Everything Belongs: The Gift of Contemplative Prayer

Book Description

This book has been revised and expanded with a fresh cover, study guide, re-edited text, new material, and a gift-market layout.

Customer Reviews:

Prayerful book.......2007-09-09

This book is a great one for just private reading and study about prayer. Or it also makes a good discussion/study book for a small group or to share with a friend. Well written, thought-provoking.

A Vibrant Look at Developing an Inner Life.......2007-07-30

Fr. Richard Rohr is a favorite spiritual writer of mine. I have read many of his books ---- and none have disappointed.

He is director of the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, NM.
This book addresses the cultivation of contemplation.

"In the silence of contemplation, we will observe the process whereby we actively choose and create what we pay attention to."

"I believe that faith might be precisely that ability to trust the river, to trust the flow and the lover. It is a process that we don't have to change, coerce, or improve. We need to allow. That takes immense confidence in God, especially when we're hurting."

On 154 pages long but filled with wisdom.

Richard Rohr, Everything Belongs.......2007-07-10

Richard Rohr, Everything Belongs: the Gift of Contemplative Prayer (Crossroad 2003).

Each decade it seems I read a book I wish I'd written. This is one: a brilliant collection of spiritual wisdom. Richard Rohr is probably America's (the world's?) most sought-after teacher of Spirituality and Spiritual Direction. He has both an amazing verbal fluency and breadth of wisdom. He's the founder/director of the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albacerqui New Mexico. (Look it up in Google and purchase some of his tapes/CDs - easy listening! Well, the teaching style is easy on the ears but the prophetic emphasis might be hard!).

Richard is a Franciscan, a `post Vatican 2' Catholic who is critical of both liberal and conservative theological assumptions. He believes (unlike many Protestants) that God was not dead before the 15th century, and also (unlike many Evangelicals/ Fundamentalists) that spiritual wisdom may also be found in some non-Christian sources (though he is critical of many of the presuppositions of Zen, New Age spirituality etc. as well).

Prayer in the teaching of Jesus (and of Richard) is more about being than technique. It's about your life, rather than how you put words together (as in adoration, confession, supplication etc. - there's less than one page here on the components of verbal praying).

And how you live authentically depends on your embracing emptiness, vulnerability, nonsuccess, descent-rather-than-ascent, letting-go rather than acquiring (`affluenza').

It's best to read this book slowly: the text is broken up into small 2-3 page chunks.

Richard Rohr is, in my view, `on target' as a modern prophet: you'll find many more of his articles (including a summary of this book) on this website: http://jmm.aaa.net.au . I've been privileged to have attended many of his conferences, and a retreat for men in Arizona a couple of years ago.

Herfe are some quotes from Everything Belongs to whet your appetite:

`Things fall apart; the center cannot hold.../ The best lack all conviction, while the worst / Are full of passionate intensity' (W B Yeats).

The two great paths of transformation are suffering (which gets our attention) and love and prayer (to get to our heart and passion).

In God's reign `everything belongs' - even that which is broken and poor (`the poor and uneducated may love God more than the theologian or ecclesiastic' - St. Bonaventura).

With Julian of Norwich, we move beyond either-or thinking; we live with paradox, unanswered questions, inner contradictions: `First there is the Fall, and then the recovery from the Fall... Both are the mercy of God.' `The crucifixion was the worst event in human history and God made the best out of it to take away all of our excuses.'

The `Christ' of the insecure tends to be tribal - `just like them'. Centred people, however, are profoundly conservative, knowing they stand on the shoulders of their ancestors. Their security and identity are founded in God. Living out of their true self they are always free to obey - but also free to disobey Church or State, to obey who-they-are in God (eg. Paul, Thomas a Becket, Joan of Arc, Thomas Merton, Dorothy Day).

The problem of all of Carl Jung's patients in the second half of life might have been solved by contact with `the numinous' (God).

Rowland Croucher

Jumbled prose, bursting with insights.......2007-05-23

Father Rohr spoke at the tiny parish where I worship with my family in the mountains of NC. He is a dynamic and engaging speaker. The challenges that he imparted in that sermon had a remarkable impact on my young and reaching mind.

With that said, this book reads like a long and windy sermon of a much weaker calibre than the one preached in NC. If this book were a dinner entree, it would be fusion cusine with spices that do not complement each other. However, taken on their own in small doses, they make for a delightful accompaniment.

With patience, this book is rewarding. Rohr has keen insight into spiritual matters. Yet, I cannot give it more than three stars due to its poor organization, and rambling delivery. Lastly, one of the biggest problems is Rohr's effort to characterize Westerners as vapid and incompetent regarding spiritual matters, which I found to be simply tiresome and noxious.

Everything Belongs:The Gift of Contemplative Prayer.......2007-05-15

For anyone interested in Comtemplative Prayer this is very important book.
With all the changes in our culture and our country sometimes we find our selves being judgemental for one reason or another. 'Everything belongs' helps us establish space to ponder, meditate on , perhaps begin to open our hearts if not our minds.

Open Mind Open Heart: The Contemplative Dimension of the Gospel

Average customer rating:

I am enjoying this book.
A fresh organization
The Best Book on Contemplation Available

Open Mind Open Heart: The Contemplative Dimension of the Gospel
Thomas Keating
Manufacturer: Continuum International Publishing Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening
Invitation to Love: The Way of Christian Contemplation
Manifesting God
Intimacy with God
The Human Condition: Contemplation and Transformation (Wit Lectures.)

