The 10 most famous world spiritual leaders

Some representatives of science also appear – which reflects that in the West mind and spirit seem to be making peace, for example the brilliant English Anglican biochemist, Rupert Sheldrake (65)

(yesaturnino rodriguez).- They are the 10 greatest spiritual leaders of today according to Watkins magazine which publishes its list of the hundred most spiritually influential people in the world this year.

Watkins Mind Body Spirit (formerly The Watkins Review) is a quarterly magazine from London’s oldest esoteric bookstore, distributed to newsstands in the UK, USA, Canada and Australia.

The Mind Body Spirit is a festival which first took place at the Olympia Exhibition Center in London in 1977. It was founded by Graham Wilson. The theme was the relationship between religion, the paranormal, spirituality, natural healing, consciousness and personal growth.

suits warn from the outset that with three exceptions of leaders of recognized prestige such as the Catholic Pope Francis, the Buddhist Dalai Lama and the Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the rest are not part of any of the institutional churches.

As the publication warns, to make this list Three criteria are taken into account: that they are still alive, that they have had a “unique and spiritual” contribution on a global scale and that they are present in the imagination of the people (which is determined through the number of searches carried out with their name in Google, or how many times their profiles are visited in Wikipedia.

It is obvious that this selection of the top 10 places on the Mind Body Spirit list is an essentially eclectic block, including everything from a few institutional church leaders, to ‘inspirational’ celebrities, including leaders of Tibetan Buddhism, Zen and, of course, a significant dose of New Age.

Beyond evaluating the accuracy or quality of this selection, it seems pertinent to verify that this group represents, to a large extent, contemporary spirituality: an energetic lasagna with ancient influences and a novel synthesis of mystical precepts.

For millennia, and in all cultures, there have been individuals who, for different reasons, attain a certain authority to advise, guide or inspire the spiritual development of their respective society.

And this under the figure of wise men, gurus, shamans, alchemists, healers, astrologers, etc., who by lineage or simple trust, acquire a significant role in the lives of the rest whom they advise and guide, affecting the social, commercial , military, etc

It is worth noting that we make the warning that in this spiritual leadership Both those “esoteric teachers” unrelated to any institutionalized confession are welcomed, as well as prominent members of confessions, communities or churches with an ancient tradition.

One of those attempts to spiritualize society is that of the famous Assisi Interreligious Meetings (Italy), the first of which was convened in 1986 by John Paul II on the occasion of the International Year of Peace convened by the UN.

These meetings, as one of the attending religious leaders said, have the objective of “highlighting the intrinsically spiritual dimension of peace”, in the face of a culture “that tends to relegate the religious phenomenon”.

And also that religious leaders faced their own responsibility that personal and community beliefs “translate into an effective construction of peace”recalling that “religious belonging has often been exploited as an element of conflict”.

Own John Paul II I tried to show that dialogue based on religious experience is possible, without falling into relativism or syncretism.

Also important is the International Conference of Interreligious Dialogue on the eve of the celebration of the famous G8 group (constituted by the United States, France, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and Russia) from July 8 to 10, 2009 in La Aquila, Rome, in which the 129 representatives of the religions with the greatest implantation in the world advocated in Rome in your document and final message for a new «moral paradigm» to improve the world.

The Catholic Church who was reluctant to other types of previous meetings has been present in these, very much in keeping with his ecumenical spirit.

in the of Rome was represented by Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, as well as Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia, Delegate of the Italian Bishops for Ecumenism and Dialogue, Maria Voce, President of the “Focolare” and Andrea Riccardi, founder of the Sant’Egidio Community, both of a highly ecumenical nature.

In the message sent to them by Pope Benedict XVI said: “I am confident that you will draw the attention of world political leaders to the importance of religions to the social fabric of any society and to the serious duty to ensure that their deliberations and policies support and promote the common good”.

The top ten on the list of 100, which are the ones we highlight here, form an eclectic bloc of institutional leaders from different Christian, Buddhist, Zen and New Age confessions. More than the quality of the selection, it is perceived that we are dealing with a group that represents contemporary spirituality as a whole, which is a mixture of ancient influences and a novel synthesis of mystical precepts.

We do not go into whether they really are the “most spiritually influential people in the world” but we cannot forget that there are thousands of these anonymous “teachers” in the most remote parts of the world who can awaken in us an indelible spiritual or religious impact due to their daily exemplary nature. In day to day. Y This presentation is mainly dedicated to them..

Needless to say, and it is worth emphasizing, that every list carries a good dose of subjectivity, and that all the ‘tops’ or lists of the like, cannot be considered, from any point of view, as definitive. It is an invitation to agree or disagree on whether this list reflects our society.

