Into the Silent Land

A Guide to the Christian Practice of Contemplation

By: Martin Laird

Narrated by: Erin Bennett

Sitting in stillness, the practice of meditation, and the cultivation of awareness are commonly thought to be the preserves of Hindus and Buddhists. Martin Laird shows that the Christian tradition of contemplation has its own refined teachings on using a prayer word to focus the mind, working with the breath to cultivate stillness, and the practice of inner vigilance or awareness.

But this book is not a mere historical survey of these teachings. In Into the Silent Land, we see the ancient wisdom of both the Christian East and West brought sharply to bear on the modern-day longing for radical openness to God in the depths of the heart. Laird's book is not like the many presentations for beginners. While useful for those just starting out, this book serves especially as a guide for those who desire to journey yet deeper into the silence of God.

The heart of the book focuses on negotiating key moments of struggle on the contemplative path, when the whirlwind of distractions or the brick wall of boredom makes it difficult to continue. Laird shows that these inner struggles, even wounds, that any person of prayer must face, are like riddles, trying to draw out of us our own inner silence.

Ultimately Laird shows how the wounds we loathe become vehicles of the healing silence we seek, beyond technique and achievement. Throughout, the language is fresh, direct, and focused on real-life examples of people whose lives are incomparably enriched by the practice of contemplation.

©2006 Martin Laird, O.S.A (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Martin Laird is a Master of Contemplation

This book, the first of a trilogy, is an excellent introduction to contemplation. Audible publish the other two! It would be a service to those who are searching a deeper connection with the Divine Mystery by whatever name or no name you invoke it.

Great primer on Contemplation

This book is a must read for those seeking to know God in the deepest way possible.

Difficult to absorb

Deep & simple. Best savored in small bites. A Christian intro to meditation as prayer.

Easy listening

A good book on contemplative prayer. A compliment to Open Mind, Open Heart by Keating. Highly recommend

Extraordinary wisdom, beautifully read

This is incredibly accessible, full of helpful images and practical guidance. A must read for any Christian wanting to explore contemplative practice.

The Silent Land

Very well done. A little too slow for me so I bumped it up 20%. I'm sure I will be listening to this one many more times.

The message of stillness, meditative prayer, seeing my faults and sins as having no substance that after I confess.

What I dislike, there was a lot of cutting out in the audio. The message was what I needed.

Great

This is the second time I have listened to this book. It was as good as the first time. The reader was excellent. Would love to hear more books read by her.

Outstanding Book on Christian Contemplation

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and learned a lot that I'm sure will really help me in my spiritual journey.

In many modern teachings on Christian Contemplation, a lot of Buddhist lingo gets mixed in. There's nothing wrong with this, but it makes it hard to know what teachings are coming from Buddhist influence, and which ones actually are rooted in Christian tradition.

Martin Laird includes an explanation in the beginning of the book saying that, while many religions/traditions have great things to say about contemplation, this book sticks to the Christian traditions. And he stays true to this. The book is chalk full of quotations from the works of great Christian contemplatives of the past, including St John of the Cross, Theresa of Avila, the author of the Cloud of Unknowing, Evagrius Ponticus, Hesychios, Diadochos of Photiki, and many more.

Excellent!

This work is worthy of many listenings. I particularly value the final two questions in the story of the young monk.