Spirituality (continued)

I fell in love with this book from the first page. It is an accessible, but not wimpy, account of Tibetan Buddhism and its relevance to the western experience. Lots of information about meditation, the nature of mind, karma, rebirth, and--most importantly-- compassionate love for the dying. Once we realize that we are all dying, this takes on even more importance. "As a guide to the Tibetan tradition and its insights into life and death, Sogyal Rinpoche is without peer." The New York Times Book Review. Introduction by the Dalai Lama. How's that for credentials? 425 pages.

Norris is a poet, a wife, a mother, a Dakotan and an oblate of the Benedictine order. She writes with clarity and insight about how her spiritual practice (which came as a surprise in the unfolding of her life) informs her work, her relationship and her understanding. audio tape read by Debra Winger. (audio tape)

The Asian Diaries of Thomas Merton and The Hidden Ground of Love, Letters of Thomas Merton

I have come to love reading Merton for his discipline and humility coupled with passionate integrity and clear sight. He made no bones about the failures and flaws of the Church, yet he subordinated his will to monastic rule and clearly thrived in every way as a result. What a lesson.

This slim volume is rich in wisdom. If you read it carefully and with an open mind and heart, you will find yourself challenged to the core as May gently but with surgical precision uncovers the depth and extent of your addictions. I have this under Spirituality instead of in a section on addiction, because it is too easy to classify addictions as involving a few recreational substances and to miss the way in which our more subtle additions run, and sometimes ruin, our lives.

Both accessible and challenging, this is a lovely edition of mystical, prayerful poetry that engages God as a mystery far grander than we are often taught to encounter. Whether you imagine God as Nature, as Creator, as Destroyer, Lover or Parent, you will be provoked and profoundly moved by these poems.

If you visited either the Bedside Table (in October, 1998) or Spirituality and Spiritual Practice stacks you know that I am very fond of Thomas Merton's work. This autobiography recounts his youth and young manhood and the conversion experience which led him to join the Trappist order at Gethsemani in Ohio. If you've ever spent an uncomfortable hour with your own search for peace and faith, you will appreciate Merton's story. (paperback) (audiotape)