Sacred Nature: The Recovery of Integrity
- Downloads：7590
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-09-11 03:19:37
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Karen Armstrong
- ISBN：0593319435
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Catherine S
，
A beautiful， moving and inspiring book。 Armstrong explores the tragedy of our disconnectedness from the natural world and how it is a major culprit for the environmental crisis we now find ourselves in。 By using examples from world religions， Armstrong gives us a hopeful solution; through reconnecting with the essential sacrality of nature， and realising that we are nature ourselves， we will be moved as individuals and a society to protect our planet on a much deeper， more heartfelt level。
Jerry James
，
Just devoured this new short book by one of my favorite authors， religious historian Karen Armstrong。 A beautiful meditation on The Golden Rule and using it to connect to Nature。 Using humility to destroy ego in order to participate with the world is the goal of all religious rituals。 In Islam （to surrender） the Muslim （the surrendered） performs the ritual of praying 5 times a day （connecting head to earth）， in Catholicism the devout attend Mass to become the ”blood and body” of Christ， in Buddh Just devoured this new short book by one of my favorite authors， religious historian Karen Armstrong。 A beautiful meditation on The Golden Rule and using it to connect to Nature。 Using humility to destroy ego in order to participate with the world is the goal of all religious rituals。 In Islam （to surrender） the Muslim （the surrendered） performs the ritual of praying 5 times a day （connecting head to earth）， in Catholicism the devout attend Mass to become the ”blood and body” of Christ， in Buddhism the ritual of disciplined meditation extinguishes the Self， and so on…Humility is the key， the tool that removes selfishness and allows compassion。 “Compassion is the essence of religion and morality—and it is essential to the survival of humanity。 That we constantly fail to put it effectively into practice is perhaps not surprising， as it runs counter to our ingrained selfishness， insisting that we dethrone ourselves from the center of the world。 It requires us to regard others as equal to ourselves， refuse to put ourselves into a privileged category， and deem the needs， desires and ambitions of our fellow human beings to be as valuable as our own。” pg。119-120And that compassion extends to our natural world as well。 She brilliantly ends the book using the poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Coleridge， a favorite of mine ever since junior high。 It is a timeless poem that “speaks directly to our current environmental crisis。”。 And it does。 It most certainly does。 。。。more
Farooq Chaudhry
，
reviewed for the Chicago Review of Books: https://chireviewofbooks。com/2022/09/。。。As I sit down to write this， approximately one third of Pakistan is underwater due to devastating floods from monsoon rains。 Before going on， I must ask you， reader， to sit for a moment and try to ponder what it means for a third of a country to be underwater。 Over 1300 people are dead （and the number is likely to climb）。 Livelihoods， crops， and homes have been destroyed。 Food and medicine are difficult to access。 reviewed for the Chicago Review of Books: https://chireviewofbooks。com/2022/09/。。。As I sit down to write this， approximately one third of Pakistan is underwater due to devastating floods from monsoon rains。 Before going on， I must ask you， reader， to sit for a moment and try to ponder what it means for a third of a country to be underwater。 Over 1300 people are dead （and the number is likely to climb）。 Livelihoods， crops， and homes have been destroyed。 Food and medicine are difficult to access。 Recovery will take months， maybe longer， if ever—but what does recovery even mean when life as one knows it can be swept away by unstoppable currents of water that materialize in a matter of days？ ****A staggering 33 million people have been internally displaced in Pakistan。 Because climate change is likely to have played a role in the heavy rains， the displaced can be considered “climate refugees”— a term that the novelist Fatima Bhutto urges us remember， as we will all be impacted by climate change， and many of us will become migrants as a result， if we haven’t already。Much has been written about developed countries’ outsized impact on climate change through their unrelenting burning of fossil fuels， and the disproportionate consequences that poorer countries， like Pakistan， which accounts for less than one percent of global carbon emissions， will face as a result。 But in Sacred Nature: Restoring our Ancient Bond with the Natural World， Karen Armstrong， a prolific author of numerous books on religion， shifts our focus on the causes of climate change from the material to the spiritual。 Armstrong locates our very capacity to willingly inflict so much violence on the natural world in the severed link between nature and the divine， which developed in early modern European Christianity。 While the medieval Catholic theologian Thomas Aquinas asserted that God is not just a being but Being itself， “present everywhere in everything，” not just confined to a supernatural heaven above， later theologians and philosophers began to understand the divine in strictly rationalist terms。 Francis Bacon argued that humans can discover the laws governing the natural world， giving humanity not just the opportunity but the obligation to control and subdue the earth; Rene Descartes believed matter was lifeless， godless and inert， and thus nature could not tell us anything about the divine; and Isaac Newton defined God’s essential characteristic as dominatio （“dominion”）， a concept which would reduce nature to a resource to be exploited。 