This book is a revised edition of Purifying the Heart: Buddhist Insight Meditation for Christians, published in 1994 by the same authors. The original work was intended primarily for Christian meditators wanting to incorporate principles of Buddhist meditation into their spiritual practice. The current revision intends to give meditators a greater familiarity with the spiritual theology of St. John of the Cross and draws out the points of convergence with Theravadan Buddhism.

The authors are qualified to speak to both traditions. They are familiar names in Carmelite circles as authors and retreat directors; and, combined, they have spent decades exploring the Buddhist tradition and practicing insight meditation. Their writing is informed and sensitive, and valuable for both Buddhist and Christian meditators. It is logically presented, each section building on the previous one, and the entire book is written in a way that makes it accessible to beginners and proficients alike.

Part One of Christian Insight Meditation lays the foundation for all that follows. In the Christian tradition this is Jesus’ call to purity of heart, self-emptying, and a spirituality rooted in the Beatitudes. The task is not ours to complete alone. Meditation is key, but we also depend upon the grace of God and the agency of the Holy Spirit.

The following section outlines the basic teachings of the Buddha, such as the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, and begins to draw out the similarities between the two venerable traditions. What is essential to Buddhist insight meditation also underpins Christ’s call to holiness: purity of heart and moral conduct. Combined with insight meditation, purity of heart and integrity of action prepare us for our reason for being: in Christian terminology, divine union; or, in Buddhism, Nibbana, Ultimate Reality.

Part Two of the book is a thorough, practical, and practicable presentation of insight meditation (vipassana). Here the authors begin at the beginning, considering matters such as posture, breath awareness, and body sensations, and move on to issues such as managing thinking, managing the senses, and understanding mind-states. Their teaching is logical and stresses care in building these foundational practices before moving on to the next step. Aware that ‘good anything’ takes time, the beginning meditator is urged to go slowly.

Just as importantly, this part includes sections on cautions and concerns regarding matters that might arise in the course of insight meditation, along with discussion of things that might impede one’s practice. These range from boredom and aversion, to weightier matters such as spiritual greed and questions of conscience such as, “Is it okay for Christians to practice insight meditation?”

Since my own spiritual path has principally been in the Carmelite tradition, and since I am less familiar with Buddhism, I was eager to read Part Three, which explores three levels of purification and compares the spiritual theology of St. John of the Cross and Theravadan Buddhism. Like the teachings of the Buddha, John’s writings run the gamut from sublime to complex. Followers of either master spend a lifetime assimilating their teachings and aspiring to the lofty heights to which they ascended.

What I discovered in Christian Insight Meditation, first of all, was a marvelous synopsis of the fundamentals of St. John’s spiritual theology, moving through the stage of purification into illumination and ultimately into divine union. For a reader unfamiliar with John’s teachings, especially The Ascent of Mount Carmel, The Dark Night, and John’s Counsels, this book makes John’s way eminently accessible. For one more proficient, it serves as a substantial review and reference. Basic concepts such as the active and passive nights of the senses, and active and passive night of the soul, are presented in ways that can be easily understood.

Alternating with the teachings of St. John were teachings from the Buddhist tradition on, among others, purity of conduct, purity of heart, and no-self. For Christians new to Buddhist-Christian dialogue and meditation, these sections provide explanations of concepts and terminology that may, at times, seem daunting. The authors do a good job of drawing out the points of convergence between the way of the Buddha and that of St. John.

Part Four is a potpourri of topics: prayer in general and in the Carmelite tradition, discursive and nondiscursive meditation, contemplation, the Christian concept of grace, and the Buddhist notions of Dhamma, Karma, rebirth, Purgatory, no-self, and soul. The explorations of these concepts are not exhaustive but, again, serve as either a review or primer for practitioners from each tradition.

Some may find the content of this book too basic, but often, when we encounter problems in meditation or our spiritual practice, we can trace the problems back to basics. If the reader wants to delve deeper into a particular topic, the endnotes provide valuable links to the writings of John of the Cross, Buddhist texts, and other sources. Finally, I found the select bibliography and index very helpful as I studied this book.

Christian Insight Meditation would be a worthwhile addition to the library of every parish and retreat center, religious community, and meditator. It is not a book that you will read once and consign to the shelf, but one that will be a guide as you grow in the practice of insight meditation.