Meditation Books

Ah-hem, despite the title I, a manly-man, thougth it a great read too.

I cam across this book in my store and was going to list it on Amazon. Then I noticed that it had five stars. OK, that got me curious. Started to read it and loved each story (each story is only about 3 pages). Must be my touchy-feely side.

So now I'm bringing it home to my better half along with a Symphony bar. Not a bad idea if I say so myself!

I am a fan of Chicken Soup type books, so I figured that this book would be along those lines and not disappoint. I was not wrong, and was delighted to find that I, a single woman never married, was actually inspired to consider looking for love again. The stories are honest and down to earth, and I like how the women are profiled along with information for contacting them at the end of the book. Potential readers should know that many of the writers appeared to have a new age bent in their beliefs, that didn't put me off necessarily, but might bother those with a more traditional way of thinking. I was able to take like I liked along those lines, and leave the rest, focusing instead, on the hopefulness of this book. I will say, that having read this, I want to read all the books in this series, so this was a good book to start with.

What a great way to spend the day, reading stories from other women on life and experiences. Makes the world seem like a better place. If lifts your spirits and sweetens your soul and heart!!

This book to me can sometimes seem to be my best friend. I know it sounds weird, but when I'm really feeling down I just read a couple of these short stories and my HEART is filled with warmth. It makes you feel happy inside, knowing that miracles can come true. It makes you forget about your problems for a while, just enough to get you threw life.

This is the best book on the spiritual life. Anyone who wants to grow in the spiritual life will find this book invaluable. Catholics will come away with a deeper appreciation of their faith and all that God has done for us his son's and daughter's in Christ.

Frank

This work is one of the great spiritual classics of the 20th century, along with St. Maria Faustina's "Divine Mercy in My Soul," Blessed John XXIII's "Journal of a Soul," Paul Claudel's "I Believe in God" and Rev. Adolphe Tanquerey's "The Spiritual Life." It treats of our realtionship as adopted sons & daughters of God ( a theme central to Blessed Marmion's writing ) in a way that is enlightening, enriching and accessible. "Christ, the Life of the Soul" will become a life long companion, as it has already become for me. It's interpretations of the nature of the Triune God, the Church & Her sacraments and the whole of spiritual life are illuminating and rewarding in a manner that is to be cherished and embraced. I cannot recommend this volume more.
When I discovered "Story of a Soul" by St. Therese, I considered myself blessed that I had found one special book ( along with Scripture , of course ) that had transformed and enhanced my spiritual life. I now consider myself doubly blessed to have discovered "Christ, the Life of the Soul" by Blessed Columba Marmion as well.Read this book, and then pass it on to someone you love.

I first read Blessed Columba Marmion's classic, "Christ, the Life of the Soul," while at the Benedictine monastery of Mount Angel Abbey... and I re-read the book repeatedly in the following three years. One of my great regrets at moving away was that I no longer had access to my (new) favorite spiritual reading, because none of Marmion's books were in print any longer, despite having been written in the 20th century and being praised by popes. Only his recent official recognition for holiness by the Catholic Church has lifted his words from obscurity.

Marmion's thoughts are easy to understand and speak to the heart, which is all the more amazing in that they were written by a scholar of Scripture and the theology of St. Thomas Aquinas. Perhaps one reason why they are clear and captivating is that they were originally spiritual talks given by the author, who although an English-speaking Irishman by birth was a Benedictine abbot of a French-speaking monastery in Belgium. He was a gifted and popular speaker in both the U.K. and western Europe, and he was also a compassionate spiritual director. The talks engage the reader like the words of a true spiritual guide and fellow pilgrim.

There is nothing dry in his "talks", and reading it always set my heart on fire for God and holiness. I also, by the way, have never found a better description of the nature of the Blessed Trinity than in his writings. He had a knack for helping people grasp the vital truths of Christianity with both the heart and the head.

Be aware that Marmion often cites short Latin quotes from the Bible, which is a language that used to be more commonly known in the English-speaking world. However, I always was able to figure out what he was talking about just from the context, and they were never an obstacle to understanding even though I don't know Latin.

As you can see, I cannot recommend these books highly enough. If you love the Bible, enjoy both passion and reason, and would like to grow in your personal relationship with Jesus Christ the Son of God, then please consider this book.

Would recommend to any person sincerely serious about understanding and gaining progress in spiritual development. Christ's life in our soul is REAL, and is our true LIFE.

Bawa Muhaiyaddeen is the most priceless treasure that came into my life. With God's love he saved my eternal existance. This book heals the body and soul with God's wisdom and compassion. This book will not hurt anyone. Please read this book. It is a gem.

I grew up on this book. A great book full of stories for people of all ages. A definite must!

One of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen's 2 collections of short tales with a moral or wisdom point. The author deftly explains the inner meaning of each story in an easily approachable style. Many of the stories concern the prophets of God. We raised our 7 children reading them a story or two each night at bedtime. (Takes 5-10 minutes each) Bawa Muhaitaddeen was a Sufi of towering stature. Any of his books are illuminating for all. A MUST read!!

This book is for anyone between the ages of 8 and 88. Moral based stories many of them from the animal kingdom. Take the hand of a kindly sage and enter the secret garden where the inner mysteries of God's creation are revealed. Through its humorous insights and unique perspectives, this collection of short stories will enchant the hearts of children and adults alike.

The author guides me through the changes in her life with an eagerness to read more. Her free verse poetry flows with human experiences and deep spiritual discoveries. I liked the easy read and the feeling of traveling along as she illuminated the scenery and people of South Africa. Her personal encouter with cancer includes the theme come walk with me and I realize her healing experience could also be mine.

A wonderful journey through life's ups and downs as seen through the eyes of a thoughtful traveler.
Compels one to reflect on their own journeys.
I highly recommend this book.

Come Walk with Me is a moving book. It is both personal and universal. Shirley Horn's insights are discovered and shared in the midst of daily life events. Her challenges of facing cancer, the birth and death passages of family and friends, the separation and then rejoining with her husband, the celebration of travels, and discoveries shared with others-all of this is inspiring and grounded in the author's own spirituality. It is a good read for meditation, personal devotion as well as reflection.

The book "Come Walk With Me" tells an incredible story of a womans journey through life, except it does this through poem. The stories of Africa were my personal favorite and the cancer stories made me shed a few tears. Overall, this is a wonderful collection of poems that connect and tell a beautiful tale.

Loved it! It is really "comprehensive" as the title indicated. It also comes with many useful tables. A useful tool if you are doing research on the Abhidhamma.

You need to enter that book slowly and then let it guide you at the pace that will be proper for you. It is long, complex and extremely profound. You may not understand the Pali text but you will understand the commentary and notes. There is, first of all, a vision of the world and of man in the world as a complete continuum of many parameters that create permanent change and movement. At each moment we lose something and we gain something else. At each moment we may grieve because of the loss, or rejoice because of the gain. Dukkha, the long process of change and decay that leads to death also contains the necessary forces and qualities that our mind can use to gain wisdom and clear knowledge at every moment of this road of decay. And that's the real challenge Buddhism contains. Every single person, if they want, can decide to use their minds to push away the negative parameters that lock them up in decay, and develop the positive parameters that lead them to realizing that all is change, all is dissatisfaction in a way or another, all is the absence of an eternal godlike soul in us. The only chance we have to evade this path that leads to death is to cultivate our mind and get on the path of mental liberation, of enlightenment, of sukha. The book contains beautiful pages that are ahead of their times on time, language, the « flippant » personality of a subject that is changing all the time and how he can try to control and dominate the change by preparing his escape from it. This is the paradox of the book . There is no escape from this slow movement towards death through the death of each instant and the birth of the next one. And yet there is a way to go beyond and reach nirvana, a pure mental existence completely oblivious of the world and the body. As it is so justly said in note 7 in chapter IX, this is a hypnotic circle. You are self-hypnotizing yourself into nirvanic bliss. And that should enable you to get free of all ties, fetters and other chains and become ready to serve the world and others in order to improve reality and make the decaying process less painful, free of violence and war, free of greed, free of alienation. The Buddha, the Blessed One, imagined a way to improve the world by improving human individuals. But hurry up because there is still a lot to do to ban violence, war, greed, alienation, ignorance and poverty from this world. You feel optimistic when you reach the last page.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, Université Paris Dauphine, Université Paris I Panthéon Sorbonne