ASIN: 0826418899

Customer Reviews:

I am enjoying this book........2007-05-12

This book has opened up a whole new path to prayer for me. It is what I was looking for. Centering Prayer,Contemplative Prayer, is explained well inThomas Keating's book.

A fresh organization.......2007-03-08

For those of you who have read the original edition of this book over the last twenty years, I think you will be pleased, as I am, with the reorganization and clarifying language that is in the 20th Anniversary edition. Because this is a book that one reads every year or two, it is well worth the small investment to purchase this refined, fresh organization and clarity of statements. For those of you who were hoping for inclusive language - sorry, at age 84 I can appreciate that inclusive language for God is a stretch too far. However, in his recent talks, Fr. Keating is care-filled to accommodate those for whom masculine pronouns for God are an offense.

The Best Book on Contemplation Available.......2007-03-01

As a long term student of contemplative paths for over thirty years and with ten years experience of teaching groups, I found this book the most inspiring and refreshing work I have seen on the subject. My own background has included practical study of contemplation under various spiritual directors, ranging from the traditional Christian approach, to Egyptian Hermetism, Tibetan Dzogchen, Jnana yoga, influences from other Eastern practises and the Toltec Warrior path.

The most significant factor when reading something penned from such a great depth of experience culminating in real wisdom, is the absolute authority with which the author writes. His description of the actual states experienced, the practicalities of making real progress and the methods for handling difficulties, make it abundantly clear that he draws on a profound depth of real experience. It is as important a milestone in spiritual literature as the works of Meister Eckhart, the Cloud of Unknowing and The Ascent of Mount Carmel by Saint John of the Cross, but presented in a form that makes it both palatable to and immediately useful for the modern reader.

This is a wonderfully inspiring and significant work, of great value to anyone, from any background, who is seriously seeking direct experience of Self Realisation, be they a beginner or an old hand. It succeeds in crossing the apparent divides between different traditions, by focusing on the practicalities, in a delightful and humorous style. Reading this book is like sitting by the fire with an old friend.

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Calling Unto Deep
An excellent guide to contemplative prayer
Advice for Novice Contemplatives
Deeper understanding
Thinking about contemplation

Contemplative Prayer
Thomas Merton
Manufacturer: Image
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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General | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Prayer | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Meditations | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Spiritual Direction and Meditation
New Seeds of Contemplation
Thoughts In Solitude
The Seven Storey Mountain
Praying the Psalms (By Thomas Merton)

ASIN: 0385092199
Release Date: 1971-02-01

Amazon.com

This little gem of a book, newly issued with a foreword from the great Vietnamese Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh (who knew Merton in the 1960s) beautifully distills Merton's own reading and long experience with contemplation. Written close to the end of Merton's life, this book is not so much a "how to" guide as it is a kind of contemplation of contemplation. Immersed in the "negative theology" of St. John of the Cross and others--and influenced by his deep reading in Zen--Merton here stresses that in meditation "we should not look for a 'method' or 'system,' but cultivate an 'attitude,' an 'outlook': faith, openness, attention, reverence, expectation, supplication, trust, joy." God is found in the desert of surrender: this means giving up any expectation for a particular message and "waiting on the Word of God in silence," knowing that any answer will be "his silence itself suddenly, inexplicably revealing itself to him as a word of great power, full of the voice of God." --Doug Thorpe

Book Description

This is Thomas Merton at his contemplative best, applying ancient wisdom to the longings of our age through his thoughtful commentary on Scripture and important writers of the Western spiritual tradition.

Customer Reviews:

Calling Unto Deep.......2006-07-27

Contemplative Prayer, the last book by the renowned Trappist monk Thomas Merton, is a treatise on the practice, benefits and dangers of contemplative prayer for modern day monks. Although it seems to have been written primarily for others that have devoted their lives to monastic living, the casual reader and spiritual seeker can still glean much from Merton's book. In its 19 chapters, Merton takes the reader from the desert, through the dark nights of contemplation, to the effects that such contemplation should have on the contemplative and, therefore, on the world.

Merton combines both personal insight and traditional Christian teachings on the practice of contemplative prayer; his sources include Scripture, the Desert Fathers, Patristic texts, as well as mystical writings from the Christian tradition, most notably those of St. John of the Cross. Perhaps reflecting the ecumenical spirit of the middle to late 60s that was present in the Roman Catholic Church - due in large part to Vatican II - Merton also uses various ascetic writings from the Eastern Orthodox Church, most notably excerpts from the Philokalia, which is sometimes referred to as "the Bible of Eastern Orthodox spirituality." Merton's use of sources and personal insight serve to convey a deep understanding of the practice of contemplative prayer; the reader is left feeling that (s)he is in the presence of a spiritual guide, a wise fellow seeker, and a friend.

There are two other sources that are worth pointing out although they are less obvious than the sources cited above. First, the existentialist theme that runs through the book is worth noting; Merton seems to desire to engage some of the intellectual trends of his time with his book. Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Gabriel Marcel are both alluded to and cited throughout the pages of this book; the idea of an "existentialist dread" of death and the darkness within the human self serve, at different times, as points of departure for Merton's teachings. Given the teachings of the urgency of the moment that both Existentialism and Christianity espouse and the unrest that was a part of life in both the United States and in the international community, such a coupling of Existentialism and Christian spirituality makes a lot of sense.

