Sayings of the Buddha: New Translations from the Pali Nikayas (Oxford World's Classics): Gethin, Rupert: 9780192839251: Books

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Sayings of the Buddha: New Translations from the Pali Nikayas (Oxford World's Classics): Gethin, Rupert: 9780192839251: Books



Sayings of the Buddha: New Translations from the Pali Nikayas (Oxford World's Classics) Critical ed. Edition
by Rupert Gethin (Translator)
4.6 out of 5 stars 39 ratings







ISBN-13: 978-0192839251
ISBN-10: 019283925XWhy is ISBN important?




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As more and more westerners study and practice Buddhism, reliable modern translations of the Buddha's teachings are increasingly in demand. One of the main sources for knowledge of the Buddhadharma is the four Pali Nikayas or "collections" of his sayings. Written in Pali, an ancient Indian
language closely related to Sanskrit, the Nikayas are among the oldest Buddhist texts and consist of more than one and a half million words. This new translation offers a selection of the Buddha's most important sayings, reflecting the full variety of material contained in the Nikayas: the central
themes of the Buddha's teaching (his biography, philosophical discourse, instruction on morality, meditation, and the spiritual life) and the range of literary style (myth, dialogue, narrative, short sayings, verse). This edition is the most critically up-to-date and For anyone seeking a more direct
encounter with the Buddha's words and teaching, this new translation will prove to be essential reading, rewarding scholars and practitioners alike.

About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert
introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Rupert Gethin's Sayings of the Buddha [is] translated with an eye toward readability, dispensing with the turgid English found in early translations of the canon. This short volume is sure to join Gethin's other work as a resource for teachers and students, and anyone interested in early Buddhist
literature."--Buddhadharma



About the Author

Rupert Gethin is the author of The Buddhist Path to Awakening and The Foundations of Buddhism.



Product details
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; Critical ed. edition (December 1, 2008)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 368 pages

4.6 out of 5 stars 39 ratings


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4.6 out of 5 stars
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sanyata
5.0 out of 5 stars aims for readability, still a though read, not an intro to buddhismReviewed in the United Kingdom on February 24, 2010
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this is a very good translation and presentation of the text. on many points i couldnt have wished for a better translation. but the original sayings are still tough going. if you are just getting into buddhism start somewhere else. this is mostly for scholars working with buddhism and for advanced buddhists

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Phil B
5.0 out of 5 stars An absolute mustReviewed in the United Kingdom on October 4, 2016
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A few chapters in, I am very glad to have purchased this book. Just came off a great Vipasana course in the UK and wanted to understand the historical background of Buddha and incites into the religion. Well worth while.
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Sejin, start your review of Sayings of the Buddha: New translations from the Pali Nikayas

Jun 24, 2020Tom Uytterhoeven rated it really liked it

Not an easy read, but rewarding

I am absolutely not familiar with Buddhism. But this book offers a good introduction. The explanatory notes at the beginning of each chapter help to understand what the different sayings are about. The Buddhist texts themselves are translated in clear English, but that does nit mean they are always easy to understand. However, the persistent reader is rewarded with a sense of what Buddhism is about. Therefore, four stars.

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Aug 06, 2019Zach rated it liked it

RG's translation is adequate, but at times I feel his rendering sounds like that of an academic: undoubtedly accurate, but lacking in an artistic flair and reverence.

For me, this book is worth its price alone just for the introductory sections and discussions, which of course are derived from Prof Gethin's vast experience and knowledge of the Pali canon. (less)

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Sep 07, 2020Bexen rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition

Shelves: buddhism

Quite a good selection of suttas, including many famous or important ones, translated in a clear, efficient way. The introductory study is also quite impressive and useful in understanding the complexities of the Pali suttas literature.

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Jul 19, 2020Paschalis marked it as to-read  ·  review of another edition

Shelves: elibrary

elibrary

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Mar 02, 2015Thinley Jamtsho rated it it was amazing  ·  review of another edition

Shelves: buddha

It's basically the collection of Buddha's main sutras (teachings or sayings) from the great ancient Indian Pali literature. I thinks it's a must book for everybody, because the translation of buddha's teachings in that is so clear and easy to understand. :))
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Mar 15, 2011Bruce Park rated it it was amazing  ·  review of another edition

My daily reading book.

