Prayer of the Heart in Christian and Sufi Mysticism

Product Description Guiding The Reader Through The Stages Of Mystical Prayer&;A Way To Create A Living Relationship With The Divine Within The Heart&;This Book Draws Upon Christian And Sufi Sources Such As St. Teresa Of Avila, &;AttâR, St. John Of The Cross, And RûMî. Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee Describes The Stages Of Prayer: How Prayer Is First Born Of Need, But Then Takes One Deep Within The Heart, Into The Stages Of Union And Ecstasy. Through Mystical Prayer, One Is Drawn Into The Silence Of Real Communion With God. Here, In The Silence Within The Heart, A Meeting And Merging Takes Place That Carries One Beyond The Self Into The Mystery Of Divine Presence. This Exploration Delves Into The Secret Of How To Pray Without Ceasing, In Which Prayer Becomes Alive Within The Heart, And Includes A Chapter On The Need To Pray For The Well-Being Of The Earth. It Brings Together The Christian And Sufi Mystical Traditions And Will Benefit Any Practitioner Of Prayer Who Is Drawn To Discover A Relationship With God Within Their Heart. Review An Excellent Book.. . .As We Recover More And More Of The Ancient Contemplative Traditions, We Are Finding Immense Similarities In Goal, Practice, And Effects. . . .Vaughan-Lee Makes This Sacred Journey Both Clear And Inviting. Fr. Richard Rohr, Author And Franciscan Priest, Center For Action And ContemplationDraws Together The Christian And Sufi Traditions Of Mystical Prayer. . . . Vaughan-LeeS Clearly Written Little Guide Will Be Gratifying And Absorbing For Those Interested In Mysticism And Alternate Routes Toward The Love Of God. Library Journal (May 2012)Like His Spiritual Sister, Teresa Of Avila, Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee Sees Prayer Not As Something We Do, But Rather A Gift The Beloved Has Hidden Within The Innermost Chamber Of Our Hearts. Our Whole Life Is An Answer To The Call To Discover That Treasure, To Become Prayer. With An Extraordinary Blend Of Passion And Dignity, Llewellyn Guides Us Deep Into The Blazing Quiet Of Our Own Being, Where Prayer Becomes The Magic Carpet That Carries Us To Union With Object Of Our Most Profound Longing A Union That Results In The Melting Of Lover Into Beloved, So That Only Love Remains. This, Llewellyn Teaches Us, Is Our Sacred Birthright. Mirabai Starr, Author And Translator, Dark Night Of The Soul By St. John Of The Cross, The Interior Castle, And The Book Of My Life By St. Teresa Of AvilaLlewellyn Vaughan-Lee . . .Brings Together The Christian And Sufi Inner Paths Of Devotion In A Beautiful, Compelling Way. Combining His Own Deep Personal Experience With Writings Ranging From St. Teresa Of Avila To Mevlana Rumi And Abdul Qadir Jilani, Llewellyn Has Produced Something Unique: Not An Academic Treatise, But A Poetic Book On Prayer Meaningful To The Everyday Lives Of Seekers In Both Traditions, A Prayer Of The Heart In Its Own Right. Neil Douglas-Klotz, Author, Prayers Of The Cosmos And The Sufi Book Of LifeSeamlessly Moves Between The Christian And Sufi Mystics And Bears Witness To The Divine Love That Permeates The Mystical Dimensions Of The WorldS Great Religions. . . .A Little Gem That Will Be Savored And Treasured By All Who Are Drawn Along The Path Of Love. James Finley, Phd, Merton Scholar And Author, Christian Meditation, The Contemplative Heart, And MertonS Palace Of NowhereThe Author . . . Parallels The Prayer Practices Of Sufi And Christian Mysticism With Ease. . . .Vaughan-LeeS Prayerful Prose Is Poetic, Inclusive, And Intelligent. Publishers Weekly (April 9, 2012)This Exquisitely Beautiful Book Opens Us Up Tenderly To The Astonishing Mysteries Of The Human Heart.We Experience A Glow Of Presence. We Feel Loved, Blessed And Kissed By Spirit. Imam Jamal Rahman, Cofounder Of Interfaith Community Church In Seattle, And Author, The Fragrance Of FaithThis Is A Precious Little Book . . . One Of Those Rare Works That Emerge From The Heart And Leads Us Into Unifi