Secondly, Merton mentions at points the ground that the soul meets God on. Such an idea seems to recall the teaching of Meister Eckhart, the controversial Dominican monk and mystic of the 13th century . Merton never cites Eckhart and given the controversy surrounding the condemnation of Eckhart's, if Eckhart is a source for Merton's thought, Merton's apprehension of citing Eckhart makes sense. The parallels are worth noting, though. Yet, unlike Eckhart, Merton does not view union with God as an experience of the self dissolving into the Godhead. In fact, Merton does not at any point actually mention "union with God", but describes instead "the creative and healing work of the monk [by God]" as being "a participation in the saving death and resurrection of Christ" (26). Such language about "participation" certainly recalls the language used by the Greek Fathers when discussing union with God, a union where the Creator and the creature remain distinct but in a full, intimate communion.

Contemplative Prayer, although short, is not a light read. It calls one to look within before looking without; it is a call for self-confrontation. Each chapter - and even parts of chapters - could be read and meditated upon for days on end. This is a good thing, though, as it makes this book helpful guide for the spiritual journey.

An excellent guide to contemplative prayer.......2006-01-16

Thomas Merton was a monk, and in this book he explains ways that the non-monastic can live a life of prayer. In doing so he provides exercises for the contemplative novice (like me) and warns against bad habits of prayer that are easy to fall into. Here is his explanation of the purpose of monastic prayer: "To prepare the way so that God's action may develop this 'faculty for the supernatural,' this capacity for inner illumination gy faith and by the light of wisdom, in the loving contemplation of God" (p. 45). He writes well and clearly; one need not be a monk or an academic to understand what he is teaching.

This was the first book of Merton's I ever read. I read it during a grief-filled time in my life when I felt the need of something to anchor me, to help me to pray more meaningfully, to concentrate on listening to God more than on my own verbalizing. At one point he says that he is easily distracted by many things; I realized that I had just heard my true name--Easily Distracted By Many Things--for the first time. He promised to teach "a way of keeping oneself in the presence of God and of reality, rooted in one's own inner truth" (p. 23), and he did.

The book's introduction is by Thich Nhat Hanh, a Zen Buddhist; it includes a helpful series of prayers as well.

Merton helped me to heal, and to grow from the healing, and to re-engage an often hurting world. He opened up what was to me a new practice in Christian spirituality. I recommend you read him.

Advice for Novice Contemplatives.......2005-10-28

Thomas Merton was a Roman Catholic monk who wrote "Contemplative Prayer" as a primer (not a how-to book) for monks developing a prayer life. To help these monks, Merton attempts to define contemplateive prayer, offers its benefits, and points out dangers associated with it.

Merton distinguishes contemplative prayer from liturgical/corporate prayer. The latter fully engages the mind and emotions as a Christian decides what he wants to communicat to God, then expresses these thoughts/feelings. Contemplative prayer differs in that the Christian attempts to devoid himself of all his thoughts and feelings so that God can come directly to him--increasing this Christian's faith and understanding.

While this result is great indeed, there are also horrible dangers associated with contemplative prayer. The Christian a) may be contacted by a demon, b) might lose his faith, c) might experience intense dread as he believes that God has abandoned him, d) fools himself into thinking that God came to him when he actually created thoughts and feelings himself (and he thus becomes secure in false belief).

Merton deliniates particular blessings that one can gain through contemplative prayer. While an increased personal faith in and understanding of God is an individual's blessing, the Church is also blessed by contemplative prayer. Merton argues that deep contemplative prayer makes corporate/liturgical prayer more meaningful, which makes contemplative prayer deeper, etc. in a sort of upward spiral. He takes this idea further by advancing the idea that if it were not for the contemplative prayers of the monks, the Church (relying only on liturgical prayer) would move increasingly further away from Jesus Christ and lose its saving faith.

I disagree with this last point because I disagree with Merton's analysis of contemplative prayer. Merton advocates an immediate (without physical means), subjective encounter with God over and against a mediate (through physical means) objective encounter. God encounters the Christian through Scripture and the Sacraments and has given us physical, mental, and emotional faculties to respond to him. The idea that a correct understanding of God comes not through mediate means but through subjective personal experience runs counter to Biblical teachings.

Active meditation (where you actually do something, as opposed to Merton's idea of prayer) can certainly aid the Christian as well as the Church in the above described "upward spiral." Contemplating Scripture (that is, actually thinking about it and wrestling with it) does make prayer and worship more meaningful. However, emptying yourself of all your thoughts and emotions with the hope that God will be compelled to come to you is just plain dangerous--even if Christians of other centureis did it. Stick to Bible and Sacraments.

This book is not recommended.

Deeper understanding.......2005-10-02

This book, 'Contemplative Prayer', was Thomas Merton's last book. A prolific writing on spiritual topics, Merton was perhaps in an ideal setting to be able to write about the ideas and methods of contemplative prayer, being a Trappist. Trappists devote themselves to prayer, adding the disciplines of silence and solitude, things that are needed for the contemplative side of things to emerge.

