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Christian Meditation: Experiencing the Presence of God
Enter a Monastery Without Walls
Christian Meditation introduces an ancient practice to a contemporary audience. James Finley, a former monk and student of Thomas Merton, presents the fundamentals of both understanding and practicing Christian meditation. He provides simple, helpful instructions, as well as explaining the deeper connection with the divine that meditation can bring. Above all, he makes clear that the aim of meditation is to allow us to experience divine contemplation -- the presence of God.
Christian Meditation introduces an ancient practice to a contemporary audience. James Finley, a former monk and student of Thomas Merton, presents the fundamentals of both understanding and practicing Christian meditation. He provides simple, helpful instructions, as well as explaining the deeper connection with the divine that meditation can bring. Above all, he makes clear that the aim of meditation is to allow us to experience divine contemplation -- the presence of God.
314 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
April 5, 2024
Puts meditation in a helpful context, if you're Christian. I was a little disappointed--if you've been meditating for a long time and have read a lot of the classic Christian works (like Cloud of Unknowing, St. Therèse of Lisieus, St. Teresa of Avila) there's not a lot of new information. Plus, like the good American consumer that I am, there are no special "techniques" or shortcuts to spiritual enlightenment. But there is a lot of lovely description of the different levels and types of meditation/contemplation (who knew there was such a thing as "discursive meditation"--or that I actually already do that? So, I was wrong: I did learn some new things!).
This is a book I want to listen to again. I can only take in small amounts of this kind of work at a time. Kind of intense but very interesting.
This is a book I want to listen to again. I can only take in small amounts of this kind of work at a time. Kind of intense but very interesting.
July 21, 2018
Finley has written what he calls a "hands-on" guide for anyone who wants to practice Christian-based meditation. Christianity has a long tradition of meditation, going back to the Desert Fathers of the 3rd century, and Finley is helpful in clearly explaining the goals of the practice of meditation.
He first clears away the misconception that meditation should move us to a goal of esoteric fulfillment where we have some kind of transcendent vision of God. There is nothing about meditation that takes us anywhere beyond the immediacy of the present moment. The problem is, of course, that we seldom live in the present moment for very long. Occasionally yes, as when we experience something awesome outside our normal experience such as fleeting moments of beauty, or of tragedy such as a death. Most of the time we are immersed either in remembering the past or anticipating the future, both of which are bound up in our own ego consciousness.
The goal of meditation is to exist in the present moment, to be in a state where we are aware of our surroundings but not thinking consciously of them. Certainly, concepts from the past and future will slide without notice into our consciousness, and we are not to resist them, but let them pass, as they inevitably will, unless we're daydreaming or obsessing on them.
To an uninitiated observer, the response might well be, so you're just to sit there and think about nothing? Why not just go to sleep? Sleep is a state of unconsciousness, nothing like meditation which is about awareness and consciousness. To think about "nothing" is not the goal; it's to be aware, yes, but in an intuitive non conceptual way.
There are specific steps that can taken to bring about this state of bearing non-intellectual witness to simply existing. One is by concentrating on deep breathing, another is to be seated upright, comfortable but not overly relaxed, and to be simply aware of your surroundings. Your senses may come into play, especially your sense of hearing, but Finley thinks it best to keep your eyes closed as visual stimulation may be too distracting and lead you into ego-thinking. Meditation contains a lot of effort - Finley suggests twenty minutes or so is a reasonable length of time to practice meditation.
As for experiencing God, that depends on what is meant by "God." For Finley God is never going to be experienced by an person caught up his own ego, as most of us are. Meditation replaces the ego with an awareness that we are tiny parts in a world infinitely full of simultaneously existent things, both live and inert. If a person practices meditation, and it does take practice, he or she will come to that awareness, whether often or rarely is beside the point. Patience is a part of the practice of meditation as well, the realization that the ego cannot simply turn on and off a non-ego activity. Frustrating and dry stretches are to be expected; there are no shortcuts in meditation practice, no scorecard as to how well we're doing.
