The Book of Practical Faith - Softcover

Miller, D. Patrick

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0965680924 ISBN 13: 9780965680929

Publisher: Fearless Books, 1999

Synopsis

This concise and eloquent guide offers four original steps to a sensible spirituality: Releasing Guilt, Gathering Trust, Practicing Patience, and Learning Transcendence. An invaluable handbook for anyone seeking the inner core of spiritual experience, regardless of religious beliefs (or lack of them).

About this title

About the Author

D. Patrick Miller is a leading writer in the "journalism of consciousness," reporting in a wide variety of media on contemporary spirituality and the exploration of consciousness. A contributing editor of YOGA JOURNAL and the author of several books, Miller is a member of the Authors Guild, American Society of Journalists and Authors, Investigative Reporters & Editors, and Publishers Marketing Association. Philosopher Jacob Needleman has described Miller as "one of the best, if not the best, interpreters of alternative spirituality for all those who wish to understand it, rather than laugh at it, ignore it, or swallow it whole." Publisher Eric Utne calls Miller's writing "consistently clear, interesting, and quite often wise." A native of Charlotte, North Carolina, Miller lives in Berkeley, California with his wife, novelist Laurie Fox. He is the founder of Fearless Books.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Faith is a more practical way to deal with everyday life than cynicism, toughness, or defensiveness. Faith can be sensible and savvy, and practicing it daily increases its usefulness and reliability. Yet faith is also tinged with mystery, for it is the connection to our unknown potential and the power of creation itself. Faith is the way out of misery, the way into self-knowledge, and the way toward a more fulfilling and effective life...

As an addiction or some other pattern of guilt begins to disintegrate, one may feel a distinct sense of loss. I've confronted this feeling a number of times: "Without this familiar habit, worry, or guilt, who will I be from now on?" As something fixed, heavy, and negative within the self dissolves, an unfamiliar sensation of openness, light, and permeability fills in. Such a change may bring about a feeling of queasiness, but that passes as one's sense of self eventually restabilizes -- with a little more energy, optimism, and flexibility than before.

It is possible to have mistaken expectations, but it is impossible to be "too trusting." Real trust is deepened and informed by disappointment, just as spiritual vision is refined by disillusionment. Trust prepares us for the best by teaching us to prepare for a future far better than what we may merely be hoping for.

Patience is deciding in favor of attention rather than tension. Attending to the inner part of ourselves that knows timelessness, we can wait in the world of time and balance our hurried sense of self-interest with the timeless knowledge that all will be well -- even when the "all" swallows us, as it inevitably will. Patience, then, is also humility, a surrender to the transcendent. Patience is the rhythm of faith.

Have you ever gazed at a clear sky long enough to realize that you are not looking at a huge blue screen but peering into the infinite? Have you ever watched a large old tree long enough to sense a bit of its incomprehensible might and balance, as it holds up its lengthy limbs toward the warmth of a vastly distant burning star? Have you ever gazed at your hand until it seemed a total mystery? In these and countless other transcendental, easily accessible experiences lies the practical heart of mysticism.... To admit that we are surrounded by mystery is to recognize ourselves. To learn transcendence is to unlearn the miserable notion that we are alone.

When we know there is nothing missing within ourselves, we are truly at home in a world that may have felt like a strange and hostile territory before. It is a practical faith that delivers us to this sense of being at home -- and it is a practical faith that can help us carry that home within us no matter what happens, and regardless of wherever we are led to serve during our stay on earth.

Edition details

• Publisher: Fearless Books
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0965680924
• ISBN 13: 9780965680929
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 104