Open Mind, Open Heart: The Contemplative Dimension of the Gospel by Thomas Keating | Goodreads
Open Mind, Open Heart: The Contemplative Dimension of the Gospel
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Open Mind, Open Heart: The Contemplative Dimension of the Gospel
by Thomas Keating
4.03 · Rating details · 2,283 ratings · 92 reviews
First published in 1986 and in print--and immensely popular--ever since, Open Mind, Open Heart, by the Trappist Monk Thomas Keating, remains one of the best introductions to a specifically Christian form of meditation. Father Keating gives the reader an overview of what contemplative prayer both is and isn't; he discusses the history of contemplative prayer in the Christian tradition and then explores step by step the process of Centering Prayer, briefly exploring its origins in the ancient church and then demonstrating its use as "a sign of one's intention" to surrender to God. Each chapter concludes with questions and answers that provide useful information in an informal context. Here in particular we get a sense of Keating's clarity--and his sense of humor. For example, in response to a question about the sudden experience of happiness in prayer, Keating responds, "You should not take prayer too seriously. There is something playful about God. You only have to look at a penguin ... to realize that He likes to play little jokes on creatures." --Doug Thorpe (less)
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Published June 1st 1994 by Continuum (first published December 1988)
Original TitleOpen Mind, Open Heart: The Contemplative Dimension of the Gospel
ISBN0826406963 (ISBN13: 9780826406965)
Edition LanguageEnglish
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Average rating4.03 · Rating details · 2,284 ratings · 92 reviews
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Lance Eads
Aug 02, 2013Lance Eads rated it it was amazing
I read this book back around 1997-98 when I was looking to deepen my relationship with Christ. I was disillusioned with a lot of the mainstream dogma of Christianity at the time and I began reading a lot of books on prayer and on the workings of the Holy Spirit, written by authors of different denominations and with different approaches. This book, along with some by Matthew Fox, really struck a chord with me. The idea that prayer could be listening as well as talking was something that hadn't occurred to me before, and it led me to read more books on contemplative prayer from authors both modern and ancient. I realize that contemplative prayer is very controversial these days, but it has a history that goes back at least to the Desert Fathers, and depending on your understanding of certain Bible passages, possibly back to the Apostles and to Jesus himself. In any case, I find contemplative prayer very enriching to my spiritual life and I would recommend it, and this book, to anyone. (less)
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Jim George
Jul 22, 2012Jim George rated it it was amazing
Shelves: favorites
The author uses a Centering Prayer technique for aligning our hearts and minds to the Lord. His contemplative methods were used the 1st fifteen centuries and then lost. The techniques have similarities to Eastern philosophy and meditation, except you are centering on the Lord. You must 1st pick a sacred word - a holy word seems the most appropriate. You get comfortable, close your eyes, and gently speak your sacred word. The goal is to find divine union with the Lord, by letting go of internal noises of thoughts and feelings, and joining God in the secret place of our hearts. Hopefully you will receive vibrations from a world you did not previously perceive. If you wait God will manifest Himself - of course you might have a long wait! Centering prayer is consenting and surrendering to God. Finding God's presence within us. Great book! (less)
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Charles Dean
Feb 15, 2017Charles Dean rated it it was amazing
It's funny - I read this book almost 5 years ago and gave it two stars. It just didn't scratch where I itched at the time.
But I read this book slowly - alongside my regular practice of contemplative prayer - and it was just so good.
Just goes to show, that especially with spiritual reading, rating isn't objective or static, but rather is a subjective endeavor, largely based on where I - the read - am in my own journey.
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EunSung
Mar 06, 2015EunSung rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
This book started a movement in which contemplative prayer was made accessible to people outside of the walls of the Christian monastery. Also, it was an attempt by Fr. Keating and John Main to share meditative practice within the Christian tradition at a time when a lot of people walked away from Christianity, and to Eastern traditions because it spoke to a thirst for a tangible experience that transformed their life.
A great book to not just read, but to apply and to read with a centering prayer group. If you actually start practicing centering prayer and start on the journey of a contemplative life, then the book will become more rich and speak to your own experience and awakenings to the Divine Presence. (less)
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Edward Kimble
Oct 22, 2016Edward Kimble rated it it was amazing
Father's Keating's presents a timeless, no-frills, multicultural meditation process with a special brilliance that finds the common ground of Christian faith, Zen dharma, and agnostic, humanist psychology. He strikes just the right balance to make contemporary intellectuals and charismatic Catholics equally at ease. This is a really magical little book.
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Laura
Jul 07, 2008Laura rated it it was amazing
This book is very interesting and isn't meant to be rushed through. I read a couple pages and put it down for the day. I spend the rest of the time thinking through and processing what I read. I am taking my time to analyze the information and evaluate my feelings about what I have just read.
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Chris Hyde
Aug 23, 2014Chris Hyde rated it liked it
Shelves: christianity
This book is a great "beginners" book to introduce contemplative or "centering" prayer. Think meditation from a Christian perspective. This book will set you on your journey. BUT, I will say that this book is highly repetitive. At only 150 pages, it probably could have been half as long.
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danielp
Jul 30, 2015danielp rated it it was amazing
Very probably the most important book I've read and will ever read.
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Ian
Jun 30, 2019Ian rated it really liked it
Very helpful introduction to centering prayer for beginners. Technique, potential problems, and vision for its purpose were all clearly explained. Lectio divina is touched on but not really delved into much.
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Katie Jones
Aug 13, 2015Katie Jones rated it really liked it
A complete manual on Contemplative prayer. One I will refer back to I'm sure. As my meditation has been based in Eastern methods I am still confused about what I am not supposed to be thinking or feeling or am supposed to be releasing or experiencing during this type Of prayer. Since it is set apart from pure "emptying of the mind" but also similar to it.. I am not sure of the main point. The book was a bit to loosely philosophical about this. I suppose "doing" the practice is the only way to find the connection. (less)
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Monica
Jul 08, 2008Monica rated it really liked it
Shelves: fleshiebooks
this is a thorough, informative, genuine look at history and practice of the contemplative life and specifically focuses on centering prayer. its straightforward and just what i needed to start wrapping my mind around silence, stillness, & just being before God. (less)
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Floyd
Apr 05, 2014Floyd rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Excellent book on centering prayer. I felt like I was gently persuaded/encouraged to go deeper with God and know Christ more intimately. I'm seeking to enjoy being in the Father's presence via contemplative prayer.
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Edward
Nov 18, 2019Edward rated it really liked it
Keating’s book on contemplative prayer is informative and low key. He emphasizes that contemplative prayer is a matter of disposing the mind to “receive” God. God is seen, not as a separate entity but as more of a experience in which a person achieves a sense of unity with everything that exists. “Being”, it could be called, a concept which is separate from our usual perception of reality as made up of separate sense impressions, whether they be of people or animals or inanimate objects, and the many abstractions we make from them.
True contemplation means an independence from this ordinary psychological world. Of course, the ordinary world crowds in on us, and so, as with many other writers on the subject Keating suggests that a certain length of time (his suggestion is 20 minutes, twice a day) is about the limit of what most people can handle. Ordinary thoughts crowd in; all we can do is accept that this is natural and move on from them as b est we can. We can try to see them as objects in a river of consciousness and let them flow on past.
One important point that Keating makes is that contemplation should have outward ramifications. An outgoing result of contemplation would be a greater sense of love and commitment to others. Maybe not a direct observable connection, but one that is present, however subtle.
He speaks of Christ's mother, Mary, as a model for contemplation. “She brought the World of God into the world, or rather let him come into the world through her. It is not so much what we do but what we are that allows Christ to live in the world.” For Keating, then, as a Christian, the goal of contemplation is to become more "Christlike" and that is the connection with the Gospels.
Keating has a good chapter on the history of contemplative prayer, and how from the Renaissance onward, prayer has tended to be seen as verbal and discursive. He doesn’t deny that these are elements of prayer, but stresses that they are complements to silent prayer, and do not displace it. To practice contemplative prayer has been viewed with suspicion as if it were an act of arrogance, of presumption. This loops back to the idea of humbly “receiving” God, not of any method of absolute gaining some kind of “union”. Contemplation may be practiced for many years s before there is any discernible sense of union with reality, of simply “being.” Or such union or connection may never happen. Self-satisfaction is not the goal. (less)
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John Klooster
Jul 31, 2020John Klooster rated it really liked it
This is a great book on the concept of centering prayer. Within each chapter Keating will answer FAQs which give a broader perspective of the practice.
I appreciated Father Keating’s concise directives as well as his encouragement that the practice is a journey and that the fruits are experienced in daily life thru increased awareness, patience, and peace.
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Sheryl Valentine
Aug 15, 2013Sheryl Valentine rated it it was amazing
Shelves: 2013-non-fiction, spirituality
I was introduced in "centering prayer" several months ago, and actually the practice is similar to a form of meditation I used to practice and had got away from. Returning to it over the last few months as a Self-Abidance practice has made and is making a major difference for me! This practice has truly introduced me to the blissful, Present, peaceful Self that is here now and that is What I AM!
Thomas Keating has written many books on the subject and this one is great for an introduction and contains loads of inspirational material.
