- be able to login to your account and access the online course page under the membership tab in your account dashboard. Or access the course page here.
- be emailed information regarding how to access the eBook
- receive further instruction on claiming CME credit
-
With the purchase of AMI’s new online meditation course you will receive a FREE eBook of Leonard’s award-winning The Heart and Science of Yoga®. Once you purchase the course, you will:
-
With the purchase of AMI’s new online meditation course you will receive a FREE eBook of Leonard’s award-winning The Heart and Science of Yoga®. Once you purchase the course, you will:
- be able to login to your account and access the online course page under the membership tab in your account dashboard. Or access the course page here.
- be emailed information regarding how to access the eBook
-
Contains 50 Remedies 1/2 Dram Vials: Aconitum Napellus Allium Cepa Antimonium Tartaricum Apis Mellifica Argentum Nitricum Arnica Montana Arsenicum Album Belladonna Bryonia Alba Calcarea Carbonica Calcarea Phosphorica Calendula Officinalis Cantharis Carbo Vegetabilis Caulophyllum Thalictroides Causticum Chamomilla Cinchona Officinalis Cocculus Indicus Coffea Cruda colocynthis Euphrasia Officinalis Ferrum Phosphoricum Gelsemium Sempervirens Glonoinum Hepar Sulphuris Calcareum Hypericum Perforatum Ignatia Amara Ipecacuanha kali Bichromicum Lachesis Mutus Ledum Palustre Lycopodium Clavatum Magnesia Phosphorica Mercurius Vivus Natrum Muriaticum Nux Vomica Phosphorus Phytolacca Decandra Pulsatilla pyrogenium Rhus Toxicodendron Ruta Graveolens Sepia Silicea Spongia Tosta Staphysagria Sulphur Symphytum Officinale Thuja Occ -
AMI Membership Levels
Individual: $95 Family: $125 Sponsor: $126 – $499 Patron: $500 – $999 Benefactor: $1,000 or more
AMI Membership Benefits
- 10% DISCOUNT* on all classes and book store purchases (*may not be combined with any other discount & does not apply to retreats or conferences)
- Use of the AMI library of books and video tape lectures
- FREE Subscription to Transformation
- FREE Mother Earth Cortez poster by JENNESS CORTEZ Measuring 24 3/4 by 18 inches on heavy art paper
- FREE lifetime support
- FREE spiritual support
-
Out of stockThe present volume provides a learned commentary on the second chapter of the Yoga-Sutra. From a traditional perspective, it is as original, broad, bold, and awe inspiring a commentary as Vijnanabhikshu's 16th century Yoga-Varttika. The second chapter of the Yoga-sutra contains the core of Patanjali's philosophical and metapsychological framework, and it also defines both the components of kriya-yoga and the first five components of the eight limbed Ashtanga-Yoga.
-
Anatomy of Hatha Yoga—revised and updated with full color illustrations and photos—is the most comprehensive and authoritative work available correlating the study of hatha yoga with anatomy and physiology. It is a must-have for anyone who is serious about studying or teaching yoga, and an invaluable resource for anyone in a field relating to physical conditioning. The author holds a PhD in Anatomy and was a sought-after professor, teacher and yoga practitioner for over thirty years.
-
This collection of the timeless teachings of one of the greatest sages of India, Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, is a testament to the uniqueness of the seer's life and work and is regarded by many as a modern spiritual classic. I Am That (first published in 1973) continues to draw new audiences and to enlighten seekers anxious for self-realization. Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj was a teacher who did not propound any ideology or religion, but gently unwrapped the mystery of the self. His message was simple, direct, and sublime. I Am That preserves his dialogs with the followers who came from around the world seeking guidance in destroying false identities. The sage's sole concern was with the human suffering and the ending of suffering.
-
A natural moisturizer. Has a magical effect on chronic skin conditions. Its antiseptic and analgestic properties help to heal wounds, psoriasis, dandruff, acne and eczema. Apply a few drops of Neem Oil on the affected areas. Contains neem, Brahmi, Basil, Camphor and essential oil of Sandalwood and Rose. 8 Oz.
-
This second volume of Swami Nijananda's Commentary on Trustful Surrender to Divine Providence, is a reflection on the writings of Blessed Claude de la Colombiere, S.J.. This volume continues the discussion of the belief that "nothing happens to us in life unless God wills it so." Swami Nijananda leads an illustrious discussion of a process that turns stumbling blocks into stepping stones.
