Huston Remembered by his Friends

Our beloved Huston Smith, who has enriched the lives of countless souls, left us for the Greater Life December 2016 after many years in bed, before the Threshold. On April 1, a memorial service was held at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, celebrating his life of giving to us all. Many will remember Huston from his PBS series with Bill Moyers, or from his books, starting with the Religions of Man. But there were also many friends who learned not just from his inspiring writings, but from his presence as a luminous being. This volume brings together, on the occasion of his memorial service, reflections and tributes of all kinds; some are from family and close friends, others are from students and associates; many are from such well known authors as Wendell Berry and Pico Iyer. But what all of these contributions do is to present a further and even deeper teaching which Huston left in all of our hearts – the teaching of the way to be and the way to die. Reading these recollections about so great a personage as Huston gives one guidance on how to actually live a more noble and beauteous life. When one reads about these qualities of being which everyone loved so much in Huston, one recognizes greater possibilities for one’s own being. The Chair of the Parliament of the World’s Religions Board of Trustees heard Huston speak at a congress in Canada in 2006. Robert Sellers “With a gentle demeanor and voice projection dimmed by age, he still had no trouble holding the audience spellbound. At the conclusion of the session, I rushed to the platform to meet him, and rather than tower above this seated and frail world religions giant, I knelt beside his chair, took his hand, and said, ‘Dr. Smith, you are one of my heroes.’ Without pausing, he smiled and replied, ‘And if I knew you I’m sure that you would be one of my heroes too!’”