Mar
14
Listening Below the Noise: A Meditation on the Practice of Silence
By
- ISBN13: 9780061353352
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Product Description
When Anne D. LeClaire decided to turn an ordinary Monday into a day of silence, she viewed her experiment as a one-time occurrence. Little did she realize she had begun an inner voyage that would transform her life. In the seventeen years since, LeClaire has practiced total silence on the first and third Monday of each month. By detaching herself from the bustle of her hectic lifestyle and learning to listen to her deepest self, she has found a center from which … More >>
Listening Below the Noise: A Meditation on the Practice of Silence
7 Comments
March 14th, 2010 at 8:31 pm
Hearing an interview with this author on the radio prompted me to buy this book. But about half way through it, I wanted to throw it at a wall. Rather than a meditative journey into silence itself, it is a chatty, jumbled mishmash of thoughts, experiences, and inspirational quotes. It reads like a self-help book for anyone seeking an excuse to use silence to balance their busy lives. If you want an authentic experience of silence and the mindfulness it can bring, read the works of Thich Nhat Hanh or visit your local Quaker meeting.
Rating: 1 / 5
March 14th, 2010 at 10:33 pm
Anne LeClaire’s writing is very readable and engaging. Unfortunately, we are reading a form of her personal journal which is not that compelling after all. One nugget of wisdom is that, after we hang up from that telephone call, sit quietly and “breathe” (p. 216). Wouldn’t you breathe anyway, although perhaps not so pretentiously? Another strategy for “listening below the noise” is to “stroke your cat” (p. 218). There are many more of these simple exhortations to which we might add: “Get a life.”
I suppose this book is for those Americans who haven’t yet found time to pay attention to the pulse of their lives. In LeClaire’s almost poetical prose, the encounter with silence is treated loftily when in fact it is basic to nature, including human nature. Her book is sincerely expressed but the author is sometimes so self consciously awestruck by what she speaks of that the text provides enough opportunities for titters of laughter in the reader just when we might have had that transformative experience of silence that the author intends for us to share.
If you enjoy well-written confessional prose about an author’s encounters with silence and spawned along watery coasts and in leafy gardens, this isn’t a bad read. But one might be tempted to try the two dozen other books on the topic that LeClaire cites in her bibliography. Skip LeClaire’s book and go into nature yourself for thirty minutes in perfect silence and begin to listen closely to your own story.
Rating: 2 / 5
March 14th, 2010 at 10:50 pm
Turn off the talking heads on TV. Find a quiet spot. Pour a cup of your favorite beverage and relax with this sweet meditation. I loved this book and have sent copies to my friends. It’s better than a day at the spa! Heal yourself inside and out. Now more than ever.
Rating: 5 / 5
March 15th, 2010 at 12:51 am
In Listening Below the Noise, Anne LeClaire has opened her heart and life to readers. Her book is warm and human, full of explorations, trials, grumpy days, false starts, modest successes, and miracles. Anne has brought the words of some of the world’s great prophets and seers and meditators close in, where it’s possible to touch them and learn something. The book felt intimate in all its dimensions, from its beautifully written words to the exquisite photographs celebrating the natural world.
Rating: 5 / 5
March 15th, 2010 at 3:44 am
I have been engaged in the practice of silence in my personal life & through retreats for several years & the gifts are amazing. I purchased this book while preparing to conduct a 4-day silent retreat. We provide reading materials for participants and I thought this would be a nice addition. People loved it! It is a quick read & yet parts can be slowly assimilated & re-read again & again. If you are interested in living portions of your life in silence, this book is a great way to learn one woman’s experience.
Rating: 5 / 5
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