In the introduction by Merton's friend, Thich Nhat Hanh, there is a nine-fold prayer that relates to many of Merton's ideas about contemplative prayer. However, it is a mistake (and both Hanh in the introduction and Merton in the text mention this) to think that prayer is something in and of itself - Christians and Buddhists tend to have the understanding that prayer without practice lacks efficacy.

Merton traces a strong history of contemplative prayer, from the earliest Christians (particularly the Desert Fathers and early monastics) to the latest theologians (Hahn relates Merton's ideas to Paul Tillich, and without mentioning him by name, Merton also seems to strive for that same purity that was the pursuit of Kierkegaard). Merton concentrates especially on various 'via negativa' methods and theologies - St. John of the Cross is but the most powerful example, but Merton draws on Gregory of Nyssa, John Chrysostom, Catherine of Siena, Meister Eckhart and others.

This is not a how-to manual for contemplative prayer. This was a subject that was beginning to interesting Merton more and more near the time of his death, and we can but wonder if he would have gone on to produce more practical writing on the topic after this piece. However, Merton, being a person with a good grasp for the authority and power of tradition and history, understood that the first task would be to understand what people have done before and how things have worked or not worked, before embarking upon a new subject for oneself. This is that product, and we are the poorer for not having a follow-up to the book.

Reading Merton is never wasted time. This is perhaps less 'spiritual' and more 'academic' than much of his writing, but it still has characteristic Merton sensitivity to subject, and is worthwhile for any looking for a deeper understanding of comtemplative practices.

Thinking about contemplation.......2002-11-10

This is not a how-to book. It is a study of the history and meaning and reason for contemplative prayer, deeply thought of, deeply experienced. My little old copy is dogeared and heavily underlined, having been read so many times. And it is not my first copy - I've given others to friends.
As with much of Merton's writing, it is a tool for examining our own prayer, our own lives. He shows us many ways we may be evading the very goal of our prayer, how we may be shielding ourselves from God's light shining upon us.
Merton did not write this book in order to become popular. It is not all sweetness and gentle breezes of the Spirit. It is more like a cold wind that seeks to blow away our defenses and leave us face to face with what our souls really want - God. Whether we enjoy the process is not the point, but a book like this lets us know that we are not alone on the path, that, tough as it is, others have gone before. It gives comfort in the old English meaning of the word: strengthening. Read this if you need a good dose of spiritual tonic.

Book Description

The Cloud of Unknowing" is one of Christianity's enduring mysteries - a meditative state where God is experienced on the deepest interior level. To move beyond thoughts and feelings and into the arms of the divine spirit, we have been given the gift of contemplative prayer. On Contemplative Prayer, Father Thomas Keating introduces you to this method for inviting the grace of God into your life, to discover the treasure of holiness always present in ordinary events. Join Father Keating as he teaches a complete workshop on this system of Christian meditation, as it has been practiced in the cloisters and monasteries of Europe since medieval times. Contemplative Prayer, like a freshening wind, is an uplifting event that can help take you to the starting point of the true spiritual journey.

Customer Reviews:

Different strokes.......2006-01-17

I really enjoyed this CD. I especially liked Father Keating's explanations on contemplative prayer and I also enjoyed the guided prayer sessions. Like other reviewers I found that some of the psychological explanations were at times tedious and off the mark but the basic notions that change is difficult due to developmental experiences and related defense mechanisms made sense and I would have no problem recommending this CD to many of my clients. However, there would be a few caveats. Mostly, I would encourage them to listen to the entire CD but to have patience and wait for the last few sessions. Personally, I have worked at incorporating centered prayer in my life by practicing it a half an hour a day and have found that it does help change your emotional reactivity to the events of daily living in a positive manner. Interestingly, my wife did not like the CD at all. She found it tedious and somewhat impractical. It just goes to show how two people can go through the same experience and come out with different conclusions!

Kind of rambles .......2005-12-09

I liked the discussion of contemplative prayer techniques. However, I could have gone without the child psychology lecture that takes up the first 2 out of 3 CD's.

Excellent!! Opened the door to a hidden room in my life!.......2005-08-31

This is an excellent audio presentation by a very gifted Cistercian monk who is well versed in the Scriptures and the Christian contemplative traditions.

It has helped me discover the presence of God - hidden, waiting, healing - but above all else a relationship with divine uncreated love overflowing. Surely that is better than mere calm and a relaxed state of mind!!

Protestants meditate, too........2002-03-23

I found this audiobook very helpful. I think it offered a good guide for the newly contemplative, as well as those who have been pondering God and the universe for a long time. I have drawn on its wisdom often since 9/11, also.

Bruce, as a recovering Catholic, I can tell you that Christians of denominations OTHER THAN CATHOLIC do meditate- even Episcopal heathens like me. =) Maybe you can find some Protestants and actually ask them about this. We're not hard to track down. (And it's actually the Catholic church that has detailed guidelines regarding posession & exorcisms).

For Anyone Seeking Peace and True Rest.......2000-05-25

Contemplative Prayer is the traditional Christian method of meditation and yet most Christians have never heard of it! It has been actively repressed at times in history and now is "damned by faint praise" by the Catholic Church.