He writes: "Contemplative prayer is a process on interior transformation, a conversation initiated by God and leading, if we consent, to divine union. ...WE let go of own idea of ourselves and resting in the Divine Indwelling that is already present within us and waiting to reveal itself to us. Regular periods of silence and solitude can dispose us to extend our consent to God's presence to every moment of our waking lives and thus reduce the influences of the false self [ego]." (less)
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Amos Smith
May 08, 2015Amos Smith rated it it was amazing
Shelves: top-books-mysticism
I was amazed that this book sold over 500,000 copies. That shows how Keating has revolutionized and popularized Centering Prayer and Contemplative Christianity. I read the original printing in 2001. Now I'm reading this 20th Anniversary Edition. The questions presented in the book are questions that I have asked about centering prayer. They are FAQs of centering prayer. And Keating does a masterful job at answering the questions and bringing clarity, This is the all-time classic book on Centering Prayer written by the master!
-Amos Smith (author of Healing The Divide: Recovering Christianity's Mystic Roots) (less)
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Myra
Jan 03, 2009Myra rated it really liked it
I never considered meditation a Christian discipline. This details how it was very much a practice in the early Church. I'm eager to try this form of "prayer"/mediation that I hope will fulfill this statement: "Be still and know that I am there"
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Malinda
Apr 05, 2014Malinda rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: contemplative-christianity
This is Thomas Keating's classic introduction to centering prayer, an ancient Christian practice. Keating delves into Christian psychology as he outlines the basic practice of quieting the mind and listening to God.
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George
Feb 12, 2019George rated it really liked it
Shelves: theology
I am new to this practice of contemplative prayer and literature about it, so I don’t have much of a context for comparison but I found this was very helpful, insightful, and truthful about experience. I feel equipped to implement needed changes into my practice of prayer.
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Adam Shaeffer
Sep 12, 2009Adam Shaeffer rated it really liked it · review of another edition
An easy to read introduction to the Christian tradition of Contemplative Prayer, with practical suggestions on how to integrate it into your life.
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C
Dec 15, 2014C rated it it was amazing
Shelves: all-time-favorites, spirituality-religion, non-fiction
The starting point for a practice of Centering Prayer.
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Alisa Wilhelm
May 13, 2018Alisa Wilhelm added it · review of another edition
Shelves: religion, christianity, minimalism, read-it-again, the-grace-list, 2018
This is a fantastic introduction to practicing contemplative prayer and Christian mysticism. I must say that some of those old Christian mystics are hard to understand, but as this is a contemporary book, it is quite easy and practical.
I think as meditation is growing more popular in western circles (search for "meditation" in the app store to get an idea) because of all of its significant impacts on health and creativity, Christians might also be interested in practicing meditation. But we should be aware that Christianity has a long and well-documented history of practicing meditation that is based on entering in communion with God's Spirit and resting in God's Presence. So if you are curious about that, this book is a great place to start.
This book can be found online with a quick search, and I have listed the chapter order below because it is not quite clear on the website.
Prayer to the Holy Spirit
Introduction
What Contemplation Is Not
Dimensions of Contemplative Prayer
The History of Contemplative Prayer in the Christian Tradition
First steps in Centering Prayer
The Sacred Word as Symbol
The Ordinary Kinds of Thoughts
Birth of Spiritual Attentiveness
The More Subtle Kinds of Thoughts
The Unloading of the Unconscious
Summary of the Centering Prayer Method
The Intensive Centering Prayer Experience
Methods of Extending the Effects of Contemplative Prayer into Daily Life (less)
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Colette
Nov 01, 2017Colette rated it liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: philosphical, christian, 2017, nonfiction, spirituality
Probably 2.5 stars.
This is a hard one for me to rate. Some sections I knew I would want to come back to and really ponder, and some were just plain boring. I went into this book knowing absolutely nothing about either centering prayer or contemplative prayer. I also know very little of the Catholic vocabulary. This seems to be a good introduction to the practices mentioned above, but I did find the vocabulary to be a detriment to me really grasping what Fr. Keating was saying. I still have no idea what the end purpose of contemplation is. He skirts around saying it is not something that can be described in words. I did like the instructions and the discussions on different types of thoughts that arise. Part II was definitely not as interesting as Part I, but then that could be because I don’t subscribe to all of the same doctrine. This book had the same tone as an Eckhart Tolle book.
And here ends the book review. The following are some thoughts on the practice.
I know I could benefit from more inner silence and more mastery over the bombardment of my thoughts. I see how the benefit of this type of prayer is manifest in our daily life — allowing room for peace and charity to fill us. Unfortunately, the only way to know what Keating is talking about is to do it over an extended period and see the benefits for myself. I’ve started, but I’m not so sure this is the best type of
meditation or prayer to bring me closer to God. He’s my Father, not some ethereal matter I sit with. This isn’t my favorite way to invite the Holy Spirit into my life. In fact, this seems to be a super long way to find union with God. I’d like to see what Keating is talking about, though, so I’ll probably give it a try for awhile longer. (less)
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