When an individual understands, as far as they are able, this activity which is designed to increase the awareness of what it means to be alive, then in a sense they will have seen "God", not a theistic god who is outside his creation, but one that is defined by the infinite details of one's existence. The ultimate purpose of meditation is to move the individual toward a more authentic, less selfish and ego-driven consciousness, and in that sense to become more "Christ-like.".
He first clears away the misconception that meditation should move us to a goal of esoteric fulfillment where we have some kind of transcendent vision of God. There is nothing about meditation that takes us anywhere beyond the immediacy of the present moment. The problem is, of course, that we seldom live in the present moment for very long. Occasionally yes, as when we experience something awesome outside our normal experience such as fleeting moments of beauty, or of tragedy such as a death. Most of the time we are immersed either in remembering the past or anticipating the future, both of which are bound up in our own ego consciousness.
The goal of meditation is to exist in the present moment, to be in a state where we are aware of our surroundings but not thinking consciously of them. Certainly, concepts from the past and future will slide without notice into our consciousness, and we are not to resist them, but let them pass, as they inevitably will, unless we're daydreaming or obsessing on them.
To an uninitiated observer, the response might well be, so you're just to sit there and think about nothing? Why not just go to sleep? Sleep is a state of unconsciousness, nothing like meditation which is about awareness and consciousness. To think about "nothing" is not the goal; it's to be aware, yes, but in an intuitive non conceptual way.
There are specific steps that can taken to bring about this state of bearing non-intellectual witness to simply existing. One is by concentrating on deep breathing, another is to be seated upright, comfortable but not overly relaxed, and to be simply aware of your surroundings. Your senses may come into play, especially your sense of hearing, but Finley thinks it best to keep your eyes closed as visual stimulation may be too distracting and lead you into ego-thinking. Meditation contains a lot of effort - Finley suggests twenty minutes or so is a reasonable length of time to practice meditation.
As for experiencing God, that depends on what is meant by "God." For Finley God is never going to be experienced by an person caught up his own ego, as most of us are. Meditation replaces the ego with an awareness that we are tiny parts in a world infinitely full of simultaneously existent things, both live and inert. If a person practices meditation, and it does take practice, he or she will come to that awareness, whether often or rarely is beside the point. Patience is a part of the practice of meditation as well, the realization that the ego cannot simply turn on and off a non-ego activity. Frustrating and dry stretches are to be expected; there are no shortcuts in meditation practice, no scorecard as to how well we're doing.
When an individual understands, as far as they are able, this activity which is designed to increase the awareness of what it means to be alive, then in a sense they will have seen "God", not a theistic god who is outside his creation, but one that is defined by the infinite details of one's existence. The ultimate purpose of meditation is to move the individual toward a more authentic, less selfish and ego-driven consciousness, and in that sense to become more "Christ-like.".
July 8, 2018
This is a very difficult book to review. James Findley is an extremely experienced meditator who is deeply immersed in the Christian tradition while remaining ecumenical as well. I heard him speak in the 90's, so I hear his slow, quiet, thoughtful voice as I read his words now. I would counsel anyone considering this book to (1) read the table of contents, and (2) to consider it a meditative work in itself. That is, it is to be read slowly and in small digestible bites. There is much hard-won wisdom here, but it is not a page-turner.
October 6, 2010
I really enjoyed this book by James Finley. It's a great book for anyone that has begun or is interested in practicing contemplative prayer. He describes form and technique thoroughly and provides useful illustrations in his explanations. He describes in depth about the process of entering a nondual union with God and finding Him in the present moment. I got this book from the library but it is definitely one I like enough to buy when I get the chance. A great addition to anybody's library.
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October 4, 2024Finley borders on pluralism at times, which is not to my liking. He also takes 300 pages to communicate 80 pages worth of information, which made this a somewhat laborious read. I won't be returning to this book in the future.
As I learn more about the Christian streams of mysticism, I did enjoy becoming acquainted with some of the classic texts, such as The Cloud of Unknowing, as well as cautions from some of the spiritual masters of the medieval era.
