The author of this slender but profound book, a Cistercian monk, discovered as a young man the work of his fellow countryman Ren Gunon, whose writings introduced him to genuine metaphysical doctrine and to possibilities of spiritual realization. This discovery marked him indelibly, and he resolved to follow a monastic path in order to be free for the 'one thing needful'. The word Advaita, which designates Vedantic non-dualism, is Sanskrit for 'non-dual' or 'not two'; but the doctrine itself is by no means exclusively Hindu, being present in Buddhism, Islam, Taoism, and Judaism. In Christianity it has always been more implicit, though explicit with writers such as Dionysius the Areopagite, Eriugena, Eckhart, and even Dante. The great merit of this work by 'a Monk of the West' is that it shows that non-dualism is neither pantheism nor monism, and that there is no incompatibility between orthodox Christian doctrine and the strictest understanding of non-dualism in the Advaita Vedanta. The implication is that non-dualism can again find expression within a Christian ambiance. The cover design helps clarify this. In the background is the Omkara, the sacred monosyllable of Hinduism, considered the most funadamental of affirmations. In the foreground is the Christian symbol of the Chi-Rho, chrismon, or labarum, consisting of the first two letters-chi (X) and rho (P)-of the Greek Christos, XRISTOS. This figure is intrinsically three-dimensional but is usually projected onto a plane surface. The cruciform Greek letter chi (X) is placed horizontally within a circle; it measures the parameters of a given world. The rho intersects the chi at its center and is placed vertically to represent the axis mundi or world tree. The loop at the top of the rho represents the Supernal Sun at the summit of the world tree, from which all possibilities of creation proceed and to which they return. There can be no essential, but only an apparent, incompatibiity between the Universe and any of its constituent parts; all derive from a unique and common Principle. Similarly, there be be no essential conflict between the Chi-Rho representing a given world and the Omkara which represents all worlds, the entire Universe, notwithstanding the differing degrees of universality. Christianity and the Doctrine of Non-Dualism offers one approach to this doctrine and to the greatest possible spiritual / intellectual adventure that is implied.

One day Sophie comes home from school to find two questions in her mail: "Who are you?" and "Where does the world come from?" Before she knows it she is enrolled in a correspondence course with a mysterious philosopher. Thus begins Jostein Gaarder's unique novel, which is not only a mystery, but also a complete and entertaining history of philosophy.

Notwithstanding the provocative title, this book is not about a woman or an act of sexual aggression. Sophia Perennis is a Latin term that translates into English as "wisdom perennial." Sophia Perennis is also known as the eternal wisdom, perennial philosophy, and by other names that directly refer to ideas and teachings that focus on the universal underlying perspective that the nature of reality, and specifically humanity, is inherently divine. When one attempts to teach this wisdom, there are many opportunities for confusion. When Sophia is used to control or harm others, she is violated by those who claim to love her; and that is the rape to which the title of this book refers. I wrote this book for those who are ready to take the next step toward an enlightened life. The book is about challenging our assumptions about important everyday life issues, especially religion, in hopes that we might come to understand that the reality in which we live is not necessarily exactly the way we believe it to be. I will quote scientists, philosophers, clergy, saints, sages, and more, who look at things differently than do most of us. In exploring these alternative ideas, I hope to assemble these disparate perspectives into a mosaic that will reveal a much grander view of reality. Another intention of this book is to show evidence of a growing consensus of intelligent people who believe that our species and the entire planet are changing, evolving, expanding, as consciousness and what might be called spirit. This paradigm shift that I, and others, are seeing at this time in history seems like a surge in the natural movement of human consciousness toward transcendence and enlightenment.

First series, books 1-43, includes "Notes on U.S. reports" by Walter Malins Rose.

"In the quarter century that followed American entry into World War II, the nation's armed forces moved from the reluctant inclusion of a few segregated Negroes to their routine acceptance in a racially integrated military establishment. Nor was this change confined to military installations. By the time it was over, the armed forces had redefined their traditional obligation for the welfare of their members to include a promise of equal treatment for black servicemen wherever they might be. In the name of equality of treatment and opportunity, the Department of Defense began to challenge racial injustices deeply rooted in American society. For all its sweeping implications, equality in the armed forces obviously had its pragmatic aspects. In one sense it was a practical answer to pressing political problems that had plagued several national administrations. In another, it was the services' expression of those liberalizing tendencies that were permeating American society during the era of civil rights activism. But to a considerable extent the policy of racial equality that evolved in this quarter century was also a response to the need for military efficiency. So easy did it become to demonstrate the connection between inefficiency and discrimination that, even when other reasons existed, military efficiency was the one most often evoked by defense officials to justify a change in racial policy."_x000D_ Morris J. MacGregor, Jr., received the A.B. and M.A. degrees in history from the Catholic University of America. He continued his graduate studies at the Johns Hopkins University and the University of Paris on a Fulbright grant. Before joining the staff of the U.S. Army Center of Military History in 1968 he served for ten years in the Historical Division of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.