Over the past couple of decades, on the New York Times bestseller list, one title has consistently stood out: The Road Less Traveled, by the late Dr. M. (Morgan) Scott Peck. LIFE magazine called it a "national institution" and compared its selling power to that of the Bible.
That may not be an overstatement considering the book has sold millions of copies and profoundly influenced tens of millions of people. The prestigious Wall Street Journal resounded that The Road Less Traveled was "Brilliant in its insistence that there is no distinction between the process of achieving spiritual growth and achieving mental growth."
In the self-help sections of many large bookstores, M. Scott Peck usually receives almost half a shelf devoted to his books. His influence remains substantial and enduring. The remarkable chord Peck has struck with so many readers is his no-nonsense approach to life's problems. He proposes how one should tackle adverse situations head on with the goals being both psychological and spiritual growth.
But what does spiritual growth mean to Peck? Well, we can learn this by the very statement he poses to his readers: "I have said that the ultimate goal of spiritual growth is for the individual to become as one with God." He then makes this bold proclamation: "It is for the individual to become totally, wholly God." In familiar New Age fashion he believes "these concepts" have been promoted in the past "by Buddha, by Christ, by Lao-Tse, among many others." (from A Time of Departing, chapter 3)
"Mystical
prayer is also the basis for Peck's spirituality. He noted
the necessity of it in his book, A World Waiting To
Be Born: "This process of emptying the mind is
of such importance it will continue to be a significant
theme … Peck also conveys the notion that Jesus was
"an example of the Western mystic" who "integrated
himself with God." He added that Jesus' message to
us was to "cease clinging to our lesser selves"
and find "our greater true selves." Contemplative
prayer, he believes, "is a lifestyle dedicated to
maximum awareness." You might be interested to know
that former Vice President Al Gore has his endorsement
on the book's back cover. He praises it as being "extremely
important" and an "invaluable guide," stating
the book's teachings have given us "powerful new
reasons for hope."
(page 58, 59) From A Time of Departing ...
"The
late M. Scott Peck who is popularly read by Christians
said, 'While I continue to make use of what I have learned
from Buddhism, there are aspects of Buddhism [like reincarnation]
that I am agnostic about. That means I don't disbelieve
it and I don't believe it; I just don't know. On the other
hand, I find distasteful the traditional idea of Christianity
which preaches the resurrection of the body' (Further
Along the Road Less Traveled, pp. 168-169; M. Scott Peck)."
—Spiritual
fusion: East comes West, Mike Oppenheimer, Let Us Reason
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M.
Scott Peck Quotes
"I
have said that the ultimate goal of spiritual growth is for
the individual to become as one with God ... It is for the
individual to become totally, wholly God." The
Road Less Traveled
God wants
us to become Himself (or Herself or Itself). The
Road Less Traveled
"Zen
Buddhism should be taught in every 5th grade class in America."
(see
page 59 A Time of Departing)
"If
the New Age can reform society rather than just adversely challenge
it then it can be extremely holy and desperately needed."
Further
Along the Road Less Traveled
"Since the
unconscious is God all along, we may further define the goal
of spiritual growth to be the attainment of godhood by the conscious
self"
"Truth in
religion is characterized by inclusivity and paradox. Falsity
in religion can be detected by its one-sidedness and failure
to integrate the whole."
from A Different Drum
