The Blue Sapphire of the Mind
Notes for a Contemplative Ecology
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Narrated by:
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Chris Ruen
About this listen
"There are no unsacred places," the poet Wendell Berry has written. "There are only sacred places and desecrated places." What might it mean to behold the world with such depth and feeling that it is no longer possible to imagine it as something separate from ourselves, or to live without regard for its well-being? To understand the work of seeing things as an utterly involving moral and spiritual act? Such questions have long occupied the center of contemplative spiritual traditions.
In The Blue Sapphire of the Mind, Douglas E. Christie proposes a distinctively contemplative approach to ecological thought and practice that can help restore our sense of the earth as a sacred place. Drawing on the insights of the early Christian monastics as well as the ecological writings of Henry David Thoreau, Aldo Leopold, Annie Dillard, and many others, Christie argues that, at the most basic level, it is the quality of our attention to the natural world that must change if we are to learn how to live in a sustainable relationship with other living organisms and with one another. He notes that in this uniquely challenging historical moment, there is a deep and pervasive hunger for a less fragmented and more integrated way of apprehending and inhabiting the living world - and for a way of responding to the ecological crisis that expresses our deepest moral and spiritual values.
Christie explores how the wisdom of ancient and modern contemplative traditions can inspire both an honest reckoning with the destructive patterns of thought and behavior that have contributed so much to our current crisis, and a greater sense of care and responsibility for all living beings. These traditions can help us cultivate the simple, spacious awareness of the enduring beauty and wholeness of the natural world that will be necessary if we are to live with greater purpose and meaning, and with less harm, to our planet.
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A Religion of One's Own
- A Guide to Creating a Personal Spirituality in a Secular World
- By: Thomas Moore
- Narrated by: Donald Corren
- Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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The New York Times best-selling author and trusted spiritual adviser offers a follow up to his classic Care of the Soul. Something essential is missing from modern life. Many who've turned away from religious institutions - and others who have lived wholly without religion - hunger for more than what contemporary secular life has to offer but are reluctant to follow organized religion's strict and often inflexible path to spirituality. In A Religion of One' s Own, best-selling author and former monk Thomas Moore explores the myriad possibilities of creating a personal spiritual style, either inside or outside formal religion.
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Powerful and Inspiring
- By Amazon Customer on 05-25-16
By: Thomas Moore
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Power of Grace
- Recognizing Unexpected Gifts on Our Path
- By: David Richo
- Narrated by: Tom Pile
- Length: 8 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Perhaps you've had one of those moments when everything, quite unexpectedly, simply falls into place; or, when you've been puzzling over an impossible question and - pow! - the answer suddenly arises, seemingly out of nowhere. These and other such experiences are not caused by our efforts. They are moments of grace, the gift dimension of life. Grace is generally associated with religion, but, as Dave Richo shows, you don't need to be religious to notice - and benefit from - this help from outside yourself that's being offered to you in every moment.
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An interesting subject - in depth
- By Hilary Whatley on 04-13-19
By: David Richo
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Secular Buddhism
- Imagining the Dharma in an Uncertain World
- By: Stephen Batchelor
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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As the practice of mindfulness permeates mainstream western culture, more and more people are engaging in a traditional form of Buddhist meditation. However, many of these people have little interest in the religious aspects of Buddhism, and the practice occurs within secular contexts such as hospitals, schools, and the workplace. Is it possible to recover from the Buddhist teachings a vision of human flourishing that is secular rather than religious without compromising the integrity of the tradition?
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Good, but repetition of old material
- By Ludwig on 02-25-18
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Letters to a Young Poet
- By: Rainer Maria Rilke
- Narrated by: Marc Allen
- Length: 1 hr and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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These have been called the most famous and beloved letters of the past century. Rainer Maria Rilke himself said that much of his creative expression went into his correspondence, and here he touches upon a wide range of subjects that will interest writers, artists, and thinkers. This luminous translation of Rainer Maria Rilke's classic offers brilliant inspiration to all people who seek to know and express their inner truth.
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Absolutely amazing writing, great reader.