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Sep 15, 2015Mckinley rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition

Shelves: buddhism, non-fiction

Enjoying the suttas, not sure all of them are of chief import to non-monastic Buddhists. The formatting of the e-book is not good though.

Sexuality in Classical South Asian Buddhism by Jose Ignacio Cabezon - Ebook | Scribd

Sexuality in Classical South Asian Buddhism by Jose Ignacio Cabezon - Ebook | Scribd

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Sexuality in Classical South Asian Buddhism


By Jose Ignacio Cabezon

4/5 (1 rating)
1,140 pages
27 hours

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at no additional cost

Description
A prolific scholar surveys classical Buddhism’s approach to sex, gender, and sexual orientation in this landmark volume.

More than twenty-five years in the making, this detailed sourcebook on Buddhist understandings of sexuality, desire, ethics, and deviance in classical South Asia 

is filled with both engaging translations and original and provocative analysis. Jose Cabezon, the XIVth Dalai Lama Professor at the University of California Santa Barbara, marshals an incredible array of scriptures, legal and medical texts, and philosophical treatises, explaining the subtleties of this ancient literature in lucid prose. This work will be of immense interest not only to scholars of Buddhism and gender studies but also to lay readers who want to learn more about traditional Buddhist attitudes toward sex.
=
Editorial Reviews

Review
Over a distinguished career, José Cabezón has produced a range of studies that have enriched and broadened our knowledge of the Buddhist tradition. Here, in what will be regarded as his most important work, he masterfully explores the multiple worlds of Buddhist sexuality. A learned combination of compendium and critique, this book immediately becomes the standard work to which all readers will turn. (Donald Lopez, Arthur E. Link Distinguished University Professor of Buddhist and Tibetan Studies, University of Michigan )


“An extraordinary book, simultaneously a monument of deep, detailed South Asian philological scholarship and a sourcebook entirely accessible to a broader gender-studies readership. There is nothing remotely like it.” (Wendy Doniger, University of Chicago )


“A tour de force! The book bravely engages its subject in a way that prevents us from imposing our contemporary understandings of sexuality onto ancient ideas while also analyzing what Buddhist texts can offer to modern-day conversations on such themes as the purpose and origins of sex, the nature of sexual desire, gender and biological sex, sexual deviance, sexual ethics, celibacy, and much more.” (Sara McClintock, Emory University )


“The fruit of decades of engagement, study, and reflection, José Cabezón's Sexuality in Classical South Asian Buddhism is a stunning achievement. It not only opens up the world of traditional Indian Buddhist ideas about gender, sexuality, and sexual practices in greater depth than any work before it, it has much to say as well about our contemporary struggles with these intimate, universal human issues. Ambitious, erudite, humane, and utterly captivating, Sexuality in Classical South Asian Buddhism is a monumental contribution to Buddhist studies, Asian studies, studies in gender and sexuality, and cultural studies, sure to be the standard work on the topic for many, many years to come.” (Roger Jackson, Carlton College )


“...a massive, ambitious, and important project... a treasure trove of information.” (Buddhadharma)
====

About the Author
Jose Ignacio Cabezon is the Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies and XIVth Dalai Lama Professor of Tibetan Buddhism and Cultural Studies at the University of California Santa Barbara. He is the author or editor of a dozen books and many more articles on various aspects of Tibetan religion and religious studies, with research interests as diverse as Madhyamaka philosophy, Buddhism and sexuality, classical South Asian political ethics, and Tibetan ritual. He lives in Santa Barbara, CA.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Wisdom Publications (October 10, 2017)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 10, 2017

Print length ‏ : ‎ 658 pages


Customer reviews
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Top review from the United States
M. J. Sweet
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Overview of Sex and Gender in Indian and Tibetan Buddhism
Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2017
Verified Purchase
This is a masterful work on a fascinating subject: sexuality, gender and sexual identities, behavior, and ethics as these topics are extensively discussed in Sanskrit and Tibetan Buddhist texts on philosophy, "metaphysics" (Abhidharma), monastic law, and popular legends. 