Though the advice of Achaan Chah about studying one's own heart rather than Abhidhamma should be kept in mind like a shining star when tackling anything regarding it, still the reading of this book may provide a framework for one's own mind where to insert experiences: one in which conventional items may not be needed for their comprehension.
A final line: of course meditate, let go of the unwholesome factors, cultivate the wholesome ones and purificate you mind, but also consider buying this book and dedicate the high degree of attention it needs to be understood and perhaps the world will look even a little more different than usual afterwards :-)

I heard that this book is supposed to be an *introduction* to the Abhidhamma. I heard that in Burma, this text must be memorized before one will have the opportunity to study from the Abhidhamma masters. The original canonical Abhidhamma is supposed to go into thousands of pages, with the commentaries adding more pages. However, Acariya Anuruddha managed to squeeze practically ALL of the accumulated and developed Abhidhamma doctrine from the time of Emperor Asoka (3rd century BCE) to the 12th century CE (1500 years!) into about 50 pages!!!

Needless to say, this text was renowned for being not only extremely comprehensive, but incredibly concise (perhaps "compressed" is a better word). Various English translations, most notably the Ven. Narada version came and went. Bhikkhu Bodhi had outdone himself in this translation, since he included extensive diagrams of the matika (matrix) and was also supported by two Burmese monks. His own commentary was extremely helpful in deciphering this heavy, difficult (but not impossible) text.

I don't think there was any topic of the Abhidhamma which was missed in this text. It's all here! Not only are there the categories of consciousness, mental factors, matter, etc., but there are two extremely interesting chapters on the cognitive and rebirth processes. There are also sections on karma, pannati (concepts), and the Unconditioned Itself (Nibbana). Anyone reading this will walk away knowing more about the Abhidhamma than most other people. If you're a meditator, then this book is a MUST because it provides a general framework of study, as well as potential meditation objects.

Though first published back in 1915, this comparatively short work has inspired philosophers and thinkers since its first appearance, and has been cited by many as their insight and inspiration. Frederick Bailes, to take just one example, said that the application of Troward's insights enabled him to overcome a supposedly "incurable" disease (diabetes).

What is so important about the Troward insight? Essentially, Troward was a judge who applied rigorous logic and the evaluation of evidence to understand the way the universe came into existence, and how it works. He demonstrates that, as neither matter nor energy could (in themselves) have initiated the design process, there must be a creative inspiration - this may be called God, though Toward prefers "Spirit". A later readership might call it "the cosmos". The name doesn't matter - the principle is that of a guiding and designing intelligence, essential to the creation of a logical universe.

From this, Troward argues, it follows that the process of creation must be one of thought - the universe was created by the application of rational design to the static elements of matter and energy. From this, it follows that we should employ the same design process to achieve our objectives, whatever these may be.

I'm sure that I've not explained this very well, but hope that this will get you thinking. Read this book. Not only can it change lives - better yet, it can show you how, and why, the change process operates.

This book is Multi-layered and fascinating. Heartily recommend The Creative Process to anyone who is willing to reach beyond the race mind and consider freedom, joy, light, life, love, peace, power, truth, and beauty. Try this mindset on--it works!

This book is great. I bought this book as it was recommended by the famous author Ernest Holmes, who also writes on this topic. In fact, Troward's writings influenced Ernest Holmes and the Science of Mind movement. Holmes was able to put Troward's principles to the test and he was able to cure people of illness by mental treatment or what he calls "making a demonstration".

