Sadhana, a Way to God: Christian Exercises in Eastern Form

This book is without a doubt the most important book for beginners and experienced practitioners of Prayer and Meditation. This is perhaps the greatest book ever written on prayer and meditation. As a veteran of different styles of prayer & meditation, this Sadhana was a great aid in my daily prayers and meditations, quickly accelerating my Spiritual growth through Prayer and Meditation. I was able to experience aspects of my spiritual life from these simple to complex exercises by Anthony DeMello. Anthony DeMello was a Jesuit Meditation Master, the Instrutor of the Jesuit's meditation center, who died in his sleep with no medical explaination in 1987. Most people are unaware of the Jesuits and their unique place in Priestly Orders. The Jesuits are the only priests whose Order is unique for their meditations on the life experiences of Jesus. Meditations unique in Christianity and last for days at a time. They are masters of Meditation and Prayer, and Anthoney DeMello was the Master of the Jesuit's school or retreat on meditation. Mr. DeMello was an Indian Jesuit Priest, and the long traditions of the Hindus, Buddhists, and others probably helped his Christian Religious experience. The word Sadhana can be translated from the Hindi to English as "Path to God". I know without any doubt that anyone who purchases this book will not be dissapointed.

Sadhana is a book that continuously leaves my possession into the hands of friends. It is the best written, most comprehensive book on meditation; as suitable for the beginner as it is for someone like myself who has been meditating for almost 30 years. Although deMello intended the book to be a guide for group meditation, it serves the individual as well. In Sadhana, deMello has conjoined Eastern and Western techniques whose origins include Ignatian and Benedictine methods, yoga, Zen Buddhism, and Christian mysticism. The result is 47 exercises that are broken down into three groups; awareness, fantasy, and devotion. deMello's Jesuit proficiency as a teacher is reflected as he guides the reader through each exercise. I have supplemented my meditation schedule with several of these exercises and as a result, my spiritual development has become enriched.

I liked it.

Anthony de Mello was a Jesuit spiritual director and writer, prior to his sudden and untimely death in 1987. I first read Sadhana probably 12 or 14 years ago. This time, I brought it with me into the hospital as a back-up read, but didn't start it until I came home. The book is in three sections and divided into 47 "exercises" or short chapters, and should be read over a period of time - I took almost five weeks, reading one or two exercises a day. The three sections are entitled Awareness, mostly having to do with various thought, concentration, and breathing exercises. I used exercise five for four weeks (you'll have to get the book to find out what exercise five is!) The second section is Fantasy but perhaps would be better labeled Imagination, and is somewhat Ignatian. Imagine yourself in a Gospel story, imagine you are dying and say good-bye to your body, the joyful (and sorrowful) mysteries of your life - stuff like that. The last section is Devotions, with lessons like The "Benedictine" method, the Jesus Prayer, the Prayer of Intercession. The book is very good and once read can serve as a sort of reference - go back and re-use the things you found valuable. Of course the trick is to actually do the exercises over a period of time. Time is important - it takes time for the value of these approaches to affect you. Or as some would say, to "sink in". I guarantee that when you finish the book you will NOT be able to levitate, have visions, etc, but you probably will be a calmer and saner person. Not bad.

I am Christian and I teach Buddhist meditation. For those of my students who worry about straying too far out of bounds of their Christian beliefs, this book is absolutely spot-on for getting people to quiet their minds before prayer. Prayer is when I'm talking to God. Meditation is when I'm listening. Namaste and deep gratitude to Mr. de Mello

somewhere my last copy disappeared, so I had to buy a replacement. I often use the text as introductory exercises for classes I offer on adult spiritual formation. love deMello, his material is life changing in the best way possible.

This is a wonderful book. It changed my prayer life and deepened my awareness of God through the simple technique taught by Fr de Mello.

This book is sooooo easy to use with exercises literally written out. Thanks.

good

Learn how to pray and meditate through visualisations. There are some very good body prayers which take the body into very deep relaxation. The visualisations are very varied - some involve Christ, others involve God-centeredness yet others imagining places, scenes. The author has taken techniques from both Eastern and Western spiritual traditions and has provided us with a set of very profound contemplative exercises that use the wisdom of the heart rather than the head. The author was a Jesuit priest who was a retreat master and spiritual director for 15 years. This book was written in response to his hearing people say they did not know how to pray. Too often people pray using too many words and their intellect is engaged. This kind of prayer works with visualisations working more with the right brain engaging the visual, sensations and feelings. It works in a very profound way. The book transcends time, culture and religious background. Highly recommended for use in contemplative groups or by the individual at home. It would be good to have a CD to accompany this book. Read the visualisations onto cassettes/CDs and play back.

Just great

Love it!

This slim volume, Sadhana - A Way to God, bought via Amazon, is rich in insights and simple practical exercises. In spite of its small size it will not, for me, be a quick read. The value lies in leading one to practice the readily followed exercises, which I believe will bring rich spiritual reward. I wish I had come upon this book a long time ago.