Beginning with the Buddhists' implicit acceptance of the widespread South Asian belief in a third gender, there is much in Buddhist thought on these subjects that is radically different from current Western conceptualizations. Cabezón elucidates the material in a conversational style (with learned footnotes for the more scholarly inclined) at times making reference to world literature, pop culture and the experiences of contemporaries, including his own involvement in clarifying the Dalai Lama's view of LBGT persons as practitioners of the Buddhist Dharma. Thought provoking and even humorous at times, if you have a serious interest in gender and sexuality this is one book you ought to read.

8 people found this helpful=

Department receives $3.7 million in gift commitments - Asian Languages & Cultures Department - UCLA

Department receives $3.7 million in gift commitments - Asian Languages & Cultures Department - UCLA
https://www.alc.ucla.edu/news/department-of-asian-languages-cultures-receives-3-7-million-in-gift-committments/

Department receives $3.7 million in gift commitments
Published: May 10, 2022

Gifts from UCLA Buddhist Studies scholar Robert Buswell and his wife Christina will establish first permanent endowed chair in Korean Buddhist Studies outside of Korea

By Margaret MacDonald

The UCLA Department of Asian Languages & Cultures has received $3.7 million in gift commitments from distinguished professor of Buddhist studies Robert E. Buswell, Jr. and his wife, Christina Lee Buswell, a translator of Korean religious scriptures.

The couple’s gift commitments created the Chinul Endowed Chair in Korean Buddhist Studies—the first permanent endowed chair in Korean Buddhism outside of Korea—and the Robert E. and Christina L. Buswell Fellowship in Buddhist Studies in support of graduate students in the department. The endowments will be funded as a blended gift with a portion paid over five years and the balance as a deferred gift from the couple’s estate.

The endowed chair, which is currently pending Academic Senate review, is named in honor of Puril Pojo Chinul (1158-1210), the most influential monk in Korean Buddhist history. The graduate fellowship gift was augmented by $25,000 by the Humanities Division Centennial Matching Program (made possible by the Kaplan/Panzer Humanities Endowment).

Robert Buswell, who is retiring from UCLA after 36 years, holds the Irving and Jean Stone Endowed Chair in Humanities at UCLA and is considered the premier Western scholar of Korean Buddhism and one of the world’s top specialists in the meditative traditions of Buddhism. He founded UCLA’s Center for Korean Studies in 1993 and Center for Buddhist Studies in 2000.

Buswell has published extensively on Buddhism and served as editor-in-chief of the two-volume Encyclopedia of Buddhism and co-author of the 1.2-million-word Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism. Among his many honors, he was elected president of the Association for Asian Studies in 2008 and, in 2016, became the first (former) Buddhist monk elected to the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

“Robert Buswell’s impact on the fields of Buddhist studies and Korean studies has been unparalleled,” said David Schaberg, senior dean of the college and dean of humanities. “Not only has he built, here at UCLA, the nation’s largest programs in these two areas, he has also trained dozens of scholars now teaching and studying at academic institutions all over the world. I am immensely grateful for his leadership and for his and Christina’s extraordinarily generous gift.”

Search for meaning

Robert Buswell’s path to UCLA began with an existential quest that led him to drop out of college in 1972 and spend seven years as an ordained Buddhist monk in Thailand, Hong Kong, and finally Korea.

As a teenager raised in a non-practicing Methodist family, he’d read texts by Western philosophers and pondered such questions as “How can we live without exploiting other people?”

“On my first exposure to Buddhism when I was 16, I was thunderstruck at how closely it mirrored the philosophy of life I had been creating for myself. I’ve been completely enamored with Buddhism ever since,” he says.

During his five years as a monk at Songgwang monastery, considered the “jewel” of the monastic community in South Korea, Buswell began translating texts by its founder Puril Pojo Chinul. After finishing his first translation project during the off-seasons between Zen meditation retreats, he realized he was still deeply drawn to the scholarly study of the Buddhist tradition. He decided to return to the U.S. to resume his university education, eventually earning his Ph.D. in Buddhist studies from UC Berkeley in 1985.