By Armstrong’s account， Newton believed God was simply a larger and more powerful version of a human scientist， what Newton described as “a voluntary Agent” who was “very well skilled in Mechanicks and Geometry。” Decoupling the natural world from the divine reduced it to phenomenon to be controlled and exploited and removed the spiritual safeguards that otherwise could have prevented the destruction of the environment。 This evolution was not only a break from earlier Christian theology， Armstrong writes， but is an anomaly among other major world religions。 Confucianism and Daoism， Islam， Hinduism， and other religions all still hold nature to be sacred。 It is from this essential premise that Armstrong builds upon through the rest of the book， surveying other religious traditions to explore how humankind has understood the relationship between nature and divinity， to provide a way forward to mend our broken relationship。 In Confucian thought， qi is the ineffable essence of the universe， neither wholly spiritual nor wholly material， that pervades all life， “harmoniously linking the plant， animal， human and divine worlds and enabling them to fulfill their potential。” The Confucian scholar Tu Weiming described this continuous relationship between heaven， earth， and humanity as “anthropocosmic，” collapsing the divisions between human beings and the divine as the two share the same reality。 In Islamic thought， nature itself is not divine， but one of God’s greatest signs。 Each verse of the Qur’an is called an ayah—a sign of God—and so too is each phenomenon of nature。 So not only is the Qur’an a divine revelation， but the rhythms and pulses of the natural world itself are a constant theophany to be pondered and immersed in， just as one would with scripture。 But simply reading the doctrines and ideas of other faiths is not sufficient， Armstrong argues。 One must also expand the ways in which we come to know things in the first place。 There are two main ways of acquiring knowledge about the world: logos and mythos。 Logos corresponds to objective facts and is the pragmatic， rational mode of thought that powers our decision making and allows us to function。 As successful as logos has been in producing scientific advancements for the benefit of humankind， it cannot answer questions pertaining to the meaning or purpose of life， or the nature of beauty。 Mythos， on the other hand， begins at the limitations of logos， venturing inward into the deepest facets of the human experience， concerning itself with meaning and value。 Mythos cannot be conveyed by rational proof， but its insights are intuitively felt and known， like the impact of reading a tender poem。 This is not to say that mythos is irrational， but that it extends beyond the limits of rationality and opens the door to knowledge that rational proofs cannot perceive; it is the type of insight Ralph Waldo Emerson was speaking from when he proclaimed “beauty is the mark God sets upon virtue。”This mythical knowledge is only unearthed when cultivated and embodied in ritual and practice， and ritual plays a central role in the religions Armstrong analyzes。 The idea of ahimsa， translated as “harmlessness，” is crucial to social and spiritual life in many Indian religious practices， but particularly in Jainism。 In order to reach spiritual liberation， Jains taught， one must cultivate empathy with every living being through a program of asceticism in which their bodily actions reshaped their minds: the spiritual aspirant had to walk with extreme caution， lest they accidentally step on an insect or plant; one could not pluck fruit from trees， but had to wait for fruit to fall on its own; and twice a day should stand before one’s teacher and repent for any unintentional harm they may have caused。 In Hinduism， priests devised what is now known as the Five Great Sacrifices。 To help the faithful develop habitual attitudes of compassion， gratitude， and practical concern for others and the natural world， the Five Great Sacrifices call for placing a small bowl of food outside for hungry or sick animals， welcoming and honoring both invited and uninvited guests， remembering both the deceased and Hindu deities with offering of rice， grains or fruit thrown into the family’s fire， and performing a daily study of scripture。 Each chapter of Armstrong’s book concludes with a brief section of suggestions on how to incorporate these teachings in one’s own life， whether or not one embraces the religious traditions they are derived from。 It is insufficient to view the collapse of the environment as a purely physical phenomenon— we must look at the spirituality， or lack thereof， that produced human beings capable of such pillaging。 If we fail to do so， we remain vulnerable to the same destructive tendencies that created our circumstances in the first place。 Through Armstrong’s exploration， it becomes clear that a cohesive theology of oneness， harmony， and reverence for the natural world is central to humanity’s collective religious expression。 And from this theological wellspring emerged rituals and ethics for how to engage with and be in the world。 It would be a mistake to adopt a passive spirituality confined to contemplating nature without acting to restore and preserve it。 And a theology of oneness naturally encompasses how we interact with humanity at large， too。 So， taking nature as our guide， it is just as essential for our dealings with each other to be perfumed with reverence and dignity， and to commit ourselves to undoing and repairing the injustices that humankind inflicts on its own members。 