"The Mind Of God, Human Destiny, Music, and the Search for Meaning Amidst Tragedy"
a book review by Chuan Zhi Shakya
Enlightenment manifests uniquely in each of us. Instead of seeing reality as made up of parts - fragments of thoughts, experiences, and sensations - the enlightened mind delves to see the whole: the pieces along with all the interconnections between them. Our intuitive, spiritual eye perceives with utmost clarity what our dualistic mind struggles to comprehend.
In “The Mind Of God, Human Destiny, Music, and the Search for Meaning Amidst Tragedy” author Paul Cochrane takes us on a most enjoyable ride as he assembles a mystic’s perspective on a world seemingly fragmented by science, scripture, and philosophical perspectives, stitching arguably irreconcilable bodies of knowledge together in a beautiful and grand tapestry that, if nothing else, gets the reader thinking. Cochrane delves into contemporary science and physics, making it approachable for the average reader, focusing on the deeper meanings within, linking them to the “big picture” of what it means to be human. Cochrane gives equal weight to religion, observing some profound implications of Christian biblical texts that go unobserved because of their more frequent literal interpretations. But he doesn't stop there either - Cochrane draws upon some of the greatest spiritual thinkers of recent times and decades past to connect the pieces: Carl Jung, Benoit Mandelbrot, Wolfgang Pauli, Heisenberg, Einstein, Arthur Young, Fritjof Capra, Deepak Chopra, J. W. Dunn, Mircea Eliade, Ed Hall, Stephen Hawking, Ravi Shankar, and many others.
“The Mind of God” could also have been subtitled “Dancing is a state of Mind,” for a dance of the spirit is what you’ll get when you read Cochrane’s honest and intelligent account of one man’s spiritual awakening. Its tone is unpretentious, friendly and joyous. Upon finishing the book I felt like a new friend had entered the world. That he has chosen to share his journey with us, and the myriad of interconnections that journey has brought, is a true gift to humanity.
Visit Paul Cochrane's website by clicking here.