As I learn more about the Christian streams of mysticism, I did enjoy becoming acquainted with some of the classic texts, such as The Cloud of Unknowing, as well as cautions from some of the spiritual masters of the medieval era.
November 10, 2008
While I appreciated some introduction to the process and experience of meditation, the first four chapters seemed out of place. I found myself wanting an explanation of the meaning and importance of meditation to set the foundation of the practice before discussing the process and experience of meditation. The first four chapters also contained regular comparisons of meditation to romantic love that might render some of the points Finley is trying to make inaccessible to persons struggling romantically. However, these references become fewer starting in Chapter 5. Chapter 5 also provides the foundation of the importance of meditation through a discussion of Finley's personal experiences of meditating in a Trappist monastery and how he began to apply what he learned to his everyday life outside the monastery. The rest of the book explains the meaning and importance of the meditative life and details the process; it explains the significance of each part of centering oneself and becoming present.
December 8, 2016
Christian meditation was a hard read for me. James Finley is ridiculously repetitive and I felt like he could have said what he used ten pages for in a single paragraph. Regardless, I plowed through all the way until the end.
In all honesty, my favorite parts where the references James gave from other mystics and not what he himself said. However, I gathered small bits of gold throughout the book--enough to form my own ideas of what meditation means to me. If you find yourself struggling like I did, do yourself a favor and jump to chapter six. To me, this self-transformation chapter was the best of the book, and what urged me to finish despite my frustration with the amount of fluff and padding the author used to lengthen the book.
In all, I left with some takeaways, but wouldn't recommend the book.
In all honesty, my favorite parts where the references James gave from other mystics and not what he himself said. However, I gathered small bits of gold throughout the book--enough to form my own ideas of what meditation means to me. If you find yourself struggling like I did, do yourself a favor and jump to chapter six. To me, this self-transformation chapter was the best of the book, and what urged me to finish despite my frustration with the amount of fluff and padding the author used to lengthen the book.
In all, I left with some takeaways, but wouldn't recommend the book.
April 12, 2013
Finley offers many insights into meditation and gave me quite a few new ideas to incorporate into my practice. I especially liked his suggestion for helpful mantras. Great book. Pretty heavy at times, but still understandable and meaningful.
October 30, 2009
Wonderful book on contmeplative prayer.
May 30, 2021
"Christian" and "Meditation" are not two terms that one might think of as being synonymous. If you recall however, Christ often went off into the wilderness to speak to God, pray, think, and dare I say... meditate?
This book by Finley is a great spiritual "how to" book.
It has been divided into 14 chapters:
Divine Destination
Learning to Meditate
Meditative Experience
A Ladder to Heaven
A Monastery without Walls
The Self-Transforming Journey
Entering the Mind of Christ
Present, Open, and Awake
Sit Still
Sit Straight
Slow, Deep, Natural Breathing
Eyes Closed or Lowered Toward the Ground
Walking Meditation
Compassion
A quote from the book:
"We sit, attentive to our bodily stillness, until little by little, or all at once, our awareness of this moment of bodily stillness once again awakens us to that which transcends this stillness. We sit, quietly attentive and receptive to our breathing, until by God's grace, our awareness of this breath awakens us to the presence of God that wholly transcends this breath. We sit in this moment of attentive silence until, by God's grace, our awareness of this moment of silence awakens us to the eternal silence of God. Little by little, or all at once, the unconsummated longings of our awakened heart find a hallowed clearing in which we learn to quietly rest with a sense of trusting expectancy."
Meditation and the experience of finding God is an experience that few can find the words to communicate. Even though you have felt this experience through centering prayer and/or meditation it may be difficult to communicate this experience to others, Finley not only provides the pathway to meditation, but also effectively communicates the experience in an eloquent and clear way.
The goal of Christian meditation is abundantly clear, it is about finding God.
Another quote from the book:
"We sit that we might continue being our bodily self as long as our life on this earth shall last, but no longer limited to our bodily self and all the bodily self can be. We sit that we might live in God, and for God, and by God in all that we do."
