Customer Reviews

Listening to the Light: How to Bring Quaker Simplicity and Integrity Into Our Lives

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4 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

As an attendee of a local meeting for the last year, I have learned a great deal about Quakerism but Jim Pym's book has put all the pieces together for me in a clear, interesting and easily understood style that has significantly enhanced the value I recieve from 'sitting in the light.' From readers merely curious about Quakerism to Confirmed Friends, I highly recommend this wonderful book to anyone with an interest in the Religious Society of Friends.

Jim Pym gives a beautiful and straightforward account of his Quaker faith, and how this affects his everyday life.

An important part of Jim's personal faith comes from the Buddhist tradition. Despite this, he gives a lucid and positive account of the Christian roots of Quakerism.

The book makes significant use of "Advices and Queries," one of the central documents of the Quakers in Britain Yearly Meeting. These are reproduced in full in an Appendix, and this adds to the value of the book.

A superb, highly practical book, expressed in clear and simple language.

I have read quite extensively in investigating Quaker faith & practice and this is just about the best introduction I've found. This is the one that finally got me to get ... off the couch and seek out a meeting. Elegant, understandable, and personable writing by a guy with an obviously sweet spirit. Wholeheartedly recommended for those seriously considering a move toward Quaker-ism or those who are just interested in making the Quaker spirit part of their life's journey.

This simple yet complete book provides an explanation of many aspects of Quakerism. Pym's (38 page) introduction alone was a wonderful overview of this most-intereting religion/way of life. I found that the explanation and description of the Meeting for Worship answered so many questions that I had about this aspect of Quakerism.

I liked reading the "Advice and Queries" and learning about Pym's journey towards becoming a Quaker. I would recommend this book to anyone who might want to incorporate some Quaker beliefs into his/her life.

The book is very useful to clarify the Quaker view of the life and specially the testimonies. The author shares his view of the Quaker worship and provides advice to the reader on how to listen the Light. A good comparison between the Buddhist and Quaker view of the ¨meditation¨ is provided.
In addition to well established Quakers, probably the book can be very helpful for already attenders, relatively new members of the Religious Society of Friends and even for people just interested in know about Quakers and in how to listen the small interior voice.

You always have to question the validity of a book written by someone who makes the impossible claim of being both a Quaker AND a Buddhist. The truth is that Jim Pym is neither a Quaker nor a Buddhist. Instead he is a fence-straddler who can't make up his mind on whom he wants to follow. A true Quaker is a follower of Christ and accepts Christ as the Son of God and Savior of the World. A true Quaker recognizes that Jesus is the source of the Inner Light. However, a true Buddhist follows Buddha and his teachings and believes that the truth can be found within one's self, without the need of divine help. Yes, both Buddha and Jesus shared some similar teachings, especially when it came to moral and ethical matters. But there are huge differences between Buddha and Jesus. For example, Buddha never recognized the importance of God and never showed his followers how to pray to or worship God. For Buddha, God was something he just didn't talk about. But Jesus did recognize the supremacy of God and taught his followers how to pray to him, i.e. the Lord's Prayer. And here's another big difference between Buddha and Jesus: Buddha was a mere man who died at the age of 80 without any hope other than to obtain nirvana, a mysterious state of existence that no one has ever adequately explained. In contrast, Jesus was divine, the Son of God who when he died was resurrected and ascended back to heaven to reign by the side of His Father. Without Jesus there is no hope for the world. The same could not be said about Buddha. So let me say that this book holds little weight in my book because the author himself shows very little knowledge of either Quakerism or Buddhism. If Jim Pym was a true Quaker, he would only recognize Christ as his teacher and master. If he was a true Buddhist, he would only recognize Buddha as his teacher and master. But he wants to "have his cake and eat it too," which may work for him in some convoluted way. But it doesn't work for genuine seekers of truth who are wise to heed the Apostle Paul's words at 1 Corinthians 10:21, in which he says, "You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons."