The Compassionate Presence

By Stephen R. Schwartz

Book Overview

Dialogues and Meditation

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0936415096
• ISBN13: 9780936415093
• Release Date: November 1988
• Publisher: Riverrun Pr
• Length: 324 Pages
• Weight: 1.12 lbs.

Customer Reviews

"Beyond all boundries is a timeless love..."

This is a warm, poetic contribution to A Course in Miracles related literature. Stephen Schwartz doesn't just write ABOUT unconditional love, this whole book is a direct expression of it, the words go way beyond the intellect, sink deep into the heart. As Stephen says, "Our return to truth is a return to simplicity and not to cosmic information." There are transcriptions of Stephen's inspired talks in here, and beautiful dialogues with individuals struggling with various issues. In some ways the dialogues are reminiscent of Byron Katie's work, although the tone is softer, more poetic. The emphasis is always on radical acceptance. There is a warm, devotional element common to Christian and Sufi mysticism, but the emphasis is ultimatly non-dualistic. Here are a few quotes that will give you a feel for this book, and for the work of this lovely man who left us too soon: "Love starts where we are now. It does not start when we reach a better place or when we find nothing in our life to condemn. Love starts when we recognize that we do not need to pretend. It is safe to accept. Our experience now is where the Master is and nowhere else." "All our searching in the outside does not bring Love. Love comes when we are willing to accept, when we decide there is nothing to reject. Love comes when we stop all our attempts to fiddle with ourselves, to push and protect. God can begin to make the Presence felt in our hearts when we know, 'This is who I am. This is where I am. These are my problems and they have become prayers. I am ready not to know anything. I am ready to see my worthiness. I am ready to honor my gift.'" "Let us imagine for a moment that we have returned to the temple and everything within us prays. And everything around us prays and life is our devotion. Our neediness is our strength. Our anger is a door to Grace." ""There is a warmth with us right now. It is in each of us. It is beyond all of us. When its intensity is felt, it dissolves bondage. This warmth is the appearance of the Christ. It comes through the heart and as it does so it shatters and dissolves what seems to have been holding us back. As the Christ dawns, it appears at first as something 'out there' which has come 'here.' It seems, at first, like an otherness has entered into us...As we become familiar with the dawning of warmth in the heart, we think perhaps it does come from outside of us, but we soon sense that it resides forever within. 'I thought something could take this Love away. I thought something I did which was bad or wrong would lead to an experience in which this warmth would disappear. I now discover it has come to stay. ' There is nothing else but this warmth. There is nothing else but Love. Nothing else exists. "A Course in Miracles