Enlightened Contemporaries: Francis, Dōgen, and Rūmī: Three Great Mystics of the Thirteenth Century and Why They Matter Today

by Steve Kanji Ruhl

Enlightened Contemporaries is the first book to compare the lives and teachings of three of the world's most admired spiritual Francis of Assisi, the Christian saint; Dogen, the great Zen Buddhist teacher; and Rumi, the Islamic Sufi master. They lived during the same turbulent century. They integrated mystical experiences of the sacred into their lives, and they can inspire us to do the same. Enlightened Contemporaries combines robust scholarship with brisk, engaging, lyrical prose. Offering a thorough introduction for the general reader as well as specialists, it will appeal to those who enjoy an interfaith approach to spiritual exploration, one that links Christian, Buddhist, and Islamic mystical teachings within a vibrant historical context and shows how they not only complement each other but remain profoundly relevant in the twenty-first century. Bringing Saint Francis, Dogen, and Rumi vividly to life as complex and compelling human beings, Enlightened Contemporaries lucidly explains their spiritual paths, explores the dynamic age in which these three pioneering teachers struggled and triumphed, and investigates their remarkable poetry. It also deftly examines how Francis, Dogen, and Rumi engaged the world in the context of five shared spiritual love, nature, the body, the role of women, and balancing retreat from society with active involvement. By interweaving the spiritual lives of these Christian, Buddhist, and Muslim teachers, Enlightened Contemporaries will help readers enhance their own lives and find new paths of spiritual understanding.

Genres: Spirituality

220 pages, Paperback

Published June 30, 2020

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this, it was scholarly & academic which was different but refreshing. Not gonna lie, I did skip some sections that I wasn’t interested in. This title gave an overview of each of the 3 men, including their backgrounds & spiritual philosophies & teachings, as well as some of their writing themes & styles. Very informative. I also found out about some other titles & related writings I’d like to delve into next!

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruhl introduces mysticism and its usefulness for today by engaging Saint Francis, Dogen, and Rumi -- all of the 13th century. His comparison and contrast of their lives and practice appears to be a way to get at the most basic nuggets of mysticism. While the book is engaging and thought provoking, I was concerned that the approach to Saint Francis was a bit sentimentalized and lacked a more profound understanding of the radical nature of what Francis was about. (I cannot make such criticism of the presentations of Dogen or Rumi, since I am not well studied on these two.) Although I appreciate Ruhl's wanting to tie these three in with scholars of mysticism, such as Evelyn Underhill and William James, I found it disruptive to the book to start with Underhill and James in response to questions about what these three mystics have in common and how they help us today rather than starting with these mystics themselves (p. 129). However, overall, I found the book engaging, interesting, and accessible. Many quotes (in English translation) and poetry examples are given.

The book contains an Introduction, four chapters with chapter two divided into subtopics, an Appendix, a section of Notes, a Bibliography, and a section of Acknowledgements.

I recommend the book to modern day mystics, those looking for a deeper spiritual experience, and those interested in the time period as well as Francis, Dogen, and Rumi.

[Ward Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this beautifully written introduction to the lives and works of three mystics from different spiritual traditions. The author guides the reader through fascinating biographical and historical information. He compares and contrasts their lives and works according to five main themes: the natural world, spiritual love, the physical body, the role of women, and engagement with society. He also provides a brief discussion of their poems. I already knew a bit about Francis of Assisi, and I've enjoyed Rumi, but Dogen was entirely new to me. I'd recommend this to anybody who's looking for an interfaith view of mysticism, focused on three innovators who all lived at the same time in history.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first part of this book is the biographical section, and though compact brings enough life to Francis, Dogen, and Rumi to give them life. It's also a good rendering of their times and locations. The next piece justifies the "why they matter today," subtitle by showing how mysticism itself is a life path as valuable now as ever. The book then goes into a discussion of the main qualities of mysticism, and whether those qualities are universal, or particular. The author takes a middle ground - has his cake and eats it. There's also a short chapter comparing each of the mystic's poetry. I found this to be the least fleshed out, or interesting part of the book.

I liked the biographies the best, and the discussions of the practice were illuminating, and totally worth the read.

[Gerald McFarland · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is okay as an introductory summary of the lives of the three thirteenth-century mystics who are named in the title. Many readers can probably learn a lot from that summary. The second half of the book in which Ruhl compares and contrasts the beliefs of the three enlightened seekers sometimes strains to find similarities.