Meditation in general is looked upon with great suspicion by most Protestant religions, who feel that it opens one up for possession. Thus one of the most valuable tools for salvation - the ability to place oneself in the Presence of God - is being unwittingly withheld from the faithful!

Fr. Keating is a kind, wise and gentle teacher. He explains why people get unhappy with their earthly circumstances based on programming received prior to their ability to "defend themselves" mentally. He then offers a very simple and straight-forward form of meditation that brings profound peace and deep rest for the body, mind and spirit.

Book Description

This user-friendly book blends theory and practice, gently and concretely taking the reader through the first steps of contemplative prayer. Armchair Mystic begins with the necessary details of time and place to pray, then presents the maturation of the prayer life in four stages: Talking at God, Talking to God, Listening to God, and Being with God. Each chapter begins with an Orientation and ends with a concluding summary. Step-by-step exercises throughout the book provide concrete examples of how to use the concepts discussed.

Customer Reviews:

Highly readable.......2006-11-10

This book is both well laid out, highly readable, well researched and authentically orthodox and historical in its presentation. Steers well clear of "new age" philosophy and TM reworks.

Basics to prayer life.......2006-07-26

This book is like listening to a dear friend sharing with me his love for prayer and containing me with his passion for prayer.

A gem of a book.......2006-02-15

I just could not put this book down! I read it in two sittings and plan on reading it again very soon. It is inspiring, practical, and quite funny. Father Thibodeaux obviously has an intimate relationship with God and through this book he gives the reader a glimpse of his own personal prayer life with appropriate tips, caveats, and anecdotes. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants an easy, step-by-step guide to a deeper prayer life.

My Favorite Intro to Prayer.......2003-06-30

This is not a book to read, but to listen to. Its a great intro to an often misunderstood part of the Christian experience. It takes prayer out of its formulary Sunday morning approach and places it at the center of life, where it should be. This is a low impact, no wrong answers, don'[t worry if you don't get it the first time, way to worship God. I shared it with a friend at church who is involved with parish prayer groups and he's going to introduce it to them. It lends itself to a 12/14 week study in prayer and spirituality.

This book is a must-have for all Christians.......2003-06-21

This book, as promised by the subtitle ("Easing Into Contemplative Prayer") gently teaches you to bring yourself into intimate conversation with God.

Average customer rating:

Explains Contemplative Prayer Beautifully
Enlightening, inspiring, uplifting, instructive, instrumental....
Peace and Quiet
A life-changing book, a faith-changing book
The book is good but the CD is excellent!

Open Mind, Open Heart: The Contemplative Dimension of the Gospel
Thomas Keating
Manufacturer: Continuum International Publishing Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Meditations | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Invitation to Love: The Way of Christian Contemplation
Centering Prayer in Daily Life and Ministry
Intimacy with God
Manifesting God
The Human Condition: Contemplation and Transformation (Wit Lectures.)

ASIN: 0826406963

Amazon.com

First published in 1986 and in print--and immensely popular--ever since, Open Mind, Open Heart, by the Trappist Monk Thomas Keating, remains one of the best introductions to a specifically Christian form of meditation. Father Keating gives the reader an overview of what contemplative prayer both is and isn't; he discusses the history of contemplative prayer in the Christian tradition and then explores step by step the process of Centering Prayer, briefly exploring its origins in the ancient church and then demonstrating its use as "a sign of one's intention" to surrender to God. Each chapter concludes with questions and answers that provide useful information in an informal context. Here in particular we get a sense of Keating's clarity--and his sense of humor. For example, in response to a question about the sudden experience of happiness in prayer, Keating responds, "You should not take prayer too seriously. There is something playful about God. You only have to look at a penguin ... to realize that He likes to play little jokes on creatures." --Doug Thorpe

Customer Reviews:

Explains Contemplative Prayer Beautifully.......2007-03-20

With his usual blend of grace and love, Father Keating takes the deep topic of contemplative prayer and makes it understandable to all. His Godly reverance and knowledge opens for the reader, doors to deeper communication with our Lord.

Enlightening, inspiring, uplifting, instructive, instrumental...........2007-01-13

I have read a number of books on meditation from east to west, ancient to modern, and I must say that the teaching presented in this book is nearly an overlooked and lost key. I have also had the good fortune to practice a number of meditation techniques, and still I say that this teaching helps to bring it all together in a profound way. I really appreciate his appreciation and humility in seeing the value of other spiritual practices, and does not see them as a threat to "Christian" spirituality. This is touching in a day and age where so many are forgetting the universality of the human condition. The "method" of Centering Prayer and Contemplation is a true invitation towards that perenial evolution of the soul towards, "Be still, and know." If anyone reads this book, there is almost no doubt that there is something that they will learn from it if they are willing to put in the consistent effort of practice. Of course, there are other elements to "meditation" from yogic or buddhist perspectives that would be helpful to those pursuing this path. For that I would recomend the Diamond Sutra, the Miracle of Mindfulness, the Zen Teaching of Huang Po, the Way of a Pilgrim(and/or the Philokalia), Practicing the Presence(Brother Lawrence), and Aligned Relaxed Resilient(the Physical Foundations of Mindfulness). I can't stress how helpful these books can be to those of us who are open minded and open hearted and following the path of surrender to the divine. Thomas Keating is a great guide towards the gentle caress of the Holy Spirit. Even if it's not for you, you will still gain a lot from the try.