Christina Buswell’s journey to Buddhism closely mirrors that of her husband. Raised a Catholic, she immigrated from South Korea to the U.S. with her family when she was 13 years old, an experience that gave rise to much reflection and angst about her cultural identity.

She says, “My experience as a Korean-American immigrant led to a quest to understand myself and ask the question ‘who am I?’ I kept looking for answers, and in the end, Buddhism made the most sense to me.”

Growing the field

In the course of earning a B.A. in Religious Studies from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and an M.A. in Korean Studies from Columbia, Christina found few resources directly related to Korean Buddhism.

“It was important to both of us,” she says, “that there be at least one U.S. university with a permanent faculty chair specifically devoted to Korean Buddhism. UCLA is the ideal place for this chair since the university has played such an important role in developing Korean and Buddhist studies as fields.”

As for the name of the chair, Robert Buswell adds, “It seemed appropriate to name [the chair] after Chinul, the most influential monk in Korean Buddhist history and the inspiration for much of my own scholarly work. Chinul believed that success in Buddhist meditation demanded a solid grounding in doctrinal understanding. This rigorous combination of doctrinal study and Zen meditation has remained the distinguishing characteristic of Korean Buddhism ever since.”

Ensuring a scholarly legacy

Robert Buswell says that careful estate planning and creative philanthropy can allow faculty who have devoted their careers to building academic programs, as he has done, to ensure their scholarly legacy continues far into the future.

“With this gift, we’ve fulfilled a long-term dream of ours to have the field of Korean Buddhist studies established permanently in the U.S. The graduate fellowship adds a crucial element to the mix, as it will enable the department to recruit and train the next generation of scholars in Buddhist studies.”

Seiji Lippit, professor and chair of Asian Languages and Cultures, adds, “Buddhist studies is one of the department’s traditional strengths, but this new chair and graduate fellowship will make us that much stronger. The chair provides a solid faculty presence to support the field and train graduate students, so the two gifts really go hand in hand. We can’t thank Robert and Christina enough for their generosity.”

Robert and Christina Buswell first met in 1997 at Dongguk University in Seoul. Together, they’ve traveled the world, sharing their practice and knowledge of Korean Buddhism along the way. In retirement, they plan to do more traveling and more hiking, and will of course be continuing to attend meditation retreats together in Korea.

If you are interested in supporting the Robert E. and Christina L. Buswell Fellowship in Buddhist Studies, please consider making a gift at giving.ucla.edu/BuswellFellowship.

Robert Buswell will be the keynote speaker for the UCLA Humanities Commencement ceremonies on June 11 at Royce Hall.

###

Photo caption: Robert and Christina Buswell (Photo credit: Courtesy of Robert and Christina Buswell)

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Being Critically Reflective: Engaging in Holistic Practice (Practice Theory in Context, 3): Gardner, Fiona: 9781137276674: Books - Amazon

Being Critically Reflective: Engaging in Holistic Practice (Practice Theory in Context, 3): Gardner, Fiona: 9781137276674: Books - Amazon

Being Critically Reflective: Engaging in Holistic Practice (Practice Theory in Context, 3) 2014th Edition
by Fiona Gardner (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars 14 ratings




Paperback
$18.05

Many students and practitioners are familiar with critical reflection but struggle to make space for it in their everyday practice. This book provides an accessible and practical introduction not only to doing critical reflection, but to being critically reflective.

- It demonstrates how reflective capacity can be developed in different practice contexts and applied productively to supervision, teamwork and interprofessional working.

- It outlines the different theoretical underpinnings and methods of critical reflection, exploring the use of visual images, writing techniques and group meetings.

- It is rich with engaging case studies and questions for the reader that will help them to make critical reflection an integral part of their everyday practice.


This book is an ideal guide to dealing with challenge and change across a range of social and healthcare services, including social work, nursing, youth and community work, counselling and allied healthcare professions.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Many students and practitioners are familiar with critical reflection but struggle to make space for it in their everyday practice. This book provides an accessible and practical introduction not only to doing critical reflection, but to being critically reflective.

• It demonstrates how reflective capacity can be developed in different practice contexts and applied productively to supervision, teamwork and interprofessional working.

