"Teaching The Great Courses has been one of the best academic adventures of my life."

Mark W. Muesse

Ph.D., Harvard University

Rhodes College

Dr. Mark W. Muesse is W. J. Millard Professor of Religious Studies, Director of the Asian Studies Program, and Director of the Life: Then and Now Program at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee. He earned a B.A., summa cum laude, in English Literature from Baylor University and a Master of Theological Studies, a Master of Arts, and a Ph.D. in the Study of Religion from Harvard University.

Before taking his position at Rhodes, Professor Muesse held positions at Harvard College, Harvard Divinity School, and the University of Southern Maine, where he served as Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

He is a recipient of the 2008 Clarence Day Award for Outstanding Teaching, Rhodes College's highest faculty honor. Known for his experiential teaching style, Professor Muesse was honored for his "effective use of imaginative and creative pedagogy" as well as his ability to motivate his students toward lifelong study.

Professor Muesse has written many articles, papers, and reviews in world religions, spirituality, theology, and gender studies and has coedited a collection of essays titled Redeeming Men: Religion and Masculinities. He is currently compiling an anthology of prayers from around the world.

Professor Muesse is a member of the American Academy of Religion and the Society for Indian Philosophy and Religion and has been Visiting Professor at the Tamilnadu Theological Seminary in Madurai, India. He has traveled extensively throughout Asia and has studied at Wat Mahadhatu, Bangkok, Thailand; the Himalayan Yogic Institute, Kathmandu, Nepal; the Subodhi Institute of Integral Education, Sri Lanka; and Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey.

Save Up To $185	Practicing Mindfulness: An Introduction to Meditation Professor Mark W. Muesse Learn how to better live in harmony with the realities of the world and to feel more deeply connected to the whole of life with Practicing Mindfulness: An Introduction to Meditation. In these 24 lectures, award-winning Professor Mark W. Muesse gives you a clear and useable understanding of the essence of meditation and how to practice it. You'll learn the principles and techniques of sitting meditation; the related practice of walking meditation; the highly beneficial use of meditative awareness in activities such as eating and driving; and much more.

	Great World Religions, 2nd Edition: All 5 Religions (Set) Professor Mark W. Muesse Join five top college professors in this all-new version of Great World Religions, an authoritative, informative, and up-to-date survey of the history and nature of the world's five major faiths: Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism. How are these religions alike? How are they dissimilar? What issues are most meaningful to each religion's adherents? This 60-lecture tour does more than just enhance your knowledge of these major faiths; it enables you to view religion in its totality as a unified, integrated human activity.

	Confucius, Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad Professor Mark W. Muesse Discover new perspectives on the moral and spiritual precepts on which much of human civilization is built with Confucius, Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad. Award-winning Professor Mark W. Muesse takes you deep inside the life stories and legacies of these four iconic figures. He reveals their core teachings and sheds new light on the history that underlies their phenomenal, enduring impact on how we see and think about the world. These 36 lectures are a rare chance to examine the still-living wisdom of four great, visionary sages.

Save Up To $205	Religions of the Axial Age: An Approach to the World's Religions Professor Mark W. Muesse What could the beliefs and traditions of a Zoroastrian, a person of Jewish faith, a Buddhist, a follower of Confucius, and a Christian have in common? How do religions evolve over time? Religions of the Axial Age offers a rare opportunity to relate your own spiritual questions to a variety of ancient quests for meaning and transcendence. Professor Mark W. Muesse shows you the historical conditions in which the world religions arose, while letting you see how they answered shared metaphysical and human dilemmas.

	Great World Religions: Hinduism Professor Mark W. Muesse Great World Religions: Hinduism provides you with an engaging window into the roots of a faith that is perhaps the most diverse of all, and which rejects the notion that there is one path to the divine. Over the course of Hinduism's 5,000-year journey, you'll explore the pantheon of Hindu gods and goddesses; the sacred writings in the Vedas, the Bhagavad-gita, and the Upanishads; the Aryan language of Sanskrit; and much more. As you move chronologically through Hinduism's history—from its earliest precursors to its classical manifestations to its responses to the modern era—you continually place salient aspects of Hindu life and worship in historical and theological framework. The result is an engaging and comprehensive look at the world's oldest living religious tradition.

	Comparative Religion & Great World Religions, 2nd Edition (Set) Professor Mark W. Muesse Master the beliefs, practices, and importance of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism. Comparative Religion is your chance to grasp how these five great religions address the same core issues in parallel and different ways. Great World Religions, 2nd Edition, is an encyclopedic examination of the vibrant heart of each of these five faiths.

	Buddhism & Practicing Mindfulness: An Introduction to Meditation (Set) Professor Mark W. Muesse Trace the history, principles, and evolution of a major religion, and learn the skills of meditation to bring its empowering benefits to every area of your life. In Buddhism, see how a tiny religious community in northern India expanded into a movement that now spans the globe. And in Practicing Mindfulness: An Introduction to Meditation, get a clear understanding of the principles and benefits of meditation and how to practice it.

	The Spiritual Brain: Science and Religious Experience & Practicing Mindfulness: An Introduction to Meditation (Set) Professor Mark W. Muesse Investigate the mind’s connection with and need for spirituality in this thought-provoking course duo. First, in Practicing Mindfulness: An Introduction to Meditation, you’ll encounter a clear understanding of the essence of meditation and how to practice it to live in better harmony with the world. Then, in The Spiritual Brain: Science and Religious Experience, you’ll explore the neuroscientific basis for why religion and spirituality have played such a prominent role in human life.