When I bought this book, I thought the early 1900s language was a little hard to read. But one day I was really bored and I read it, and it actually was very inspiring. His ideas and principles he puts forth about Truth, God, Mind, Love, Light, Peace etc, are truly amazing, and they really makes sense! As you read towards the back of the book, more and more wow principles are put forth by Troward. He suggests that most religious people are talking about the eternal heaven to go after this life. Yet he correctly asserts that heaven is a state of consciousness and conditions where we experience Light, Joy, Peace, Abundance etc in our life now. And since heaven is eternal, that means it is past, present and future and forever. Then it must be already here now - unless we do not know how to access that infitine givingness and love of God. We do not need to delay a heaven of joy, love and abundance like most religious teachers claim. And he goes forth to tell you how you can access that, and explains why it is so. And that is how Ernest Holmes could use these principles and treat people to have perfect health and abundance.

Lastly, different from other books which teach about "you must think of the things you want, not what you dont want". Troward goes one step further and teaches a way where you can only think about good things as REALITY.

Get this book!

I found this book via the recommendation in Your Mind Can Heal You by Frederick Bailes. It's astonishing that it was originally published in 1915, because the ideas are quite contemporary. Thomas Troward (1847 - 1916) was an assistant commissioner and later divisional judge in the North Indian Punjab from 1869 until 1896. He wrote several small volumes that have had a profound effect on the development of spiritual metaphysics, in particular that of the New Thought movement, of which the teaching known as Science of Mind is Troward's most direct legacy. Unlike a lot of metaphysical authors who treat the personality/conscious mind as some sort of "necessary evil," Troward believes that the whole purpose of Life & Evolution is the further development of the personality in the self-contemplation of Spirit. His reasoning on the nature of Spirit (perfect Life, Light, Love, Power & Beauty) is very convincing as are all his arguments. I have only read it once but feel that a 2nd and 3rd reading is required to fully comprehend this marvelous and fascinating book.

I purchased this book to read during our family devotion times leading up to Easter, and it did not disappoint. All of us became more aware of the deep suffering of our Savior as He moved through the days leading up to His crucifixion.

I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to fix their attention on what Christ suffered so that those who would repent and trust Him could be counted as righteous. It is appropriate as a read-aloud for families with children as young as middle grade school. Younger children can benefit just from listening to the discussions and from hearing Mom and Dad reflect on the Passion of Christ.

With only 83 pages and 13 chapters this book is pregnant with thought-provoking and soul-humbling truth that caused me often to just cry out as a beggar to God in awe, in love, in gratefulness, and in humble pleading for faith and grace.

Basically what Leahy does in this book is walk the reader through Christ's last hours on earth, His Passion. Dealing in 13 chapters with different aspects and scenes from those hours, the divinity of Christ and His humanness are both kept sharply in focus. The sin of mankind both for which Christ was dying and the sins of those who directly took part in His murder are not deminished, but neither is the fact that "It was the will of the Lord to crush him" that it was the Lord who "has put him to grief" (Isaiah 53:10).

I recommend that you read this book in a quiet place with little destraction with your Bible by your side. Read it one chapter at a time and then sit and re-read, and pray. Let the Spirit take you back to the foot of the cross where you gaze up at your only hope, the King of the universe hanging in misery, damnation, and ultimately victory. Look at the cross he bore and realize that with such a high price to secure our salvation, anything that we hope to add or to repay will only be an insult to His gift, diminishing its value and His glory. Let the Spirit take you to the foot of the cross where you realize who we are, we are all beggars.

Sometimes I read a book that has come with such numerous and lofty recommendations that really it can only be disappointing. Having heard so much about how the book will change my life and cause my faith to grow in leaps and bounds, I have often found the reality to be disappointing. Conversely, sometimes a book comes unhyped and unheralded and takes my heart and mind by storm. Such is the case with The Cross He Bore by Frederick Leahy.

