The Spirituality of Imperfection: Storytelling and the Search for Meaning

Description:

About this item:

I Am Not Perfect is a simple statement of profound truth, the first step toward understanding the human condition, for to deny your essential imperfection is to deny yourself and your own humanity. The spirituality of imperfection, steeped in the rich traditions of the Hebrew prophets and Greek thinkers, Buddhist sages and Christian disciples, is a message as timeless as it is timely. This insightful work draws on the wisdom stories of the ages to provide an extraordinary wellspring of hope and inspiration to anyone thirsting for spiritual growth and guidance in these troubled times.

Who are we? Why so we so often fall short of our goals for ourselves and others? By seeking to understand our limitations and accept the inevitably of failure and pain, we being to ease the hurt and move toward a greater sense of serenity and self-awareness. The Spirituality Of Imperfection brings together stories from many spiritual and philosophical paths, weaving past traditions into a spirituality and a new way of thinking and living that works today. It speaks so anyone who yearns to find meaning within suffering. Beyond theory and technique, inside this remarkable book you will find a new way of thinking, a way of living that enables a truly human existence.

Review

"An inspiring guide, offering comfort...to those who want to stop striving for perfection and start living."--Publishers Weekly

"A brilliant anthology of wisdom stories from all the great traditions centered around a most compelling and discerning issue."--M. Scott Peck

From the Publisher

"I Am Not Perfect is a simple statement of profound truth, the first step toward understanding the human condition, for to deny your essential imperfection is to deny yourself and your own humanity. The spirituality of imperfection, steeped in the rich traditions of the Hebrew prophets and Greek thinkers, Buddhist sages and Christian disciples, is a message as timeless as it is timely. This insightful work draws on the wisdom stories of the ages to provide an extraordinary wellspring of hope and inspiration to anyone thirsting for spiritual growth and guidance in these troubled times.

Who are we? Why so we so often fall short of our goals for ourselves and others? By seeking to understand our limitations and accept the inevitably of failure and pain, we being to ease the hurt and move toward a greater sense of serenity and self-awareness. The Spirituality Of Imperfection brings together stories from many spiritual and philosophical paths, weaving past traditions into a spirituality and a new way of thinking and living that works today. It speaks so anyone who yearns to find meaning within suffering. Beyond theory and technique, inside this remarkable book you will find a new way of thinking, a way of living that enables a truly human existence.

"An inspiring guide, offering comfort...to those who want to stop striving for perfection and start living."--Publishers Weekly

"A brilliant anthology of wisdom stories from all the great traditions centered around a most compelling and discerning issue."--M. Scott Peck

From the Inside Flap

From the Back Cover

Who are we? Why so we so often fall short of our goals for ourselves and others? By seeking to understand our limitations and accept the inevitably of failure and pain, we being to ease the hurt and move toward a greater sense of serenity and self-awareness. "The Spirituality Of Imperfection brings together stories from many spiritual and philosophical paths, weaving past traditions into a spirituality and a new way of thinking and living that works today. It speaks so anyone who yearns to find meaning within suffering. Beyond theory and technique, inside this remarkable book you will find a new way of thinking, a way of living that enables a truly human existence.

About the Author

Ernest Kurtz is the author of Not-God: A History of Alcoholics Anonymous, A.A.: The Story, and Shame and Guilt. He holds a Ph.D. in the history of American civilization from Harvard and is currently affiliated with the Center for Self-Help Research at the University of Michigan.

Katherine Ketcham has been writing nonfiction books for forty years. Her work has been published in sixteen foreign languages and has sold nearly one million copies. She founded and serves on the board of a grassroots nonprofit organization called Trilogy Recovery Community, which helps youth and their family members dealing with alcohol and other drug problems. Ketcham lives in Walla Walla, Washington.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Chapter 1

THE FRAGRANCE OF A ROSE

Religion is for people who are afraid of going to hell; spirituality is for those who have been there.

Ross V.,
Member of Alcoholics Anonymous

The disciples were absorbed in a discussion of Lao-tzu’s dictum:

Those who know do not say;
those who say do not know.

When the Master entered, they asked him what the words meant.
Said the Master, “Which of you knows the fragrance of a rose?”
All of them knew.
Then he said, “Put it into words.”
All of them were silent.

What is spirituality? To have the answer is to have misunderstood the question. Truth, wisdom, goodness, beauty, the fragrance of a rose—all resemble spirituality in that they are intangible, ineffable realities. We may know them, but we can never grasp them with our hands or with our words. These entities have neither color nor texture; they cannot be gauged in inches or ounces or degrees; they do not make a noise to be measured in decibels; they have no distinct feel as do silk, wood, or cement; they give no odor, they have no taste, they occupy no space.