Finley's observations are indeed profound.
As a whole this is a well-research, practical, and mystical book that is worth your time to read and study deeply.
This book by Finley is a great spiritual "how to" book.
It has been divided into 14 chapters:
Divine Destination
Learning to Meditate
Meditative Experience
A Ladder to Heaven
A Monastery without Walls
The Self-Transforming Journey
Entering the Mind of Christ
Present, Open, and Awake
Sit Still
Sit Straight
Slow, Deep, Natural Breathing
Eyes Closed or Lowered Toward the Ground
Walking Meditation
Compassion
A quote from the book:
"We sit, attentive to our bodily stillness, until little by little, or all at once, our awareness of this moment of bodily stillness once again awakens us to that which transcends this stillness. We sit, quietly attentive and receptive to our breathing, until by God's grace, our awareness of this breath awakens us to the presence of God that wholly transcends this breath. We sit in this moment of attentive silence until, by God's grace, our awareness of this moment of silence awakens us to the eternal silence of God. Little by little, or all at once, the unconsummated longings of our awakened heart find a hallowed clearing in which we learn to quietly rest with a sense of trusting expectancy."
Meditation and the experience of finding God is an experience that few can find the words to communicate. Even though you have felt this experience through centering prayer and/or meditation it may be difficult to communicate this experience to others, Finley not only provides the pathway to meditation, but also effectively communicates the experience in an eloquent and clear way.
The goal of Christian meditation is abundantly clear, it is about finding God.
Another quote from the book:
"We sit that we might continue being our bodily self as long as our life on this earth shall last, but no longer limited to our bodily self and all the bodily self can be. We sit that we might live in God, and for God, and by God in all that we do."
Finley's observations are indeed profound.
As a whole this is a well-research, practical, and mystical book that is worth your time to read and study deeply.
October 9, 2017
This is a refreshing look at the practice of centering prayer. Finley breaks meditation down into small, understandable pieces that are at once simple and challenging. At the heart of his message: Just meditate! Reading this book helped me understand meditation better, encouraged me, and reminded me that I am part of something so much larger than myself and my desire to stay committed to a regular practice of centering prayer. Whether you are new to centering prayer, or have been practicing for awhile, I highly recommend this book.
March 8, 2019
This audio "book" consists of twelve sessions,
that is
, twelve chapters dealing with meditation from a Christian perspective. It was quite informative,
that is
I liked listening to it. Mr. Finley was a good presenter, however he did make use of a pet phrase frequently,
that is
tied his thoughts together in a manner like some people use "um.." or "ah".
I would give this presentation a high rating, that is four stars on the Goodreads scale. Can you guess yet what his pet phrase is, that is have I dropped enough hints?
I would give this presentation a high rating, that is four stars on the Goodreads scale. Can you guess yet what his pet phrase is, that is have I dropped enough hints?
September 12, 2023
It took me two years to read this book!
Mainly because mediation takes TIME and learning takes time.
I also had to be in a place where my heart was ready to take in the content- and that was not everyday.
This read was About so much more than meditation -meditation was at times a lens that we read about other topics through. The trinity, compassion, formation, Union with Christ and more.
I particularly enjoyed the examination towards the end about oneness in the trinity- and the poetry that reflects the mystery of God, rather than the logic.
Highly recommended
Mainly because mediation takes TIME and learning takes time.
I also had to be in a place where my heart was ready to take in the content- and that was not everyday.
This read was About so much more than meditation -meditation was at times a lens that we read about other topics through. The trinity, compassion, formation, Union with Christ and more.
I particularly enjoyed the examination towards the end about oneness in the trinity- and the poetry that reflects the mystery of God, rather than the logic.
Highly recommended
February 7, 2022
Wounded Healer
James Finley infuses compassion throughout his writing. He writes as one who has deeply experienced the challenges and pain of his readers. Although centered around meditation, this book is about finding the peace that surpasses understanding when encountering a loving and compassionate God. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has been deeply wounded and is struggling with seeing the presence of God and finding compassion with themselves.
