Re-Sourcing the Inner Life by JASMIN LEE CORI Samuel Weiser, Inc. $12.95 (softcover)
I picked this book up months ago, thinking, "It's just a little book and I can whip out a review in no time." What I confronted instead were my own patterns of avoidance. In the past, I was always looking for the right moment, the right space, the right frame of mind: the dishes had to have been done, everything had to be in order and in its right place, I had to have made some tea, I had to have completed my daily chanting, and I had to be sure there were no outside "distractions" before I would even consider sitting with the book! So the months went by. But this book turned out to be too good not to have been reviewed. I personally found many answers about what was preventing me from reviewing the book, as well as how these behaviors stifled other areas of my life. For instance, in early pages Cori states, "It is less important to mark off time for stillness if you can hold some of that stillness within you as you go about your daily activities," which forced me to reexamine my views about what I thought distractions were. Cori herself best describes how the book is set up: "[It] is sequenced in a way that reflects the process of inner work. The more practical issues are placed up front, and the deepest parts are saved for the end." In addition, her "Exploration" boxes detail practical exercises to help better understand contemplation. This is not intended to be a meditation book, but certainly helps one cultivate the silence within. I found the book to be quite enlightening, and would definitely recommend it to both new and not-so-new explorers of the inward journey. |
In The Tao of Contemplation, Jasmin Lee Cori takes the essentials of contemplative practice ("the elements of silence, solitude, simplicity, surrender, receptivity, and an orientation toward direct encounter with the one reality") and blends Taoist and Sufi philosophies to produce a spontaneous, natural, and joyful approach to contemplation. Cori demystifies contemplation and offers both suggestions and warnings.