View source for Original Goodness (book)

{{short description|1989 commentary by Eknath Easwaran}}
{{Infobox book
| name          = Original Goodness
| title_orig    =
| translator    =
| image         = Easwaran-Original-Goodness-1996-b.jpg
| image_size    = 
| caption       =
| author        =[[Eknath Easwaran]]
| 
| country       =
| language      = English (original); others<ref
  name=greek06/><ref
  name=portuguese96/><ref
  name=spanish89/><ref
  name=spanish99/>
| series        =
| subject       =
| genre         = <!--- GENRE --->
| publisher     = Nilgiri
| pub_date      = 1989; 1996; 2017
| English_pub_date =
| media_type    =
| pages         = 240 (1989); 286 (1996) 260 (2017)
| isbn          = 978-0-915132-91-1
| oclc          = 35174734
|width = 275px
}}

'''''Original Goodness''''' is a practical commentary on the [[Sermon on the Mount]], emphasizing how to translate it into daily living with the aid of spiritual practices. Written by [[Eknath Easwaran]], the book was originally published in the United States in 1989.

Subsequent editions of the book have been published in the US and India, and foreign (non-English) editions have also been published in several languages.<ref name=greek06/><ref name=portuguese96/><ref
  name=spanish89/><ref name=spanish99/><ref name=PUBPAGEforeign>[http://www.easwaran.org/non-us-editions-of-nilgiri-press-books-by-title.html Non-US editions of Nilgiri Press Books] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130112203926/http://www.easwaran.org/non-us-editions-of-nilgiri-press-books-by-title.html |date=2013-01-12 }} (accessed 17 December 2011)}.</ref> The book's original subtitle was ''Strategies for uncovering your hidden spiritual resources''. In its second edition in 1996, as part of a 3-book series entitled ''Classics of Christian Inspiration''<ref name=classics>The 3-volume ''Classics of Christian Inspiration'' includes ''Love never faileth'', ''Original goodness'', and ''Seeing with the eyes of love''({{ISBN|0915132907}}, {{ISBN|0-915132-92-3}}, {{ISBN|0-915132-88-5}}, respectively).</ref> the book was subtitled ''Eknath Easwaran on the beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount''.

Across its various editions, ''Original Goodness'' has been reviewed in newspapers,<ref
  name=graham90/><ref
  name=jwg97/><ref
  name=ramakrishnan97/><ref
  name=stpierre97/>
magazines,<ref
  name=conner90/><ref
  name=organica89/><ref
  name=fip90/><ref
  name=tlc97/>
and professional journals.<ref
  name=steed91/>

==Topics covered==
All editions of ''Original Goodness'' contain 9 chapters. After the first introductory chapter, each of the remaining 8 chapters offers a practical commentary on one of the [[Beatitudes]],<ref name=whymatthew/> as shown in the table (''below, at right'').

The first chapter opens with a quotation from the 13th century Christian mystic [[Meister Eckhart]]:
<blockquote>
''I have spoken at times of a light in the soul, a light that is uncreated and uncreatable... to the extent that we can deny ourselves and turn away from created things, we shall find our unity and blessing in that little spark in the soul, which neither space nor time touches.''<ref name=eckquote>in ''Original Goodness'', p. 7 (1996 edition), where ellipses also appear between "uncreatable" and "to."</ref>
</blockquote>
Easwaran states that these words, "addressed to ordinary people... testify to a discovery about the nature of the human spirit as revolutionary as [[Albert Einstein|Einstein]]'s theories about the nature of the universe. If truly understood, that discovery would transform the world we live in at least as radically as Einstein's theories changed the world of science."<ref name=og96>{{cite book |title=Original goodness: On the Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount
 |last=Eknath |first=Eknath |author-link=Eknath Easwaran
 |year=1996 |edition=2nd
 |publisher=Nilgiri Press |location=Tomales, CA |isbn=0-915132-92-3
 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EVMJXI4pJFMC |oclc=35174734}}</ref>{{rp|7}}