Truthfully, I do not remember where I first heard of this book. I was surprised one day to see it turn up in the mail and I soon realized that at one point I had added it to my Amazon wishlist. I knew nothing about it other than what the cover told me: "Meditations on the sufferings of the Redeemer." Edward Donnelly writes in the foreward that this book has three virtues: it provides solid instruction; gives full play to a disciplined and sanctified imagination; and it recalls the neglected art of meditation. He says further that "in rereading these chapters, I found myself more than once compelled by emotion to stop - and then to worship. I cannot help feeling that this is exactly how they were written and that the author's chief desire is that each of us who reads should be brought to gaze in fresh understanding and gratitude upon 'the Son of God,' who loved me and give himself for me." As with Donnelly, I was often compelled to stop and worship, to stop and meditate, or to stop and dry my eyes, thanking Christ for His immeasurable sacrifice.

The book is comprised of thirteen chapters, each of which is a short meditation or reflection on a different aspect of Christ's sacrifice, from the close of the Last Supper to the blotting of the sun from the sky while He hung on the cross. It truly strikes to the very heart of the Gospel.

But I hesitate to say more. Perhaps part of the beauty and significance of this book, was that it came unannounced. There was no lofty position for it to attain to. And perhaps it is best that way. And so I will leave it with merely my wholehearted recommendation and the knowledge that I will return to it often. This short book is an invaluable treasure and I am certain that the reflections it contains will stay with me and come to heart and mind whenever I meditate upon the cross of Christ.

Leahy's book provides several short, easy-to-read but profoundly searching meditations on the Passion of Christ. These are readings to chew on, not rush through. I have found it a useful preparative to partaking of the Lord's Supper.

Jeffrey Hopkins' Cultivating Compassion, provides a Buddhist perspective on compassion and presents meditations, visualizations and other techniques and insights designed to increase a capacity for love and understanding. The goal is to banish selfishness: chapters use Buddhist principles to tell how.

Author provides clear and truly helpfulinstructions on how to cultivate compassion. Probably better than Salzberg's Lovingkindness, another fine title. Step by step guide to buiding compassion through series of meditations. Authoritative, authentic (Hopkins translator for Dalai Lama for ten years) but an easy read with flowing style. Great insight on human mind. Bk contains small pieces of wisdom which clearly product of a "lived" meditative practice. The author is a truly gifted writer; very witty. In places, I smiled: "we are like people on a bus with no destination in mind, the driver stops and lets us out, and we think "this is a nice place":- just a modern version of the mind as unbridled horse, but I relate more to this. For me, one of best Dharma books.

This book contains a series of meditations to help us develop compassion. And what is compassion? The wish for others not
to suffer. This is simply a wonderful book! In it, we learn about the psychology of other human beings. One suprising thing is that we all want the same thing! Happiness. But most of us seem stupid about obtaining it. In all human endeavors and in all human relationships, what quality of mind really makes them work? Compassion. Hopkins brillantly illustrates this. Think
about it. What type of marriage partner would you really want?
One who wishes that you would not suffer. And what is this wish?
It is compassion. So we all want a partner with compassion. We all want friends with compassion. What type of business relationship would you want with someone? We want someone who can feel for us. Someone who will understand if we get sick and can't make a deadline. We want someone with compassion. Paradoxically, compassion is the key to success. Because no one would really want any kind of relationship with us, personal or otherwise, unless we have compassion. Can compassion be bought? Yes! Oddly enough. Buy this book and do a series of meditations in which you will feel for others. In which you will understand others. This book is for everyone. The world needs compassion. And it is what everyone wants. Thank you.

This book is extraordinary. The basic outline follows the well-known seven-fold cause-and-effect meditations for developing bodhicitta, but Professor Hopkins helps to motivate and draw you into each step by presenting other meditations more familiar from Lamrim literature, such as meditations on the preciousness of human life and the certainty of death. All of this comes together to present, in an a surprisingly clear, readable, and practical form, the entire Buddhist path. What makes the book particularly special are the personal notes, stories, and questioning that Hopkins reveals along the way, making it clear that this is a path he has personally walked and, no doubt with great effort, integrated into his life. This gives the book an integrity that is quite rare.