James Finley infuses compassion throughout his writing. He writes as one who has deeply experienced the challenges and pain of his readers. Although centered around meditation, this book is about finding the peace that surpasses understanding when encountering a loving and compassionate God. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has been deeply wounded and is struggling with seeing the presence of God and finding compassion with themselves.
October 15, 2022
Finley, a psychotherapist, author and staff member at the CAC (Center for Action and Contemplation) is so gifted at presenting deep, complex topics in a simplistic way for anyone to comprehend. He read this audio book - his voice and approach is so gentle and conversational- it feels like a friend is talking to you. I practice contemplation/meditation. This book helped to create more depth and understanding for me!
November 30, 2019
I think that the author of this book had a lot of good things to say about meditation. I did like it. However, he has a tendency to wax philosophical (which Is par for the course in meditation books). I kind of got lost in the language from time to time. It took me awhile to finish this book. But on the whole I think it was good.
September 11, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed this audio book with James Finley. What a beautiful, smooth voice to mediate alongside to.
He genuinely helped me to learn what meditation is not. It helped me along on my spiritual odyssey.
Although I got a bit lost towards the end with the language used, I will definately be listening again in the future.
He genuinely helped me to learn what meditation is not. It helped me along on my spiritual odyssey.
Although I got a bit lost towards the end with the language used, I will definately be listening again in the future.
May 9, 2021
I got this book as an audio book. Now I’m not a Christian but I was curious. For myself I skip the first four chapters of the book. Those chapter were like a sermon that you could listen to before you meditate. I couldn’t relate to it. I really liked the second half of the book. The author goes into what meditation can offer us.
July 7, 2021
This is a beautiful and challenging book as it asks us to be human beings who are content to just be, sit still and listen, be present. and on top of this, it talks about showing ourselves grace when we fail to do those things. The final section of the last chapter was glorious, and I will reread it many times as a reminder of who I am and who God is. Highly recommend.
September 25, 2024
Very in-depth book on Christian meditation with good advice and explanation. The text gets a little repetitive at times and the book could have been edited better as there are a lot of typos that were missed. However, the content is great, Finley's voice really comes through and it's clear he is writing from experience of this way of life.
November 17, 2024
I was told this book would take a long time to read, and it did. A year of short passages at a time. James Finely speaks from a depth of wisdom, experience and yearning for God that cannot be consumed quickly, much less fully understood. A practice to learn over a lifetime and a book to return to to help.
June 29, 2020
Having experience with Buddhist meditation through Jack Kornfield's guidance, I was excited to read and apply the practice of Christian meditation (it is all the same, really -- communion with God). James Finley has a way with words that helps me deepen my love for God and my spiritual practice.
October 22, 2021
Filled a present need…
James Finley assures that your apprehensions as to whether or not you are capable of achieving your goal of slow continuous transformation by providing sharing experiences that confirm what you are experiencing can be expected.
James Finley assures that your apprehensions as to whether or not you are capable of achieving your goal of slow continuous transformation by providing sharing experiences that confirm what you are experiencing can be expected.
February 17, 2023
One of these days I'm gonna understand what James Finley is saying. There's something there there, for sure. But due to lack of direct experience and expertise, I'm just not able to fully comprehend what Finley presents in this book. Definitely something to read again and again.
January 26, 2020
Excellent introductory book into the practice of mediation. Author suggests a number of different ways/habits that one can add into their everyday life to commune with God.
February 4, 2020
A very good read and review on Contemplative prayer and it’s integration into daily life.
January 21, 2021
This is a good resource for those of us on a journey of spiritual contemplative practice. I will be referring to it again and often in my journey.
December 3, 2021
Learned so much about what I was experiencing but had no words got.
January 26, 2022
Although the author gave some good suggestions involving posture for meditation, so much repetition in everything else was utterly annoying.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 18, 2024
A helpful meditative practice guide with some profound analogies used throughout
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews