Kahlil Gibran Books

This book, which is the last one that Kahlil Gibran wrote shortly before he died in 1931, is truly one of his finest. The parables and poems are comparable to his "The Forefunner" and "The Madman." It's teachings leave you with a strong sense of newly found compassion and wisdom. The wander's stories are both profound and alive in this book

This book warms your soul, as you read about aspects of Jesus' life heretofore unknown as seen through the visionary and prophet, Khalil Gibran. Khalil Gibran takes us through a miraculous collection of stories of the life of Jesus as seen through the eyes of the various people who knew him, including his enemies. It's a noble perspective of an ancient time, and helps to put Jesus into our hearts and minds. It can be read in a day, but never forgotten.

Khalil Gibran's writing style is mind-blowing. He has such a way with language. Reading this book gave me goosebumps - you can really feel another perspective on the bible stories you already know. This book is filled with such passion and soul, it's an awesome read. Forget all this light mindless fluff, this book is a must read.

This is a charming little fiction book in which various people from the life of Jesus comment. We have Mary Magdalene commenting on her first meeting with Jesus, Caiaphas telling how Jesus needed to be killed, John the Baptist talking about their plot, Judas' mother telling us how much she loves her son, then asking us to go question Jesus' mother, etc.

Of course, this is not an historical account of Jesus' life, and Gibran makes many errors in the book. Jesus wasn't born in Nazareth (it didn't even exist when he was born), Jesus was the disciple of John (rather than the other way around), etc. But put your scholar hat aside and just sit back and enjoy the book.

Mr. Gibran has begets a master piece . His splendor writing style is amazing and the eloquent use of the words are moving force which forever will be a guiding light for our souls.

Another 'must have" works from Gibran with interesting approach in revealing Jesus. Jesus is revealed by many characters -- some fictional, some from Bibles --

Like all Gibran's writings, The Madman puts the mind in a peaceful and tranquil state.
The Madman is a collection of 35 short moral stories and poetry that tell the tale of an individual who had all his self-imposed illusions and artificial faces stripped from him, leaving him just with the truth of his life, his observations and his surroundings. It shows the irony of sanity and it's status as a social construct.

This book is very short (only around 71 pages, depending on your edition) and can be read very quickly. This is useful, because I've found I wanted to read it several times over. It's especially great for plane rides or any other situation in which you might find yourself harried or stressed with things beyond your control.

Not as much depth as "The Prophet", but little morsels of insight to chew on throughout the day. It's a book to feel and experience its effects in your soul, not intellectually mastered.

This is a collection of short parables ranging in length from a single paragraph to a few pages. They are individualist in nature and center around a single soul's dealings with the world around it. Notions of truth and being are communicated in that soul's interactions with God, friends, neighbors, strangers, animals and itself. It is quite possibly the most perfect writing I have ever read.

Fans of prose should enjoy Gibran's style immensely. I prefer it to the general colloquial style of writing and it is more expressive than similar styles of essay and short story writing. Gibran also has several other books, in addition to "The Prophet," that are worthy of reading. I own "The Madman,
"The Voice of the Master," and "Sand and Foam." This one is my favorite. It is an astoundingly eloquent, but still clear and expressive collection of writing on the most fundamentally important of all topics.

There are very few human beings capable of rivaling scripture in the emotions that their writings invoke. Kahlil Gibran was one of them.

Throughout this brief collection by Kahlil Gibran is the theme of rejecting and shedding the superficial, outer, social masks and embracing the inner or true Self - Soul. Gibran characterizes one who has done so as a madman - one who has tapped into the vein of Spirit, and appears to others to be 'drunk on God'. Though some pages come across like a bizarre Aesop's fables, it is his 'Madman' character who voices this theme repeatedly throughout.

In "The Gravedigger", he surrenders an old self without attachment or grief, but with joy and laughter.
In "The Greater Sea" he rejects the social traps of the physical world and seeks something higher.
In "Faces" he looks beyond the physical to view the true countanence of Soul.
In "The Eye" his 3rd or 'spiritual' eye sees that which his other senses cannot.