-
The American Meditation Institute's Self-Care Program for a Happy, Healthy, Joyful Life The Heart and Science of Yoga® (2nd Edition - Revised and Expanded) is both the record of a personal journey and a transformational teaching. You'll find easy-to-learn meditations, prayers, teaching stories from the world's great spiritual traditions, breathing practices, a user's guide for the mind, techniques for accessing intuitive wisdom, an introduction to ancient Ayurvedic health principles and a holistic program of easy, gentle exercise. Whether you are a beginner or a long-time student, Leonard provides loving support and valuable insights to advance your understanding, deepen your practice and nurture your Self-transformation. The Heart and Science of Yoga® is the perfect companion and guide on the greatest adventure you will ever have -- your personal journey to a happy, healthy and joyful life.
-
In this collection of first-person accounts, doctor and author Siegel (Love, Medicine, and Miracles) brings together almost three dozen cancer patients (or close relations of) to share their stories and the lessons they've learned. Many entries tackle the moment of diagnosis (the first, from survivor Angela Passidomo Trafford, opens with the line, "How many times do I have to have cancer?!"), while others pick up at the moment the diagnosis first hits home; still others focus on the end, like Ann Martin Bowler, whose sick brother passed days after a reinvigorating near-death experience. Lynn Zeller contributes a list of the "eight practices" she discovered through cancer that have led to a "wonderfully expanded experience of life" (including a focus on gratitude, mindfulness, and the idea that the universe "is in a conspiracy for my good"); Edwina Ford focuses on her afflicted husband's admiration, and efforts on behalf, of Lance Armstrong's post-surgery Tour de France comeback. For each piece, Siegel provides a reflection and a moral ("Life's difficulties are what teach us to grow") that clarify and encourage. Anyone struggling with cancer will find many relatable voices and, in Siegel, a compassionate expert commentator.
-
Out of stockIt's no wonder that The Power of Now has sold over 2 million copies worldwide and has been translated into over 30 foreign languages. Much more than simple principles and platitudes, the book takes readers on an inspiring spiritual journey to find their true and deepest self and reach the ultimate in personal growth and spirituality: the discovery of truth and light. In the first chapter, Tolle introduces readers to enlightenment and its natural enemy, the mind. He awakens readers to their role as a creator of pain and shows them how to have a pain-free identity by living fully in the present. The journey is thrilling, and along the way, the author shows how to connect to the indestructible essence of our Being, "the eternal, ever-present One Life beyond the myriad forms of life that are subject to birth and death." Featuring a new preface by the author, this paperback shows that only after regaining awareness of Being, liberated from Mind and intensely in the Now, is there Enlightenment.
-
Ayurvedic Healing presents the Ayurvedic treatment of common diseases, covering over eighty different ailments from the common cold to cancer. It provides a full range of treatment methods including diet, herbs, oils, gems, mantra and meditation. The book also shows the appropriate life-style practices and daily health considerations for your unique mind-body type both as an aid to disease treatment and for disease prevention. This extraordinary book is a complete manual of Ayurvedic health care that offers the wisdom of this ancient system of mind-body medicine to the modern reader relative to our special health concerns today. The present edition is a revised and expanded version of the original 1989 edition, covering additional diseases and adding new treatments.
-
Ayurveda Secrets of Healing is the most complete offering of the original cleansing and rejuvenative therapies of Pancha Karma, first taught and practiced by the ancient Vedic seers. In this definitive work, Maya Tiwari is the first author to reveal this sophisticated and timeless healing process in a way which is both comprehensive and readily adaptable to modern western culture. This book .." will be of immense value to health professionals as well as those who are interested in healing themselves," says Dr. Deepak Chopra, M.D.
-
Sixteen lively essays illuminate different aspects of the spiritual journey. The introduction presents the author as a “travel agent” on a journey to the spiritual world within us. The essays are metaphorical travel brochures, invitations to take the plunge into self-discovery through the adventure of meditation. Edited from his extemporaneous talks, this inspiring collection of essays gives the flavor of hearing this great spiritual teacher and storyteller in person. Easwaran successfully combines his Eastern and Western wisdom, which includes a thorough knowledge of English literature, into an eight-point program usable by followers of all religious traditions.