It is only now, writing this, that I realize how deep this simple book really is. Two of Hopkins's other works, The Tantric Distinction, and Emptiness Yoga, come to mind as having a similar kind of personal style. If you liked those, I think you will also find Cultivating Compassion to be, well, enlightening. But this book is suitable for anyone, whether you have previous experience with the material or not. In fact, although there are plenty of historical and philosophical introductions to Buddhism, no other book that I have read takes you quite so effortlessly into its heart. Integrating the teachings into YOUR heart is the next logical step.

This book is like a cup of aromatic cofee and silk comforter for your soul. It is a source of daily vignettes that inspire, soothe, and speak to your spirit as a friend whispering in your ear. A must have for anyone on a spiritual journey.

Talk about not being able to keep a good book to yourself? This all began around 1980. I was browsing around the SPIRITUAL counter at the bookstore when this tiny yellow hardback book caught my attention. I flipped through it and went to that particular day's reading...and then I read the reading from the day before and then the day after. Each reading touched my heart and soul...I knew I had to get it and the price was right, $4.99!

Well, everyday the little yellow book was inspiring me. Then one day while reading, my sisters popped into my head and the thought of how much they'd treasure this book. So I picked up a copy for my sisters. A few days later, a beautiful reading from St.Francis De Sales remeinded me of my mother-in-law- so I sent a copy to her. My brother picked up my copy one evening while visiting, and I told him to take it. Then there were friends, neighbors and relations who kept coming in my thoughts while reading...before I knew it I was telling perfect strngers about this little yellow book so full of wisdom. Even the TUPPERWARE woman picked it up while packing up her demo things- she seemed to like it, so that copy went home with her! It seemed as soon as a copy got comfortable in my home, I'd think of someone, or someone would actually pick up mine and ask for a copy!

I'd venture to say that I probably gave about forty copies of Mary Tilestone's book away. Then I couldn't find it anywhere...and I was left without a copy. A few weeks ago I bumped into this book and almost started to cry from JOY!!!!!

Will this book find roots here with me? I hope so...but I will stock up my cupboard with this perfect treasury of readings for future gifts! And how beautiful the watercolor illustrations!

Three cheers for the most treasured book(besides the Bible and Merton's THROUGH THE YEAR!) I own!

Sincerely, Terry Stellini

After reading years of late 20th century self-fulfillment books, I found Daily Strength for Daily Needs to be a refreshing change. The excerpts and quotes focus often on patient acceptance of life's difficulties and the cultivation of humility. Not popular topics in a "fix-it" society! Other centuries have valuable perspectives to offer us as we seek to distinguish which elements in our faith are eternal and which are merely culture-influenced fads.

This book is not only filled with incredible spiritual devotions that speak to your soul, but also with beautiful watercolor illustrations. The combination of the two makes this book a special addition to your library, as well as a meaningful and loving gift for a friend.

Thank you for the care and love you showed Maxene.....Linda B.(...)

One of the most inspiring stories was about Maxene Andrews of the famous Andrews Sisters. Each of us think about our limitations sometimes, about our fear of failure, and sometime we feel it is just TOO late to reach that goal, begin again, try one more time for the brass ring. Well, Maxene's story will give you HOPE that it is NEVER, ever too late to begin again. At least, that's what it did for me. OH, and the fact that I wrote the story has no bearing on this review. Maxene died 10 years ago, however, she, and the example she set, lives within me still. AND, I did begin again! Just like Mackie did!

This book is filled with great pieces of advice, as well as touching stories. I got it at the library, but I decided that I have to own it. I've been sharing this book with my grandma and my aunt. It's helped us live together in harmony and to get along with everyone else in our family.

Families have so many challenges these days, especially when it comes to raising young ones. Family devotions such as those in this book can do so very much in keeping each members' thoughts on the important spiritual values. Owning this book and making the devotions in it part of your daily family time together can help so very much in keeping the needed communication lines open. In this day and age, parents need all the help they can get, and there are definitely good guidelines in this book.