Moment of Christ: The Path of Meditation [Paperback]

John Main (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1998

"Learning to meditate is the most practical thing in the world. You require only one quality when you begin. That is seriously to want to learn to mediate."The central message of the New Testament is that there is really only one prayer and that this prayer is the prayer of Christ. It is a prayer that continues in our heart day and night. John Main describes this prayer as the stream of love that flows constantly between Jesus and his Father. This stream of love is the Holy SpiritIt is John Main's conviction that is it the most important task for any fully human life that we should become as open as possible to this stream of love. In order for us to do this we must learn a way that is a way of silence - of stillness - and this by a discipline that is most demanding.John Main talks about the many aspects of silent prayer: the way of the mantra, leaving distraction behind, fullness of life in love and silence. A striking feature of the book is its emphasis on simplicity, on transcending self-consciousness and moving beyond "techniques" of prayer.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John Main (1926-1982) was a Benedictine mond whom Bede Griffiths once acclaimed "the best spiritual guide in the church today." His work continues to guide many to deeper spirituality and also to inspire inter-religious dialogue.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Continuum (August 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0826411231
• ISBN-13: 978-0826411235
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #687,338 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great modern master, October 30, 2002

By 

Janet Knori (Eugene, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Moment of Christ: The Path of Meditation (Paperback)

The simplicity of his style will charm you. The depth of his experience will impress you. The sheer beauty of his message will convince you. John Main is without doubt one of the greatest modern masters of prayer.
His teaching is about Christian Meditation. That is the term he used for the deep interior prayer form, based upon use of a "Christian mantra" which he taught until his untimely death in 1982 He had learned to meditate while living in Asia, from a Buddhist monk. When he returned to England, he found that such meditation was frowned upon by Western Christian religious, although it is not much different from the Jesus Prayer used for centuries in the Eastern Church.
Over a long period, his superiors became convinced of his orthodoxy, and they even made it his task to spread the practice of this truly Christian prayer form. He had by then read and studied many early Christian writers, and in his writing often refers to John Cassian and others, indicating that this is, indeed, a prayer like that used by Christians from the earliest times. It had unfortunately become submerged for a few centuries, but Main was among the leaders in re-introducing a way of prayer accessible to everyone.
His writing is clear and will inspire you, be you a rank beginner or one far along on the path.

review by Janet Knori, author of Awakening in God

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book, October 3, 2008

By 

Mclusky (Florida) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Moment of Christ: The Path of Meditation (Paperback)

John Main's simple style and the authority of his talks is captivating. I'm not even a Christian and I was blown away by how great this book was. Christians who are not averse to contemplative spirituality and meditation shouldn't miss out on this book. It's a wonder that only one person has reviewed it thus far besides me. I would say that if you are the type of Christian that I mentioned above you would be doing yourself a favor by buying this book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Moment of Christ, October 20, 2010

By 

Goodbookseeker - See all my reviews

This review is from: Moment of Christ: The Path of Meditation (Paperback)

John Main's Moment of Christ is a lucid and mighty work. With a deep knowledge of prayer and Scripture in his own Christian tradition, coupled with a transcendent wisdom and vision of human potential, John Main guides his readers along the path of meditation. He presents the simple yet challenging and utterly transformative truth that when we meditate, our prayer is united to the prayer of Christ himself.
This book is filled with subtle wisdom and profound insight, as well as practical encouragement that will help energize and sustain anyone who begins this journey. As John Main says, we need "the humility to tread the way very faithfully over a period of years so that the prayer of Christ may indeed be the grounding experience of our life." The book is very useful for anyone beginning to meditate as well as those wanting to deepen their understanding - or for anyone who just wants to know what meditation in the Christian tradition means.
Moment of Christ is powerful and precious, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone interested in the spiritual life.