Pray Without Ceasing: The Way of the Invocation in World Religions (Treasures of the World's Religions) [Paperback]

Patrick Laude (Author)

Book Description

Series: Treasures of the World's Religions | Publication Date: March 8, 2006

Drawn from the world's religions, this work takes the reader on a pilgrimage to the heart of prayer and reveals why prayer is the essence of the human condition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Patrick Laude, a professor of religion at Georgetown University, collects twenty-four prayers from the world’s religions, and accompanying essays, in his splendid anthology, Pray Without Ceasing: The Way of Invocation in World’s Religions." --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

From the Inside Flap

"It is widely recognized in all religious worlds that nothing is more important than prayer, since prayer involves a direct relationship between the Divine and the human. Nothing can be deemed more spiritually necessary than prayer since among all possible actions none engages as direct a communication with the Great Mystery. A work of charity, for example, could be considered prima facie as important as prayer, or it could be viewed as an extension and a consequence of prayer inasmuch as it is centered on a consciousness of the Divine; but it is nevertheless contingent upon circumstances and particular needs, whereas prayer as such is totally unconditioned since it expresses the very essence of the human station before the One."

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: World Wisdom (March 8, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933316144
• ISBN-13: 978-1933316147
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #867,105 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "God and His Name are one." ~ Ramakrishna, April 23, 2011

By 

Evelyn Getchell "Evie" (Gulf Coast of Florida) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Pray Without Ceasing: The Way of the Invocation in World Religions (Treasures of the World's Religions) (Paperback)

Pray Without Ceasing: The Way of the Invocation in World Religions (Treasures of the World's Religions) is a rich anthology of texts from many religious traditions emphasizing the spiritual necessity of "ceaseless prayer" to engage direct communication with the Sacred. The writings are at once spiritual and scholarly, affirming the universality of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Native American, Sikhism, Sufism, and other traditions.

Selections ranging from ancient scriptures to contemporary testimonies of modern spiritual authorities are highlighted: Gandhi, Gao Xingjian, Thomas Yellowtail, Honen, St. Jean Eudes, Kabir, the PHILOKALIA, Ramakrishna, Ramana Maharshi, Swami Ramdas, D.T. Suzuki, Simone Weil, the ZOHAR and many more. Pray Without Ceasing: The Way of the Invocation in World Religions (Treasures of the World's Religions) is organized into three parts: I.FOUNDATION TEXTS, the "classic" texts; II.CONTEMPORARY DOCTRINAL ESSAYS, the principles underlying invocation; III.CONTEMPORARY TESTIMONIES, the relevance of ceaseless prayer in the modern world.

Pray Without Ceasing: The Way of the Invocation in World Religions (Treasures of the World's Religions) offers encouragement to spiritual seekers of all backgrounds, East or West, who long to be closer to God through the practice of ceaseless prayer or remembrance of God's name. It impresses the truth that there are as many paths to God as there are souls and Simone Weil instructs that "Every religious practice, every rite, all liturgy is a form of the recitation of the name of the Lord."

Patrick Laude, the editor of this inspiring anthology, draws out the common threads of these various religious traditions and pathways to God. In his splendid introduction, he notes that "the methodical practice of the invocation normally requires an authorization in the form of an induction or initiation into a spiritual rule or comtemplative order under the guidance of a spiritual instructor." He punctuates the need for a spiritual teacher or master and cautions against undertaking a spiritual practice on one's own.

What is clearly evident from this extraordinary, illuminating collection is that "there is no spiritual tradition that does not place a strong emphasis on prayer as a central connection between the human and the Divine." Laude's final conclusion is that ceaseless prayer or remembrance of the Lord's name "tends to be understood, at its summit, as the very end and essence of the spiritual path, all other practices convergoing into its synthetic, unifying, and interiorizing power."

This is a book I keep at my bedside for daily inspiration to continuous prayer, remembrance and meditation. I highly recommend Pray Without Ceasing: The Way of the Invocation in World Religions (Treasures of the World's Religions) for those spiritual seekers longing to harvest the rich fruits of prayer ~ the inner union with the Divine.