{| width=45%; style="float: right; border: 1px solid darkgray; margin: .46em; font-size: 95%;" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2"
|-valign="top"
|width="5" |
|width="15" align="center" |Chapter Title
 |width="150" align="center" |Opening Verse:<br />[[Sermon on the Mount]]<ref name=whymatthew>Easwaran explains that he has used the version of the [[Beatitudes]] from the [[Gospel of Saint Matthew]]. "I have chosen Matthew over Luke not for any theological reason, but because these are the words written on my memory half a century ago by a man I revered: [[John Palocaren|the principal of a small Catholic College]] in Kerala, South India, who taught me through his personal example what Christ's teachings mean in daily living" (''Original Goodness'', p. 26, 1996 edition).</ref>
|-valign="top"
|width="5" |1.
|width="15" |Original Goodness
  |width="150" align="center"|(conceptual introduction)
|-valign="top"
|width="5" |2.
|width="15" |Purity
 |width="150"|''Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.''
|-valign="top"
|3.
|Humility
 |''Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.''
|-valign="top"
|4.
|Simplicity
 |''Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.''
|-valign="top"
|5.
|Patience
 |''Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.''
|-valign="top"
|6.
|Love
 |''Blessed are they that are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.''
|-valign="top"
|7.
|Mercy
 |''Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.''
|-valign="top"
|8.
|Peacemaking
 |''Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.''
|-valign="top"
|9.
|Desire
 |''Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.''
|}
[[File:Galaxy-hands1.tif|thumb|left|upright=.60|alt=Praying hands with Andromeda Galaxy|Praying hands with [[Andromeda Galaxy]]: symbols for two "radical" transformations in perspective<ref>Easwaran states that Eckhart's words, "testify to a discovery about the nature of the human spirit as revolutionary as [[Albert Einstein|Einstein]]'s theories about the nature of the universe. If truly understood, that discovery would transform the world we live in at least as radically as Einstein's theories changed the world of science..... If we could grasp the mystery of Eckhart's 'uncreated light in the soul'... the transformation in our thinking would set our world right side up" (''Original Goodness'', 1996 edition, pp. 7-8).</ref>]]
Easwaran claims that "if we could grasp the mystery of Eckhart's 'uncreated light in the soul' - surely no more abstruse than nuclear physics - the transformation in our thinking would set our world right side up."<ref name=og96/>{{rp|7–8}} He explains that behind "Eckhart's passionate sermons, straining to convey the [[Absolute (philosophy)|Absolute]] in the words of the street and marketplace," were "essentially, four principles that [[Gottfried Leibniz|Leibnitz]] would later call the [[Perennial Philosophy]], because they have been taught from age to age in culture after culture."<ref name=og96/>{{rp|8}} These principles are that 1) there is a "divine core of personality which cannot be separated from God,"<ref name=og96/>{{rp|8}} 2) "this divine essence can be ''realized'',"<ref name=og96/>{{rp|9}} 3) "this discovery is life's real and highest goal,"<ref name=og96/>{{rp|9}} and 4) "when we realize this goal, we discover simultaneously that the divine within ourselves is one and the same in all - all individuals, all creatures, all of life."<ref name=og96/>{{rp|9}}