-
To understand death, a person must try to understand the purpose of life and the relationship between life and death. The two are partners, each providing a context for the other. Death is not a period, but merely a pause on a long journey. When life and death are accepted as having real meaning and purpose, and death is understood and accepted as part of the human journey, then the fear of death disappears and life can be lived fully. This book is about the relationship between life and death, and the 'how and why' of organizing one's life in a way that leads to expansion and growth, and that is helpful in preparing for the transition we call death.
-
Eknath Easwaran is a foremost translator and interpreter of the much-loved Indian scripture, the Bhagavad Gita. In this verse-by-verse commentary on the Gita, Easwaran translates each verse, relates it to our modern lives through stories and anecdotes, and gives us spiritual exercises that we can use every day. This second volume in a three-volume set covers chapters 7 – 12 of the Gita, and builds a bridge between scientific knowledge and spiritual wisdom by showing the indivisible unity governing all creation.
-
Eknath Easwaran is a foremost translator and interpreter of the much-loved Indian scripture, the Bhagavad Gita. He liked to say that his verse-by-verse commentary grew like a tree issuing directly from his life, which was so rooted in the Gita that he found a deep understanding of its teachings in the most everyday experiences – sharing a treat with young children, walking with friends down a busy street, or watching a mime in San Francisco’s Union Square. Easwaran translates each verse, relates it to our modern lives through stories and anecdotes, and gives us spiritual exercises that we can use every day. This first volume in a three-volume set covers chapters 1–6 of the Gita, and concentrates on the individual: the nature of our innermost Self, how it can be discovered in the depths of consciousness, and how this discovery transforms daily life. The introduction includes instructions in Easwaran’s universal method of passage meditation.
-
Swami Nijananda's Commentary on Trustful Surrender to Divine Providence Volume I, by Father Jean Baptiste Saint-Jure, is the first volume of lectures to be published. Many of his students felt these lectures were of value to them long after the lecture series ended. This volume explains and illuminates the essential message of Christianity. "In every circumstance, without exception," says Swami Nijananda, surrender to the Lord is the crucial thing...It is your task to harmonize yourself with what the Lord has ordained and not the other way around." This book provides the guidance to orient oneself spiritually in any situation the world presents, however tragic.
-
Ayurveda and the Mind is perhaps the first book published in the West that explores specifically the psychological aspect of this great system. The book explores how to heal our minds on all levels from the subconscious to the superconscious, along with the role of diet, impressions, mantra, meditation, yoga and many other methods to create wholeness. Dr. Frawley has once again demonstrated his unique talent of digesting ancient Vedic knowledge and feeding us this understanding which nourishes our body, mind and soul.
-
The Heart and Science of Yoga™ is both the record of a personal journey and a transformational teaching. You'll find easy-to-learn meditations, prayers, teaching stories from the world's great spiritual traditions, breathing practices, a user's guide for the mind, techniques for accessing intuitive wisdom, an introduction to ancient Ayurvedic health principles and a holistic program of easy, gentle exercise. Whether you are a beginner or a long-time student, Leonard provides loving support and valuable insights to advance your understanding, deepen your practice and nurture your Self-transformation. The Heart and Science of Yoga™ is the perfect companion and guide on the greatest adventure you will ever have -- your personal journey to peace, happiness and freedom from fear.
-
Description: To Soothe and Cool: Pure Oils, Ayuvedic Herbs, Plant and Flower Extracts gently soothe sensitive skin. Aids in cooling body temperature and powerful therapeutic aromas help to comfort. Ingredients/Includes: Ingredients: Sweet Almond Oil, Sunflower Oil, Camomile, Rose, Vetivert, Brahmi, Nagarmotta. No Chemicals or Preservatives are added. Instructions: Directions: Use as a massage oil in bath water to soften skin or after bath or shower as an all-over moisturizer to protect the skin. Can be used on the face to massage pressure points.
-
Directions: Use as a massage oil in bath water to soften skin or after bath or shower as an all-over moisturizer to protect the skin. Can be used on the face to massage pressure points. Ingredients: Sweet Almond Oil Safflower Oil Clove Lavender Sage Basil Brahmi Shatavari Ashwagandha. No chemicals or preservatives are added. Supplemental Facts: To Energize and Warm: Pure Oils Ayurvedic Herbs Plant and Delicate Flower Extracts stimulate lackluster temperaments without irritation. Aids in warming body temperatures and powerful therapeutic aromas help to energize.