• It outlines the different theoretical underpinnings and methods of critical reflection, exploring the use of visual images, writing techniques and group meetings.

• It is rich with engaging case studies and questions for the reader that will help them to make critical reflection an integral part of their everyday practice.


This book is an ideal guide to dealing with challenge and change across a range of social and healthcare services, including social work, nursing, youth and community work, counselling and allied healthcare professions.

About the Author

Fiona Gardner is Head of Social Work and Social Policy, Rural Health School, La Trobe University, Australia. Her books include Critical Reflection in Context: Applications in Health and Social Care (coedited with Jan Fook) and Critical Spirituality: A Holistic Approach to Contemporary Practice.

Product details
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Red Globe Press; 2014th edition (July 4, 2014)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 216 pages
 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)#1,286 in Nursing Fundamentals & Skills (Books)
#11,475 in Social Services & Welfare (Books)Customer Reviews:
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Cherry
5.0 out of 5 stars Good bookReviewed in Australia on August 17, 2020
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The book is helpful for social work subject.
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Seeking union with spirit: Experiences of spiritual journeys pdf

Seeking union with spirit: Experiences of spiritual journeys

Seeking union with spirit:

Experiences of spiritual journeys

Fiona Gardner

End of Year retreat : Seeking Union with Spirit 2020-21

End+of+Year+2020+Final+Draft+SK.pdf

End of Year Retreat: Seeking Union with Spirit 

28 December 2020 to 3 January 2021 

Led by Fiona Gardiner & Drew Lawson

A retreat to reflect on our spiritual experiences, to become more deeply aware of the gifts they contain;

• to acknowledge the people, places and institutions that have influenced our spiritual journey; 
• to recognise the truth of our own experiences which may be similar or totally different to others; 
• to allow our spiritual experiences to help us deepen our awareness of who we are as pilgrims on the way; 
• to ponder our approach to nurturing our spiritual selves; 
• to recognise the choices we make which hinder or affirm our intention to be faithful to the call we have received. 

There will be plenty of time for separate

personal reflection and times for group sharing.

Fiona Gardner came to the Religious Society of Friends in her mid-thirties, convinced by the depth and power of silent worship, the warmth and welcome of Quaker community and social commitment. She is part of a small worshipping group in rural Victoria and has been fortunate to be a Meeting for

Learning facilitator since its beginning in 1996. She seeks to integrate Quaker ways into all aspects of her life.

Drew Lawson is an experienced retreat leader,

spiritual director, poet and artist. He was trained in

the art of spiritual direction at the Jesuit Center for

Spiritual Growth in Pennsylvania, USA. 

He is a member of both The Religious Society of Friends

and the Catholic Church. 

He was the founding director of Daybreak, an ecumenical spiritual centre

in Bendigo, Victoria, Australia. Drew has recently facilitated two year and one tear spiritual formation programs involving Quakers and pilgrims from

other traditions. Drew has,for number of years, been practising spirituality of the hermit path. For over thirty years Fiona and Drew have lived in a small intentional community in the forest outside Bendigo.

Embedding Spirituality and Religion in Social Work Practice: A Socially Just Approach : Gardner, Fiona: Amazon.com.au: Books

Embedding Spirituality and Religion in Social Work Practice: A Socially Just Approach : Gardner, Fiona: Amazon.com.au: Books





Embedding Spirituality and Religion in Social Work Practice: A Socially Just Approach Paperback – 8 March 2022
by Fiona Gardner (Author)

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Blending material from social work with religious and spiritual sources, this book makes explicit that engaging with spirituality in its broadest sense is an essential aspect of socially just social work practice. Gardner connects shared understandings of spiritual/religious traditions, critically reflective social work, First Nations relational world views, green and relational approaches.

Through multiple unique case studies, Embedding Spirituality and Religion in Social Work Practice: A Socially Just Approach outlines the theoretical framework of critical spirituality, which is explored as a way of workers' understanding their own and others' sense of meaning, whether it is spiritual and/or religious, and to encourage workers to be mindful, open, humble and energised as workers.

Combining the theoretical and practical, this book outlines strategies and processes to ensure social workers embed spirituality in their practice constructively and inclusively across all areas of practice. This book will be of interest to those engaged in the wider field of social work, from direct service to policy development.
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‘While crisis and uncertainty are central to the experience of living in the 21st century, so too is the need for that which is restorative. This is Fiona Gardner’s starting point as she wrestles with the complexities of what it means to be a person for whom aspects of religion/spirituality are both central to one’s identity and sense of meaning but at the same time often regarded as deeply flawed and problematic. This is social work scholarship at its best as Gardner grapples with the essence of what it is to be human and what really matters to create an understanding of social work practice which weaves together a multiplicity of factors including religion and spirituality, ethics, histories, theories, cultural and environmental contexts, and most importantly, lived experiences.’
Beth R. Crisp,Professor and Discipline Leader for Social Work at Deakin University, Australia

'I experienced a sense of enthusiasm for this book that I very rarely experience in seeing a new social work text. Fiona presents a deeply satisfying holistic and integrated synthesis of the most important aspects of being spiritual and being a social worker in a way which is accessible to people of all faiths, ideologies and world views. It is an extremely timely and necessary book given all that is happening on a global scale. We owe it to ourselves, not just as social workers, but as engaged human beings, to read and ponder its contents.'
Jan Fook,PhD, FAcSS, Professor and Chair, University of Vermont, USA.

'Fiona Gardner has provided a clear, concise, and persuasive argument for the need to include spirituality and religion in social work practice. She demonstrates the manner in which a commitment to decolonized social work requires an acknowledgment of what people value and hold dear in their lives, what gives them meaning, purpose, and the will to continue. She draws upon her own model of critical spirituality, as well as green, or eco, spirituality, and First Nation’s spirituality, to show how spirituality and religion raise questions related to the environment and social justice alongside personal meaning-making. Integrating critical reflection, and providing numerous case examples, she offers methods of incorporating a social worker’s humility and curiosity as the foundation for respecting spirituality in individual, family, and community practices, and within organizational contexts. Practically, she draws upon narrative and strengths perspectives to operationalize these commitments, concluding with a review of ethical considerations. This has resulted in an important and timely book for social workers truly wanting to respond ethically and compassionately to "the person-in-environment".'
Laura Béres,Associate Professor and Graduate Program Coordinator, School of Social Work, King’s University College at Western University, London, Canada.

'Fiona Gardner is one of the pioneers in considering what it means to be a critically reflective practitioner. In this very timely book, she combines her extensive knowledge and experience of both reflective practice and social work in a reader-friendly text that highlights the complexities – and importance – of taking an holistic and socially just approach to professional practice. Although the focus of the book is on social work, the eclectic body of literature upon which Gardner draws (ranging widely from postmodernism to environmental issues and First Nations perspectives) as well as her exhortation to explore one’s own meaning-making, including how assumptions and beliefs emerge from particular social and historical contexts, will also be of relevance to professionals in other fields. Using her own definition of what she calls "critical spirituality" – a process of discovering "what is meaningful in the context of enabling a socially just, diverse and inclusive society", Gardner explores various understandings of spirituality and religion, how these play out in practice and, especially, "what difference" they may make. Illustrating the theoretical aspects of the book with numerous accounts of her own and others’ practical experiences, Gardner deliberately seeks to engage her readers in a dialogue about life’s deepest questions and how we can assist one another to live it well.'
Cheryl Hunt,Chief Editor of the Journal for the Study of Spirituality, University of Exeter, UK
About the Author


Fiona Gardner practiced as a social worker for twenty years and now teaches and coordinates social work at La Trobe University’s Rural Health School. Fiona has run workshops on spirituality, supervision and critical reflection and researched and written widely on critical reflection and critical spirituality.

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Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Routledge; 1st edition (8 March 2022)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 190 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0367677547
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0367677541
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 15.6 x 1.09 x 23.4 cm

Critical Spirituality: A Holistic Approach to Contemporary Practice -

Critical Spirituality: A Holistic Approach to Contemporary Practice -

1st Edition
Critical Spirituality
A Holistic Approach to Contemporary Practice
By Fiona Gardner  2011 

by Routledge
212 Pages

Available on Taylor & Francis eBooks
Preview this title


Book Description

Critical spirituality is a way of naming a desire to work with what is meaningful in the context of enabling a socially just, diverse and inclusive society. Critical spirituality means seeing people holistically, seeking to understand where they are coming from and what matters to them at a fundamental level; the level that is part of the everyday but also transcends it. What is important in critical spirituality is to combine a postmodern valuing of individual experience of spirituality with all its diversity with a critical perspective that asserts the importance of living harmoniously and respectfully at an individual, family and community level.

 Human service professionals currently wrestle with the gradually increasing expectation to work with spirituality often without feeling capable of undertaking such practice. Some work with people experiencing major trauma or change such as palliative care or rehabilitation where people ask meaning of life questions to which they feel ill equipped to respond. Others work with individuals, families and communities experiencing conflict about spiritual issues. Increased migration and movement of refugees increases contact with people for whom spirituality is central. Such experiences raise a number of issues for existing professionals as well as students: what do we mean by spiritual? How does this relate to religion? How do we work with the spiritual in ways that recognise and value difference, without accepting abusive relationships? What are the limits to spiritual tolerance, if any? This book explores these issues and addresses the dilemmas and challenges experienced by professionals. It also provides a number of practical tools such as possible questions to ask to assess for spiritual issues; to see spirituality as part of a web of relationships.

Table of Contents

Contents: 

Introduction; 

Part I Understanding Spirituality: Spirituality: what is it?; 

Making connections between religion, spirituality and practice; 

Connecting current theory for professional practice to exploring spirituality; 

Using critical reflection to explore critical spirituality. 

Part II Spirituality and Practice: Critical spirituality: a model; 

Starting with your own spirituality; 

Processes for critically spiritual practice; 

Applying critical spirituality in different work settings. 

Part III Practitioners' Perspectives: 

Les McLennan; 

Kate; David Mitchell; 

Melissa Brickell; 

Conclusion; 

Bibliography; 

Index.

Author(s)
Biography


Fiona Gardner is Head of Social Work and Social Policy, Fiona Gardner, La Trobe University, Australia

Reviews
'Fiona Gardner has given us her customary down to earth, but thoughtful work. This is a timely book, on a topic which is of growing interest and importance. It is particularly welcome in supporting a trend which will become integral to professional practice in the future. I highly commend Critical Spirituality.' 

Jan Fook, South West London Academic Network, UK 

'Fiona Gardner subverts the dominant paradigm which for too long has depicted spirituality as "flaky" and of marginal relevance to human service practitioners. In Critical Spirituality, she articulates a compelling rationale as to why professional integrity demands engaging with one’s own spiritual concerns as well as recognising and responding to those the various stakeholders in their communities of practice.' 

Beth R. Crisp, Deakin University, Australia 

'Fiona Gardner has drawn on her professional and personal experience in social work, and as a Quaker, to explore the growing interest in the integration of spiritual aspects into professional practice among those who work in the caring professions. The result is a grounded, thorough and helpful contribution to the field... 

The book is clearly and coherently laid out, and is divided into three parts... these personal accounts really bring the application of critical spirituality very much alive. 

The accounts include descriptions of the practitioners’ own spirituality and often how integral the search for meaning is in their work settings with vulnerable clients... 

Critical spirituality is undoubtedly a subject that needs further debate both among professionals and within agencies and institutions, and this is certainly a book that can contribute to this.' 

Modern Believing 

'The book makes a strong case for considering spirituality as a central issue for social workers and all the people they serve rather than an afterthought. When we consider how we ourselves would like to be approached if requiring social care, a service which was based upon an asses

Seeking union with Spirit, Fiona Gardner, Backhouse Lecture 2020

Seeking union with Spirit: 

Experiences of spiritual journeys 

(James Backhouse Lectures Book 2020) 

Gardner, Fiona

 Seeking union with Spirit: Experiences of spiritual journeys 

(James Backhouse Lectures Book 2020)

by Fiona Gardner (Author)

Although originally daunted at being asked to present the 2020 James Backhouse Lecture to Australian Friends, Fiona Gardner came to find that the opportunity encouraged her to reflect more deeply on her own journey and what might usefully be shared with others. 