The chapter explains that "in this book, a mystic is one who not only espouses these principles... but lives them," resulting in "unfailing compassion, fearlessness, equanimity... these are demanding criteria."<ref name=og96/>{{rp|9–10}} Only the "great mystics"<ref name=og96/>{{rp|10}} - from whom he quotes throughout the book - can be said to fully meet these criteria. After further elaborating on shifts in perspective that accompany this realization, the chapter goes on to argue that "there comes a time in the growth of civilizations, as with individuals, when the life-and-death questions of material existence have been answered, yet the soul still thirsts and physical challenges cease to satisfy."<ref name=og96/>{{rp|24}}
<blockquote>
Then we stand at a crossroads: for without meaningful aspiration, the human being turns destructive. Spiritual fulfillment is an evolutionary imperative. Like a snake that must shed its skin to grow, our industrial civilization must shed its material outlook or strangle in outgrown ideals whose constructive potential has been spent.<ref name=og96/>{{rp|24}}
</blockquote>
{{Eknath Easwaran}}Easwaran then argues that whatever one's religious beliefs - "or even if formalized religion is anathema"<ref name=og96/>{{rp|26}} - it is possible to uncover one's core of goodness through meditation, by which he means "a specific interior discipline which is found in every major religion, though called by different names."<ref name=og96/>{{rp|27}} Easwaran gives a brief summary<ref>see pp. 31-33 of the 1996 edition.</ref> of a method of meditating on inspired textual passages, such as the [[Prayer of Saint Francis]], the [[Beatitudes]] themselves, or [[God Makes the Rivers to Flow|other texts he has collected and recommends]].<ref name=gmrfref>"You will find it helpful to keep adding to your repertoire so that the passages you meditate on do not grow stale. My book ''[[God Makes the Rivers to Flow]]'' contains other passages that I recommend, drawn from many traditions. But whatever your background, I suggest you begin by giving [[Prayer of Saint Francis|Saint Francis]] a try" (''Original Goodness'', p. 32, 1996 edition).</ref> (he states that full instructions are available in his book ''[[Passage Meditation]]''). He explains that by ''meditation'', he means the systematic training of one's attention "to turn inward and dwell continuously on a single focus within consciousness, until, after many years, we become so absorbed in the object of our contemplation that... we forget ourselves completely."<ref name=og96/>{{rp|29–30}} Then,
<blockquote>
In that moment, when we may be said to be empty of ourselves, we are utterly full of what we are dwelling on. This is the central principle of meditation: we become what we meditate on.<ref name=og96/>{{rp|30}}
</blockquote>
The task of making space for the realization of God is challenging, however, and Easwaran quotes Eckhart as stating that "There is no greater valor nor no sterner fight" because "he who would be what he ought to be must stop being what he is."<ref name=og96/>{{rp|33}}

The remainder of the book then "take[s] up the [[Beatitudes]] one by one as strategies for winning the war within."<ref name=og96/>{{rp|34}} In doing so, it quotes the perspectives and testimony of numerous mystics, primarily Western, but also Eastern. The book also at several places compares mystical perspectives with modern literary, scientific, and cultural perspectives, mentioning or quoting figures ranging from [[William James]], [[Werner Heisenberg]] and [[Carl Sagan]] to [[Edmund Hillary]], [[Ogden Nash]], and [[George Bernard Shaw]]. The most recurring focus is the perspectives of mystics, including [[William Law]], [[Baruch Spinoza]], [[Bernard of Clairveaux]], [[Catherine of Genoa]], [[Hans Denck]], [[Brother Lawrence]], [[Teresa of Avila]], [[Margery Kemp]], the ''[[Cloud of Unknowing]]'', [[Patanjali]], and [[Mahatma Gandhi]].

==Reception==

The ''[[National Catholic Reporter]]'', suggested that ''Original Goodness'' could be helpful for those who are "looking for a positive, upbeat book to help you pray."<ref name=graham90>{{cite news |author=William C. Graham |title=Original goodness: Strategies for uncovering your hidden spiritual resources
 |newspaper=[[National Catholic Reporter]] |date=February 9, 1990 |volume=26 |issue=16 |pages=18
 |url=http://ncronline.org/ |issn=0027-8939 |oclc=34303149}}</ref>

In the ''[[Toronto Journal of Theology]]'', Mark Steed stated that the book "presents a methodology for meditation, and does it in a gentle creative manner.... The process and presentation are uniquely in step with life and living."<ref name=steed91>{{cite journal |author=Mark R. Steed |year=1991
 |title=Untitled <nowiki>[</nowiki>review of original goodness, by Eknath Easwaran<nowiki>]</nowiki>
 |journal=Toronto Journal of Theology |volume=7 |issue=1 |pages=137–138
 |publisher=[[Toronto School of Theology]] |issn=0826-9831|oclc=12735972}}</ref>{{rp|137}} Furthermore,
<blockquote>
Each chapter takes the reader further into a personal relationship with self through a fresh and readily available understanding of the Beatitudes, thus preparing the way for personal communion with God. An instruction... is developed for each beatitude and each chapter stands alone and can be revisited as often as needed.<ref name=steed91/>{{rp|137}}
</blockquote>
Steed also stated that Easwaran "gives no admonition as to the correct way of meditating, but suggests general strategies for ease in accomplishing this holy work."<ref name=steed91/>{{rp|137}} He cautioned that the book at times "seems to over-emphasize the routine as if it alone will guarantee a relationship with God. Still, ''Original Goodness'' is a modern-day gift for all seeking a method of meditation to fit in comfortably with daily routine... it is practical, simple and a delight to read."<ref name=steed91/>{{rp|138}}

