Meditations: On the Monk Who Dwells in Daily Life

by Thomas Moore

Book Overview

Thomas Moore, bestselling author of Care of the Soul and Soul Mates , draws on the twelve years he lived as a monk in this insightful book of a hundred one-page meditations. Interspersed with glimpses... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060172231
• ISBN13: 9780060172237
• Release Date: January 1994
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Length: 107 Pages
• Weight: 0.69 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.2" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

The Spirit Of The Monk Lives Within Each Of Us

Meditations by Thomas Moore is a collection of 100 short anecdotes and thoughts regarding the symbol of the monastic life. Moore lived as a Catholic monk for twelve years and this book represents some of his thoughts and observations concerning the simultaneous comparing/contrasting of the monastic and mundane lifestyles. There's something about this book that is warm and inspirational -- it calls each of us to recognize and embrace the monastic spirit which is to be cultivated in daily life. It just seems to make me feel more... whole. One of the verses that has stuck with me over the years was this comment concerning the refectory: "I wonder if the silence that sometimes descends upon people at a restaurant is due to a passing monkish spirit and not to a failure of communication." Whether or not this may be literally true, it conveys a sense of the sacred in everything; anything may be sublimated and made meaningful once the awareness of such is born. I recommend this book for anyone and everyone to reflect upon in order to further consecrate that sense of the temenos or sacred boundary within our lives.

Good things come in small packages

Thomas Moore, better known for books such as 'Care of the Soul' and 'Soul Mates', compiled this brief collection of meditations, aptly entitled 'Meditations: On the Monk Who Dwells in Daily Life'. Most of us obviously do not live in monasteries; few of us even consider monastic spirituality or practice in our daily lives. Moore was slated early for a life of reflection, but soured on religious practice and observance early. He entered a preparatory seminary at age 13 to become a priest, but found that the tendency toward authoritarianism was a bit too much (a common trait with prophets and saints throughout much of history). 'When I finally left the order, I left most of religion behind. I lived as an agnostic of sorts for a while. In my monastery days I had studied music seriously and had written and directed a considerable amount of music, and so, once out of the order, I planned on the life of an academic musician. Unexpectedly, my love of theology and religion stayed with me.' Having put some distance between the formal structures and his own life, over time he has come to an important realisation. 'In my life now both the priesthood and the monastic life are made of subtle stuff--not literal ways of life, but possibilities powdered so finely that they have become values, nuances, styles, and elements of character giving my life a certain tone and colour.' Moore's meditative reflections are each less than one page long, which make them ideal both for rapid study (recommended only if you're going to come back to them later) as well as for small, bite-sized meditative morsels to slowly appreciate and inwardly digest. 'The monk lives according to the advice of Marsilio Ficino--partly in time, partly in eternity. Whatever is done is never fully of this world, and yet it's always in this world. We could all live partly out of this world, and perhaps discover the limits of worldly law and convention.' In talking of different themes -- silence, hospitality, charity, prayer, music, God, humanity -- Moore interjects insights of his own and those he has inherited from friends, mentors, teachers, and history. This book makes a perfect gift book; a wonderful, thoughtful book for short meditations; it is a great thing to carry around for reflective periods during the day. Sometimes a monk, used to chanting, will suddenly strike upon a note that lingers, that stays with the soul in the ear for longer than usual. Perhaps this is the voice of God speaking. As we go about our daily lives, perhaps the common detail that assumes a new proportion -- has a little more resonance -- is God's way of trying to speak to us. Let this book be an opening to that awareness.

