Doors of Silence

God is known by beauty, order & truth. This book is beautiful, profound but simple, thought provoking and very ordered with each short chapter tackling a new imperfection. It has been very helpful to me. Thank you for publishing it.

The Doors of Silence is an excellent book that should be read, studied and put into practice by those who are truly devout Roman Catholic. A basic book for the interior life that should be kept next to the Roman Catholic Daily Missal, the Breviary and a Holy Rosary meditations book.

Most of the time we pray focusing on ourself, our needs, fears, aspirations and we talk, talk, talk to God trusting He is listening. And then we steady ourselves to wait long enough for Him to respond (He gets a lot of requests) and hope it is to our liking. The prayer espoused in this book is the very opposite : shut up, don't talk, listen, forget yourself, pretend you don't exist, because really, compared to God, you DO NOT exist ! And it gets to the heart of this problem of "utterly listening prayer" immediately by identifying 4 mental roadblocks : don't discuss with yourself, don't chatter on aimlessly to yourself, don't obsess about anything (fixate) and don't nurse worries. If you can abandon these tendencies, then you will have arrived at silence and silence is God's language. And you can do this even during the day, while you're working (or working out) or bus riding (chuck your earphones). If you "do" this, and whenever you "do" this, you will truly be full of God, because you will have emptied yourself of yourself. This is the essence of the spiritual life, and this kind of prayer is its lifeblood. This observation is the Carthusian way (the author of this book is from this order) and, in fact, the way of all monasticism. In tandem with this book, consider watching the movie (on DVD) "Into Great Silence".

Deeply concise insight into the nature of contemplative being. Focused instruction on ceasing the common inner dialog/noise that obstructs inner disposition for intimacy with God.

This little book is smaller and thinner than I expected but does not disappoint on spiritual heft. The binding could be better; it feels a little cheap and the spine is hard to open. I give it five stars nonetheless because of the content. The pages are either illuminated or done in light calligraphy (or both). The insights from “An Anonymous Carthusian Monk” are captivating and intense. He cuts right to the marrow of the contemplative life. This wisdom is suitable for anyone, regardless of vocation, who desires to advance in prayer in their “inner cloister”. Despite it’s brevity, this is one you will find yourself coming back to again and again. If you love “Divine Intimacy” or any of the writings of the Carmelite Doctors on prayer, you will love this little gem of a book. Highly Recommended.