1863. Forming the second series of Sacred and Legendary Art. Anna Jameson, a British writer, strives to interpret those works of Art which the churches and galleries of the Continent, and our own rich collections, have rendered familiar to us as objects of taste, while they have remained unappreciated as subjects of thought; to show that, while we have been satisfied to regard sacred pictures merely as decorations, valued more for the names appended to them than for their own sakes, we have not sufficiently considered them as books-as poems-as having a vitality of their own for good and for evil, and that thus we have shut out a vast source of delight and improvement, which lay in the way of many, even the most uninstructed in the technicalities of Art. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.

This book is a facsimile reprint and may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages.

When St. Benedict compiled his Rule for Monasteries in the early decades of the sixth century, the Buddhist monastic code had already been in existence for about nine hundred years. Since monastic life is shaped by spiritual practices that are very similar across different religious traditions, it should not be too much of a stretch to suggest that Christians can learn from the accumulated wisdom of Buddhist monasticism. For Buddhists, celibacy, accompanied by skillful reflection on their personal reactions to it, is a means of letting go of attachment to sensory pleasure. Buddhist monks do not marry; they strive to relinquish the desire for sexual pleasure because this form of gratification obstructs the "one-pointed stillness" that leads to insight. For Christians, celibacy--like marriage--is ultimately about love: responding to God's love for us and expressing selfless love for others. In light of the Christian understanding of marriage as an authentic--indeed, the ordinary--path to holiness, Skudlarek proposes a demythologized view of celibacy, presenting it as an alternate and equally valid spiritual practice for those who choose not to accept the demands of a committed sexual relationship. Drawing on the monastic interreligious dialogue, Skudlarek considers the Buddhist view of celibacy, which is not mythologized as a response to a divine call or as a superhuman way of life. He examines their regard for it as simply--and profoundly--a path to freedom, peace, and happiness. As Christians become aware of the benefits of celibacy for monks who observe it without reference to the Gospel, they may be able to appreciate all the more its importance and value for those who wish to followChrist as celibates, and in this way come to share in the freedom of the children of God.

A full spiritual life goes beyond Sunday mornings and bedtime prayers, encompassing the way we work and play, eat and breathe, love and learn. Since ancient times monastic communities have recognized this and used guidelines to focus on the sacred in all aspects of life and to strengthen their love of God. Today many people continue to find inspiration--and clear, concrete guidance--in these ancient "rules." This book is designed to help you discern your spiritual path by drawing on the traditions of ancient and contemporary religious orders to form your personal rule of life. With fascinating historical details and modern-day examples, Debra Farrington shows us how to discern and express our spirituality through prayer, work, and spiritual community, care of our bodies, service, and hospitality.

This book examines the Christian thinking expressed in monastic gardens in the mediaeval period and specific types of monastic garden and the plants contained therein. It follows with an account of known gardens and what became of them. The book concludes with reflections on the lessons that modern times can take from the monks. Francis Beswick is a semi-retired schoolteacher and is a writer on Religious Studies. He has passionate interests in Religious Studies, History and gardening, so this book grew out of these interests. He is deeply concerned about the environment and believes that the way to save the Earth from ruin is for people to address the spiritual faults that give rise to materialism. He is married with four children, one of whom is still at home.

Monasticism is a social and religious phenomenon which originated in antiquity and which still remains relevant in the twenty-first century. But what, exactly, is it, and how is it distinguished from other kinds of religious and non-religious practice? In this Very Short Introduction Stephen J. Davis discusses the history of monasticism, from our earliest evidence for it, and the different types which have developed from antiquity to the present day. He considers where monasteries are located, from East Asia to North America, and everywhere in between, and how their settings impact the everyday life and worldview of the monks and nuns who dwell there. Exploring how monastic communities are organized, he also looks at how aspects of life like food, sleep, sex, work, and prayer are regimented. Finally, Davis discusses what the stories about saints communicate about monastic identity and ethics, and considers what place there is for monasticism in the modern world. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

St. Ignatius of Loyola wrote the Spiritual Exercises between 1522 and 1524, and today, nearly five centuries later, Jesuits in training are still required to study it and follow its precepts during their first year in the novitiate. Not designed to be read cover to cover in one sitting, this book is made up of daily meditations meant to be closely examined in isolation over a period of about four weeks, under the guidance of a spiritual director. Though The Spiritual Exercises have traditionally been read primarily by those training for the priesthood, in recent years increasing numbers of lay people and non-Catholics are discovering its joys and insights. This edition-edited by Father Elder Mullan (1865-1925) and published in 1914-is essential for anyone interested in strengthening his or her faith and relationship with God. Spanish priest and spiritual philosopher SAINT IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA (1491-1556) has been described by Pope Benedict XVI as "a man of God," "a man of profound prayer," and "a faithful servant of the Church." The principal founder of the Society of Jesus, Ignatius was canonized in 1622. His writings include Letters and Instructions of St. Ignatius Loyola 1 (1524-1547).