Peace and Quiet.......2006-09-24

Don't place much trust in the one-star reviews of this book unless you have come to believe that peace and quiet is satanic. Keating lays out a method of meditation which is not meant to become your sole "stairway to Heaven" but is meant to be practiced in addition to reading the Bible, going to Sunday Mass, and practicing corporal works of charity. The practice is Christian and assumes that the Grace of God works on the believer who waits in humble silence.

A life-changing book, a faith-changing book.......2006-04-21

This is quite simply the most helpful Christian book I have ever read. Thomas Keating's genuine humility and spiritual wisdom, combined with his excellent skill as a writer, cut through all the myth and miss-information about the almost-forgotten gift of contemplative prayer. In a World (and Church) in which one is constantly bombarded by a thousand voices, opinions, and calls upon one's time and faculties, the method of centering prayer outlind by Fr. Keating is a blessed relief. If you feel as if God's voice and presence have been sucked out of the World, your World, then this is the book for you! Learning this very simple method of prayer, in which one allows all the stressfull feelings and thoughts of life to fall away in order to receive God's gentle, continual renewal, has changed my life and faith forever! But more than that, I found again in this book an idea of God I have carried in my heart for years, but which my experience in the contemporary church had all but extinguished. I found reasurance that the God I hoped for, the God who already accepts me as I am because of Christ and gently leads me forward, is real. Praise God!

The book is good but the CD is excellent!.......2006-01-17

I purchased both the book and the CD. I will probably recommend the CD to many of my clients who want to work on deepening their spiritual lives and change the negative emotional reactions associated with events of daily living. I have been practicing centered prayer for about a half an hour per day for about three months now. From a psychological perspective the best way that I can describe the experience is from the gestalt notion that content has meaning within a particular context. By modifying the context it is possible to change the emotional charge associated with a given event. Centered prayer definitely works at that level. The more you practice it the less emotionally charged daily events become. It becomes easier to let things go by. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, but I really enjoyed the CD. It was more focused and made it easier to experience centered prayer as taught by Father Keating.

The Book of Mystical Chapters: Meditations on the Soul's Ascent, from the Desert Fathers and Other Early Christian Contemplatives

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The Christian Mystical Tradition
"A lion is known by its paw"
Slow down, you move too fast!
Straightforword advice from the masters
More than three hundred short meditations

The Book of Mystical Chapters: Meditations on the Soul's Ascent, from the Desert Fathers and Other Early Christian Contemplatives
John Anthony McGuckin
Manufacturer: Shambhala
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Mysticism | Other Practices | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Prayer | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1590300076
Release Date: 2003-07-08

Amazon.com

The Book of Mystical Chapters wants to slow you down. Its 300 brief meditations, drawn from the writings of the earliest Christian contemplatives, are meant to be read over the course of 300 days. The book's translator and editor, John Anthony McGuckin, explains that this is how early Christian pilgrims learned the wisdom of the Desert Fathers, ascending through three stages of spiritual understanding, from the practical to the transcendent. Pilgrims repeated these meditations until each one broke "like a fruit on the tongue of the monk and revealed its inner flavor to the searching mind." The Book of Mystical Chapters suggests that readers ask of each aphorism, "How have we already experienced it; how could it illuminate a truth about our own heart or the troubles of our friends' hearts or the secret ways that God wishes to develop our seeking soul?" If you're sick of wasting time waiting at the bus stop, waiting between appointments, or waiting to go deeper in faith, maybe this is just the thing for you. --Michael Joseph Gross

Book Description

The early Christian monks of Egypt, Syria, and Palestine were the spiritual heroes of their age—fleeing the security of civilization for the desert, where they sought God in lives of prayer, contemplation, and radical simplicity. This book is a portable collection of their teachings, and those of their contemplative contemporaries, ranging from the fourth through the eleventh centuries. It is arranged to the traditional model of three ascending "books": Praktikos (practice), Theoretikos (theory), and Gnosis (knowledge). Each book consists of 100 "sentences"—aphorisms or thoughts. Each sentence is intended to be read and meditated upon for an entire day—just as the monks themselves might have done as they went about their work.

Customer Reviews:

The Christian Mystical Tradition.......2006-08-30

Christianity has long since forgotten the old saying, "God became what man is so that man can become what God is." Christianity is not merely about "getting saved" and essentially ending your walk with Christ right then and there. Christianity has always been about theosis, becoming holy as God is holy. "Salvation" cannot be reduced to a mere "get out of hell free card"; it is also healing. It is also transformation. Follow this book, and you are well on your way to becoming a Christian mystic; one who experiences God continually.

