- Paperback: 144 pages
- Publisher: Farrar Straus & Giroux (1999)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0374513252
- ISBN-13: 978-0374513252
- Product Dimensions: 21 x 14 x 1 cm
- Shipping Weight: 113 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
-
Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#385,247 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #61 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Other Practices > Monasticism
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Product Details |
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
There is no greater disaster in the spiritual life than to be immersed in unreality, for life is maintained and nourished in us by our vital relation with realities outside and above us. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt
There is no greater disaster in the spiritual life than to be immersed in unreality, for life is maintained and nourished in us by our vital relation with realities outside and above us. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A voice of peace that can be heard above our noise,
By
This review is from: Thoughts in Solitude (Paperback)
To defend the spirit against what Merton calls "the murderous din of our materialism", we must learn to live in solitude. But true solitary life is not a withdrawal from society: on the contrary, it is the only way to become social in the fullest sense, because through solitude we come to comprehend God's profound love for us, so that we can love other men in imitation and reverence of Him. Of the many themes Merton emphasizes in explaining true solitude, gratitude and humility are perhaps the most important. To live in solitude is to be without attachment to material things, personal relationships, or even spiritual accomplishment. Therefore solitude is a life of utter poverty and humility: our entire lives are a gift to God. Through this act we discover that nothing is due us, and our lives become an ongoing prayer of gratitude for whatever gifts we receive. For the true solitary, actions are far more important than thoughts, because, as Merton points out, if our ideas are not reflected in our actions, we do not really think them. If we do not follow our true vocation our lives will be choked by internal conflict between what we are called to do and what we actually do. Or worse, we may avoid the problem by ignoring our spiritual condition. Merton's commentary is highly relevant to all who care about their spiritual condition, and all who seek God in the murderous din.
3.0 out of 5 stars
too christian,
By A Customer
This review is from: Thoughts in Solitude (Paperback)
Merton, ususally cross-denominational in his approach, to the point of often interpreting Zen and other religions outside his backgound (at which is he very good), is for too entrenched in Christian jargon in this one, and has less to say. But how can anyone resist these cute, tiny, inexpensive little books? I have a about a couple of dozen of them!
4.0 out of 5 stars
37 Lucid Meditations on the Spiritual Life,
By dylanissimus "dylanissimus" (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Thoughts in Solitude (Paperback)
This slender book is one of Merton's best. It contains several brief, luminous, sound, quiet, humble essays and observations gleaned from the labours, prayers, and extensive reading of this century's most prominent and perhaps most mercurial Trappist monk.The tone is sedate. It is loyal to the ecclesia, and contains the unmistakable Merton note: the apologia for solitude as the mother of contemplation, prayer, wisdom, and holy hope. Confident without being preachy, serene without being quietistic or dull, not at all contaminated with the ephemera of politics or with complaints against the rigours of his chosen life, THOUGHTS IN SOLITUDE is an excellent place for the new Merton explorer to begin, and a very good place for the veteran spiritual reader to return from time to time: each essay (or prayer) scarcely more than a few paragraphs, sometimes only one paragraph, is a kind of haven from the tumult of the world that can be frequently "too much with us." Merton cautions against, and is wise to caution against, a misanthropy or a cowardice that calls itself religious solitude, because we can come to know, and do come to know God through our neighbours, as uncomely and annoying as some of them are at times (my words, not Merton's)! He relates humility to listening, relates reading to prayer, and relates all things to God. The temptation to quote is overwhelming, but we will leave it to the readers to select their favourite passages. (Section X of part two is a lovely prayer, indeed.) There are more than a few uncritical readers of Merton, "Mertonolaters" if you will, who praise his writing and his thinking in a fashion that would perhaps embarrass the monk himself. But this fine book, written before the many distractions of his later years, truly does merit the generous praise that it has received here and elsewhere. Is it the work of "a joyful Christian"? Joy, as we think of it, is maybe not the salient note; but rather, peace, freedom from confusion, and the true desire to love God on the part of an often restless spirit. Close relatives of joy, wouldn't you say?
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
Most recent customer reviews |
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