Give me a word, Father. From the time of Saint Antony 'at least 'younger monks would ask older, experienced monks, abbas or ammas ( 'fathers ' or 'mothers '), for a saving word, for advice, for wise counsel on how to live. In this book, Coptic scholar and priest Tim Vivian shares personal accounts of journeys to present-day monasteries in Egypt, and translations of ancient texts exemplifying the 'words, ' the insights that have guided desert monks for nearly two millennia. Those who study the monastic tradition professionally and those who search it spiritually will find matter for reflection here.

In 1960, five young men arrived at the imposing gates of Parkminster, the largest centre of the most rigorous and ascetic monastic order in the Western world: the Carthusians. This is the story of their five-year journey into a society virtually unchanged in its behaviour and lifestyle since its foundation in 1084. An Infinity of Little Hours is a uniquely intimate portrait of the customs and practices of a monastic order almost entirely unknown until now. It is also a drama of the men's struggle as they avoid the 1960s,the decade of hedonism, music, fashion, and amorality,and enter an entirely different era and a spiritual world of their own making. After five years each must face a choice: to make "solemn profession" and never leave Parkminster or to turn his back on his life's ambition to find God in solitude. A remarkable investigative work, the book combines first-hand testimony with unique source material to describe the Carthusian life. And in the final chapter, which recounts a reunion forty years after the events described elsewhere in the book, Nancy Klein Maguire reveals which of the five succeeded in their quest, and which did not.

A free ebook version of this title is available through Luminos, University of California Press's Open Access publishing program. Visit www.luminosoa.org to learn more. The Monastery Rules discusses the position of the monasteries in pre-1950s Tibetan Buddhist societies and how that position was informed by the far-reaching relationship of monastic Buddhism with Tibetan society, economy, law, and culture. Jansen focuses her study on monastic guidelines, or bca' yig. The first study of its kind to examine the genre in detail, the book contains an exploration of its parallels in other Buddhist cultures, its connection to the Vinaya, and its value as socio-historical source-material. The guidelines are witness to certain socio-economic changes, while also containing rules that aim to change the monastery in order to preserve it. Jansen argues that the monastic institutions' influence on society was maintained not merely due to prevailing power-relations, but also because of certain deep-rooted Buddhist beliefs.

Buddhist Monks and Business Matters is the second in a series of collected essays by one of the today's most distinguished scholars of Indian Buddhism. In these articles, all save one published in various places from 1994 through 2001, Gregory Schopen once again displays the erudition and originality that have contributed to a major shift in the way that Indian Buddhism is perceived, understood, and studied.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

1863. Forming the second series of Sacred and Legendary Art. Anna Jameson, a British writer, strives to interpret those works of Art which the churches and galleries of the Continent, and our own rich collections, have rendered familiar to us as objects of taste, while they have remained unappreciated as subjects of thought; to show that, while we have been satisfied to regard sacred pictures merely as decorations, valued more for the names appended to them than for their own sakes, we have not sufficiently considered them as books-as poems-as having a vitality of their own for good and for evil, and that thus we have shut out a vast source of delight and improvement, which lay in the way of many, even the most uninstructed in the technicalities of Art. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.

Edited By R. F. Serenus Cressy And Right Reverend Abbot Sweeney. Extracted out of more than Forty Treatises.

In the spring of l996 armed men broke into a Trappist monastery in war-torn Algeria and took seven monks hostage, pawns in a murky negotiation to free imprisoned terrorists. Two months later their severed heads were found in a tree; their bodies were never recovered.

The village of Tibhirine had sprung up around the monastery because it was a holy place protected by the Virgin Mary, revered by Christians and Muslims alike. But napalm, helicopters, and gunfire had become regular accompaniments to the monastic routine as the violence engulfing Algeria drew closer to the isolated cloister high in the Atlas Mountains.