For over twenty years, Fiona has participated in facilitating the Meeting for Learning (a year-long program for spiritual nurture, designed to explore Spirit and Quaker ways), and lives with her partner in a small intentional community that has been a place of spiritual nurture and learning. 

She has worked as a social worker for many years and now as a university teacher, particularly in fostering critical reflection and spirituality for social workers and critical spirituality for pastoral care workers. 

A continuing challenge in her spiritual life has been how to integrate her spiritual being in all of these aspects of her life.“Why seek to live life in union with Spirit?

 Such a life, in my experience and that of many others, is a fuller, richer, meaning filled and deeper life, connected to that which is eternal. It means moving from what is often called the ‘divided life’, beyond opposing forces to a place of wholeness, to integrating all of who we are in all that we do.

 To do this means holding together these opposites.” 

Fiona Gardner came to the Religious Society of Friends in her mid-thirties, convinced by the depth and power of silent worship, the warmth and welcome of Quaker community and social commitment. She is part of a small worshipping group in rural Victoria and has been fortunate to be a Meeting for Learning facilitator since its beginning in 1996. She seeks to integrate Quaker ways into all aspects of her life.

51 pages

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2020

THE JAMES BACKHOUSE LECTURE

Seeking union with spirit: 

Experiences of spiritual journeys

Fiona Gardner

 

Contents

About the author vii

Acknowledgements viii

Introduction 1

Lecture outline 4

Part 1: Experiencing the spiritual journey 5

1. Reflection and spiritual experience 5

2. Understanding the influence of history and social context 9

3. Darkness and light 11

4. Love and truth 13

5. Holding the inner/contemplative with community/social action 16

Part 2: What helps with living life in union with spirit? 19

1. The power of silence 21

2. Place, space and the physical relationship to spirit 25

3. Qualities 28

4. Recognising gifts and using them 30

5. Active discernment 32

6. Being intentional: connecting with spirit 35

Endnotes 41

v

 

 

About the author

Fiona Gardner came to the Religious Society of Friends in her mid-thirties, convinced by the depth and power of silent worship, the warmth and welcome of Quaker community and social commitment. She is part of a small worshipping group in rural Victoria and has been fortunate to be a Meeting for Learning facilitator since its beginning in 1996. She seeks to integrate Quaker ways into all aspects of her life.

vii

Acknowledgements

I want to thank the countless people who have contributed to my own spiritual development over many years. There are too many to name. I particularly thank those who have facilitated, participated in, contributed to and supported Meeting for Learning. 

I do want to specifically acknowledge Drew Lawson, who has been my constant companion on this journey, and who has faithfully read numerous versions of this lecture, made supportive comments as well as challenged my discernment, provided nourishment and checked facts! 

Robin Sinclair also commented helpfully and, in particular, prompted my thoughts about clarity and layout. Several past participants of Meeting for Learning agreed to share their experiences here, for which I am grateful. 

I have greatly appreciated being held in the light by Meeting for Learning facilitators as well as by the Backhouse Lecture Committee members and Friends around the country.

viii

 

British Fiona Gardner: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle

Amazon.com.au: Fiona Gardner: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle



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About Fiona Gardner


I trained and worked as a psychoanalytic psychotherapist and before that as a social worker and am now a spiritual director and a writer. I was a previous chair of the Thomas Merton Society of Great Britain and Ireland and was co-editor of The Merton Journal. I received a Louie award from the International Thomas Merton Society in 2015.

My main interest is in exploring the overlap, the differences and the connections between spirituality and psychotherapy and I try to do this now through writing.

'Taking Heart' 'published January 2021 explores the idea of spiritual journeying, self-acceptance and the search for meaning.

I also worked for six years as safeguarding advisor for the diocese of Bath and Wells, Church of England. 'Sex, Power, Control, Responding to abuse in the institutional church' published by The Lutterworth press February 2021 is based on analysing how and why the church has responded so poorly to allegations of clergy abuse.

My website is: http://fionagardner.co.uk

(NB The book of lectures to Australian friends - 'Seeking Union with the Spirit' is by another Australian Fiona Gardner - we seem to have very similar interests! For some reason I cannot remove it from this page ...)
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