The Deepest Spiritual Life [Paperback]

Susan Quinn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2002

How to combine communal and personal spiritual practices -- an interfaith guide. Many people seek to fulfil their religious aspirations through personal practice; others participate in religious communities. But the deepest spirituality is inspired by combining both, enriching life with both an intimate and communal connection with the Divine. Included: Insights from 27 spiritual figures representing the Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Buddhist, New Thought, and Islamic traditions; How many religious communities guide congregants to develop both individual prayer lives and follow traditional, communal religious practice; The author's own experiences and practical suggestions for developing a fully-unified spiritual life.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A warm, wise book, generous in its insights and replete with illuminating vignettes from a wide variety of spiritual traditions. -- Pravrajika Vrajaprana, Vedanta Society of Southern California

Susan Quinn's practical and empathetic counsel will be helpful to anyone considering developing their spiritual journey.-- -- The Right Reverend Frederick H. Borsch, Bishop of the Episcopal Church

About the Author

Susan Quinn was born and raised in the Jewish faith; for over ten years she has also practiced Zen Buddhism. Susan is a member of the Three Treasures Zen Community in San Diego, CA. She meets weekly with her community and attends intensive retreats three to four times per year. While Susan pursues koan practice in her Buddhist training, she also works on deepening her spiritual life by nurturing an intimate connection with the Divine through Jewish prayer, chanting and meditation.

Susan Quinn also has over 23 years of business and training experience. She has owned and operated her own training and consulting businesses for over 20 years. Her specialties are helping organizations and individuals deal with change, managing conflict, and facilitating team building and problem-solving workshops. Her clients include financial institutions, engineering companies, professional organizations, government entities, hospitals, cable firms, high technology, telecommunications and non-profit organizations.

Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: White Cloud Press (June 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1883991447
• ISBN-13: 978-1883991449
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,598,789 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Details the importance of personal and community practice, January 25, 2004

By 

Psyche (spiralnature.com) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Deepest Spiritual Life (Paperback)

The Deepest Spiritual Life details the importance of both personal and community spiritual and religious practice. Composed of Quinn's personal experiences, stories, and thoughts interlaced with responses compiled from numerous interviews. Interviewees came from a variety of main-stream faiths, including: Episcopal, Jewish, Muslim, Catholic, United Methodist, Science of Mind, nondenominational Christian, Quaker, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Buddhist, and Hindu faith traditions.

Written in an easy, accessible style, Quinn presents her experience and understanding of things in a very forthright manner, and allows comments of others to do the same, without judgement; be it condemnation or praise, she simply shares.

Quinn differentiates between religious and spiritual practice in a way that, at first, seemed a bit odd to me, as I'm generally used to hearing the distinction expressed in terms of group and solitary practice, respectively in neo-pagan circles.

The importance of religious practice in a community setting is explained intelligently: "Religious practice provides us with community, and by participating in community, we have the opportunity to be in relationship with others pursuing the same bath, transcending the isolation that is so much a factor in every day life...When we develop relationships with others, we experience what it means to be connected to others, and we provide the connectedness that others need too." (pg. 21-22)

She examines the importance of religious and spiritual stories, which she notes, aids us in our realization that we are not alone in struggling, in understanding our purpose in life, and our journey. She revisits old stories with a fresh perspective and marks the importance of relating them to events in our own lives, reworking them into a useable form, to help us understand that others have come before, walking the same difficult path.

A variety of spiritual practices are discussed from charity, to ritual, meditation, fasting meditative walking, retreats, singing, dance, journaling (a form of automatic writing, asking questions, and receiving automatic responses from God). Much excellent advice is offered regarding teachers. Indeed, there is a whole chapter dedicated to the subject, as well as advice as to what to look for regarding a religious tradition. Also, a detailed chapter on servitude, and while I don't agree with everything she says, I can appreciate her sincere dedication and honest enjoyment in her work.

The book details many convincing arguments for incorporating both personal and community practice into one's religious and spiritual life. Quinn often expresses her deep rooted admiration for tradition and its age, which is perhaps why she has neglected to consult officials from any non-mainstream religious and spiritual traditions, though this book will be welcomed by anyone looking for more in their spiritual and religious practice, and those seeking to deepen and enrich their understanding of what it means to lead a spiritual life.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Deepest Spiritual Life, July 29, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Deepest Spiritual Life (Paperback)

As a practioner of a spiritual path, and a seeker of a peaceful, balanced, harmonious and more reconciled way to live my life, I found "The Deepest Spiritual Life" not only a very practical guide to what is involved in seeking direction to a spiritual path, but how to sort out the many options available to finding and selecting a personally suitable spiritual practice. It is an astute handbook on just what the ingredients are that are needed to pursue, find, and be willing to align with a path and practice of deep personal commitment.

Susan Quinn so ably presents a hands-on understanding of what being of service to oneself and to a community really encompasses, what questions are involved in finding a legitimate teacher/spiritual leader, how learning to trust not only the teacher, the spiritual pursuit, but most importantly, how necessary it is to trust oneself in the matter.

This book puts forward the full breadth of difficulties and epiphanies associated with taking on the journey towards making real our sense of spiritual accord, and what it means to live with equanimity in the midst of our everyday trials, frustrations, joys and sorrows. This book is written by a wise woman and a seasoned practitioner.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars deep and wise, June 15, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Deepest Spiritual Life (Paperback)

As a spiritual counselor I have found that many people feel torn between devoting their time to personal practice and participating actively in a religious institution. Independence vs. affiliation. Inner communion vs. interactive community. Susan Quinn shows why both threads are necessary components of a complete spiritual life. And, knowing that there is no one-size-fits-all paths to the Divine, she draws on a wide range of resources to help seekers of all kinds find effective practices and suitable companions. Whether you are new to the path or a savvy veteran, you'll find something of value in this book.