''Prairie Messenger'', a Roman Catholic publication, stated that each of the book's chapters "contains a wealth of wise observations on life today with special emphasis on the mystics and how daily practice of meditation transforms life."<ref name=jwg97>{{cite journal |author=JWG (James William Gray) |year=1997 |title=Master of meditation shares ancient wisdom <nowiki>[</nowiki>review of classics of Christian inspiration, by Eknath Easwaran<nowiki>]</nowiki> |journal=Prairie Messenger |volume=75 |issue=July 16 |pages=9 |url=http://www.prairiemessenger.ca/Index.html |issn=0032-664X |oclc=19044282 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727114650/http://www.prairiemessenger.ca/Index.html |archive-date=2011-07-27 }}</ref>
It also stated that "the author's reaping of human wisdom and divine inspiration is shared with obvious concern for humanity's welfare," and that "people who have read the books and listened to the voice" of the author are aware of "that same quality of authority" that impressed the "crowds gathered round Jesus... because he spoke with authority."<ref name=jwg97/>

In the ''Bulletin of Monastic Interreligious Dialogue'', James Conner wrote that
<blockquote>
''Original Goodness'' is the phrase Easwaran uses to signify the spark of divinity hidden in everyone of us. It means that the spiritual resources everyone needs—[[love]], [[compassion]], meaning, [[hope]], freedom from fear—are already ours. We simply have to uncover what we already have and are.<ref name=conner90>{{cite journal |author=James Conner |date=May 1990
 |title=Book review: Original Goodness
 |journal=Bulletin of Monastic Interreligious Dialogue |volume=38 
 |publisher=Monastic Interreligious Dialogue
 |url=http://www.monasticdialog.com/a.php?id=160 |issn=1097-671X |oclc=32171834}}</ref>
</blockquote>
He stated that the book "traces our current [[Environmentalism|environmental problems]] to a single source: our mistaken understanding of who we are and what the universe is like,"<ref name=conner90/> and that it draws heavily on the [[Christian mystics#Influential Christian mystics and texts|Christian mystics]] and on the [[Gospel]].

In ''[[The Hindu]]'', C. S. Ramakrishnan wrote that "Life is a grand challenge and the rightful place of every one of us is at the summit of living. How to scale the peak and abide there by tapping... spiritual resources"<ref name=ramakrishnan97>{{cite news |author=C. S. Ramakrishnan |title=Cleansing the doors of perception <nowiki>[</nowiki>review of discovering your hidden spiritual resources, by Eknath Easwaran<nowiki>]</nowiki>
 |newspaper=[[The Hindu]] |date=June 10, 1997 |pages=28
 |issn=0971-751X |oclc=13119119 }}</ref>
is the theme of the book.
<blockquote>
Out of every beatitude Easwaran is able to extract a maxim that can waft us to a life of fulfilment and bliss. How to deal with pain and disappointment, bereavement and [[Depression (mood)|depression]], [[Stress (psychological)|stress]] and emotional crises are all explained persuasively as feasible by following "the way that leads you most frequently to awareness of God," as [[Meister Eckhart]] would say.<ref name=ramakrishnan97/>
</blockquote>

''Organica'' stated that "Easwaran counsels readers to forget themselves (contrary to pop psychologists' how-to books) and learn to focus the mind... according to Easwaran,... its benefits are tangible, cumulative, and vital."<ref name=organica89>{{cite journal |author=S.H. |date=Winter 1989
 |title=Original Goodness <nowiki>[</nowiki>review of book by Eknath Easwaran<nowiki>]</nowiki>
 |journal=Organica |volume=8 |issue=30 |pages=17
 |issn=0897-2648 |oclc=17454758}}</ref>