- By Matt on 09-10-15
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Into the Silent Land
- A Guide to the Christian Practice of Contemplation
- By: Martin Laird
- Narrated by: Erin Bennett
- Length: 5 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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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.
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A top-five selection
- By M. James on 04-25-15
By: Martin Laird
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Faith
- Trusting Your Own Deepest Experience
- By: Sharon Salzberg
- Narrated by: Sharon Salzberg
- Length: 4 hrs and 31 mins
- Original Recording
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We tend to think of faith as a commodity you either have or you don't. But in many of the world's wisdom traditions, faith isn't something you possess; it's something you do. "Faith is a willingness to take the next step, to see the unknown as an adventure, to launch a journey," teaches Sharon Salzberg. Now this beloved meditation teacher and author shares her unique understanding of faith, distinguishing it from belief and dogma, to help you cultivate this profound force in your life.
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on faith
- By Kasey on 11-18-16
By: Sharon Salzberg
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Living Between Worlds
- Finding Personal Resilience in Changing Times
- By: James Hollis PhD
- Narrated by: Michael Cover
- Length: 6 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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What guides us when our world is changing? Discover the path to deeper meaning and purpose through depth psychology and classical thought.
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Interesting book, Woeful narration
- By Roger Morris on 07-01-20
By: James Hollis PhD
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New Self, New World
- Recovering Our Senses in the Twenty-First Century
- By: Philip Shepherd, Andrew Harvey
- Narrated by: Philip Shepherd
- Length: 22 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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New Self, New World challenges the primary story of what it means to be human, the random and materialistic lifestyle that author Philip Shepherd calls our "shattered reality". This reality encourages us to live in our heads, self-absorbed in our own anxieties. Drawing on diverse sources and inspiration, New Self, New World reveals that our state of head-consciousness falsely teaches us to see the body as something we possess and to try to take care of it without ever really learning how to inhabit it.
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Deep dive into our embodied human experience
- By Marshall White on 01-20-20
By: Philip Shepherd, and others
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The Heart of Centering Prayer
- Nondual Christianity in Theory and Practice
- By: Cynthia Bourgeault
- Narrated by: Gabra Zackman
- Length: 5 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Centering prayer is the path to a wonderful and radical new way of seeing the world. It is not, as is sometimes thought, simply an act of devotional piety, nor is it a Christianized form of other meditation methods. Cynthia Bourgeault here cuts through the misconceptions to show that centering prayer is in fact a pioneering development within the Christian contemplative tradition.
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A gift for the centering prayer movement
- By JThomso on 09-13-17
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The Trauma of Everyday Life
- By: Mark Epstein MD
- Narrated by: Walter Dixon
- Length: 6 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Trauma does not just happen to a few unlucky people; it is the bedrock of our psychology. Death and illness touch us all, but even the everyday sufferings of loneliness and fear are traumatic. In The Trauma of Everyday Life renowned psychiatrist and author of Thoughts Without a Thinker, Mark Epstein uncovers the transformational potential of trauma, revealing how it can be used for the mind's own development. Western psychology teaches that if we understand the cause of trauma, we might move past it while many drawn to Eastern practices see meditation as a means of rising above, or distancing themselves from, their most difficult emotions.
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Good information, maybe fire the speed reader?
- By Wes Highfill on 05-15-14
By: Mark Epstein MD
What listeners say about The Blue Sapphire of the Mind
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Anonymous User
- 08-21-21
The Elephant Named Buddhism
I can’t understand why the author keeps referring to basic concepts and principles underlying Buddhist philosophy but not calling it that and attributing all historical contemplative spiritual thought to some sort of Christian tradition that he keeps referring to. I feel like there’s an elephant in the room called Buddhism that he refuses to name, and that furthermore he’s suggesting that the Christian tradition embrace, and the way that he is framing it feels a lot like appropriation. Booooooooo.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Mleetch
- 05-10-19
Wonderfully unexpected
A delightful and meandering look at the christian contemplative tradition and its immersion with beingness and the natural world. An important book for our times.
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- Gunnar Gjermundsen
- 05-22-23
The real deal
A splendid introduction to the earl Christian contemplative tradition and how it is relevant to the great ecological upheaval we find ourselves in today.
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