"A lion is known by its paw".......2006-05-22

In the bookstore my heart was really cold and depressed, and oppressed. I was saying the prayer, but not getting anywhere. I mean the prayer is always good, but I couldn't find any peace. This book helped to break through this malaise, and I was grateful. It helped me see my situation of truly needing help, and it was an avenue of receiving help.
Orthodox Christians believe that the saints write out of the direct experience of the Light of God, and they literally write words of light and love, the Love that the Lord Jesus has shared with them, which is Himself. It is the glory He shares with the Father, that comes from the Holy Spirit. This is given in a measure and type perfectly suited to each person. Father John, in the introduction, explains that the Holy Spirit usually reveals Himself to people just starting to seriously seek Him in a way that is different from people who have learned to humbly live for Him, who suffer in their life with Him. In trying to follow His commandments, they suffer at their inability to follow them, and at the obstacles they encounter, inside and outside, when they try to live out a command such as Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself. It is a kind of quiet war, sometimes. So the first stage, I think, is learning to live in this way, that makes you humble, because you see, with the help of grace, how you are not Holy like God, and you don't fit in with Him, and this makes you realize that you deeply need help, so you call out from your heart, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God have mercy on me a sinner." In the second stage He consoles and teaches by sometimes appearing, and sometimes withdrawing. When He seems to leave them without help of grace (He doesn't really leave), they suffer from the war more and become humble, because they remember they need the grace that saves them in the war, so they won't act mean and ugly, or do other ugly things that are not the way the people in Heaven live. Then there is a higher stage of grace, above the war, closer to God, but also with a heavier responsibility. Advice of this type is given in the 3rd section of the book. There are three sections each suited to these three types of people. I'm sorry I don't explain it well, but he does. It is good to read his introduction first, because this is a living tradition, and it good to hear from someone who puts it into practice in his own life, and who belongs to the same tradition as those who wrote the original advice.
Some people, like myself, may have been introduced to the Lord almost as a friend who is always with you, but although you might try to live out what is in the Bible, it is on your own terms, according to what you think is right. It might be hard to see God as Holy (not as a buddy) or it might be hard to know who to trust with authority, because there are a lot of teachers and preachers out there. I gradually trusted the saints from this tradition, the most, but it took a long time. At first I used Catholic saints, like St. Theresa and Saint Francis as my guides, and they are very good, but I found the Orthodox tradition was the oldest, and focused on living such a way where it is possible for Jesus Christ to reveal Himself to you as Light. It doesn't view this as an isolated experience of grace, as many mystics receive, but the normal way of life for people in Heaven with God, or who want to live there. This book helps me to learn what their manner of life is, so I might practice now what I am going to be doing forever, anyway, and so fit in with them. An analogy might be the Hobbits who learned about the way the People of the West lived, suffered on a quest with them, and finally went to live with them. I feel the saints, especially the Mother of God, directly help you have the right attitude and relation to Him, and you can feel the difference after a while through contact with the holy things from the Church. The writings in this book are an example. Everything in the Orthodox church is directed toward seeing Him, and living in union with Him, their prayers, sacraments, songs, icons, everything. I am not meaning to proselytize, but rather I want to say Orthodox view things holistically, so to speak. You can't separate one aspect of the tradition, like this book, from the whole. Of course, anyone is welcome to read it, and benefit, but it is also the tip of an iceberg. A quote from the book: "A lion is known by his paw..."
People familiar with the Narnia books will remember, He's not a tame Lion.
An added note- although I already owned many of the sources of his quotes, in the Philokalia, it also introduced me to some new saints, and it is translated, organized, and presented so well that it is worth it to get it. Also it is good for my friends who want to want to learn this life of prayer but wouldn't be comfortable wading through difficult texts that may not apply to them. This book seems to find you and help you where you are.

Slow down, you move too fast!.......2003-12-18

These "chapters" range in length from one sentence to a page and a half, with most about the length of a short paragraph. They are arranged into three sections ("the threefold ascent") of 100 chapters each.

Don't be tempted, as I was, to read several each day. These chapters were designed to be memorized and then meditated upon, no more than one a day. This is what the translator, John Anthony McGuckin, suggests in his introduction, and his advice is sound.

While many of these spiritual statements are deceptively simple, each one is worthy of serious ruminating.

I recommend this volume highly, but please take your time.

Related titles worthy of consideration are: "The Illumined Heart," by Frederica Mathewes-Green; "The Mountain of Silence," by Kyriacos C. Markides; and "The Art of Prayer," compiled by Igumen Chariton of Valamo.

Straightforword advice from the masters.......2003-09-17

This is a nice collection of short adages that are directed to the seeker of Christ. Assuming that we are created for union with God in Christ and the Spirit, the authors of this collection, all experts from experience, give practical wisdom and advice.

"If you are serious about the life of prayer, take care to be very merciful, for in this way you shall receive a hundredfold reward and even greater things in the future age," writes St. John Climacus.

I never allowed myself to go to bed while I still felt resentment against a person. And as far as I was able, I never allowed anyone else to go to bed either, as long as they still felt resentment against me," said Abba Agathon.

This is the sort of tenor of the book. Other really useful books in this regard would include bishop Kallistos Ware's classic "The Orthodox Way", along with Markides' "The Silent Mountain" and Robin Amis' "A Different Christinaity". If you like anthologies, a good one with useful notes is Olivier Clement's "The Roots of Christian Mysticism". Enjoy!

More than three hundred short meditations.......2002-12-05

Ably translated and with an informative introduction by Orthodox Christian Priest John Anthony McGuckin (Professor of Early Church History, Union Theological Seminary, New York City), The Book Of Mystical Chapters: Meditations On The Soul's Ascent From The Desert Fathers And Other Early Christian Contemplatives is a hallowed collection of more than three hundred short meditations written by Christians from the second through the fourteenth centuries. Many of these meditations were written by the Desert Fathers, monks who deliberately left behind the corruption of city life for the isolated deserts of Egypt and Palestine. These brief yet moving and heartfelt meditations focus upon practice, theory, gnosis, embracing spiritual enlightenment, and the expansion of one's mind and soul. The Book Of Mystical Chapters is very highly recommended reading for all serious students of Christian Theology, History, and Spirituality, regardless of denominational background or affiliation.