	Practicing Mindfulness: An Introduction to Meditation & Confucius, Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad (Set) Professor Mark W. Muesse Explore new ways to live in harmony with the world, both in thought and in practice, with this illuminating two-course set. In Practicing Mindfulness: An Introduction to Meditation, get a clear and useable understanding of the essence of meditation and the various ways you can practice it. And in Confucius, Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad, learn about the core teachings, thoughts, and legacies of these four iconic spiritual leaders.

	Practicing Mindfulness: An Introduction to Meditation & Great Minds of the Eastern Intellectual Tradition (Set) Professor Mark W. Muesse Explore new ways to live in harmony with the world, both in thought and in practice, with this illuminating two-course set. In Practicing Mindfulness: An Introduction to Meditation get a clear and useable understanding of the essence of meditation and how to practice it. Then, get a pointed introduction to the lives and ideas of the Buddha, Confucius, Gandhi, and others in Great Minds of the Eastern Intellectual Tradition.

	Practicing Mindfulness: An Introduction to Meditation & Stress and Your Body (Set) Professor Mark W. Muesse Discover the harmful consequences of stress and learn how you can reduce it, enhance your sense of well-being, and sharpen your mental abilities with this two-course set by two master teachers: Practicing Mindfulness: An Introduction to Meditation and Stress and Your Body.

	The Science of Natural Healing & Practicing Mindfulness: An Introduction to Meditation (Set) Professor Mark W. Muesse Learn how to nurture your optimal health—mind, body, and spirit—with this powerful two-course set. First, in Practicing Mindfulness: An Introduction to Meditation, you’ll get a clear understanding of the essence of meditation and how to practice it. And in The Science of Natural Healing, a board-certified cardiologist leads you in a compelling and practical investigation of holistic approaches to healthcare, including many nature-based treatments and methods that are both clinically proven and readily available.

	Confucius, Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad & Great World Religions, 2nd Edition (Set) Professor Mark W. Muesse Illuminate your understanding of four spiritual teachers and five major world faiths with this comprehensive two-course set. First, discover new perspectives on the moral and spiritual precepts on which much of human civilization is built with Confucius, Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad. Then, investigate the history and nature of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism in Great World Religions, 2nd Edition.

	Confucius, Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad & Religions of the Axial Age (Set) Professor Mark W. Muesse Join award-winning Professor Mark W. Muesse as he reveals penetrating insights into early religions and four great spiritual teachers. In Confucius, Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad, he takes you deep into the life stories, teachings, and legacies of these four iconic figures. In Religions of the Axial Age: An Approach to the World's Religions, he shows you the historical conditions in which early world religions arose, while letting you see how they answered shared metaphysical and human dilemmas.

	Confucius, Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad & Exploring the Roots of Religion (Set) Professor Mark W. Muesse Illuminate your understanding of spirituality with these two courses on great religious leaders and the fascinating remains of the world's earliest religions. In Confucius, Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad, examine the core teachings and thoughts of each of these four iconic individuals. And in Exploring the Roots of Religion, join an archaeologist on an exploration of sacred buildings, complexes, and artwork that have provided us with unparalleled knowledge about early spiritual practices.

	Cultural Literacy for Religion: Everything the Well-Educated Person Should Know & Confucius, Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad (Set) Professor Mark W. Muesse Get a comprehensive knowledge of the world’s religions, both large and small, in this intriguing two-course set. First, in Cultural Literacy for Religion: Everything the Well-Educated Person Should Know, learn the basic teachings, symbols, practices, founders, institutions, and values of the world’s religious traditions. Then, in Confucius, Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad, discover new perspectives on the moral and spiritual precepts, as taught by these four visionary sages, on which much of human civilization is built.

	Four Great Courses, One Amazingly Low Price!!! Professor Mark W. Muesse Not sure which Great Course you want to order? Then order them all! For a limited time only, you can get Practicing Mindfulness; The Everyday Guide to Wine; Building Great Sentences; and The World's Greatest Paintings in a single four-course set for one amazingly low price! This special offer is the perfect way to sample some of the fascinating subjects, engaging professors, and profound insights you can find only from The Great Courses.

	Understanding the East (Set) Professor Mark W. Muesse Explore the philosophy, religions, and practices of the East in this four-course set that gives you a new perspective on some of life’s most profound questions. First, in Great Minds of the Eastern Intellectual Tradition, see how great Eastern philosophers came up with wholly different ways of approaching, understanding, and solving the same fundamental questions that concerned the West's greatest thinkers. Next, in The Meaning of Life: Perspectives from the World’s Great Intellectual Traditions, embark on a rigorous and wide-ranging exploration of what various spiritual, religious, and philosophical traditions from both the East and the West have contributed to the question of the meaning of life. Then, in Practicing Mindfulness: An Introduction to Meditation, get a clear understanding of the principles and benefits of meditation and how to practice it. Finally, in Confucius, Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad, discover new perspectives on the moral and spiritual precepts, as taught by these four visionary sages, on which much of human civilization is built.

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Mark W. Muesse