And yet they exist; they are. Love exists, evil exists, beauty exists, spirituality exists. These are the realities that have always been recognized as defining human existence. We do not define them, they define us. When we attempt to “define” spirituality, we discover not its limits, but our own. Similarly, we cannot prove such realities—it is truer to say that they “prove” us, in the sense that it is against them that we measure our human be-ing: the act and the process by which we exist. Life is not what we “have,” or even what we do, connected as these may be: we are what and how and who we are, and be-ing is a real activity. Like “love,” spirituality is a way that we “be.”

This way of be-ing defies definition and delineation; we cannot tie it up, in any way package it or enclose it. Elusive in the sense that it cannot be “pinned down,” spirituality slips under and soars over efforts to capture it, to fence it in with words. Centuries of thought confirm that mere words can never induce the experience of spirituality.

When the disciples of the Baal Shem Tov asked him how to know whether a celebrated scholar whom they proposed to visit was a true zaddik,* he answered:

“Ask him to advise you what to do to keep unholy thoughts from disturbing you in your prayers and studies. If he gives you advice, then you will know that he belongs to those who are of no account.”

“Words, as is well known, are the great foes of reality,” wrote Joseph Conrad. But when words fail, where can we turn? In order to understand spirituality, in order to live a spiritual life, we must first be able to imagine (“image-in”) such a life, to form a mental picture (a “re-presentation”) of what it might look and feel like. But to do that, to see and feel spirituality, we need a deeper level of language to help us fathom our experience. And so, as people have done throughout the ages, we turn to metaphors, images, and stories.

Metaphors govern understanding by suggesting that an unknown and ineffable entity, life, can best be understood as an activity one knows something about—pilgrimage, for example.” While pilgrimage is, perhaps, the most frequently used metaphor for the spiritual life, a modern spiritual writer uses another ancient example, that of health:

Spirituality is a lot like health. We all have health; we may have good health or poor health, but it’s something we can’t avoid having. The same is true of spirituality: every human being is a spiritual being. The question is not whether we “have spirituality” but whether the spirituality we have is a negative one that leads to isolation and self-destruction or one that is more positive and life-giving.

Images—detailed portraits or panoramic pictures stored in the mind’s memory drawers—also have their role in moving our understanding toward the “standing-under” that is experience, a term that conveys a kind of “seeing” that both “thinks” and “feels.” If we try to call forth spirituality in our imagination, do we envision a picture of some saint—Francis of Assisi, Albert Schweitzer, or Mother Teresa of Calcutta? Or perhaps a religious ceremony comes to mind—the echoes of ancient ritual in the Catholic Mass, the free-spirited enthusiasm of a revival meeting, the quiet serenity of a Quaker gathering. But still, something is missing. For while such images may help bring the concept of spirituality into finer focus, they fall far short of capturing the harmony of seeing, thinking, feeling that is spirituality.

But stories! Stories are the vehicle that moves metaphor and image into experience. Like metaphors and images, stories communicate what is generally invisible and ultimately inexpressible. In seeking to understand these realities through time, stories provide a perspective that touches on the divine, allowing us to see reality in full context, as part of its larger whole. Stories invite a kind of vision that gives shape and form even to the invisible, making the images move, clothing the metaphors, throwing color into the shadows. Of all the devices available to us, stories are the surest way of touching the human spirit.

In the third and fourth centuries, there lived in the wastelands of Egypt a group of individuals later named “the Desert Fathers,” a rather ornery, unorthodox group of ascetics who committed themselves to a life of renunciation in an attempt to discover what it means to be human. Such curious practices as tying themselves to rocks for days on end, eating grass, or fasting for weeks at a time, were intended to extract information about the meaning—the experience—of life.

One of these individuals, the abba Poemen, was visited one day by a dignitary, who was most anxious to discuss his troubled soul and receive the monk’s advice. But as soon as the visitor started talking, the abba averted his gaze and refused to speak to him.

Confused and distraught, the visitor left the room and asked one of the holy man’s followers what was going on—why did the abba ignore him? The disciple spoke to abba Poemen, who explained, “He is from above and speaks of heavenly things, but I am of the earth and speak about earthly things. If he had spoken to me about the passions of his soul, then I should have answered him. But if he speaks about spiritual things, I know nothing of them.”

Fortified with this knowledge, the dignitary tried again, beginning with the question, “What shall I do, abba, I am dominated by the passions of my soul?” And abba Poemen replied, “Now you are speaking rightly.”

In order to speak—and hear—“rightly,” false assumptions about spirituality must be shattered. As the Poemen story suggests, the first supposition that requires revision is the belief that spirituality involves perfection. