A Sunlit Absence:Silence, Awareness, and Contemplation

Silence, Awareness, and Contemplation

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Inspiration & Meditation, Spirituality, Bible & Bible Studies
Cover of the book A Sunlit Absence:Silence, Awareness, and Contemplation by Martin Laird, Oxford University Press, USA
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Martin Laird ISBN: 9780199831517
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA Publication: June 29, 2011
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: Martin Laird
ISBN: 9780199831517
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Publication: June 29, 2011
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

"The practice of contemplation is one of the great spiritual arts," writes Martin Laird in A Sunlit Absence. "Not a technique but a skill, it harnesses the winds of grace that lead us out into the liberating sea of silence." In this companion volume to his bestselling Into the Silent Land, Laird focuses on a quality often overlooked by books on Christian meditation: a vast and flowing spaciousness that embraces both silence and sound, and transcends all subject/object dualisms. Drawing on the wisdom of great contemplatives from St. Augustine and St. Teresa of Avila to St. Hesychios, Simone Weil, and many others, Laird shows how we can uncover the deeper levels of awareness that rest within us like buried treasure waiting to be found. The key insight of the book is that as our practice matures, so will our experience of life's ordeals, sorrows, and joys expand into generous, receptive maturity. We learn to see whatever difficulties we experience in meditation--boredom, lethargy, arrogance, depression, grief, anxiety--not as obstacles to be overcome but as opportunities to practice surrender to what is. With clarity and grace Laird shows how we can move away from identifying with our turbulent, ever-changing thoughts and emotions to the cultivation of a "sunlit absence"--the luminous awareness in which God's presence can most profoundly be felt. Addressed to both beginners and intermediates on the pathless path of still prayer, A Sunlit Absence offers wise guidance on the specifics of contemplative practice as well as an inspiring vision of the purpose of such practice and the central role it can play in our spiritual lives.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

"The practice of contemplation is one of the great spiritual arts," writes Martin Laird in A Sunlit Absence. "Not a technique but a skill, it harnesses the winds of grace that lead us out into the liberating sea of silence." In this companion volume to his bestselling Into the Silent Land, Laird focuses on a quality often overlooked by books on Christian meditation: a vast and flowing spaciousness that embraces both silence and sound, and transcends all subject/object dualisms. Drawing on the wisdom of great contemplatives from St. Augustine and St. Teresa of Avila to St. Hesychios, Simone Weil, and many others, Laird shows how we can uncover the deeper levels of awareness that rest within us like buried treasure waiting to be found. The key insight of the book is that as our practice matures, so will our experience of life's ordeals, sorrows, and joys expand into generous, receptive maturity. We learn to see whatever difficulties we experience in meditation--boredom, lethargy, arrogance, depression, grief, anxiety--not as obstacles to be overcome but as opportunities to practice surrender to what is. With clarity and grace Laird shows how we can move away from identifying with our turbulent, ever-changing thoughts and emotions to the cultivation of a "sunlit absence"--the luminous awareness in which God's presence can most profoundly be felt. Addressed to both beginners and intermediates on the pathless path of still prayer, A Sunlit Absence offers wise guidance on the specifics of contemplative practice as well as an inspiring vision of the purpose of such practice and the central role it can play in our spiritual lives.

More books from Oxford University Press, USA

Cover of the book Living with Mild Cognitive Impairment:A Guide to Maximizing Brain Health and Reducing Risk of Dementia by Martin Laird
Cover of the book Fundamentalism And American Culture by Martin Laird
Cover of the book Justice Matters : Legacies of the Holocaust and World War II by Martin Laird
Cover of the book Royals and the Reich:The Princes von Hessen in Nazi Germany by Martin Laird
Cover of the book Cultures in Conflict : Christians Muslims and Jews in the Age of Discovery by Martin Laird
Cover of the book Masters of the Battlefield: Great Commanders From the Classical Age to the Napoleonic Era by Martin Laird
Cover of the book The Oxford History of Islam by Martin Laird
Cover of the book The Strange Career of Jim Crow by Martin Laird
Cover of the book Burdened Virtues : Virtue Ethics for Liberatory Struggles by Martin Laird
Cover of the book How to Read the Bible: History, Prophecy, Literature--Why Modern Readers Need to Know the Difference and What It Means for Faith Today by Martin Laird
Cover of the book The Man Behind the Microchip : Robert Noyce and the Invention of Silicon Valley by Martin Laird
Cover of the book Humble Apologetics : Defending the Faith Today by Martin Laird
Cover of the book Intellectual Disability : A Guide For Families And Professionals by Martin Laird
Cover of the book A River Running West : The Life of John Wesley Powell by Martin Laird
Cover of the book Cleopatra:A Biography by Martin Laird
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy