Includes resources, webcast and training information, reflections and online meditation group. His genius was to recover a way into the contemplative experience for ordinary people within the christian tradition. With that being said, john main s book is a wonderful introduction to christian meditation. Twelve talks for meditators by john main osb the tradition of the mantra i 5. He recovered the christian tradition of meditation as practised by the early desert monks and taught it as a spiritual discipline for people from all walks of life. Word into silence by john main goodreads share book.
After a while i began to understand what he was saying about the purpose of christian meditation. John main osb 19261982 was born in london on 21 january 1926. Through books and retreats he promoted the practice of meditation as a way for modern people to develop a deeper spiritual life. John main was a christian, a catholic, but in this indian monk he found a wisdom, a practical wisdom of prayer that led him to meditation with a mantra, and he laid. The rough idea of the book is that by reciting a mantra over and over again, you will silence the voices in your head, and discover your inner self.
Your daily practice by laurence freeman book coming home by ernie christie book dancing with your shadow by kim nataraja. Main alleges that this technique was also taught by st. John main 19261982, an english benedictine monk, pioneered the practice of christian meditation. His successor, the benedictine laurence freeman, has a long and close connection with georgetown and helped to found the john main. Her spiritual journey and specifically practice of christian meditation has been influenced by an inner calling to teach children this form of prayer. Different level of understanding from the rest of us. Main parallels it skillfully with teachings from the bible, to keep the reader grounded in the christian tradition. Through regular meditation sessions and special events, offered in a spirit. The john main center offers a contemplative sacred space in the heart of the georgetown university campus.
Instead, this book invites the readerpractitioner to gaze into the heart of. It is a tradition which draws on the ancient wisdom of the bible, the hindu upanishads and the early christian desert fathers. It was these talks of john main that inspired me to start meditating. Meditation is the process in which we take time to allow ourselves to become aware of our infinite potential.
Educated at westminster choir school and by the jesuits at stamford hill, london, he. John main wrote several books on contemplative prayer before he died in 1982, but this collection is the only one to draw the essence of all his teachings into one volume. John main wccm world community for christian meditation. John main and the practice of christian meditation one of the greatest challenges that christianity faces today is the practical rediscovery of its ageold traditions of prayer and contemplation, and one of the principal ways to do this in recent times was begun by the benedictine priest, john main. Our challenge as christians is not to try to convert people around us to our way of belief but to love them, to be ourselves living incarnations of what we believe, to live what we believe and to love what we believe. Just like meditation itself this book is hard at first because john main is writing from. John main was a benedictine monk who taught christian meditation. Like me, you may find that his teaching touches your heart and he becomes a lifelong companion.
I feel it has helped me to continue to be successful in what i am trying to do with my meditation prayer time. John main osb served in the diplomatic service in the far east, and taught law at trinity college, dublin. A simple teaching on meditation in the christian tradition by. Find and compare hundreds of millions of new books, used books, rare books and out of print books.
His language can at times be poetic and hard to grasp but i kept going and it was worth it. John mains christian meditation the christian meditation movement, begun by john main, osb, is spreading around the world and doing great good by introducing people to the life of prayer. Wccm catalogue of resources 2016 by meditatio issuu. Word into silence offers a practical, twelvestep program in learning meditative prayer. John main s simple teaching makes this book is an excellent introduction to the way of meditation. He founded an open benedictine community in montreal from which sprang the world community for christian meditation, a worldwide spiritual family linked through the daily practice of meditation.
Fully alive is a previously unpublished book by john main, a benedictine monk who was one of the twentieth centurys most influential spiritual teachers. The gethsemani talks, john main, singapore, medio media, 2007 community of love, john main, singapore, medio media 2010 silence and stillness in every season. The john main center for meditation and interreligious. If youre interested in meditation do yourself a favor and give john main a read. John main begins by describing his own spiritual journey on this way and then shows how it is a path open to all who wish to open themselves fully to the wonder of god, to the enduring present. There was a certain power and persuasive authority in his voice. Door to silence is the book i use along with the silence and stillness book also by john main. John main, osb teaches a mantrabased style of meditation similar to centering prayer that he learned from his hindu teacher, swami satyananda. John main john main used books, rare books and new books. There is more than one author in the goodreads database with this name. Word into silence is john mains classic book on learning to pray meditatively, creating a space for silence and simplicity in our busy schedules, so that we may begin to discover god a the ground of our being and to find our true selves. Learning to meditate is the most practical thing in. John main has 47 books on goodreads with 708 ratings.
John main wccmworld community of christian meditation schweiz. John main became a benedictine monk after diplomatic service in the far east and teaching law at trinity college, dublin. I recommend john main s books and thomas keatings books for different perspectives on the practices. Although im saddened by his early death, his teaching lives on and i will be forever grateful for having his words to guide me. A pocketsized collection of john main s writings arranged into themed reading. Since john main believed that the best way to learn meditation is by practicing it, he offers very few practical helps. A manual for christian meditation by john main isbn. I would recommend the teachings of john main on christian meditation.
John main s most popular book is word into silence. His genius was to recover a way into the contemplative experience for. I feel it has helped me to continue to be successful in what i am trying to do with my meditation. John main describes his own spiritual journey on the path of meditation and then shows with depth and clarity how it is a path open to all who wish to open themselves fully to the wonder. John douglas main osb 21 january 1926 30 december 1982 was a roman catholic priest and benedictine monk who presented a way of christian meditation which used a prayer. Listening to the talk time and again sustained me in the. Book details john main 19261982, an english benedictine monk, pioneered the practice of christian meditation. This book is a helpful and accurate summary of what christian meditation is about, as practised by john main. These conferences were given at the abbey of gethsemani, and provide an introduction to the way of meditation in the christian tradition. Supports the practice of meditation as taught by john main osb and lawrence freeman osb. The musthave book for anyone practising meditation within the christian tradition.
John mains christian meditation inner explorations. Father john founded the benedictine priory of montreal, which became the centre of a worldwide meditation movement and inspiration for numerous meditation groups today. A rich treasury for meditation by john main, door to silence is arranged as. John main wrote several books on contemplative prayer before. He founded the world community for christian meditation, a worldwide spiritual family. Mindfulness for catholics means leaving self behind. For those wishing to learn about this form of prayer repeating a. Meditation the john main center at georgetown university. An inspiring collection to keep in you pocket, purse. In the beginning is the eighth of eight sets of john mains collected talks. It continues to encourage and help me to be able to meditate in the proper mode.