This is， according to our spiritual traditions， what the natural world not only teaches us， but demands of us。 Armstrong’s book makes a vital contribution to discussions on climate change because what is required from us as a species is not only a technological transformation， but also a spiritual one。 Additionally， it is important to recognize that this is a non-specialist， non-academic book。 Armstrong makes strong claims regarding epistemology， the development of Christianity， and major world religions， all of which are likely contested within academia。 But her efforts and intentions here are simple: this book is not a rejection of Christianity or Western spirituality， but a rejection of the spiritual outlook that keeps us from seeing the natural world as a part of ourselves。 Spirituality itself will not offer quick-fix solutions to the climate catastrophe， but quick-fix solutions themselves are emblematic of strictly rationalist thinking。 If we take nature as our guide， our transformation will resemble a flower as it blossoms: slow， subtle， almost invisible— but once it blooms， its beauty and impact will be undeniable。The devastating impact of climate change is undeniable， evident in the aftermath of the monsoons in Pakistan。 In the face of catastrophe， Armstrong is urging us to return to the spirit。 。。。more
Ymke
，
The book has little to do with recover the bond with nature or even discussing why we need to see nature as sacred。 It's more a anthology of eastern religions to live more in the moment and therefore experience the world around you in a different way。Also I was missing the other religions and their view on the bond with nature。 For example: African religions have an amazing view on that and even try to cooperate this views into laws and Christianity/Islam to still connect with nature。 Even Chris The book has little to do with recover the bond with nature or even discussing why we need to see nature as sacred。 It's more a anthology of eastern religions to live more in the moment and therefore experience the world around you in a different way。Also I was missing the other religions and their view on the bond with nature。 For example: African religions have an amazing view on that and even try to cooperate this views into laws and Christianity/Islam to still connect with nature。 Even Christianity itself have some nice views and new interpretations on the bond with the environment。 I still give it a 3 star review， because the religions and arguments that are included are good。 The message although is weak。 This work is not complete and a bit superficial in it's research。 。。。more
Nancy
，
Today I read about melting glaciers and the inevitability of rising water。 Day after day， some report or study warns again of the trajectory we are on， how we have reshaped the world and set in motion it’s demise。We have been warned about this for decades， for generations， and we continue our lives as usual， perhaps sorry， but complacent。 If we don’t chose to change， we will be forced to in the future。Karen Armstrong contends that the loss of humanity’s ancient respect for all things has contrib Today I read about melting glaciers and the inevitability of rising water。 Day after day， some report or study warns again of the trajectory we are on， how we have reshaped the world and set in motion it’s demise。We have been warned about this for decades， for generations， and we continue our lives as usual， perhaps sorry， but complacent。 If we don’t chose to change， we will be forced to in the future。Karen Armstrong contends that the loss of humanity’s ancient respect for all things has contributed to our disassociation with the natural world。 She shows how ancient philosophies and religions were based on an awe and respect for all things， a belief that all are connected， and the holiness of nature。Sacred Nature is not a touchy-feely book， or a passionately angry book， like some I have read。 Through the lens of ancient beliefs， Armstrong leads readers to practices that will reconnect us with the natural world， spurring a connection that will inspire us to change our lives。Readers of this book will likely be sophisticated， urban， professionals， educated。 People who use technology and take jet flights。 People who are disassociated from nature， who don’t live with forests and meadows， the oceans and lakes。 Who have air conditioning and city water and can pay for the rising costs as the world heats up。 But money and privilege won’t protect us forever。Each chapter summarizes an ancient philosophy: Confucianism， Jainism， Hinduism， Buddhism， early Judaism， and Christianity。 She explains the ceremonies and practices of our ancestors。 The common thread is a belief in the interconnectivity of life， encountering the holy in nature–the very experiences that we have lost in the modern world。Armstrong ends the chapters with spiritual practices inspired by the ancient religions， learning how to practice gratitude， setting aside our self-centeredness for greater awareness。Thanks to A。 A。 Knopf for a free book。 。。。more
Natalia
，