-
In The Warrior Sage, Dr. Phil Nuernberger carefully examines the conventional theories, revered dogmas, and cultural formats regarding the human potential that are held in high regard by scientists, religionists, the business realm, and the public. Leaving no major paradigm unexamined, he illustrates the inadequacy of our cultural biases that have held society in its throes and provoked the social conditions that face us today. Then he offers a new idea.
-
A daily guide and reminder of who we are, where we have come from and what our purpose in life is. The calendar includess 366 exquisite full color photographs that echo the divine nature of Swamiji's inspiring sayings gathered from his many books and lectures. Convenient, portable size and self standing spiral frame to fit easily on your desktop or table.
-
The Bhagavad Gita is the fountainhead of Eastern psychology, and this new, authoritative translation and commentary is designed to draw out the psychological concepts of this immortal text and make them accesible to all students. The author focuses on the relevance of these principles to today's world and explains their practical application in daily life. The author shows how each of the eighteen chapters of the Bhagavad Gita constitutes a separate lesson in truth and life. Each chapter describes a different aspect of the process of Self-realization, and the practices themselves progress toward the goal of life.
-
The latest tape by Robert Gass and his On Wings of Song Choir is a reworking of the well-known devotional Sanskrit chant "Shri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram." Side one, subtitled "Serenity," features the primarily female voices of the choir gently singing the mantra to a simple two-chord melody, with layered counterpoint and the accompaniment of acoustic guitar. Side two, "Dance of Joy," adds sitar and, after a while, tabla, building to a lively and celebratory climax, resolving back into the soft lilting version of the chant that characterized the first side. Like their ever-popular earlier tape Om Namah Shivaya, The On Wings of Song Choir have reinterpreted this traditional Hindu chant in a way that is easily accessiblto Western listeners, who can use it for relaxation, meditation or singing along. ~ BackroadsMusic/Heartbeats
-
Out of stockIn each piece, Eknath Easwaran selects one of India's traditional thousand names of God and shows its universal significance: that these are not only names of God, but also aspects of the spark of divinity within us.
-
In this extraordinary account of his spiritual adventures, the author presents his encounters with Mahatma Gandhi, Sri Aurobindo, Rabindranath Tagore, a lady sage who never slept, and many other Himalayan masters. The author spent eleven months in a cave monastery and traveled to study in Tibet with his grandmaster. He author honors this spiritual teacher as a stream and a channel of wisdom. He modeled selflessness, fearlessness, faith, and determination as prerequisites for enlightenment. Swami Rama also writes about his experiences on the path of renunciation, which he calls "a razor's edge." He ponders the rich meanings of humility, conquering fear, trusting in divine protection, developing the powers of the mind, and casting off the body in death. One of the best examples of Swami Rama's humanity is conveyed in a brief chapter where he humorously tells of being mistaken as a ghost while meditating in a cemetery.
-
For the cleansing and moisturizing of nasal passage according to the traditional practice of Neti
- Clear the nasal passages
- Remove excess mucus
- Reduce dust and pollen by cleansing nasal passage
- Relieve nasal dryness
- Heavy-duty construction dishwasher safe
-
Chosen for their universal spiritual appeal, literary merit, and recognized wisdom, these selections are perfect subjects for meditation and daily inspirational reading. Drawing from Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, and Native American sacred literature, this expanded third edition serves as a useful reference and guide to world mysticism. Included are Easwaran's criteria for choosing personally transformative passages, tips on memorization, and suggestions for further reading.