Yet, the greatest of these is the first page and a half (untitled, I assume its called "The Madman") which captures the essence of this drinking straight from the well of Soul. It amazes me each time I read it and is alone worth the price of the book.

Kahlil Gilbran's masterpiece has always been considered THE PROPHET. In addition to writing this profound and inspiring poetry, he composed 12 other books of verses. However, none of these are as renown as THE PROPHET. In fact, many Americans who love THE PROPHET don't realize the existence of his other work. This is too bad.

THE MADMAN was first published in 1918. Although written nearly 100 years ago, it remains timely. In addition, it was Gibran's first published verse. It went out of print several years ago, but has recently been made available. This book of verse is a real treasure. Of all Gilbran's writing, THE MADMAN is my favorite. In fact, I like it more than THE PROPHET. I found it thoughtful, insightful and most importantly self reflecting.

I really enjoy visualizing Gibran's thoughts. That may be an abstract thing to say, but he is the best at painting such life-like pictures with his words and descriptions; his similies stroke the imagination; his sensitivity is uncommon.

I was somewhat disappointed that May's letters to Kahlil were not included (her estate would not allow them to be presented to the public). Without the benefit of seeing her letters, one must fill in the gaps by trying to understand Kahlil's responses to her writings. The advertisement of this book incorrectly states that her letters are included.

Nevertheless, I am pleased with the compilation, and recommend it to the serious student / fan of Kahlil Gibran. Find a quiet place to do your reading; only then can your appreciation be maximized.

Like any collection of letters by an author, "Love Letters" offers the reader an insight into Kahlil Gibran's private life. As letters, these were obviously never meant for publication, though the quality and subtlety of the language is remarkable. As such, Gibran's voice is even more intimate than usual. Any fan of his work will revel in this feeling of a shared confidence.

The letters range in scope from daily activities to artistic pursuits and interests, and have more of a feeling of intense partnership than romantic love. Arranged and titled simply by their date, one can watch, to some extent, the relationship between Gibran and Ziadah grow and deepen. This edition is beautifully presented, with appropriate biographical notes and a revealing introduction.

While I would not reccomend this as a person's first encounter with Gibran, it is certainly a worthwhile follow-up.

A love that was never to be, shared by two spirits who never had the chance to be together.

No review will do it justice.

Gibran's poetic mind sways even the most jaded and lovelorn of us. His artistry shines through in his descriptions of setting, real and imagined. The absence of May Ziadah's letters, I think, adds a level of intricacy to the book, allowing the reader to hear, in the tactile absence of her words, her very thoughts and feelings in the echo of Gibran's responses.

I am a sophomore at Berea College. I came to the US last year after 33 hours of air travel. Coming from a culture that does not celebrate birthdays, I have not always been too eager to get excited about some of the celebrations here. But when it is time to celebrate my host parents' marriage anniversary, I wanted to present them a book that ran like the river Brahmaputra -deep and yet serene. This book will touch your sensibilities

Anyone who has read Gibran's book "The Prophet" should read "The Eye of the Prophet". While the first book is the masterpiece of philosophic poetry, this one is it's great companion in prose. Both books prescribe philosophical view on love, marriage, death, beauty -- things and topics that encircle all of our lives and experiences. The best thing one can do it to have both of these books as a tools to use and reflect in times of need, doubt and inspiration. I have read the hardcover copy of the book. I wish that hardcopy edition of the book had as many illustrations by it's author as "The Prophet". But alas, we only get to enjoy the one on the cover. For readers new to Gibran it is helpful to know that he was a wonderful painter in addition to his excellence in writing.

This is my number one favorite book...Gibran's words are beautiful, and his thoughts on every subject resonate powerfully with my personal feelings....

