Although raised Roman Catholic, Susan Stabile was ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist nun and devoted 20 years of her life to practicing Buddhism before returning to Catholicism in 2001. In Growing in Love and Wisdom, she draws on this unique dual perspective to explore the value of interreligious dialogue, the spiritual dynamics that operate across faith traditions, and how Buddhist meditation practices can deepen Christian prayer. She begins by examining the values and principles shared by the two faiths and shows that both traditions seek to effect a fundamental transformation in the lives of believers. Both stress the need for experiences with deep emotional resonance that goes beyond the level of concepts to touch the heart. The center of the book offers 15 Tibetan Buddhist contemplative practices, adapted for Christian use. Stabile provides clear instructions on how to do these meditations and helpful commentary on each, explaining its purpose and the relation between the Buddhist original and her Christian adaptation of it. Throughout, she highlights the many remarkably close parallels between the teachings of Jesus and the Buddha. The meditations offered in this unusual book will be extremely useful to thoughtful Christians, to those responsible for giving spiritual direction, and also to Buddhist sympathizers who will be intrigued and pleased to see familiar contemplations handled so skillfully by a former Buddhist practitioner who has gratefully learned so much from her former religion and now introduces the riches of that tradition to her fellow Christians.

Growing in Love & Wisdom : Tibetan Buddhist Sources for Christian Meditation, Susan J. Stabile, Oxford University Press, Hardcover, 272 pp, $19.95

Susan J. Stabile is the Robert and Marion Short Distinguished Chair in Law at the University of St. Thomas School of Law, where she also serves as a fellow of both the Holloran Center for Ethical Leadership and the Terrence J. Murphy Institute for Catholic Thought, Law and Public Policy. Trained as a spiritual director and in retreat ministry, she offers individual spiritual direction and conducts retreats and other spiritual formation programs at the law school, in parishes and in other venues. She is the author of the blog Creo en Dios.

Introduction

Part I: How We Think about Other Faith Traditions
Chapter 1: The Value of Interreligious Dialogue
Chapter 2: Core Truths that Operate Across Faith Traditions

Part II: Adapting Prayer Practices from Another Faith Tradition
Chapter 3: The Importance of Contemplation and Affective Experience
Chapter 4: Why Look to Tibetan Buddhist Meditation?

Part III: Analytical Meditations and Commentary
Introduction
Chapter 5: Friend, Enemy, Stranger
Chapter 6: Tong-len
Chapter 7: Kindness of (M)other Sentient Beings
Chapter 8: Exchanging Self and Others
Chapter 9: The Four Immeasurables
Chapter 10: Meditation on Compassion
Chapter 11: Giving the Four Elements
Chapter 12: Perfect Human Rebirth
Chapter 13: Death
Chapter 14: Impermanence
Chapter 15: Overcoming Anger/Developing Patience
Chapter 16: The Worldly Concerns
Chapter 17: Taking Refuge
Chapter 18: Becoming the Deity
Chapter 19: Meditating on the "I"

Part IV: Other Meditations and Practices
Chapter 20: Meditations to Develop Concentration and Mindfulness
Chapter 21: Other Practices

Notes
Glossary
Suggestions for further reading