-
A decade ago, Deepak Chopra, M.D., wrote Perfect Health, the first practical guide to harnessing the healing power of the mind, which became a national bestseller. The book described how breakthroughs in physics and medicine were underscoring the validity of a 5,000-year-old medical system from ancient India known as Ayurveda ("the knowledge of life span" in Sanskrit). Perfect Health went on to describe how to apply the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda to everyday life. In celebration of this classic work we have created this new edition, revised and updated to include the latest medical research. Although we experience our bodies as solid, they are in fact more like fires that are constantly being consumed and renewed. We grow new stomach linings every five days, for instance. Our skin is new every five weeks. Each year, fully 98 percent of the total number of atoms in our bodies is replaced. Ayurveda gives us the tools to intervene at this quantum level, where we are being created anew each day. Ayurveda tells us that freedom from sickness depends on contacting our own awareness, bringing it into balance, and then extending that balance to the body. Perfect Health provides a complete step-by-step program of mind body medicine tailored to individual needs. A quiz identifies the reader's mind body type: thin, restless Vata; enterprising, efficient Pitta; tranquil, steady Kapha; or any combination of these three. This body type becomes the basis for a specific Ayurvedic program of diet, stress reduction, neuromuscular integration, exercise, and daily routines. The result is a total plan, tailor-made for each individual, to reestablish the body's essential balance with nature; to strengthen the mind body connection; and to use the power of quantum healing to transcend the ordinary limitations of disease and aging--in short, for achieving Perfect Health.
-
At the Feet of a Himalayan Master unfolds the secrets of personal sadhana and direct contact with a great guru that are rare to find in any published literature, and with contemporary and western disciples facing the modern world and all of its limitations. The book helps us understand the many facets and real nature of genuine spiritual practice in the Himalayan tradition and how it can transform the mind and heart.
-
Tantric Yoga and the Wisdom Goddesses is an excellent introduction to the essence of Hindu Tantrism. The author discusses all the major concepts and offers valuable corrections for many existing misconceptions. He also introduces the reader to the core Tantric practices of meditation and mantra recitation, focusing on the ten Wisdom Goddesses" states Georg Feuerstein.
-
This warmly encouraging collection of daily readings offers immediate inspiration for readers seeking a more spiritually grounded lifestyle. Each reading is based on a quotation from one of the world’s great philosophers, poets, saints, and sages. Augustine and Einstein, Emily Dickinson and Jalaladdin Rumi, Biblical verses, Buddhist sutras, Hasidic proverbs, and Hindu Upanishads can all be found here. Each quote is accompanied by a commentary from Easwaran, explaining how the wisdom of the ages can help us here and now. Some days offer gentle reminders to slow down and be mindful. Other days give advice for changing an unwanted habit, mending a relationship, staying strong in hard times, or striving toward the peaks of spirituality described in all religions. This is a book to read in the morning to start the day right, or at night to prepare for peaceful rest. Each day, each year, brings fresh insights and inspiration.
-
Out of stockA Duet of One is a translation and interpretation of the most touchingly beautiful of all the Advaitic texts. It provides us with an illuminating and in-depth look at the nature of duality and dualism. In this book Ramesh reveals himself as a spiritual Master for the modern age. His insightful commentary unlocks the beauty and the mystery in this ancient text. He points us to the Understanding that is the true nature of us all.
-
Out of stock"Stress is not a necessary part of life", says Dr. Phil Nuernberger. Stress arises when we let fear and self-doubt control our thoughts and actions. He then shows us how to take charge of the powers of our mind, addresses the roots of our fears, and offers real, workable solutions to the epidemic of stress in the world today.
-
This splendid, updated version of an earlier collection offers 22 essays, written mostly by women and by a few men from diverse religious traditions and professional specialities, that explore connections between spirituality and a wide variety of other topics: self-image, health, nature, psychology, freedom, sex, relationships, marriage, motherhood, food, creativity, art, scriptures, prophecy, prayer, renunciation, and suffering. The essays, updated by the authors and including eight that are brand new, are exploratory, thought-provoking, and inspiring.
-
Kirtan has recently arrived in the West, carried by brilliant singers and musicians, creating a new musical movement that turned yogic chanting into a cultural phenomenon. This book interviews eight of America s top Kirtan singers, Krishna Das, Deva Premal, Bhagavan Das, Snatam Kaur, Ragani, Jai Uttal, Dave Stringer, Wah.
-
The Hatha Yoga Pradipika is a classical text describing Hatha Yoga. It is said to be the oldest surviving text on Hatha Yoga. Swami Swatmarama, a disciple of Swami Goraknath, wrote the text in the 15th century CE, drawing upon previous texts and his own experiences. While the text describes asanas (postures), purifying practices (shatkarma), mudras (finger and hand positions), bandhas (locks), and pranayama (breath exercises), it also explains that the purpose of Hatha Yoga is the awakening of kundalini (subtle energy), advancement to Raja Yoga, and the experience of deep meditative absorption known as samadhi.
