Living Presence: A Sufi Way to Mindfulness & the Essential Self, Paperback

"This is an excellent book that explains spiritual principles and how to carry them into everyday life . . . Highly recommended."--Library Journal

Sufism is a centuries-old spiritual psychology leading to presence in life. Presence is our capacity to be whole in the moment, in alignment with our deepest wisdom. With unusual clarity, this book describes how presence is different from ordinary habits of mind, and how it can be developed. Drawing on the words of the great Sufi, Rumi, as well as traditional material and personal experience, this book integrates the wisdom of Sufism with the needs of contemporary life. Living Presence offers a wisdom that is both universal and practical. It shows how we can bring spirituality and psychology into a balanced system that honors and awakens the soul.

"I am pleased to give Living Presence a high recommendation: It is sober, thoughtful, and well worth deep reflection. Helminski is concerned with out interactions with each other, with cultivating love and a desire to serve the Highest through serving each other . . . a valuable emphasis in a culture like ours that tends to think of spiritual development as special and solitary experiences."--Noetic Sciences Review by Charles Tart, Ph.D.

Kabir Edmund Helminski has been recognized as one of the most skilled and authentic translators of Rumi, and he is a spiritual teacher (shaikh) recognized by Rumi's tradition, the Mevlevi Order. While he has been named one of the "500 Most Influential Muslims in the World," he considers his most important contribution to be expressing the universal and practical aspects of spiritual development. Helminski is also a spiritual activist who regularly writes for the Huffington Post, the Times of India, Patheos.com, and Tikkun. His books have been translated into at least nine languages.