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How to Focus: A Monastic Guide for an Age of Distraction
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Category:
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Books > Theology > Philosophy
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| Author/Artist: |
JOHN CASSIAN |
| ISBN / ID: |
9780691208084 |
| Publisher: |
Princeton University Pres |
| Binding: |
HARDBACK |
| Price: |
AU$29.99 |
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| Description: |
How to Focus explores the surprisingly modern problem of distraction through the experiences of early Christian monks who devoted their lives to concentration on God yet constantly battled wandering minds. Drawing on John Cassians fifth-century Collationes, the book follows Cassian and his companion Germanus as they travel through the Egyptian desert, questioning seasoned monks about how to strengthen attention. The answers are practical, humane, and often humorous.
Rather than preaching rigid discipline, the monks recommend strategies that feel strikingly contemporary: setting realistic goals, training the body alongside the mind, shaping memory, repeating short phrases or mantras, taking restorative breaks, seeking guidance from others, and cultivating self-knowledge. Central to their teaching is the acceptance that distraction never fully disappears; progress comes from learning how to respond to it honestly and patiently.
Featuring a clear new English translation by Jamie Kreiner alongside the original Latin, How to Focus makes ancient wisdom accessible to modern readers. The book shows that sustained attention is not a rare talent but a skill that can be practiced, refined, and renewed continually. |
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