1. Dalai Lama (Taktser, Tibet, 1935)

The 14th Dalai Lama, a position he has held since 1950, is one of the world’s most popular spiritual leaders and an influential public figure. Tenzin Gyatso, his given name, proposes compassion as an existential principle, and has been an active promoter of his country’s independence from Chinese control.

According to Watkins magazine, the Dalai Lama has made an incredible contribution to world spirituality. Apart from his political ability, Gyatso has been characterized by an admirable openness, favoring ethical principles, over institutional postulates, in the development of his public life.



2. Ekhart Tolle (Lunen, Germany, 1948)

Considered by the New York Times as the most widely read author of spiritual texts in the United States, this German established himself as one of the highest authorities in the field of inner transformation and the awakening of consciousness.

His most famous work alone, The Power of Now, has sold more than five million copies. Tolle has established alliances with other personalities, for example Oprah and Jim Carrey, to spread his teachings.



3. Pope Francis (Buenos Aires, 1936)

This Argentine of Italian descent was a chemical technician when he entered the seminary as a novice of the Society of Jesus.

Ordained a priest in 1969, he was Superior of the Jesuits in Argentina and after his tenure as Rector of the Colegio Máximo and of the Faculty of Philosophy and Theology, he was appointed bishop, archbishop-coadjutor of Buenos Aires and later titular, cardinal in 2001 and in two periods President of the Argentine Episcopal Conference.

He was elected Pope in the Conclave of 2014. Pope Francis has inaugurated a new style of ecclesiastical pastor with gestures consistent with his humble spirit, concerned for the poor and marginalized of different backgrounds and committed to dialogue with people of different origins and creeds.

Abandoning secular and stale Vatican customs, he has fostered direct rapprochement with the population and begins to try to straighten out economic corruption and reform the government of the Catholic Church in the Curia. Featured as Figure of the Year by Time Magazine



4. Thich Nhat Hanh (Thua Thien, Vietnam, 1926)

Zen master, active pacifist, author and lecturer, his work during the conflict between South and North Vietnam earned him a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967 -a nomination proposed by Martin Luther King. He has founded Buddhist monasteries in his homeland, as well as in the United States and France.



5. Rhonda Byrne (Melboune, Australia, 1951)

This Australian writer and television producer rose to fame after producing the film The Secret, a New Age self-help classic that mixes basic principles of ancient mystical traditions, for example the Law of Attraction, and aligns them in a doctrine of contemporary optimism around positive thoughts.

Following the film’s release, Byrne wrote a book on the same subject, which has so far sold more than 19 million copies.

6. Deepak Chopra (New Delhi, 1946)

Guru of alternative medicine (she is even credited with having coined the term ‘quantum healing’) and one of those responsible for introducing the Ayurvedic tradition to mainstream pop.

Chopra has published more than fifty books, writes regularly for various newspapers, including the San Francisco Chronicle and the Washington Post, and is revered by various celebrities who have adopted a healthier lifestyle.

7. Oprah Winfrey (Mississippi, 1954)

Undoubtedly one of the most powerful people in the world, this charismatic television host has positioned herself as an emotional advisor to millions of followers who see her as a moral authority. Additionally, Oprah has consistently promoted the work of various ‘mystical thinkers’, including Ekhart Tolle.

8.Dr Wayne W Dyer (Detroit, 1940)

Psychotherapist and doctor in psychology is an author and lecturer. His followers affectionately nickname him the “father of motivation.” Dyer, who spent her childhood in hospices and orphanages, has become a poster child for self-empowerment.


9. Desmond Tutu (Klerksdorp, South Africa, 1931)

He was the first black South African to be elected and ordained as Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa, and then Primate of the then Church of the Province of Southern Africa. Nobel Peace Prize in 1984.

Tutu gained international fame during the 1980s for his fight against racist Apartheid. He has also distinguished himself for his fight against poverty, homophobia, HIV, and other battles. In 1984 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.



10. Paulo Coelho (Rio de Janeiro, 1947)

Brazilian novelist, playwright and lyricist. He is one of the most widely read writers in the world with more than 150 million books sold in more than 150 countries, translated into 80 languages, achieving success with his greatest work The Alchemist. Since October 2002 he is a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters. He has received outstanding international awards and recognitions.

He is currently a special adviser to UNESCO for the program of spiritual convergence and intercultural dialogues as well as a United Nations Messenger of Peace. Coelho has become a spiritual reference, a counselor, for many people around the world.

draw attention the presence on the list of the controversial Chilean writer Alejandro Jodorowsky (position 14), american painter Alex Gray (15)and Timothy Leary’s original partner who would soon abandon the fight against LSD to devote himself fully to meditation, the American writer Ram Dass (19).

Also Some representatives of science appear – which reflects that in the West mind and spirit seem to be making peace, for example the brilliant English biochemist, Anglican, Rupert Sheldrake (65).

The 10 most famous world spiritual leaders – Periodista Digital