-25% ✨ New Into the Silent Land: A Guide to the Christian Practice of Contemplation by Laird, Martin

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Into the Silent Land: A Guide to the Christian Practice of Contemplation

Name: Into the Silent Land: A Guide to the Christian Practice of Contemplation
Price: 24.00 USD
Availability: InStock
Author: Laird, Martin
ISBN: 9780195307603

✍️ Laird, Martin

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📚 ABOUT THE BOOK

Uncover the profound stillness and ancient wisdom within Christian contemplative practice.

Martin Laird masterfully unveils the rich, often overlooked contemplative tradition within Christianity, demonstrating its sophisticated teachings on inner quietude and spiritual awareness. Far from a basic introduction, this guide delves into time-honored methods like using a prayer word and breath-work for cultivating stillness. Laird particularly shines in addressing the formidable internal obstacles—distraction, boredom, and inner turmoil—that seekers inevitably encounter. It's a deep dive for those ready to move beyond the surface, offering profound insight into fostering a radical openness to the Divine through persistent, heartfelt practice.

Key themes

{'title': 'Christian Contemplative Heritage', 'body': "Laird reveals the deep, nuanced history of Christian contemplation, spanning both Eastern and Western traditions. He illustrates that practices of inner stillness and awareness are not exclusive to other faiths but are deeply embedded in Christianity's spiritual lineage, offering a rich, often forgotten, path to divine connection for contemporary seekers."} {'title': 'Navigating Inner Turbulence', 'body': "This book provides practical guidance for confronting the inevitable struggles on the contemplative path. Laird offers compassionate insights into managing distractions, boredom, and inner resistance, reframing these challenges not as failures, but as essential 'riddles' that, when engaged with, draw the practitioner deeper into the silent heart of prayer and awareness."} {'title': 'Deepening Spiritual Practice', 'body': "Beyond beginner's guides, Laird's work caters to those already engaged in some form of spiritual discipline, inviting them to plumb greater depths. It focuses on intensifying one's commitment to inner silence, pushing past initial stages to embrace a more radical and sustained openness to the sacred, transforming mere practice into profound encounter."}

🏛 Oxford University Press 📅 2006 📖 176 pages 🌐 en 📐 Hardcover ISBN: 9780195307603

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Fun fact

Laird masterfully unveils the deep contemplative currents within Christianity, moving beyond superficial introductions. It excels in validating and guiding through the inevitable difficulties of sustained practice, offering a profound roadmap for inner transformation. Those seeking a purely secular mindfulness guide or a simplistic beginner's manual might find it too demanding in its spiritual depth. This book firmly re-establishes Christian contemplation as a vital, profound discipline, essential for serious seekers on the path.

📝 Description: Into the Silent Land: A Guide to the Christian Practice of Contemplation

Sitting in stillness, the practice of meditation, and the cultivation of awareness are commonly thought to be the preserves of Hindus and Buddhists. Martin Laird shows that the Christian tradition of contemplation has its own refined teachings on using a prayer word to focus the mind, working with the breath to cultivate stillness, and the practice of inner vigilance or awareness. But this book is not a mere historical survey of these teachings. In Into the Silent Land, we see the ancient wisdom of both the Christian East and West brought sharply to bear on the modern-day longing for radical openness to God in the depths of the heart. Laird's book is not like the many presentations for beginners. While useful for those just starting out, this book serves especially as a guide for those who desire to journey yet deeper into the silence of God. The heart of the book focuses on negotiating key moments of struggle on the contemplative path, when the whirlwind of distractions or the brick wall of boredom makes it difficult to continue. Laird shows that these inner struggles, even wounds, that any person of prayer must face, are like riddles, trying to draw out of us our own inner silence. Ultimately Laird shows how the wounds we loathe become vehicles of the healing silence we seek, beyond technique and achievement. Throughout the language is fresh, direct, and focused on real-life examples of people whose lives are incomparably enriched by the practice of contemplation.

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⭐ Esoterica editorial review Editorial rating 4.5/5

★★★★★

If you've begun a contemplative journey and yearn to move beyond superficial practice, or find yourself grappling with the inevitable challenges of inner silence, this guide offers profound wisdom and practical insight to deepen your spiritual engagement.

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❓ Frequently asked questions

While accessible, Laird's work truly shines for those already familiar with foundational spiritual practices, offering guidance for deeper, more challenging stages of contemplation, rather than a basic 'how-to' for novices.

While sharing elements of present-moment awareness, Christian contemplation, as explored here, is distinctly oriented towards a radical openness to divine presence and union, often incorporating elements like a 'prayer word' or inner vigilance for spiritual discernment.

📖 Who should read this

🎯 Key themes and symbolism

Christian Contemplative Heritage

Laird reveals the deep, nuanced history of Christian contemplation, spanning both Eastern and Western traditions. He illustrates that practices of inner stillness and awareness are not exclusive to other faiths but are deeply embedded in Christianity's spiritual lineage, offering a rich, often forgotten, path to divine connection for contemporary seekers.

Navigating Inner Turbulence

This book provides practical guidance for confronting the inevitable struggles on the contemplative path. Laird offers compassionate insights into managing distractions, boredom, and inner resistance, reframing these challenges not as failures, but as essential 'riddles' that, when engaged with, draw the practitioner deeper into the silent heart of prayer and awareness.

Deepening Spiritual Practice

Beyond beginner's guides, Laird's work caters to those already engaged in some form of spiritual discipline, inviting them to plumb greater depths. It focuses on intensifying one's commitment to inner silence, pushing past initial stages to embrace a more radical and sustained openness to the sacred, transforming mere practice into profound encounter.

💬 Quotes from the book

«The true work of silence begins not when distractions cease, but when we learn to greet them as part of the path itself.»

«To breathe with awareness is to open a small, persistent doorway into the vast, silent presence of the Divine within.»

📜 Historical context

This work places Christian contemplation firmly within its historical lineage, drawing from the wisdom of desert fathers, monastic mystics, and spiritual guides from both the Eastern and Western Church. Laird bridges these ancient, profound practices to the modern spiritual landscape, demonstrating their enduring relevance and power for those seeking a deeper connection to the divine today.

📚 Glossary

Contemplation
Prayer Word
Inner Vigilance

📔 Questions to reflect on

{'question': "Reflect on a time when inner struggle or distraction felt like a 'brick wall' in your spiritual practice. How might Laird's perspective reframe that experience for you?"}
{'question': "Consider the concept of a 'prayer word.' What word or phrase resonates with your deepest longing for connection, and how could you integrate it into your stillness practice?"}
{'question': "How does the idea of 'radical openness to God' challenge or affirm your current understanding of spiritual practice and its ultimate purpose?"}