Prayer

By Abhishiktananda

Book Overview

First published nearly forty years ago and having been translated into numerous languages, this classic text is written by a Benedictine monk whose Christianity was profoundly enriched by his... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0664249736
• ISBN13: 9780664249731
• Release Date: January 1973
• Publisher: Westminster John Knox Pr
• Length: 81 Pages
• Weight: 0.26 lbs.

Customer Reviews

A Small But Precious Jewel Of Christian Prayer

Abhishiktananda is the name adopted by the Benedictine priest Henri le Saux (1910-1973), who spend the last 25 years of his life in India practicing Christian prayer but with wisdom learned from Hinduism. His works have been out of print for a long while, but many - including this one -- have recently been made available again by MedioMedia press. And a valuable contribution that has been. One of the great religious events of the last century has been the religious dialogue between East and West, and Abhishiktananda has contributed greatly to that conversation. This book in particular is valuable because of the guidance it gives to individuals in learning and practicing prayer against the general background of the constant contemplation of God's presence. It will invite favorable comparison with Brother Lawrence. But it is especially valuable because of the insights the author has gleaned from the East and his own personal experience in Eastern prayer. He is particularly good in his opening pages about a common Christian, even a common human calling to silent prayer and contemplation. He very briefly reviews toward the end of the book various common forms of prayer offering his own brief but valuable reflections on each, and concludes with a special endorsement of namajapa, the prayer of the Name, the closest Christian equivalent of which is the Jesus prayer of Eastern Orthodoxy. The brevity of the book makes it concentrated and precious volume, which I highly recommend.