ABOUT THE BOOK
Heretic, Genius, Outcast, Visionary—Spinoza was all of these as well as a kind soft-spoken man who ground glass lenses for a living. At one point his views were considered so dangerous that both the Catholic clerics and Rabbinical leaders of his hometown of Amsterdam wanted him dead.
What were these words that caused riots and were deemed too dangerous to be repeated? That's the subject of this book. It delves into the life of Spinoza and the meaning of the words he left behind.
This book is not an historical treatise—this is a "how to" guide to seeking a path of understanding and ultimately, for a few, enlightenment. Where this path and this book takes you, is only up to you.
The goal of this book is to help decipher the enchantingly dense writing of Spinoza and make it more palatable without "dumbing it down" in any way. This book is not for scholars but for anyone who is searching for an organized view of the world which leads to happiness and understanding.
Einstein called him a “religious genius” and new books are being published every year about Spinoza. What is it about this man and his centuries’ old words that is so compelling and important? This is what I want to uncover for you, with you.
I do not promise any earth-shattering answers to the great philosophical questions in life, but I do believe you will come away with a greater capacity to enthusiastically contemplate the mysteries of life and your being.
FROM THE BACK COVER
My Spinoza is the culmination of two decades of research by Charles J. Marcus into the life and philosophy of Baruch Spinoza. A renowned Western philosopher, Spinoza is revered by many from Carl Jung to Albert Einstein, who called him a “spiritual genius” and said, “I believe in Spinoza’s God who reveals himself in the harmony of all that exists.”
In My Spinoza, Marcus explores Spinoza’s revolutionary, non-dual understanding of reality, blending a mix of theology, psychology, Eastern philosophy and practical reasoning that reveals Spinoza to be a brilliant guide for all seeking to awaken to the highest state of Being.
Few philosophers have been so universally loved or reviled as Spinoza. While he has been honored as a “Father of Enlightenment,” some early critics branded his work to be utterly evil and “full of abominations.” Whatever beliefs one holds, Spinoza simply cannot be ignored.
Mystics respect Spinoza’s advocacy of human intuitive faculties and belief in a person’s innate ability to perceive God directly, without an intermediary. Atheists admire Spinoza’s logical dismantling of religious notions of God as a person, fatherly presence, and disseminator of reward and punishment.
A true universalist, Spinoza captures the spirit of Judaism (The Lord is One), Christianity (I and my Father are one), Buddhism (no separate self), and Hinduism (all selves are one Self). When Spinoza was honored in The Hague, it was proclaimed that he held the “truest vision ever” of God.
