Building Your Inner Monastery with Wayne Teasdale

Program Description

Saints, sages, mystics and martyrs have always held a special place in the hearts and minds of people throughout the ages. We have been inspired by their stories of courage, service and devotion, but not everyone is called to enter a monastery. Can we live a life of love and service while living in the busy cities of the world? Teasdale, theologian, author, mystic and lay monk, has proven that we can. For him, the world itself is a monastery. In this heartful dialogue, rich with stories and examples, he explains how we can build an inner monastery, and how a person can combine rigorous spiritual practice with the necessities of making a living, while serving the cause of social justice. What we need, says Teasdale, is a contemplative attitude, a certain amount of solitude and surrender. “The spiritual life isn’t in our control. We can show up and say yes, but spiritual life is about letting go of control. If you surrender you’ll be led.”

Brother Wayne Teasedale has a doctorate in theology from Fordham University, and serves on the Board of Trustees of The Parliament of World Religions. He is an adjunct professor at De Paul University, Columbia College and the Catholic Theological Union and Coordinator of the Bede Griffiths International Trust. He is the author of The Mystic Heart (New World Library 1999 )and A Monk in the World: Cultivating A Spiritual Life (New World Library 2002 ).

Topics Explored in this Dialogue:

• How you can integrate every area of your life into your spiritual practice
• What surrender can do to ease illness and suffering
• Why releasing control is key to a deep spiritual life
• Why the Catholic Church is important to the future of humanity
• How to balance contemplation with social action

Program Number: 2951              Host: Michael Toms               Interview Date: 6/21/2002