Into the silent land : a guide to the Christian practice of contemplation / Martin Laird.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Laird, M. S. (Martin S.)

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Contemplation.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (167 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2006.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Sitting in stillness, the practice of meditation, and the cultivation of awareness are commonly thought to be the preserves of Hindus and Buddhists. Martin Laird shows that the Christian tradition of contemplation has its own refined teachings on using a prayer word to focus the mind, working with the breath to cultivate stillness, and the practice of inner vigilance or awareness. But this book is not a mere historical survey of these teachings. In Into the Silent Land, we see the ancient wisdom of both the Christian East and West brought sharply to bear on the modern-day longing for radical o

Contents:

Parting the veil : the illusion of separation from God

The wild hawk of the mind

The body's call to prayer

The three doorways of the present moment : the way of the prayer word

The riddles of distraction

From victim to witness : practicing with affliction

The liturgy of our wounds : temptation, humility and failure

Epilogue : who am I? : a tale of monastic failure.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [143]-154).

ISBN:

1-280-84661-5

0-19-534560-6

1-4294-3852-5

OCLC:

79595818