In this powerful, moving, and sometimes painful work week -- part memoir, part reportage -- Wall Street Journal reporter Matt Murray explores the reasons his widowed father, a middle-class homeowner and government worker, abandoned his world and moved to a rural monastery to become a monk. He thoughtfully traces his father's life, from his dirt-poor Depression-era childhood and his days as a struggling young writer to his sometimes frustrating role as a husband and parent, to the death of his wife from cancer. Throughout, Matt Murray wrestles with the impact of his father's return to the Church, with his subsequent decision to follow a life of faith, and witch the dramatic reshaping of his family that ensued. As he tracks his father's spiritual journey, he delves into his own beliefs, questioning not only his father's faith but his own and offering, with stark honesty, profound reflections on the complex relationship between father and son.

Ayya Khema (1923-1997) was the first Western woman to become a Theravadan Buddhist nun. As such, she has served as a model and inspiration for women from all the Buddhist traditions who have sought to revive the practice of women's monasticism in modern times. Though her renown as a teacher is widespread, few know the truly amazing details of her life before her monastic ordination at the age of fifty-eight. And what a life it was. Born Ilse Kussel in Berlin, Germany, she grew up in a prosperous Jewish family that was broken up by Nazi terror in 1938. The story of her escape alone to Scotland, and her journey to rejoin her family in China, would be enough for a thrilling adventure novel in itself--but it is only the beginning of the story. Her later adventures included--but were not limited to--surviving the Japanese invasion of China; living the life of a suburban housewife in Los Angeles, California; journeying up the Amazon; studying in a Bolivian university; building a power plant in Pakistan; and establishing the first organic farm in Australia. Her Buddhist practice was a result of a pursuit of the spiritual life that began in her forties when she encountered spiritual teachers in India. She eventually founded a monastery in Sri Lanka, from where, through her books and her teaching travels, she became one of the most widely respected of contemporary teachers, particularly skilled in interpreting the Buddhist teachings for her fellow Westerners.

The greatest wave of communal living in American history crested in the tumultuous 1960s era including the early 1970s. To the fascination and amusement of more decorous citizens, hundreds of thousands of mostly young dreamers set out to build a new culture apart from the established society. Widely believed by the larger public to be sinks of drug-ridden sexual immorality, the communes both intrigued and repelled the American people.

The intentional communities of the 1960s era were far more diverse than the stereotype of the hippie commune would suggest. A great many of them were religious in basis, stressing spiritual seeking and disciplined lifestyles. Others were founded on secular visions of a better society. Hundreds of them became so stable that they survive today.

This book surveys the broad sweep of this great social yearning from the first portents of a new type of communitarianism in the early 1960s through the waning of the movement in the mid-1970s. Based on more than five hundred interviews conducted for the 60s Communes Project, among other sources, it preserves a colorful and vigorous episode in American history. The book includes an extensive directory of active and non-active communes, complete with dates of origin and dissolution.

25 presentations on the spiritual life, with four major talks by H.H. the Dalai Lama.>

After almost twenty years of strict celibacy and silence as a Trappist monk and priest, George Fowler decided reluctantly to leave the Catholic Church at the age of forty in search of a more meaningful spiritual life. In rejecting the strictures of monastery life, and the constraints imposed on him by the Catholic Church, Fowler came to realize that the inner serenity and spiritual peace he spent his life searching for could only be found "while uproariously ignoring the greater part of what the churches thump their Book about." Now a nationally syndicated columnist on religious issues, George Fowler has written a penetrating and poignant account of how he learned to hear the music of life--and dance to its joyous beat.

The Carolingian period represented a Golden Age for the abbey of St Gall, an Alpine monastery in modern-day Switzerland. Its bloom of intellectual activity resulted in an impressive number of scholarly texts being copied into often beautifully written manuscripts, many of which survive in the abbey's library to this day. Among these books are several of Irish origin, while others contain works of learning originally written in Ireland. This study explores the practicalities of the spread of this Irish scholarship to St Gall and the reception it received once there. In doing so, this book for the first time investigates a part of the network of knowledge that fed this important Carolingian centre of learning with scholarship. By focusing on scholarly works from Ireland, this study also sheds light on the contribution of the Irish to the Carolingian revival of learning. Historians have often assumed a special relationship between Ireland and the abbey of St Gall, which was built on the grave of the Irish saint Gallus. This book scrutinises this notion of a special connection. The result is a new viewpoint on the spread and reception of Irish learning in the Carolingian period.