Listen to the Desert Secrets of Spirituality from the Desert Fathers and Mothers

The 1,500-year-old spiritual philosophy known as "Desert Wisdom" offers a compelling resource for facing contemporary challenges. Readers with a special interest in the evolution of spiritual consciousness, as well as those who want to look at monastic wisdom for the first time, will find much here to nourish and enlighten their way.

Gregory Mayers presents this ancient thought and lifestyle by introducing traditional Wisdom Stories in which characters, actions, and sayings address deep, universal human needs. The lessons emerge from what the author calls "experiencing the wall in life... the emptiness that drains off the meaning and joy of living." These writings, direct accounts of desert monastic life gathered and used by the monks themselves, are brief, loosely-connected passages that range in length from a few sentences to a page or two. The stories are followed by Mayers' provocative interpretations that blend contemporary psychology and contemplative practice with wisdom traditions around the world.

Gregory Mayers is a Redemptorist priest who has worked in retreat and spiritual direction ministries for more than forty years. He holds M.Div. and M.R.E. degrees from the University of the State of New York. In 1981 he founded "The Contemplative Path," an institute dedicated to the teaching and practice of contemplation and Zen. He is currently director of the East-West Meditation Program at Mercy Center in Burlingame, CA. Trained in the Western tradition of contemplative practice, he is also an Associate Roshi of the Sambo Religious Foundation in Kamakura, Japan. In 2010 Fr. Greg received full transmission as an Authentic Zen Master from his teacher, Willigis Jager, who is the founder of the Empty Cloud Zen Lineage at Benediktushof, Holtzkirchen, Germany.