Meditations: On the Monk Who Dwells in Daily Life
Category: Livres anglais et trangers,Religion & Spirituality,Christianity
Meditations: On the Monk Who Dwells in Daily Life Details
Thomas Moore, bestselling author of Care of the Soul and Soul Mates, draws on the twelve years he lived as a monk in this insightful book of a hundred one-page meditations. Interspersed with glimpses of the beauty and humor of the monk's life, each page suggests a way of finding spirituality and nurturing the soul that can be applied in any walk of life.
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Reviews
Thomas Moore, better known for books such as `Care of the Soul' and `Soul Mates', compiled this brief collection of meditations, aptly entitled `Meditations: On the Monk Who Dwells in Daily Life'. Most of us obviously do not live in monasteries; few of us even consider monastic spirituality or practice in our daily lives.Moore was slated early for a life of reflection, but soured on religious practice and observance early. He entered a preparatory seminary at age 13 to become a priest, but found that the tendency toward authoritarianism was a bit too much (a common trait with prophets and saints throughout much of history).`When I finally left the order, I left most of religion behind. I lived as an agnostic of sorts for a while. In my monastery days I had studied music seriously and had written and directed a considerable amount of music, and so, once out of the order, I planned on the life of an academic musician. Unexpectedly, my love of theology and religion stayed with me.'Having put some distance between the formal structures and his own life, over time he has come to an important realisation.`In my life now both the priesthood and the monastic life are made of subtle stuff--not literal ways of life, but possibilities powdered so finely that they have become values, nuances, styles, and elements of character giving my life a certain tone and colour.'Moore's meditative reflections are each less than one page long, which make them ideal both for rapid study (recommended only if you're going to come back to them later) as well as for small, bite-sized meditative morsels to slowly appreciate and inwardly digest.`The monk lives according to the advice of Marsilio Ficino--partly in time, partly in eternity. Whatever is done is never fully of this world, and yet it's always in this world. We could all live partly out of this world, and perhaps discover the limits of worldly law and convention.'In talking of different themes -- silence, hospitality, charity, prayer, music, God, humanity -- Moore interjects insights of his own and those he has inherited from friends, mentors, teachers, and history.This book makes a perfect gift book; a wonderful, thoughtful book for short meditations; it is a great thing to carry around for reflective periods during the day.Sometimes a monk, used to chanting, will suddenly strike upon a note that lingers, that stays with the soul in the ear for longer than usual. Perhaps this is the voice of God speaking. As we go about our daily lives, perhaps the common detail that assumes a new proportion -- has a little more resonance -- is God's way of trying to speak to us.Let this book be an opening to that awareness.
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