Monasticism

Thoughtful and eloquent, as timely (or timeless) now as when it was originally published in 1956, Thoughts in Solitude addresses the pleasure of a solitary life, as well as the necessity for quiet reflection in an age when so little is private. Thomas Merton writes: "When society is made up of men w... More

The sacred radiance of our original nature never darkens.It has shined forth since beginningless time.Do you wish to enter the gate that leads to this?Simply do not give rise to conceptual thinking. Zen Master So Sahn (1520-1604) is a towering figure in the history of Korean Zen. In this treasure-te... More

In the West, monastic ideals and scholastic pursuits are complementary; monks are popularly imagined copying classics, preserving learning through the Middle Ages, and establishing the first universities. But this dual identity is not without its contradictions. While monasticism emphasizes the virt... More

Evagrius Ponticus is an increasingly important figure in the scholarship of early Christianity, particularly regarding monasticism, mysticism and the general relationship of Christian theology to classical philosophy. His surviving works constitute probably the largest corpus of writings from any De... More

A new generation of historians today is borrowing from cultural anthropology, postmodern critical theory, and gender studies to understand the social meanings of medieval religious movements, practices, figures, and cults. In this volume Sharon Farmer and Barbara H. Rosenwein bring together essays -... More