Perceiving the divine through the human body
Book Description
In a world where spirituality is often viewed as separate from physical experience, this thoughtful collection challenges readers to reconsider the sacred relationship between body and soul. Thomas Cattoi and his collaborators invite you to explore how the human body serves not as an obstacle to divine connection, but as a vital pathway to spiritual understanding.
Drawing from diverse religious traditions spanning centuries and continents, this scholarly yet accessible work examines how spiritual practitioners have engaged their physical senses as instruments of transcendence. You'll discover insights from medieval Christian mystics who found the divine through embodied prayer, learn about Eastern traditions including Hindu, Buddhist, and Daoist approaches to spiritual embodiment, and explore how contemporary spirituality continues to integrate physical and mystical experience.
The authors present a compelling alternative to modern tendencies that separate mind from body in spiritual practice. Instead, they offer evidence of a more holistic approach where pleasure, sensuality, and physical sensation become doorways rather than barriers to the sacred. Through careful examination of mystical traditions from Jonathan Edwards to Indian Tantric practices, this volume demonstrates how our "transfigured channels of sensory perception" can deepen rather than diminish our spiritual lives.
Whether you're a serious student of comparative religion or someone seeking to understand the role of embodiment in your own spiritual journey, this collection offers valuable perspectives on integrating the physical and transcendent aspects of human experience.
Who Is This For?
📖 Reading Level: Medium (200-400 pages)
What You'll Discover
- ✓ Explore Pleasure
- ✓ Explore Sensuality
- ✓ Explore Religious aspects
- ✓ Explore mystical experiences
- ✓ Explore RELIGION / Mysticism
- ✓ Explore RELIGION / Eastern
- ✓ Explore RELIGION / Christianity / General
- ✓ Explore Human body