''Fellowship in Prayer'' stated "While Easwaran relies heavily on the Christian mystics of the West, his learning in Eastern wisdom shines on every page as he makes a persuasive case that [[compassion]], [[hope]], meaning, and freedom from fear reside in every heart."<ref name=fip90>{{cite journal |author=Mary Ford Grabowsky |year=1990
 |title=Untitled [review of original goodness, by Eknath Easwaran]
 |journal=Fellowship in Prayer |volume=41 |issue=1 |pages=46
 |publisher=Princeton, NJ: Fellowship in Prayer, Inc. |issn=0014-9837 |oclc=3372402}}</ref>
It added that "this is the best book yet from the prolific founder of the [[Eknath Easwaran|Blue Mountain Center of Meditation]]."<ref name=fip90/>

''[[The B.C. Catholic]]'' wrote that Easwaran is "an astute and trustworthy judge of definitive writers and works,"<ref name=stpierre97>{{cite news |first=Paul Matthew |last=St. Pierre |year=1997
 |title=Easwaran's Classicism
 |newspaper=The B.C. Catholic |volume=67 |issue=April 27 |pages=5
 |issn=0007-0483 |oclc=2321752}}</ref>
and that in ''Original Goodness'', [[Eknath Easwaran|Easwaran]]
<blockquote>
performs (in [[parable]], [[anecdote]] and [[aphorism]]) a meditation on Christ's teachings in the [[Sermon on the Mount]], not only the specific biddings of the [[Beatitudes]], but also a beatific message pervading the world, voiced by prophets like [[Martin Luther King Jr.|Martin Luther King]] and [[Mahatma Gandhi]].<ref name=stpierre97/>
</blockquote>

In ''[[The Living Church]]'', Travis DuPriest noted that
the book includes "fresh insights for Westerners to see Christian thinkers through the eyes of someone from India."<ref name=tlc97>{{cite journal  |author=Travis DuPriest |date=February 9, 1997
 |title=Spiritual guides and resources <nowiki>[</nowiki> review of classics of Christian inspiration, by Eknath Easwaran<nowiki>]</nowiki>
 |journal=[[The Living Church]] |volume=214 |issue=6 |pages=18
 |publisher=Milwaukee, WI: Living Church Foundation |issn= 0024-5240 |oclc=3681962 }}</ref>

<!--- (little of interest in this review) - almost entirely background and nonevaluative summary.
The ''Brain/Mind Bulletin'' stated "{}"<ref name=bmb90>{{cite journal |author=Anonymous |date=October 1989
 |title='Genetic Man'; 'Enriching Heredity'; 'Original Goodness'
 |journal=Brain/Mind Bulletin |volume=14 |issue= 10 |pages=5
 |publisher=Los Angeles, CA: Interface Press |issn=0273-8546 |oclc=4673318}}</ref>
--->

Several periodicals have also excerpted various parts of ''Original Goodness''.<ref name=excerptquest>{{cite journal
 |author=Eknath Easwaran |year=1989
 |title=A disposition for benevolence [excerpt from Original Goodness]
 |journal=The Quest |volume=1 |issue=Winter |pages=17–31
 |url=http://www.theosophical.org |issn=1040-533X |oclc=18441178}} {{OCLC|705778309}}</ref><ref name=excerptunity>{{cite journal |author=Eknath Easwaran |date=June 1997
 |title=Humility: Secret to happiness
 |journal=Unity Magazine |volume=177 |issue=6 |pages=6–13
 |publisher=Unity Village, MO: Unity School of Christianity |oclc=34794943}}</ref>

In 2018 [[Richard Rohr]], in his blog,<ref> {{cite news |author=Richard Rohr |title=Daily Meditations |publisher= Center for Action and Contemplation|date=January 2018  |url=http://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/2018/01/}}</ref> cited Eknath Easwaran's ''Original Goodness'' in his week of 'Daily Meditations January 2018' based on [[The Beatitudes]]

