Compassion and meditation; the spiritual dynamic between Buddhism and Christianity.

9781594772771

Compassion and meditation; the spiritual dynamic between Buddhism and Christianity.

Leloup, Jean-Yves.

Inner Traditions International

2009

165 pages

$14.95

Paperback

BR128

Meditation without compassion can lead to narcissistic escapism, and compassion without meditation to directionless activism, says theologian, French Orthodox priest, and Coptic translator Leloup, but the marriage between them is the practice most essential and most capable of helping people make sense of the contemporary world. He explains how the two, each with a religious tradition based on it, can work together in people's lives and spiritual growth. His topics include zen and hesychasm, the Dhammapada and the gospels, the four considerations taught by the Buddha, discipline, three positive actions of the body, four positive actions of speech, patience, and wisdom. The text is based on lectures he delivered in Paris and Brussels, and was first published as Le Montagne dans L'Ocean by Albin Michels, Paris in 2000 and 2007; the English translation is by Joseph Rowe.

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