The spirit of the monk- the soul-centered life in the midst of the world

I am embarrassed to admit that when I purchased this book I thought that it dealt with the meditations of St. Thomas MORE. However, this was a fortuitous mistake since it introduced me to an author that seemed to be perfectly in tune with my own reflections. This is because I understood intuitively what he was talking about in suggesting that it was possible to live the life of the monk, the contemplative, in modern mundane life. I understood what he meant by a life of simplicity and inner quiet. We can keep our souls uncluttered by the dross and corruption of the outside world- we are the gatekeepers of our own souls. A monastery or an order are, after all, material things, stones and rules; while an actual sacred place, a temenos, is the result deep inner work. That is the natural work of the monk- soul work. It is this work that restores meaning to creation and connection to the creator. Only then can the heart clearly observe of the signs of divine Providence. Only then, as Emerson said, does "everything become a sign." Just the fact that this book shows that there is another, legitimate way of living in the world is refreshing. After all, both the monk and the criminal reject the values of the greater society- the modern world seems to equate the two at times. I've read this little book three times over the years and it always rejuvenates me. Of course the author draws from so many rich sources: Aurelius, Orpheus, Ficino, Bruno, Emerson, Dickinson, Basho, Rilke, Merton, the Dalai Lama and, yes, St. Thomas More.

Meditations By Former Monk who still Teaches...

In reading Soul Mates and Care of the Soul I was distinctly taken back to my time of 'Doing CPE.' In realizing the deeper values of taking care of the Soul, I have made it a practise of staying close to former Monks who teach me about contemplation and meditation. I point out 2 quotes. "A Pilgrim was walking along a road, when he passed a monk sitting in a field...seeing men working on a stone building...he said to the monk, "Who is that working on the abbey?" Answered, "My monks. I'm the abbot." "It's good to see a monastery going up." said the Pilgrim. "They're tearing it down," said the abbot.""Whatever for!" asked the Pilgrim. "So we can see the sun rise at dawn," said the abbot. As another pointed reading appears twice I will also abbreviate: "Sometimes in their chanting, monks will land upon a note and sing it in florid fashion; a syllable of text for 50 notes of chant. Melisma, they call it. Living a melismatic life in imitation of plain-chant, we stop on an experience, a place, a person, or a memory and rhapsodize in imagination! I believe these two examples say volumes about Thomas Moore as Teacher.Retired Chap Fred W Hood

Good things come in small packages...

Thomas Moore, better known for books such as `Care of the Soul' and `Soul Mates', compiled this brief collection of meditations, aptly entitled `Meditations: On the Monk Who Dwells in Daily Life'. Most of us obviously do not live in monasteries; few of us even consider monastic spirituality or practice in our daily lives. Moore was slated early for a life of reflection, but soured on religious practice and observance early. He entered a preparatory seminary at age 13 to become a priest, but found that the tendency toward authoritarianism was a bit too much (a common trait with prophets and saints throughout much of history). `When I finally left the order, I left most of religion behind. I lived as an agnostic of sorts for a while. In my monastery days I had studied music seriously and had written and directed a considerable amount of music, and so, once out of the order, I planned on the life of an academic musician. Unexpectedly, my love of theology and religion stayed with me.' Having put some distance between the formal structures and his own life, over time he has come to an important realisation.`In my life now both the priesthood and the monastic life are made of subtle stuff--not literal ways of life, but possibilities powdered so finely that they have become values, nuances, styles, and elements of character giving my life a certain tone and colour.'Moore's meditative reflections are each less than one page long, which make them ideal both for rapid study (recommended only if you're going to come back to them later) as well as for small, bite-sized meditative morsels to slowly appreciate and inwardly digest.`The monk lives according to the advice of Marsilio Ficino--partly in time, partly in eternity. Whatever is done is never fully of this world, and yet it's always in this world. We could all live partly out of this world, and perhaps discover the limits of worldly law and convention.'In talking of different themes -- silence, hospitality, charity, prayer, music, God, humanity -- Moore interjects insights of his own and those he has inherited from friends, mentors, teachers, and history. This book makes a perfect gift book; a wonderful, thoughtful book for short meditations; it is a great thing to carry around for reflective periods during the day.Sometimes a monk, used to chanting, will suddenly strike upon a note that lingers, that stays with the soul in the ear for longer than usual. Perhaps this is the voice of God speaking. As we go about our daily lives, perhaps the common detail that assumes a new proportion -- has a little more resonance -- is God's way of trying to speak to us.Let this book be an opening to that awareness.