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Spirituality and Religion March 2025 |
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| Aflame: Learning from Silence by Pico IyerExtolling the virtues of silence and meditation, author and traveler Pico Iyer shares insights from his regular visits -spanning three decades- to a Benedictine monastery in California. Part personal reflection, part philosophical musing, his observations reveal how a contemplative life can better equip us to deal with the modern age. |
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| Ignorance and Bliss: On Wanting Not to Know by Mark LillaCuriosity is a key characteristic of being human, and yet we sometimes desire to remain unilluminated. This conflicting desire- both to know and not to know- has deep psychological roots, which this treatise explores in a discursive, thought-provoking style. Spanning centuries of literature and philosophy, readers are invited to shine a light on their own motivations when it comes to seeking understanding. |
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Do Not Try to Become a Buddha: Practicing Zen Right Where You Are
by Myozan Ian Kilroy
A Zen Buddhist priest paints a picture of Zen in Ireland in this collection of short essays. In this collection of short essays, Irish Soto Zen priest Myozan Ian Kilroy describes how he came to practice Zen, introduces some basics of Zen philosophy, andrecalls the challenges of establishing a Zen Buddhist community in Catholic-dominated Ireland. Along the way, he explores the rituals and practices that Zen brings to everyday life, from holidays to weddings to birth ceremonies to funerals. A former journalist, Rev. Myozan's clear yet entertaining storytelling style paints a clear picture of how Zen has adapted to the culture and traditions of Ireland.
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The Monastic World: A 1,200-Year History
by Andrew Jotischky
From the late Roman Empire onwards, monasteries and convents were a common sight throughout Europe. But who were monasteries for? What kind of people founded and maintained them? And how did monasticism change over the thousand years or so of the Middle Ages? Andrew Jotischky traces the history of monastic life from its origins in the fourth century to the sixteenth. He shows how religious houses sheltered the poor and elderly, cared for the sick, and educated the young. They were centres of intellectual life that owned property and exercised power but also gave rise to new developments in theology, music, and art.
This book brings together the Orthodox and western stories, as well as the experiences of women, to show the full picture of medieval monasticism for the first time. It is a fascinating, wide-ranging account that broadens our understanding of life in holy orders as never before.
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| Jesus Wept: Seven Popes and the Battle for the Soul of the Catholic Church by Philip ShenonWhen Pope John XXIII was elected in 1958, he launched the Second Vatican Council to modernize the Church. Former New York Times reporter Philip Shenon explores issues such as celibacy, birth control, and women's roles, most notably diving deep into the church’s sex abuse scandals, offering a vivid and highly critical history of the modern Church and its leaders.
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Francis of Assisi: The Life of a Restless Saint
by Volker Leppin
One of the most famous figures in Christian history, Francis of Assisi was revered as a miracle worker during his life and quickly canonized after his death. He has inspired generations of Christians and other spiritual seekers, from medieval ascetics to 1960s hippies and modern environmentalists...But what do we know for sure about who he was, and what is simply legend?
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Chasing Peace: A Story of Breakdowns, Breakthroughs, and the Spiritual Power of Neuroscience
by Tom Rosshirt
Tom Rosshirt was like millions of people trying to find peace. He believed he could get it through performance, perseverance, and hard work- attacking both his career and meditation practices with a strict dedication. Instead of peace, his achievements brought anxiety, depression, and a merciless perfectionism that left him overwhelmed and wanting out. Then, right after another dead-end session with a psychiatrist, Tom found the emerging science of neuroplasticity, which provided a new understanding of how the mind affects the brain and body. Through a support group of individuals equally exhausted by their developed hypervigilance, and following months of research and reframing, Tom started to see his breakdown as a chance for a breakthrough. Neuroplasticity can help us starve the thoughts that create the self-image that causes the suffering. It marks the shift from 'getting what I want' to 'wanting what I get.' The first is chasing peace; the second is finding it. Chasing Peace is a personal journey that can inspire anyone who is tired of chasing peace and wants to find happiness in who they really are.
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Exploring the Yoga Sutras
by Nicholas Sutton
In this sutra-by-sutra translation and study of the Yoga Sutras, Hindu Studies scholar Nicholas Sutton offers an accessible guide to the complex philosophical ideas on which the ancient practice of Yoga is based, illuminating the meaning of Patañjali's seminal Yoga treatise and the manner in which it seeks to integrate Yoga into life as a whole.
Discussing each sutra, both individually and in the context of different passages, Exploring the Yoga Sutras strives to make the complex ideas of this Yoga classic accessible to the modern reader who may not have a prior grounding in the study of Indian philosophy.
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Believe: Why Everyone Should be Religious
by Ross Gregory Douthat
For searchers caught between doubt and belief and for believers struggling to reconcile faith with contemporary assumptions about science and progress, Believe by New York Times columnist Ross Douthat shows how religious faith makes better sense of reality than skepticism or disbelief.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Michigan City Public Library
100 E. 4th Street
Michigan City, Indiana 46360
219-873-3044mclib.org/ |
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