Silence, Simplicity & Solitude: A Complete Guide to Spiritual Retreat [Paperback]

David A. Cooper (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1999

From the best-selling author of God Is a Verb, the classic spiritual retreat guide that enables anyone to create their own self-guided spiritual retreat at home.

The ancient mystics looked to spiritual retreat as a way of cleansing the body and healing the soul. In Silence, Simplicity & Solitude, David A. Cooper traces the path of the mystics and the practice of spiritual retreat in all the major faith traditions, sharing the common techniques and practices of the retreat experience for beginner and advanced meditators alike.

Cooper shows the way to the self-discovery and discipline of the spiritual retreat experience and clearly instructs how to create an effective, self-guided spiritual retreat in your own home.

Silence, Simplicity & Solitude teaches that not only is silence a great healer, but that inner spiritual retreat can provide life-changing insight into deeper spiritual truths.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"David Cooper's concrete, practical and balanced advice grows out of personal experience and gives us perennial wisdom instead of faddish spiritual froth. His openness to Eastern practices complements the Christian path but does not minimize it." -- Mother Tessa Bielecki, The Spiritual Life Institute

About the Author

David A. Cooper has studied mysticism for thirty years. His main practice has been spiritual retreats and meditation in a number of traditions including Sufi, Vipassana, Kabbalah, and Zen. Cooper is the award winning author of many books including the Publishers Weekly best-seller God is a Verb (Riverhead 1998) as well as A Heart of Stillness: A Complete Guide to Learning the Art of Meditation (SkyLight Paths, 1999).

Product Details

• Paperback: 309 pages
• Publisher: Skylight Paths Publishing (February 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1893361047
• ISBN-13: 978-1893361041
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,167,393 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Balanced, practical perspective for seeking refuge, May 4, 2004

By 

loce_the_wizard "loce_the_wizard" (Lilburn, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Silence, Simplicity & Solitude: A Complete Guide to Spiritual Retreat (Paperback)

Silence, Simplicity, and Solitude: A Guide for Spiritual Retreat offers a balanced and practical perspective for those seeking refuge and renewal. The author, David A. Cooper, first discusses traditions associated with such retreats for the world's main religions.

That perspective is then applied to the practical aspects of conducting a retreat. Mr. Cooper is not advocating strident adherence to tradition, instead suggesting "The individual retreatant must decide which of his or her particular needs are important." Throughout this section, he draws from the wisdom and practices of the various religions, weaving common threads and ideas.

A third main section of the book addresses various spiritual practices and notes how these might fit within the scope of a retreat. Again, drawing from the text, Mr. Cooper asks "how is it that each of us has an affinity with some practices and not others?" He addresses that question by providing overviews and observations of 13 spiritual practices.

Mr. Cooper also emphasizes the practical by providing a number of sample schedules tailored for various types of retreats and a recommended reading list. His steadfast focus on the inner and outer aspects of staging a retreat addresses the needs of both the spirit seeking solace or enlightenment and the mind arranging the details and schedules.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Profound, July 22, 2003

By 

Ralph (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Silence, Simplicity & Solitude: A Complete Guide to Spiritual Retreat (Paperback)

Brilliantly written, consice and as spiritual as any holy book around. The best compliment that I can give to Mr. Cooper's writing(s) is that when I read them I feel calm inside. His "Heart of Stillness" and this book both seem to have been written from the heart and resonate among other things a deep sense of honesty and simplicity. Read both these books... they return the time you invest in them in ways that can only be experienced and not be expressed using words.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Retreat Resource, February 25, 2006

By 

Sonya Bolek "SerenitySonya" (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Silence, Simplicity & Solitude: A Complete Guide to Spiritual Retreat (Paperback)

This book provides great information about the nature and history of retreat. It also gives a very clear picture of types of retreats and the practices that can be used to heighten the retreat experience. It's an easy read with great information, very inspiring. Glad to have purchased it!
Sonya, A Spirit of Serenity, Women's Enrichment Resources