Contemplative Gleanings from the Hermits of Big Sur with Paula Huston

Absolutely fascinating, gorgeously written, frequently brilliant. In her story of how an ancient monastic order found a home in California, and how the author found a home with them, Paula Huston offers us an invitation into a world that few see, but all will want to experience. – James Martin, SJ Paula Huston has written a book, The Hermits of the Big Sur, that charts the history of the New Camaldoli Hermitage. A history born amidst Vatican II and World War II with even deeper contemplatives roots back to the 11th century in the mountains of Italy. Paula follows the …

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Bill Porter (Red Pine) on Zen and Taoist Masters, Mountain Hermits, & the Life of a Translator

“Bill Porter has been one of the most prolific translators of Chinese texts, while also developing into a travel writer with a cult following.” —New York Times (The audio is shaky between ~ 2m30s – 5m. Apologies for that. I owe you a high five) Bill Porter (Red Pine) on Zen and Taoist Masters, Mountain Hermits, & the Life of a Translator Bill Porter, aka Red Pine, calls the hermit life, “graduate school for the spiritually inclined.” Bill Porter is a translator of Buddhist and Taoist mountain poets that uncross your third eye and waft the scent of a  fine …

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Here There Are Woods, Foxes

“The hermit life is cool.”– Thomas Merton Here There Are Woods, Foxes The hermit life is cool. That is the stone that skips across this season of Contemplify. The urging, the calling, to retreat from the hustle of the red dirt economy. To wash your face with cold water. Blink away the dust. Sit still in the sun and watch the shadows kneel in prayer. This season of Contemplify highlights a few folks who touch the hermit life by study, proximity, and by craft. There will always be those who are called to live the hermit life. Then there are …

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