Finding Happiness: Monastic Steps for a Fulfilling Life

by Abbot Christopher Jamison

Overview

Why is being happy such an imperative in our world today? What is the meaning of happiness? In this book Abbot Christopher Jamison turns to monastic wisdom for answers. He explains that, in essence, happiness is a gift not an achievement. It is the fruit of giving and receiving blessings. Following the same accessible and engaging format of his previous book, Finding Sanctuary, Abbot Christopher examines different aspects of happiness and tells us what monastic wisdom has to say about them. In doing so, he offers steps for the journey of finding happiness.

Christopher Jamison is abbot of Worth Abbey, a Benedictine monastery near London. He is also president of the International Commission on Benedictine Education and sits on the Council of the alliance for International Monasticism, a body that promotes links between monasteries across the North/South divide. He is author of Finding Sanctuary: Monastic Steps for Everyday Life and was the host of the popular BBC documentary series The Monastery.

Watch and listen to what Abbot Christopher Jamison has to say about his book Finding Happiness

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780814618783
Publisher:	Liturgical Press, The
Publication date:	01/01/2009
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Christopher Jamison is former abbot of Worth Abbey, a Benedictine monastery near London. He is also president of the International Commission on Benedictine Education and sits on the Council of the Alliance for International Monasticism, a body that promotes links between monasteries across the North/South divide. He is author of Finding Sanctuary: Monastic Steps for Everyday Life and was the host of the popular BBC documentary series The Monastery.

Editorial Reviews

Jamison’s book is a treasure, for it combines insights from philosophy, monastic sources, psychology and literature, as also stories of human struggles.
Horizons

Finding Happiness . . . is a map of the soul designed for our age: wise, lucid, inspiring, rich—a treasure-chest of gems that do not merely glitter.
The Way

This is a good book that challenges the mind because it is so clearly written.
Cistercian Studies Quarterly

This book is highly recommended to those looking for a book on spirituality that is based on an ancient and tried tradition.
American Benedictine Review

Finding Happiness: Monastic Steps to a Fulfilling Life takes the reader through a very personalized journey of the soul and spirit.
Lost in Books

The genius of this work lies in its integration of classical thought (Plato, Aristotle, and Cassian) with more current movements (e.g., cognitive behavior therapy, 12-step programs). Author Christopher Jamison, abbot of the Benedictine monastery in Sussex, holds these frames of reference in delicate balance; the resulting creative tension gives birth to a useful guide to living well. . . . This book is solid food for ‘personal soul-recovery.’
Prairie Messenger

It is rewarding to read this lovely book because through it one touches base with oneself as being human and Christian. Through the text the author gently nudges the reader forward once again on the path of effort and virtue. . . . There is a wise Christian behavioral psychology being presented here and one experiences a certain lightness in reading it. For you are advised to ‘travel light,’ to not be dependent on others for one’s happiness. And your journey is not meant to be burdensome as there will always be ‘a word to live by’ when one is in touch with the Scriptures.
The Furrow

[Reading] Finding Happiness has been a transforming experience, calling me to think deeply about the life I’m living and also confirming what I know and am currently doing.
Karen O’Connor, Author, Writing Mentor, and Speaker

From the Publisher