The Book of Contemplation, 39

The Book of Contemplation, 39 PDF

Author:

Publisher: Fons Vitae

Published: 2021-08-06

Total Pages: 176

ISBN-13: 9781941610558

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

The Book of Contemplation is the thirty-ninth of the forty Books of The Revival of the Religious Sciences (Ihya' 'ulum al-din) and the very last to appear in English translation. Abu Hamid al-Ghazali's purpose in this Book is to explain the nature and importance of contemplation, or reflection, as an act that enriches the thinking person with increased knowledge of, and wonder at, the Creator and His creation. In Part 1, he defines and introduces the subject, explaining its importance with reference to the Qur'an, Hadiths, and sayings of wise and pious Muslims. In Part 2, he expounds his own highly original views as to the nature and fruits of contemplation. Part 3 offers detailed guidance on the most appropriate and beneficial subjects for reflection, some relating to human traits and actions and others to Divine Attributes and Actions. In Part 4, he explores in detail aspects of God's creation, which, when viewed with an observant eye and considered with a worshipful heart, are full of wonders and offer an inexhaustible scope for reflection - from the artistry of the spider and bee to the unimaginable vastness of the heavens, which themselves are dwarfed by what lies beyond them.

Happiness and Contemplation

Happiness and Contemplation PDF

Author: Josef Pieper

Publisher:

Published: 1998

Total Pages: 136

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

"The ultimate of human happiness is to be found in contemplation". In offering this proposition of Thomas Aquinas to our thought, Josef Pieper uses traditional wisdom in order to throw light on present-day reality and present-day psychological problems. What, in fact, does one pursue in pursuing happiness? What, in the consensus of the wisdom of the early Greeks, of Plato and Aristotle, of the New Testament, of Augustine and Aquinas, is that condition of perfect bliss toward which all life and effort tend by nature? In this profound and illuminating inquiry, Pieper considers the nature of contemplation, and the meaning and goal of life.

A Sunlit Absence

A Sunlit Absence PDF

Author: Martin Laird

Publisher: OUP USA

Published: 2011-07-28

Total Pages: 209

ISBN-13: 0195378725

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

In his sequel to the best-selling Into the Silent Land, Martin Laird guides the reader more deeply into the sanctuary of Christian meditation. He focuses here on negotiating key moments of difficulty on the contemplative path, showing how the struggles we resist become vehicles of the healing silence we seek. 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.

Merton's Palace of Nowhere

Merton's Palace of Nowhere PDF

Author: James Finley

Publisher: Ave Maria Press

Published: 2018-02-02

Total Pages: 160

ISBN-13: 1594713170

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

For forty years, James Finley’s Merton's Palace of Nowhere has been the standard text for exploring, reflecting on, and understanding the rich vein of Thomas Merton's thought. Spiritual identity is the quest to know who we are, to find meaning, to overcome that sense of “Is this all there is?” Merton’s message cuts to the heart of this universal quest, and Finley illuminates that message as no one else can. As a young man of eighteen, Finley left home for an unlikely destination: the Abbey of Gethsemani, where Thomas Merton lived as a contemplative. Finley stayed at the monastery for six maturing years and later wrote this Merton’s Palace of Nowhere in order to share a taste of what he had learned on his spiritual journey under the guidance of one of the great religious figures of our time. At the heart of the quest for spiritual identity are Merton's illuminating insights—leading from an awareness of the false and illusory self to a realization of the true self. Dog-eared, tattered, underlined copies of this book are found on the bookshelves of retreat centers, parish libraries, and the homes of spiritual seekers everywhere. This anniversary edition brings a classic to a new generation and includes a new preface by Finley.

Deliverance from Error

Deliverance from Error PDF

Author: Ghazzālī

Publisher:

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781887752275

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

This spiritual autobiography describes Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali's intellectual crisis, which led him to achieve direct knowledge of God. Among his most outstanding contributions to Muslim intellectual life were masterly defenses of Islamic orthodoxy, mysticism, and law, against the attacks of those who advocated purely legalistic, or entirely esoteric, readings of the religion. He hence articulated the Islam of the middle way, in balance between the extremes of the letter and the spirit. Also included in this volume are extensive translations from key works of al-Ghazali.

Temple and Contemplation

Temple and Contemplation PDF

Author: Scott W. Hahn

Publisher: Emmaus Road Publishing

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 344

ISBN-13: 9781931018524

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

This is the fourth annual volume of the remarkably popular journal of biblical theology edited by Scott Hahn and his St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology. This volume features important new works by Hahn, Gary Anderson, John Cavadini, Brant Pitre, among others. Inspired by the ground-breaking work of Yves Congar and Jean Danielou, this volume includes original and thought-provoking contributions on such topics as: the Tabernacle and the origins of Christian mysticism; Jesus self-consciousness of being the new Temple and the new High Priest; and the doctrine of the indwelling of the Trinity in the soul; Hahn contributes a new perspective on the Gospel of John, showing how Israel's Temple and feasts are fulfilled in Christ and the sacraments of the Church. As the editors write in their introduction to this volume: The Temple theme is perhaps the richest in all of biblical theology, embracing the mysteries of Christ, Church, and Kingdom; liturgy, sacraments, and priesthood; salvation, sanctification, and divine filiation. These are the beautiful mysteries we contemplate in this volume of Letter & Spirit.

Meditations for Men Who Do Too Much

Meditations for Men Who Do Too Much PDF

Author: Jonathon Lazear

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 1992

Total Pages: 402

ISBN-13: 0671759086

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Through quotations from a wide variety of people, and through his own thoughtful reflections, Jonathan Lazear encourages men to look at their overextended lives and think about how they should be spending that precious resource, time. For every day of the year, here are inspiring words to help men discover a new sense of themselves. Introduction by Anne Wilson Schaef, author of Meditations for Women Who Do Too Much.

Aristotle on the Uses of Contemplation

Aristotle on the Uses of Contemplation PDF

Author: Matthew D. Walker

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2018-05-31

Total Pages: 273

ISBN-13: 1108421105

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Provides an original, up-to-date, and systematic account of Aristotle's views on contemplation's place in the human good.

Little Book of Contemplative Photography

Little Book of Contemplative Photography PDF

Author: Howard Zehr

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2005-03-01

Total Pages: 82

ISBN-13: 1680992473

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Restorative justice pioneer Howard Zehr is also an accomplished photographer. He begins his latest book with a confession—"I have written this book in part to encourage myself to slow down, to heighten my imagination, to renew myself while I gain a new view of the creation and the creator." With this book, Zehr makes a gift to anyone who would like to couple photography with seeing and thinking more deeply. In each chapter he offers a Purpose, a Problem, and an Activity with a camera in order to "practice mindfulness." You'll not need a fancy camera, but if you have one it won't hurt. Zehr's chapter-by-chapter exercises are aimed at heightening visual awareness and imagination—all while doing good and working for justice. A title in The Little Books of Justice and Peacebuilding Series.

The Mysteries of Purification

The Mysteries of Purification PDF

Author: Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali

Publisher: Fons Vitae Al-Ghazali Series

Published: 2017

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781941610312

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

In The Mysteries of Purification (Kitab asrar al tahara), the third of the forty books of the Revival of the Religious Sciences (Ihya' 'ulum al-din), Abu Hamid al-Ghazali explains the fundamentals of the purification that is necessary in order to perform the five daily prayers.