Foundations for Centering Prayer and the Christian Contemplative Life: Open Mind, Open Heart, Invitation to Love, Mystery of Christ

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Foundations for Centering Prayer and the Christian Contemplative Life: Open Mind, Open Heart, Invitation to Love, Mystery of Christ
Thomas Keating
Manufacturer: Continuum International Publishing Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Devotionals | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Meditations | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Religion & Spirituality | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 0826413978

The Loving Search for God : Contemplative Prayer and the Cloud of Unknowing

Average customer rating:

Great for understanding
Perhaps Trappists are best off keeping silent

The Loving Search for God : Contemplative Prayer and the Cloud of Unknowing
William A. Meninger
Manufacturer: Continuum International Publishing Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Mysticism | Other Practices | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Prayer | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Devotionals | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Bible & Other Sacred Texts | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

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ASIN: 0826408516

Customer Reviews:

Great for understanding.......2002-10-31

Easy to read. Easy to understand. It demonstrates God's love and grace thru the gift of contemplative prayer.
A must read for anyone starting the journey. Of course everyone is in one of the 'stages' of the loving search: a "beginner, only a beginner, or just a beginner".
Provides examples on understanding Scripture at the allegorical level.
Warm, friendly, loving. Much more effective than 'great' theological disertations.

Perhaps Trappists are best off keeping silent.......2000-10-17

As one who loves the Cloud of Unknowing, my impression was that the author indeed understood that work very well - and assumed that readers would as well. Wishful thinking, indeed! This book is a series of loving, sweet, but rather unsatisfying meditations. It is obviously an attempt to make the Cloud understandable to any reader, but that is a task doomed to failure. The Cloud was written for one the author had judged to be called to the contemplative prayer that is a sheer gift of grace, and therefore assumed a strong liturgical and prayer life, an understanding of sin and virtue, etc. One could read this entire book and not have a clue.

When the Soul Listens: Finding Rest and Direction in Contemplative Prayer

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Insightful book requires careful reading
Listening to God
When the Soul Listens

When the Soul Listens: Finding Rest and Direction in Contemplative Prayer
Jan Johnson
Manufacturer: Navpress Publishing Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Prayer | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Devotionals | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Meditations | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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Enjoying the Presence of God: Discovering Intimacy With God in the Daily Rhythms of Life
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Study & Meditation (Spiritual Disciplines Bible Studies)

ASIN: 1576831132

Book Description

Feeling as if God isn't speaking to you? Build a lasting connection with God as you discover spiritual direction through contemplative living that will lead you to rest and guidance in Him.

Customer Reviews:

Insightful book requires careful reading.......2002-03-03

Jan Johnson's book on contemplative prayer is one that I'll be rereading. It's not difficult reading, but this type of prayer is not something that you can just assimilate into your Christian walk without considerable thought and prayer. I really appreciated the author's honesty and her vulnerability. She definitely doesn't paint herself as being a person who has mastered this stuff - she is just another pilgrim on the journey, and indeed her points are more credible to me because she isn't perfect.

The book talks about what contemplative prayer is, what it looks like in someone's life, problems we might encounter - really practical stuff. She used personal anecdotes to illustrate her principles, and also quotes from many sources. I must say that I found the "notes" section at the end of each chapter fascinating. As a lover of Christian books, I'm fascinated by the books that an author refers to. And this book has the notes at the end of each chapter, instead of the all of them being at the end of the book. They're more accessible this way, I think.

I especially appreciated Jan's description of how we can practice a contemplative lifestyle in the busy-ness of life. She is quick to dispel the notion that contemplatives are locked away in a room somewhere, not living a normal life.

I own Jan Johnson's other books - "Enjoying the Presence of God", "Listening to God - Using Scripture as a Path to God's Presence", and "Living a Purposeful Life", and I look forward to reading those as well.

Please check out my other reviews of Christian books and music.

Listening to God.......2001-05-10

i had long been wanting to know what is comtemplative prayer. I had read many books about it but they just confused me. Jan Johnson showed me what it really means to pray contemplatively. She also challenged me t oadot this kind of prayer in my daily life. I have done so and GOd has blessed me mightily since then.

When the Soul Listens.......2000-06-05

Because I often feel too busy to even think, contemplation seems like a spiritual luxury I can't afford. Jan Johnson shows me otherwise. When the Soul Listens is about contemplation for the rest of us; it's about developing simplicity of soul and receptivity of spirit in the busy world we live in. It's a "how to" without condescension because Ms. Johnson takes us along on her spiritual journey and her exploration of the other side of prayer - listening. This journey goes beyond platitudes and cliches into authentic Christianity. I appreciated the careful research, thorough documentation, yet comfortable conversational style. Jan Johnson says her purpose "is to help you learn how to meet with God in life transforming encounters in which your heart comes to rest in His presence." Everything in the book focuses on this purpose in an understandable and inspiring way.

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