The New Monasticism: A Manifesto for Contemplative Living

by Adam Bucko, Rory McEntee

Young leaders of the new monastic movement introduce their vision for contemplative life--one that draws from the long traditions of East and West but also seeks an interreligious and "interspiritual" dimension to intentional living in our time. With a preface by Fr. Thomas Keating, a foreword by Beverly Lenzatta, and an afterword by Sufi teacher Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee.

An introduction to the "new monastic movement," offering the authors' intellectual and spiritual reflections on vocation, dialogical conversation, the relationship with traditional religious paths, and the building of intentional communities. The authors seek to "cut across the boundaries of religious traditions, of contemplation and action, and endeavor to create intergenerational alliances between those immersed in the depths of our traditional religious frameworks and those who are being called to contemplative life outside of those frameworks."

The book will also incorporate some popular modern day academic, cultural, and economic theorists, such as Zygmunt Bauman, David Korten, Cornell West and bell hooks, who speak to young people about creating a more sacred and just world while providing them with sophisticated tools for social analysis.

Genres: Spirituality

224 pages, Paperback

First published April 10, 2015

Reviews

[Rich Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a gem! It will teach you how to be a new monastic. There were numerous key points expressed in this book. Mirabai Starr hits the mark in the preface when she states,
"The journey of new monasticism requires deep quiet, deep listening, deep dialogue."

Some of the key points discussed in this book included: the necessity of deep retreats, dialogue with others that involves listening and integrating, communities that allow people to become who they were born to be, sharing your journey with other spiritually mature friends, and contemplative prayer and action balance each other.

I will re read. This is a Powerful book! You must read it too.

[JHM]

I found this book frustrating. Even though the authors claim "interspirituality" -- with no further modifiers -- they are squarely centered in monotheistic theology and worldview. So as a polytheist reader I found that most of it did not align with my own theology, worldview and practices. They also spend a lot of time explaining and justifying interspirituality and their form of monasticism, and I didn't need to be convinced. I almost abandoned it, but instead I skimmed it for useful nuggets because mature writing about monasticism which is not centered in a specific tradition is rare. Even though though I'm not their target audience I have a great deal of respect for their work.

If I were a spiritual-but-not-religious or "interfaith" person with a monotheistic worldview, I would give this book five stars. It's excellent. But as a polytheist, from a standpoint of personal enjoyment and usefulness, I'd give it three.

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

I spent a long time making my way through this book, and put it down periodically amid a busy semester, so I somewhat lost its overall flow. The authors do make some keen observations about the shifting landscape of religious adherence and spiritual practice, within and beyond specific faith traditions, in the 21st century. They raise many helpful points about the importance of helping people, particular youth, navigate their sense of connection with God particularly when they may be leery of institutional religion. I think they could have been stronger about the degree that commitment and sacrifice play in bridging the gap between individualism and community life that many people seem increasingly fearful to cross, yet is inherent in monastic life.