Penguin Books Australia

Out of nowhere in 2004, this obscure religious sect burst onto the political stage in Australia. Almost unheard of until then, the Exclusive Brethren was suddenly spending up big in election advertising in support of conservative political parties. But its members were shy to the point of paranoia about who they were — preferring, as they said, to 'fly under the radar'. Brethren members assiduously...

Comfort is a universal human need. It's that craving to feel at one with the world we live in, warm (but not hot), protected (but not smothered), and secure (but not marooned) in what the future holds. Yet in our increasingly complex and overstressed world, we tend to overlook this important aspect in our lives.

The late antique world possessed no voice like that of Roman emperor Marcus...

ALL YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW FROM HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA ON HAPPINESS, LIFE, LIVING, AND MUCH MORE 

His Holiness the Dalai Lama describes himself as 'a simple Buddhist monk.'   However to millions of people around the world, he embodies the highest human aspiration: to be happy.   His messages of compassion, altruism, and peace are articulated in a unique secular ethic and supported...

A uniquely comprehensive collection of work from the Religious Society of Friends, one of the most distinctive Christian sects in the English-speaking world

Gibran's Prophet speaks of many things central to daily life: love, marriage, death, beauty, passion, eating, work and play. The spiritual message he imparts, of finding divinity through love, blends eastern...

Meet the cats who acted as a pacemaker when a woman's heart suddenly stopped beating in the night;

Paprika, a gentle giant with deep orange stripes who saved a little Hungarian girl from Russian soldiers;

Lucky, the kitten who survived against the odds and went on to help deaf children as a therapy cat;

Princess the courageous cat who helped a lady make friends in an unpleasant and intimidating work...

Now restored to print, here is philosopher Jacob Needleman's groundbreaking study of America's alternative spiritual movements, with a new introduction by the author.

Originally published in 1970, The New Religions was the first full-scale study of alternative spirituality in America. It remains unparalleled for the intellectual depth and seriousness with which it regards Eastern, New Age, and alternative...

From the renowned translator of "The Gift" comes a rich collection that brings the great Sufi poet to Western readers.

'He will heal the wounded and revive the dead and bring good news to the poor'

The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the Judaean desert between 1947 and 1956 was one of the greatest archaeological finds of all time. These extraordinary manuscripts appear to have been hidden in the caves at Qumran by the Essenes, a Jewish sect in existence before and during the time of Jesus. Written in Hebrew, Aramaic...

The Upanishads, the earliest of which were composed in Sanskrit between 800 and 400 bce by sages and poets, form part of the Vedas - the sacred and ancient scriptures that are the basis of the Hindu religion. Each Upanishad, or lesson, takes up a theme ranging from the attainment of spiritual bliss to karma and rebirth, and collectively they are meditations on life, death and immortality.