one heart: universal wisdom from the world’s scriptures

The purpose of One Heart is to illuminate the common sacred ground at the heart of seven faiths: Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and Taoism. Its method is to identify 65 essential principles, among them: Feel what other people feel; Don’t harm others; Lead with virtue and concern for others; Be honest; Practice what you preach; Be content; Don’t let anger take over; Choose your companions wisely; Accept the existence of spiritual beings; Seek and you will find. Illustrating each principle are one, two, or three quotations (adding up to more than 600) from a wide variety of texts sacred to each of the seven faiths--including the Old and New Testaments, the Talmud, the Mahabarata, the Tao Te Ching, the Bhagavad Gita, the Analects of Confucius, and many other sacred sources. In addition, each chapter also provides guidance on a spiritual theme or practice--prayer beads, a home altar, labyrinth walking--to enhance our understanding of these wise words and universal principles.

Bonnie Louise Kuchler is a writer and editor whose six previous books include Just Moms, Just Dads, and Just Sweethearts. She lives in Hawaii.

Sylvia Boorstein, co-founding teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California, is the author of Pay Attention, For Goodness’ Sake.

Andrew Harvey is the author of The Return of the Mother, The Way of Passion, and The Direct Path.