-
This special book is a set of inspirational teachings in poetic verse and prose of the major spiritual knowledge of the Himalayan yoga meditation tradition. "The Light of Ten Thousand Suns" is also the autobiography of Swami Veda Bharati, who allows us an intimate look into his own path of learning, teaching, and commitment to his Master.
-
In classic of patient empowerment, Peace, Love & Healing offered the revolutionary message that we have an innate ability to heal ourselves. Now proven by numerous scientific studies, the connection between our minds and our bodies has been increasingly accepted as fact throughout the mainstream medical community. In a new introduction, Dr. Bernie Siegel highlights current research on the relationships among consciousness, psychosocial factors, attitude and immune function.
-
The Key to Unlock Limitless Wisdom and Creativity and Solve All of Life's Challenges by Leonard Perlmutter (Ram Lev) Your Conscience is a clear, concise, and logical introduction to how your mind works. This short, powerful book is the perfect entry point for readers who want to live a more fulfilling and healthy life. Using everyday language, Your Conscience illuminates the truth that the wisdom and creativity we seek is already within us. We just need the right tools to access it. Your Conscience presents a simple explanation of The Four Functions of the Mind: senses, ego, unconscious, and the Conscience. Readers are taught how, and why, to coordinate these four functions to live the joyful life we all long for. By employing this practical knowledge, readers can realize immediate benefits through simple, empowering experiments offered at the end of the book. These include food choices, focusing attention, easy breathing exercises, preparing for sleep, telling the truth, and strengthening relationships: experiments that teach beginners how to rely on the Conscience for every decision, in every relationship. Wisdom, creativity, love, joy, and good health will inevitably follow. This timely book describes our Conscience as the key to unlock our own brilliant insight. No one is excluded from the fulfillment of this promise. We only need the guidance of a loving teacher. Leonard Perlmutter is that teacher, and he has offered each of us a very practical gift through Your Conscience.
-
The Rig Veda is not only one of the oldest sacred scriptures of the world, but also one of the most misunderstood. Past scholarship has dismissed the hymns of the Rig Veda as being expressions of a primitive animistic mentality that only rarely rose to true spiritual and philosophical heights. David Frawley's book demonstrates that this judgmental view is ill-founded. His fine renderings of select Vedic hymns bear witness to the fact that their composers were sages and seers--powerful poets who knew the art of symbolic and metaphoric communication. The Vedic hymns give us a unique glimpse not into a primitive mentality but a mentality and culture that revolved around the highest spirtual values and visions. This is an important and riveting book, ushering in a new and sounder tradition of Vedic interpretation and scholarship.
-
Out of stockThis very readable, yet scholarly book, takes us to the temples, jungles, and cities of India to reveal a continuous stream of Goddess spiritualitythat is unbroken for most of human history. "The Living Goddess" also offers a vision of what our own Goddess heritage in the West must have been, revealing how much we lost when humans turned away from the Divine Female.
-
For the first time the science of mantra is made understandable for the modern Western reader. The most common misconceptions regarding meditation and the use of mantra are explained clearly and often humorously. This comprehensive book covers the science of mantra from all angles, including linguistics, history, psychology, science, philosophy, and religion
-
As we learn to rejoice in “Lord God, thou holy lover of my soul,” we begin to glimpse the transformative power of divine love in our lives. In this anecdotal, warm, and intensely practical commentary on Thomas a Kempis’s Imitation of Christ, Easwaran examines this enduring Christian passage line by line to show us what love is and how to overcome obstacles to loving more fully.
-
Using exhilarating quotes from numerous Christian mystics, Easwaran focuses on the idea of "original goodness," the spark of divinity that is every individual's birthright, regardless of personal assets or liabilities. The spiritual resources everyone needs love, compassion, meaning, hope, freedom from fear are already there, ready to be uncovered. Original Goodness includes instructions on how to meditate, and how to apply the power and insights of meditation to everyday life. Original Goodness is part of a three-volume series, Classics of Christian Inspiration, which collects the best writing of Eknath Easwaran on well-loved and inspiring passages and mystics in the Christian tradition.