Kahlil Gibran's "Eye of the Prophet" is a collection of meditations on religion and life. Gibran's writing is both mystical and lyrical as he comments on truths he's learned throughout life. Although he believes in an inexplainable God, Gibran also posits that religion has a practical side. For example, "to be closer to God, be closer to people." Although God exceeds our understanding, we can approach Him through other human beings. In this book Gibran also explains that people often obscure their true, divine, selves; this leads to misery. This concept is explored in the following story: "I saw a young man trying to seduce the heart of a young girl with tender words, while the true feelings of both were half asleep and they were very far from their divine nature." The same theme of human nature being basically good, despite self-corruption, continues throughout the book. Gibran's ideas will likely not shock those readers who are familiar with mainstream religions and the Bible: Gibran himself drew heavily on the Bible. Although I enjoyed the book, I found I had to break it up and read small sections at a time. Too much "Eye of the Prophet" at once made me feel simultaneously overwhelmed and skeptical. Overall, I found the book provocative and beautifully-written, if at times a little repetitive.

it is so wonderful to read a book by a man who is not a christian in the literal sense of the word and yet so much a true christian in the spirit of things. this book was absolutely beautiful. i am very very sparing with my stars, but i have given this book four because it is absolutley beautiful... loved it so much i even gave my dad a copy. he enjoyed it too.

i guess that its in reading books such as this that ones belief in humanity is really boosted. a wonderful book. i do love Jesus and Gibran, clearly does too, though not a "Christian". this man does great honour to the name of Christ in writing this book.

i guess that in the Christian walk, a time comes where one begins to think and feel the importance of humanity... the importance of being one of the people, not just one of the material church... the value of love and openess to all men and women, whether 'good' or 'bad'. what has become a closed book, begins again to open up too all people, and ones faith moves downwards from the head and into the heart. (not always easy). its so easy to let life and culture, or experience to harden oneself towards others, especially people like 'publicans', 'prostitutes' and sinners and yet we are reminded in this book that jesus was a dear friend and lover of such people regardless of the spiritual pain they must have caused him.

i love this book!

Jesus the son of man, Gibran the friend/lover of Jesus.

love, flakey. xxx

Gibran's reputation as a poet and profound thinker is confirmed in this book.

He employs history, Biblical text and his imagination to conjure 'interviews' with folks who may have been intimate with Jesus or affected by His presence from a distance.

His insight is exceptionally believable and he takes you on a journey that is both mystical and practical with the varying points of view. The positives are for believers primarily, and one will be filled with a sense of awe and intimacy toward Jesus. Nevertheless the voice of skeptics is heard, though in the minority, but it is given due attention.

The downside may be for those who are not so poetically inclined. Khalil's voice through those who admire Jesus is extremely metaphoric and it may be lost on those who need a more 'down to earth' description of feelings, emotions and attitudes. I felt at times that the discourses were perhaps too symbolic, though one understood the implication of the experience of encountering Jesus as beyond words.

In the end one is left understanding Jesus' impact more but hungering to know Him in a way that is more understandable than the sometimes amorphous descriptions by Gibran's characters. The interviews are fairly short and this makes it a manageable read for the most 'unbookish' of us.

All the same a great read and a classic anyone should have.

The writings of Kahlil Gibran in this book have inspired enlightenment. The documentary of Jesus is seen through the eyes and ears of the peoples who lived alongside him. There are negative, positive and indifferent opinions of his being which provokes the imagination and faith.

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/RKT56648RC1TZ I'm sure that somewhere out there is someone who loves the writings of Kahlil Gibran as much as I do. Like many people, I first read The Prophet at a young age. From there, I began collecting many other works by Gibran. Kahlil Gibran is probably the reason that I read, write, and review. When someone delves into his writings and appreciates them, they come away with some innocent love affair with words.

This book is quite unique in that it contains The Prophet and many other celebrated books in one collection. The book is over 800 pages and is a nice addition to your own library or as a gift.

One thing about this video: I edited the color of the images a little so that it would appear more even in color and less strain on your eyes.

-Brian Douthit
Author Of Perfectly Said: when words become art

Ever since Kahlil Gibran published his first English book The Madman in 1918, people have either admired or despised his work. One thing remains: folks keep reading it. With this latest anthology, Knopf has put together under one cover all their Gibran works, including the poet's illustrations. Trouble is the reproductions are poorly printed, and the unsigned Introduction disappoints. Too bad the Knopf editors didn't take more care in presenting an author that has earned the distinguished house mega bucks for more than 80 years.

