Our Contemplative Library
Recommended reading from our Spiritual Guides
The Wisdom Jesus
By Cynthia Bourgeault
A new view of Jesus as a Buddha-like wisdom teacher who taught the transformation of consciousness—includes traditional meditative practices you can do yourself.
If you put aside what you think you know about Jesus and approach the Gospels as though for the first time, something remarkable happens: Jesus emerges as a teacher of the transformation of consciousness.
True Self, False Self: Unmasking the Spirit Within
By M. Basil Pennington
Presented in this book are two themes: the transformation of human consciousness and the evolution of consciousness in the human family as a whole and in each of us as individuals.
Mystical Hope: Trusting in the Mercy of God
By Cynthia Bourgeault
In five interwoven meditations, Mystical Hope shows how to recognize hope in our own lives, where it comes from, how to deepen it through prayer, and how to carry it into the world as a source of strength and renewal.
Open Mind, Open Heart
By Thomas Keating
This book is designed to initiate the reader into a deep, living relationship with God. Written by an acknowledged spiritual master, the book moves beyond "discursive meditation and particular acts to the intuitive level of contemplation."
Keating gives an overview of the history of contemplative prayer in the Christian tradition, and step-by-step guidance in the method of centering prayer. Special attention is paid to the role of the Sacred Word, Christian growth and transformation, and active prayer.
The Practice of the Presence of God
By Brother Lawrence
Brother Lawrence was a man of humble beginnings who discovered the greatest secret of living in the kingdom of God here on earth. It is the art of "practicing the presence of God in one single act that does not end." He often stated that it is God who paints Himself in the depths of our souls. We must merely open our hearts to receive Him and His loving presence.