==Editions==
The original edition was published by in 1989 by Nilgiri Press, who republished it in 1996 as one volume in a series entitled ''Classics of Christian Inspiration''. Editions of ''Original Goodness'' have been published in [[Greek language|Greek]],<ref name=greek06>Eknath Easwaran (2006). [http://www.bookworld.gr/gr/books/writer/Easwaran%20Eknath Η αρχέγονη καλοσύνη (Original Goodness)] (Dēmētrēs Koutsoukēs, trans.). Athens, Greece: Kastaniotis. {{ISBN|978-960-03-4203-1}} (270 pages)</ref>
[[Portuguese language|Portuguese]],<ref name=portuguese96>Eknath Easwaran (1996). [http://bibliotecacircula.prefeitura.sp.gov.br/pesquisa/titulo.jsp?ck=266687&tipoPesq=indice&TipoDoc=Livro&BibliReg=&tipoBibli=-1&campo=aut&tipoMat=null  Bondade originária (Original Goodness)]. São Paulo, Brazil: Editora de Cultura Espiritual. {{ISBN|85-85009-25-X}} (270 pages).</ref>
and Spanish,<ref name=spanish89>Eknath Easwaran (1989). La Bondad (Goodness) (Cristina Sardoy, trans.). Buenos Aires, Argentina: Atlantida. {{ISBN|978-950-08-0944-3}}, {{ISBN|950-08-0944-3}}, {{OCLC|31024952}} (270 pages).</ref><ref name=spanish99>Eknath Easwaran (1999). La Bondad (Goodness) (Cristina Sardoy, trans.). Buenos Aires, Argentina: Atlantida. {{ISBN|978-950-08-2155-1}}, {{ISBN|950-08-2155-9}}, {{OCLC|43800860}} (270 pages).</ref>

English-language editions have been published in India and the US. The US editions are:
:*{{cite book |title=Original goodness: On the Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount
 |last=Eknath |first=Eknath |author-link=Eknath Easwaran
 |year=2017|edition=rev. 2nd 
 |publisher=Nilgiri Press |location=Tomales, CA |isbn=0-915132-92-3 }} {{ISBN|978-0-915132-91-1}} (260 pages)

:*{{cite book |title=Original goodness: On the Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount
 |last=Eknath |first=Eknath |author-link=Eknath Easwaran
 |year=1996|edition=2nd 
 |publisher=Nilgiri Press |location=Tomales, CA |isbn=0-915132-92-3 }} {{ISBN|978-0-915132-91-1}}, {{OCLC| 1005466008}} (286 pages)

:*{{cite book
 |title=Original goodness: Strategies for uncovering your hidden spiritual resources
 |last=Easwaran |first=Eknath |author-link=Eknath Easwaran
 |year=1989 |edition=1st
 |publisher=Nilgiri Press |location=Petaluma, CA |isbn= 0-915132-57-5
 }} {{ISBN|0-915132-56-7}}, {{OCLC|19920044}} (240 pages)

The Indian edition:
:*{{cite book |title=Discovering your hidden spiritual resources
 |last=Easwaran |first=Eknath |author-link=Eknath Easwaran
 |year=1997 |edition=1st Indian
 |publisher=[[Jaico]] |location=[[Mumbai]], India |isbn=978-81-7224-580-1
 }} {{ISBN|81-7224-580-7}}, {{OCLC|313926618}} (240pages) (title of original 1989 US edition: Original Goodness) (reprinted 2007, {{OCLC|606355699 }})

<!--- ANY SEE ALSO? SAME AUTHOR? BOOKS ON SIMILAR TOPIC?
==See also==
* [[OTHER INTERNAL LINK]]
--->

==See also==
* ''[[Love Never Faileth]]''
* ''[[Seeing with the Eyes of Love]]''

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

<!--- could include:
{{Christianity}} --->

[[Category:Books about Christianity]]
[[Category:1989 non-fiction books]]
[[Category:1996 non-fiction books]]
[[Category:Works by Eknath Easwaran]]