Very gutsy and straight forward, this book is written in Gibran's manner, but without any boundaries or caution. I absolutely loved it. There were so many truths contained in it that Gibran knew in his heart, but didn't get the chance to record on paper. A must read for everyone, even if you never read "The Prophet"!

This book is not like the "topic" chapters of THE PROPHET, but the language reads like Gibran's. Here, the prophet returns and is not greeted with open arms by the local priests. His message of love and finding god within earns the prophet only a hail of stones. This is a gutsy and dramatic story...no "wine and thou" to read at weddings.

A fairly well-written biography of Gibran. I learned much that did not know about the man. What I learned, was that he was a deeply flawed man, who was also a great artist and writer. I learned that he also died fairly young, from alcoholism. Another creative genious brought low y substance abuse. Would he have had the creativity, had he not had the alcohol problem? I don't know, but he must have thought not, or he wouldnt have begun drinking.

Each page of this book is filled with color, love, hope and happiness. It is a reminder of the importance of treating one's self and others well, and how beautiful life really is.

There's nothing new under the sun. The teachings contained in this book have been given in the past by numerous teachers (Ramana Maharshi, Nisargadatta Maharaj, the Secret of the Golden Flower, maybe even Meister Eckhart.)

However, what make a whole lot of difference is the way it is presented. I found the author's instructions very clear and illuminating. They helped me understand many things that were previously unclear.

I whole-heartedly recommend it.

This little book tries to bypass poetry and offer a practical, step-by-step program for realizing the identity of subject and object. The author even goes so far as to provide his basic instruction worded 26 different ways, in the hope that one of the wordings will resonate with you.

The author makes some rather bold claims that will challenge many readers. He categorically denies the need for any sort of teacher. He also dismisses thousands of years of spiritual advice in all traditions as either insufficient or useless. Neither of these provocative claims is really relevant to the technique he is presenting. The book would be better without them.

And what is Langford's technique? The Chinese classic "Secret of the Golden Flower" calls it Turning the Light Around. But I've never seen it presented as forcefully or as urgently as this.

Recommended if you find your practice lapsing, and need your hair set on fire.

This book is a fascinating perspective on the teachings of Ramana Maharshi. It is very insightful and has been exceptionally helpful to me on my path.

Sadly, in the end, this book is also the literary version of a cult.

The entire premise of this book is:

1) The method contained in this book is the fastest, best way to attain enlightenment.

2) Any thought that is contrary to #1 is the ego talking and must be ignored.

From the authors website, it appears he does not offer workshops or have any type of commune, thank God.

If only the author could present his ideas in a less rigid/THIS IS THE ONLY WAY/dogmatic/DO THIS OR NEVER BE ENLIGHTENED kind of way, he truly would have "a spiritual classic."

Ramanan Maharshi himself supported numerous paths, including bhakti yoga, mantra yoga, "the path of surrender" and even prannayam and hatha yoga for beginners.

The author also, it seems, has invented a few of the methods in this book- the love all method, the abandon release method and the eternity method- some acknowledgement on his part that these are his creations or explaining where they come from would be nice.

A new, humbler title would be nice too!


This book is the beginning of what could be an AMAZING book. The information is second to none, the presentation, the authoritarian tone, the whole context of the book as "THIS BOOK IS PERFECT. IF YOU ARGUE WITH IT, YOU ARE WRONG" is seriously dysfunctional.

If I could change my star rating, I would give it a 2. Some of the info in it is EXCELLENT and top notch.

In my opinion it seems as Michael Langford has something really important to say but not the writing skills or verbal tools (perhaps language itself is too restrictive) to convey what it is to the reader in the way that Nisargadatta or Jean Klein are so skillful at.

The book is highly repetitive as if saying the same thing 150+ times a little differently will help you get it. It looks more like a type of rapid fire self hypnosis. If you want enlightenment through suggestion you can read Arjuna Nick Ardagh.

