This book offers the practical details of entering into deep meditation, from ways of sitting to the classic position of hands. It draws from a variety of teachings, including ancient Christian, Buddhist and modern psychotherapy. The reader will also find here the presentation of the mystical side of Christianity as taught in the early centuries when union with the Divine was meant to be an experience, not merely a belief. The authors are also influenced by the great German master Karlfried Graf Durckheim, whose teaching combines years of study with Zen Buddhists in Japan, a personal ...

The Orthodox Understanding of Salvation brings together some of Dr. Veniamin’s talks and articles, hitherto available in relatively little-known theological journals and periodicals, which pertain to the fundamental question of the purpose of human existence, to Salvation, as understood in the age-old and unbroken tradition of the Orthodox Christian Faith - the faith of the Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs and Saints of our Lord, God and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Since the advent of the internet, it has become increasingly obvious that our society suffers from a pornography problem—and Orthodox Christians are no exception. While many practical resources are available to help those who struggle with pornography use, these fail to address the problem at its deeper, spiritual root.

Saint Anthony of Egypt was a pioneer of the monastic tradition, who inspired the establishment of Christian monastic orders in Europe and beyond. An important event in St. Anthony's life was his encounter with demonic forces in the desert. This occurrence has been covered extensively in art and literature.

Eleven rare essays on the teachings of German spiritual teacher and transpersonal psychologist, Karlfried Graf Durckheim. These writings from primary students of Durckheim, all key leaders in their fields. From a detailed biography to the tracing of the radical implications of the master's teaching, this work offers the keys to understanding not only Durckheim the man, but also the heart of sacred Scriptures, the application of Eastern practices, and the nature and purpose of humanity.

The centuries after the Protestant Reformation brought about a radical reinterpretation of the epistles of St. Paul, disconnected from any historical reality. But Paul operated, during his entire life, as a faithful Pharisee within the Roman Jewish world. In Saint Paul the Pharisee: Jewish Apostle to All Nations, Fr. Stephen De Young surveys Paul’s life and writings, interpreting them within the Holy Tradition of the Orthodox Church.

Discover Christianity's own unique tradition for experiencing God directly through meditation with The Beginner's Guide to Contemplative Prayer. Author James Finley, who as a young monk lived and prayed with Thomas Merton for six years at the Abbey of Gethsemani, shares the fruit of this authentic approach to prayer and its role at the center of Christian life.

Join Fr. David Meconi, multiple award-winning professor and Oxford-educated theologian on a journey through the most formative years of Christianity. Through 10 erudite and lively lectures, you will explore the formative centuries of the Church (100-800 C.E.) and the great figures whose lives and writings inspired generations of later thinkers and believers.

This classic work from Thomas à Kempis, author of The Imitation of Christ, is now available in English for the first time. It is a simple truth that, without the virtue of humility, we cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. It simply cannot be done. Just as pride is the root and source of all sin, so is humility, the foundational virtue in which all other virtues must be grounded if they are to bear fruit. Humility is the heartbeat of the saints. It is the virtue that conforms us most closely to Christ.

The Eastern Christian tradition is filled with theological and spiritual riches. In Passions of the Soul, Rowan Williams opens up the great classics of Eastern Christian writing to show how it can help us to understand and cope with the ups and downs of modern life. With compelling and illuminating insight, he shows the cost of living in a culture that is theologically and philosophically undernourished, working with a diminished and trivialized picture of the human self.

How do we acquire this mind of Christ and where is it to be found? For the Orthodox Christian, salvation is the acquisition of this mind of Christ which is to be found in the Church. This acquisition moves us from the image of God to the likeness of God; through our obedience to this call we begin to know God and this knowledge is eternal life (John 17:3). This small book hopes to begin to answer how acquiring the mind of Christ is possible and why it is necessary in our lives today.

No other institution, except possibly the papacy, has more greatly influenced the church and the larger history of the Western world than the ecumenical council. Most of us, however, know little about it. This course is designed to take you through the fascinating history of the ecumenical (church-wide) council, from its first appearance in Nicaea (325) through Vatican Council II (1962-1965). This 12-part audio series explores the deep issues of faith and the sometimes curious issues of clerical behavior with which the councils dealt.

In the earliest centuries of faith, Christians in the deserts of Palestine and Africa sought a short prayer that could be easily repeated, in order to acquire the habit of "prayer without ceasing." The result was The Jesus Prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me." This jewel of Eastern Christianity aims at enabling a person to be in God's presence, rather than to focus on feelings or thoughts about God.

By any standard, this is a classic of Christian theology. Composed by St. Athanasius in the fourth century, it expounds with simplicity the theological vision defended at the councils of Nicaea and Constantinople: that the Son of God himself became "fully human, so that we might become god."

This book is an organized presentation of the psychological Work of the Fourth Way System, derived from Maurice Nicoll’s “Psychological Commentaries on the Teaching of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky. The “Commentaries” are five volumes of Nicoll’s teaching to his students on a wide range of Fourth Way topics. However, they are arranged by date and don’t follow any structured approach to this priceless esoteric system of instructions for the student seeking the means for self-change. Although there are other aspects of the Teaching, this book is focused on the verifiable ideas and ...