“The West’s modern encounter with the East, particularly in the religious domain, was one of the most momentous events of our time…[yet] despite the many distinguished studies in the field, there [is] a certain gap which might usefully be filled.” With these words, the author of Journeys East, Harry Oldmeadow, begins to fill that gap. If we accept, as the author does, “that Eastern religious traditions, even today and despite the ravages of modernization, are custodians of a wisdom of which the West stands in the most urgent need,” then this book traces for us how and when that wisdom has had an impact on modern Western thought and spirituality in a stunning variety of ways.

In short, Journeys East presents readers with a sweeping view of events and people that have contributed and are still contributing much to the assimilation of Eastern ideas into modern Western thought. Oldmeadow moves quickly through the history of Western engagements with Eastern traditions, looks at Eastern influences on Western thought, and concludes with some observations on cross-cultural religious understanding and the inner unity of religions. The two concluding chapters offer important keys that can not only help us to recognize the spirit of the East in current Western ideas, but also to unlock its expansive and timeless secrets within our own intellectual and spiritual lives.

Professor Harry Oldmeadow is currently the Coordinator of Philosophy and Religious Studies at La Trobe University in Bendigo, Australia. Over the last decade he has published extensively in such journals as Sacred Web, Sophia, and Asian Philosophy.