Langford is referring to awareness without object. What is referred to as contemplation (Brunton's 3rd stage of practice). As for the origin of "Awareness of Awareness" here is an old quote from Paul Brunton in his notebooks:

"In that stillness, far from the physical activities, emotional excitations, and mental changes of everyday life, "the awareness of awareness" becomes possible, the Mind itself is isolated. The real being of a man is at last discovered and exhibited." - Notebooks of Paul Brunton: Advanced Contemplation.

We are all allured by the promise of the short path. Reading Brunton's book will give you a very good reference on the short vs. long path and why the ego wants shortcuts. Why also we must have both paths and realization is only an end result of the short path and how one cannot enter the short path until the long path work has been done.

Brunton's book "Notebooks of Paul Brunton: The Ego, Vol. 6" is an excellent book to accompany "Advanced Contemplation"

From the Introduction chapter of the book...

"11.It is possible to be free of all sorrow and suffering
and to experience
absolutely perfect infinite eternal joy
here and now in this lifetime.
12.It is possible for all humans,
not just a few humans.
13.There is a rapid means to
infinite bliss.
14. That rapid means is taught in this book."

This book is unique contribution. It is an 'Instruction manual for enligtenment'. It contains extremely practical step by step instruction to the 'direct experience of reality'. The first three chapters are devoted to understanding the ego and tricks of the ego and how it keeps one from waking up. These chapters are extremely insightful and I personally found it very useful. One of the several ego's tricks which I Identified in myself after reading the book was a preference to engage in endless reading and discussion instead of devoting time for actual practise. Then there is a chapter on the importance of the 'desire for liberation' and how it can dissolve all obstacles to enlightenment. There is a chapter devoted to 'how to awaken the extreme desire for liberation' which is also very insightful. There are two meditation practises offered for daily practise as the 'most rapid and direct means to direct experience of reality'. The first one is the 'Awareness Watching Awareness'(AWA) method, and the second one is the 'Abandon Release Method' (ARM). According to the author AWA is the most rapid and ARM is the second most rapid method. These two methods alone are worth the value of the book. There is an extremely useful chapter on further clarification on 'Awareness watching awareness' method which addresses all possible doubts or questions one might have during the practise. The author gives very practical tips and pointers to address any questions which might cloud the meditator's mind during practise.

E.G. from chapter eight...

"10. Don't expect any type of experience.
11. If you are wondering if you will have some kind of spiritual experience,
then that very wondering means
you have added something to
awareness watching awareness.
12.Never add anything to
awareness watching awareness.
13. The key is to be content just watching your awareness and not to move from that and not to add anything to that.
.
.
165. Don't expect any of the experiences described in this chapter. Expectation will destroy the effectiveness of the practice.
166. If it seems boring
the first few times you try the
awareness watching awareness practice, that is OK. Continue to practice."

Initially when I started practising AWA, I found it to be quite difficult. Then I took the authors suggestion in the book and practised ARM first for a few months and then swith to ARM. It has been a year since I started practising seriously and the results are amazing, I can definitely say that I am on the right track. The following quotes are from chapter 6.

"67. From the very first moment one tries this practice, one is abiding as awareness!
68. There is no waiting!
69. It is so easy.
70. One does not mean to imply
that from the beginning the ego ends.
71. It takes years of continuous practice before the ego meets its final end.
72. However, from the moment one tries this simple, easy to understand practice, one is abiding as awareness!""

There are also several supplementary methods which are not meant for daily pracise but can be pracised once or twise to get a deeper understanding of the primary method. There is also a chapter titled 'reminder' which is meant to be read everyday to motivate one to practise the methods every day.

Well how does one know whether this is infact the 'most rapid and direct means to liberation'? Quoting the author from chapter 6.

"123. The only way to find out if the Awareness Watching Awareness Method works for you is to practice it.
124. If without trying it, you come to the conclusion that it will not work, then you have allowed the imposter (thinking)
to rob you of a great opportunity
125. With thinking you have a conclusion, an opinion, an assumption
that may be correct or may not be correct.
126. However, with practice, you will know for sure if it works for you or not.
127. Therefore, consider giving it
a sincere, fair try."

In my case, the unconditional joy and bliss that is starting to fill my being and is deepening with each practise session is enough confirmation that the AWA method really works.

Very Highly Recommended!