Come to the Quiet: The Principles of Christian Meditation

In Come to the Quiet John Michael Talbot invites readers into the age-old tradition of meditation. Talbot, a renowned monk and bestselling Christian musician, draws upon Eastern as well as Western meditation teachings, so that readers glean wisdom from the Taoists as well as Catholic mystics. In every chapter he gives specific exercises for initiating and maintaining a meditation practice. For instance, he advises beginners to rest "your tongue against the back of the upper front teeth of your palate" and keep "your eyes neither fully closed nor fully open." He advocates creating a "monastic cell" for daily meditation--a clean, uncluttered place "where heaven and earth meet." Talbot's North Star is clearly Christian. He offers a lengthy discussion of Christian sacred reading (a.k.a. lectio divina) and encourages readers to seek a spiritual director "after the fashion of Jesus and the apostles or the first monks in the desert." In the closing chapters he addresses other disciplines, such as tai chi stances, chi kung organ-cleansing exercises, and Zen meditation techniques. --Gail Hudson