On the night of November 7; 1841; the Creole; a brig transporting at least 135 slaves from Richmond; Virginia; to the auction block at New Orleans; was about 130 miles northeast of the Bahamas. In the darkness; a band of 19 slaves led by Madison Washington seized the crew and its captain. Over the next several days they forced the Creole to sail into Nassau harbor; where the British authorities offered freedom to the slaves on board; touching off a diplomatic squabble and continuing legal ramifications. In The Creole Mutiny; George and Willene Hendrick have pieced together; from scant information and remote sources; the story of this successful slave revolt and of the mysterious figure of Madison Washington; a fugitive slave who had been recaptured while trying to free his wife. With careful attention to background details; the authors describe what is known of Washington's life; the efforts of fugitive slaves to free other family members; the methods of slave traders and the operators of slave pens; the conditions on slave ships; and the sexual exploitation of female slaves; some mere children. In an Appendix; the authors show how Madison Washington has taken on mythic qualities in the works of major African-American writers; from Frederick Douglass to Theodore Ward. With 24 black-and-white illustrations."Fascinating...compelling history."―Vernon Ford; Booklist
#1152575 in Books Ingramcontent 2014-06-05Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x .32 x 6.00l; .44 #File Name: 1565438639128 pagesThe Unknowing Sage The Life and Work of Faqir Chand
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy hysonGood10 of 10 people found the following review helpful. Hindu Socrates?By Ashtar Command“The Unknowing Sage†is an interesting little book about Faqir Chand; a Hindu guru within the Radhasoami tradition. The book contains interviews conducted with Faqir by David Christopher Lane; a former devotee of this particular tradition; and Mark Juergensmeyer; a scholar of comparative religion.Apparently; many Hindu gurus (including Radhasoami ditto) claim to have the miraculous power of appearing to their devotees in response to prayer; while physically remaining in another location. Faqir has also “appeared†in this fashion to people who worshipped him. In contrast to most other gurus; however; Faqir claims that these apparitions are all illusory. They are projections of the devotee's own mind; the result of the devotee's own faith and love in the Divine. Faqir also points out that many “holy men†died terrible deaths; or had family problems and other foibles while living. They were influenced by the law of karma; just as everyone else.Faqir himself doesn't claim to have absolute power to work miracles; regards his disciples as his gurus; and talks openly about his spiritual failings as a young man and seeker. He apparently rejects the central tenet of the Radhasoami tradition (the mystical visions of the divine “Light†and “Soundâ€); claiming that the really important thing is the “Self†which experiences these phenomena. The Self; in turn; is just a small bubble of consciousness; which is infinite and hence impossible to know in its entirety.Since nobody; not even religious leaders and teachers; can know the whole Truth; the best path is to admit unknowingness; stay humble and accept whatever karmic consequences comes one's way. Faqir doesn't even claim to know what will happen to him after his physical death. However; he concedes that most people can't meditate on the formless; and therefore should choose a divine form and worship it as a technique to eventually reach the unfathomable.Mark Juergensmeyer compares Faqir Chand's message to Mahayana Buddhism and to the Tibetan Book of the Dead. By contrast; Lane has a tendency to put a sceptic-agnostic spin on the old man's message. Personally; I suspect that Faqir's message is really perfectly compatible with certain strands within Hinduism. Advaita? Even his radical critique of cheating; corrupted gurus strikes me as less revolutionary than it might seem at first glance. His *real* message is one of fatalistic quietism and humbleness; not militant anti-guru activism. I think Socrates was more annoying!That being said; “The Unknowing Sage†is an interesting study and I therefore give it five stars.5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. THE HUMBLEST MASTER I HAVE EVER READ ABOUTBy truestaraGood story if not that well written and a lot of typos so the editing could have been better. But the STORY is why I bought this book and the Master that abstained from taking PERSONAL CREDIT is a thing I truly admire. In a world of 'Masters' declaring THEY are the ONLY way; that we cannot have enlightenment without them; they THEY hook us up to the Light and sound--and they ALONE----This Masters disclaimers was/IS STILL a breath of fresh air. Worth the poorly written stuff to get to read about him. would highly recommend this book to anyone facing a Master who fosters reliance and says HE gets you to the Light and Sound. It isn't the Master0--IT is the spirit that your LOVE fosters for him that gets you there. HUGE difference! He denied any and all incidents of people being saved; him appearing to them with guidance or life saving feats--saying it was SPIRIT taking his FORM and how IT works with us--BECAUSE WE TRUST AND LOVE HIM AS A MASTER. Amazing to read! YAY! Wish he was still around! Wish MY Master STILL felt this way--he used to in the 1980's but now thinks it is all HIM personally. Too bad.aloha
