experiences. David's painfully lonely burden, his desperate adventures, his incredible openness and vulnerability in embracing the traditions of other cultures and his explanations of the commonality of religious experience leave the reader with not only a greater understanding of world religions in general, but also a deeper faith in the continuity of the life of the spirit. This book is a comfort to all who grieve and a hope to all who pray." (Dale McInnes, Trinity College, Canada)