I have now read a handful of books addressing climate change， but what I enjoyed what Karen Armstrong did with this book is to strip it all back down to the basics。 There are many root causes to our climate crisis and other social injustices， but one point that Armstrong focuses on here is that， over time， humans have not only disconnected from nature， but changed the hierarchy in how they view themselves in relation to nature。 Through the lens of a variety of religions， Armstrong goes back in t I have now read a handful of books addressing climate change， but what I enjoyed what Karen Armstrong did with this book is to strip it all back down to the basics。 There are many root causes to our climate crisis and other social injustices， but one point that Armstrong focuses on here is that， over time， humans have not only disconnected from nature， but changed the hierarchy in how they view themselves in relation to nature。 Through the lens of a variety of religions， Armstrong goes back in time to how they each individually worshipped， connected with， and treated nature。 Unfortunately we have lost a lot of that as we progressed with the advancement of technology， etc。 For instance， in my former religion， one of （there were many） reasons that I stopped believing from a young age is the very obvious hierarchy it preached - God > Man > Woman > Animals/Plants。 For me， I have always viewed the world from a perspective of synergy， so it was never going to be a good match for me。It can be a little mind numbing going through different passages and historical stories from each religion， but I did appreciate that at the end of each chapter， she would suggest how we can move forward and apply those lessons to today。If the relevant people in society don't change their attitude towards and how they view nature， it's going to be really difficult to get our planet back to a healthy state。 Humans don't care for what they don't value， so this book is a good reminder of why we need to。 。。。more
Emily
，
i would have never picked up this book but i had to read it for my work experience and i’m so glad i did。 i finished it in two hours listening to it on audible at 3x speed because i just got so desperate to learn more from what was written。 the religious， philosophical and political ideologies referred to give great insight into how those in history lived in relation to spirituality and how we can apply this knowledge in the present to achieve great discipline for ourselves and reverence for our i would have never picked up this book but i had to read it for my work experience and i’m so glad i did。 i finished it in two hours listening to it on audible at 3x speed because i just got so desperate to learn more from what was written。 the religious， philosophical and political ideologies referred to give great insight into how those in history lived in relation to spirituality and how we can apply this knowledge in the present to achieve great discipline for ourselves and reverence for our earth。 it is a wonderful reflection on why it is necessary for us as inhabitants of earth to change our ways and learn compassion towards one another and towards the planet。 。。。more
shinminmetroskyline
，
understandably preachy。 and whilst i enjoyed the sermon's content， i —as an ex-atheist— found myself discontented with the sermonic structure。 understandably preachy。 and whilst i enjoyed the sermon's content， i —as an ex-atheist— found myself discontented with the sermonic structure。 。。。more
Hannah Bigland
，
I truly believe in the message that this book was giving and believe that everyone will be able to help themselves， each other and the natural world by reading this book。 But I would say， that it requires the correct mindset。 This book is not intended to fear monger or incite panic of a crushing sense of personal responsibility but it can come across that way。 Each action has an impact， but it is not only on one individuals shoulders to change the world。I think this book should be read to the CE I truly believe in the message that this book was giving and believe that everyone will be able to help themselves， each other and the natural world by reading this book。 But I would say， that it requires the correct mindset。 This book is not intended to fear monger or incite panic of a crushing sense of personal responsibility but it can come across that way。 Each action has an impact， but it is not only on one individuals shoulders to change the world。I think this book should be read to the CEOs of the large corporations which are causing more pollution to the planet than humanity as a whole so that they can change their ways and begin to repair the planet alongside the average joe。But overall a really introspective and brilliant book。 。。。more
Rudi
，
Ode aan de natuur ， bekeken vanuit verschillende religies/levensbeschouwingen ， ， religie/levensbeschouwing heeft wel iets vind ik 。。。。 steun ， hoop ， verbondenheid enz ， wat /hoe / waar het Goddelijke is weet ik niet ， mijn gok is in alle materie elementen met mogelijkheid tot erbuiten Bv gedachten ， weten doe ik niet ， Religie/ levensbeschouwing heeft wel wat raad hoe met soortgenoten om te gaan ， ook met de natuur waar de nadruk van dit boek om ligt ， 4 sterren voor deze lezer het is nogal me Ode aan de natuur ， bekeken vanuit verschillende religies/levensbeschouwingen ， ， religie/levensbeschouwing heeft wel iets vind ik 。。。。 steun ， hoop ， verbondenheid enz ， wat /hoe / waar het Goddelijke is weet ik niet ， mijn gok is in alle materie elementen met mogelijkheid tot erbuiten Bv gedachten ， weten doe ik niet ， Religie/ levensbeschouwing heeft wel wat raad hoe met soortgenoten om te gaan ， ook met de natuur waar de nadruk van dit boek om ligt ， 4 sterren voor deze lezer het is nogal mens gericht ， de planeet redden 。。 ik denk dat de planeet zich wel nog enige tijd zal redden met of zonder menselijke levensvormen ， het leven zal zich wel nog kunnen verplaatsen in organismen met of zonder ego/ zelfbewustzijn， 4 sterren voor lezers die wat willen bij lezen over verschillende religies/levensbeschouwingen met een boodschap over hoe het mss beter kan en of zou moeten / het omgaan met de omgeving ， wil het nog lange tijd （？） aangenaam blijven ， een betrokken schrijfster ！ 。。。more
Jonas Stephan Johnson
，