The Human Condition: Contemplation and Transformation (Wit Lectures-Harvard Divinity School) [Paperback]

Thomas Keating (Author), Ronald F. Thiemann (Introduction), Elaine Pagels (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1999

One of the founders of the Centering Prayer movement, Thomas Keating offers a reflection on contemplative prayer, the human search for happiness and our need to explore the inner world. The spiritual search for God, he says, is also the search for ourselves. Drawing from Christian mystical tradition, Eastern and Orthodox religions, contemporary psychology, and the recovery model, Keating shows how the practice of contemplation can become a process of psychological and spiritual transformation. And as we move into a global culture, this process is of greater importance than ever.

He begins with the great questions of self-knowledge: "Who are you? Where are you hiding?" The seemingly fruitless search for human happiness hinges on the answers to these: "Where am I in relation to God, myself and others?" and "Whoever I think I am, I am not." The contemplative journey is "divine therapy" for the illness of the human condition, a way to open up gradually to our own wounded unconscious. It is an excuse in letting go of the false self, which is the only self we know, and in realizing that God is the only true security. Divine love is the full affirmation of who we are.

Writing with simplicity and depth, Keating brings common sense, extraordinary enlightenment, and fifty years of experience to the topic and the practice of discovering the presence of God.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A little book filled with fresh insights into spirituality and the role of prayer...Keating is a wise guide. -- The Catechist's Connection<br /><br />Full of wisdom. -- The Mennonite<br /><br />This is a good choice for lenten reflection and a perfect gift for anyone seeking to deepen their spiritual life. -- Religion Teacher's Journal<br /><br />This is a small work but one to ponder and pray over. --Liguorian

About the Author

One of the founders of the Centering Prayer movement, Thomas Keating, OCSO, was abbot of St. Joseph's Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts, before retiring to St. Benedict's Abbey in Snowmass, Colorado. There he established an intensive retreat program in the Centering Prayer. He is president of Contemplative Outreach Ltd., an organization that provides a support system for Centering Prayer practitioners. His books include The Mystery of Christ, Invitation to Love, and Open Mind, Open Heart.

Product Details

• Paperback: 45 pages
• Publisher: Paulist Press (June 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0809138824
• ISBN-13: 978-0809138821
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #62,500 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #15 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Religion & Spirituality > Spirituality > Meditations
  • #35 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Worship & Devotion > Meditations
  • #52 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Religion & Spirituality > Spirituality > General

More About the Author

Thomas Keating, founder of the centering prayer movement, is an author, teacher, and monk who has worked for many years to foster understanding among the world's religions. A member of the Cistercian Order in the Benedictine tradition, Father Keating has served at monasteries in Colorado and Massachusetts. He currently directs retreats in the practice of Centering Prayer, a cornerstone of contemporary Christian contemplative practice. He is the author of the best-selling Open Mind, Open Heart, Fruits and Gifts of the Spirit, St. Therese of Lisieux, Manifesting God, and The Transformation of Suffering, Divine Therapy and Addiction, among many other books. He lives at St. Benedict's Monastery in Snowmass, Colorado.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

107 of 109 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Human Condition as Fully Understood/Explained by a Mystic, October 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Human Condition: Contemplation and Transformation (Wit Lectures-Harvard Divinity School) (Paperback)

I have always believed that it is a hallmark of pure genius and an unmistakable sign of total comprehension of a subject matter, when an author or lecturer succeeds in both concisely discussing yet completely explaining his subject matter in a manner that laymen can readily grasp and understand. And this is precisely what the author, Thomas Keating, has succeeded in accomplishing in his gem of a treatise on the human condition.

The book (brief as it is) is a tribute to the mystical genius that is Fr. Keating and a testimony to how profoundly he understands the human condition in the light of the spiritual journey. No aspiring student of contemporary mysticism or the spiritual life should take the journey or proceed further along the way without this masterpiece of a handbook.

I have been on the mystical path for many years now, and I have encountered many "spiritual teachers" largely through their writings. Only an exceptional few who have captured the mystical vision so clearly and purely have actually had a significant impact on my spiritual life whether as mentors, friends or companions on the path. Fr. Keating is one of them.

In this book, he shares his dynamic and penetrating insights into the human condition as only spiritual giants are capable of doing. He makes it crystal clear how and why contemplation (as meditation is understood in the western Christian traditions) is "divine therapy" for the malignancy of mankind known as "the human condition". His book should be hailed as a major landmark or a cornerstone in establishing the spirituality of the coming millenium.

80 of 81 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A mystic describes God's actions in contemplative prayer, November 17, 1999

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Human Condition: Contemplation and Transformation (Wit Lectures-Harvard Divinity School) (Paperback)

Thanks to his many years of prayer, Thomas Keating has managed to say what is almost unsayable: what happens in contemplative prayer. What's more, he has managed to describe the spiritual transformation that occurs in surprisingly few words. The special strength of Fr. Keating's discussion is its marriage of mysticism and psychology. His knowledge of both fields is sophisticated; his writing is highly accessible; what he has to say is true, true, true. He has said much of what's in this book elsewhere (mostly in INVITATION TO LOVE), but here he distills his message so well that you may find yourself saying, "Yes!" with each word you read. If you practice centering prayer, or if you meditate, READ THIS BOOK.

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New perspective, July 12, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Human Condition: Contemplation and Transformation (Wit Lectures-Harvard Divinity School) (Paperback)

Thomas Keating addresses, in words that anyone can understand, exactly what we are dealing with as we start on the contemplative path. As a neophyte, I found this book to be one of the most descriptive, illumniating, and encouraging I've read so far.

I had never considered a correlation between psychyology and spirituality. As I proceeded through the text it became crystal clear that there most definitely is one, and that without a doubt, God is the answer to "the human condition."