Being Still

by Jean-Yves Leloup, Martin Laird (Translator)

"Jean-Yves Leloup explores the writings of many spiritual masters from across the centuries, in particular the Desert Fathers, the fourth-century monk Evagrius, St. John Cassian, and the anonymous nineteenth-century author of The Way of the Pilgrim." "Drawn from the experience of the monasteries of Sinai and Mount Athos, here is a clear and practical presentation of the spiritual art of arts: stillness in the face of interior pain and confusion." These spiritual riches, refined and developed by the Orthodox tradition in Christianity, can also be recognized in the teaching and practice of Buddhism, Hinduism and Islamic Sufism. The fundamental truth of one tradition is to be found under its own proper forms and nuances in others. Far from diminishing the unique value of this hesychastic way of prayer, the most developed spiritual traditions of humanity affirm it as one of the great forms through which humanity reaches out to embrace Infinite Reality.

Genres: Mysticism, Nonfiction, Philosophy

Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Jean-Yves Leloup, an Orthodox theologian, is well known in Europe, North and South America as a popular author on spirituality and psychology. He is the founder of the Institute of Other Civilization Studies and the International College of Therapists. He has written more than fifty books and has also translated and commented the gospels of Thomas, Miriam of Magdala, Philip and John.

Reviews

[David Mullens]

This was an excellent book about stillness and silence focusing on early Christianity. He does have a chapter on silence from Hindu, Buddhist, and Islam perspectives however. I highly recommend this book if you want to get sense of silence from an early Christian perspective. Many wonderful quotes from Early Christian resources.

[Amy]

Love it so far. keep re-reading it-

[Todd]

For me, this sounds more like what Christianity should sound like!