Note: This is a suggested reading list in the Christian mystics. The works listed here seem to me to be the most accessible to the sincere beginner. On my website www.contemplativeway.org you can sign up for my newsletter. I do not add newsletters very often. But I will be posting more sources in mystical teachings that will include sources intended for those who have some experience and background in mystical teachings. I will also be including a list of mystical teachings in the other world’s great religions as well as in the fields of poetry, philosophy, and transpersonal psychology.
Thomas Merton’s writings embody the ancient wisdom of the mystical heritage of the Christian faith expressed in a contemporary language that we can relate to and understand. Merton, therefore, is a good place for the sincere beginner to find trustworthy guidance in contemplative living. There are first his basic spiritual writings, the most accessible of which is perhaps his Thoughts in Solitude. His other basic spiritual writings include, New Seeds of Contemplation, Disputed Questions, No Man is an Island and The Inner Experience.
Some of Merton’s most beautiful and insightful passages are found in his autobiographical writings, journals and letters. In this category, you might benefit from reading his autobiography The Seven Storey Mountain, and the journal he kept in the monastery The Sign of Jonas. The volume of his collected letters titled The Hidden Ground of Love contains his letters on the subject of religious experience and social justice. The Intimate Merton edited by Patrick Hart and Jonathan Moltanado is a collection of journal entries that offer plenty to sit with and ponder. Another source of eloquent and insightful Merton passages can be found in A Book of Hours edited by Kathleen Deignan. In my book Merton’s Palace of Nowhere I introduce and explore Merton’s insights into the true self one with God beyond ego. Sounds True published an audio cd set of my Merton retreat talks titled Merton’s Path to the Palace of Nowhere in which I explore the Merton’s insights into the contemplative way of life in which the true self is realized. The website www.merton.org contains many resources in Merton as guide and teacher on the spiritual path.
Reading classical texts written by the Christian mystics can be particularly rewarding but also particularly challenging. But some of classic works are more accessible and easy to understand. A gentle way to begin is with the simple and profound classic The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence. The stories about Saint Francis in the The Little Flowers of Saint Francis breathes with a childlike wisdom. The anonymously written The Cloud of Unknowing is one of the great classics in Christian contemplative literature and one of the easiest to read. I happen to prefer the translation by William Johnston, published by Image Doubleday. Theresa of Avila’s The Interior Castle is at once down to earth and profound. A highly readable classic work in the mystical tradition of the Eastern, Orthodox Church is The Way of Pilgrim and the Pilgrim continues His Way that tells the story of a Russian pilgrim’s discovery of the Jesus prayer. I happen to like the translation by R. M. French, published by Hope Publishing and by Seabury Press. Bernard McGinn’s The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism is a goldmine of short selections from of classic texts.
Two books highly readable contemporary books that convey a deep contemplative spirit are Dag Hammarjold’s Markings and The World of Silence by Max Picard.
A good commentary on the teachings of a mystic can be an invaluable aid in finding our way into the heart of mystic’s teachings. A very accessible commentary on the teaching of Meister Eckhart is The Way of Paradox by Cyprian Smith. Also helpful in getting into Eckhart is Robert Forman’s Meister Eckhart: The Mystic As Theologian. In Franciscan spirituality, Clare of Assisi: A Heart Full of Love and The Humility of God, both by Ilia Delio are quite good as is her Simply Bonaventure. Also in the Franciscan tradition, the novel Saint Francis by Nikos Kazantzakis is lovely. The commentary on Theresa of Avila’s Interior Castle by Caroline Myss titled Entering the Castle is good at demonstrating a way to personally enter into the experiences Theresa is inviting us to discover, particularly with respect to the earlier mansions.
Two books written in contemplative devotional style are They Speak by Silences by a Carthusian and Abandonment to Divine Providence by Jean Pierre de Caussade. Poverty of Spirit by Johannes Baptist Metz is a small, precise and insightful. The Wisdom Jesus by Cynthia Bourgeault offers a basic insights into how the Gnostic movement of the early church and the Christian mystics understand and experience Christ.
Books on contemplative prayer in the Christian tradition can also be very helpful. Besides the one’s mentioned above, I will add here two easy to read books that shed light on the teachings on prayer found The Cloud of Unknowing. The first is Finding Grace at the Center: by M. Basil Pennington and Thomas Keating which was followed by Open Mind, Open Heart by Keating. Retreats and related sources and activities in the Centering prayer can be found on the Contemplative Outreach website www.contemplativeoutreach.org . The Benedictine monk John Main explores contemplative prayer as practiced by the early Christian hermits. A fine book by John Main is titled Word into Silence. Father Lawrence Freeman has continued the work of John Main; one of his books is Christian Meditation: Your Daily Practice. The World Community of Christian Meditation (www.wccm.org) is a good source for more works by John Main and Lawrence Freeman as well as retreats and other World Community of Christian Meditation activities. My book Christian Meditation provides an introduction to meditation and contemplative prayer in the Christian tradition. The audio set entitled Christian Meditation contains my retreat conferences on meditation.
It can also be helpful to read books that provide a basic understanding of what mysticism is. A clear and comprehensive guide in this regard is William Johnston’s Mystical Theology: The Science of Love. Ursula King’s Christian Mystics is very good. Going beyond specifically Christian sources, The Perennial Philosophy by Aldeous Huxley and Forgotten Truth by Huston Smith are two deservedly popular studies that demonstrate the universal nature of mystical consciousness. A related work in the field of transpersonal psychology is highly readable The Simple Feeling of Being by Ken Wilber.
In January 2011Richard Rohr, Cynthia Bourgeault and I led a retreat that focused on providing a basic introduction to the Christian mystics. The retreat, called Following the Mystics Through The Narrow Gate, is available for download or as an audio cd or dvd from www.cac.org, which is the website for The Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, New Mexico. On the website are a number of Richard Rohr’s talks, a number of which focus on the Christian mystical tradition. His book The Naked Now is a very accessible introduction to non-dual consciousness. |