Soldier, Sage, Saint [Paperback]

This is a philosophic study of some aspects of spiritual development, broadly defined. Professor Neville has been influenced significantly by comparison between several of the worlds great spiritual traditions, and he has tried to be faithful to experiences in those traditions. Readers whose interest in spiritual development come out of non-Western traditions will find this book congenial. But this is a philosophical study, and the book puts forward a philosophical theory of spiritual development, paying attention to personal, social, and metaphysical concerns, and analyzing three central images of spiritual heroism. The central contribution attempted here is a way of understanding the quest for spiritual liberation or perfection through the models of the spiritual soldier, the sage, and the saint. At times the argument aims, not just to understand, but to promote spiritual liberation, and to do so through philosophic understanding.Robert C. Neville . . . present[s] three prototypessoldier, sage, and saintwho challenge the seeker to rise above the vacuous, self-centered solutions offered as alternatives by our consumer society. . . . there are great lessons here....this is a compassionate work that will enrich the readers sense of the spiritual.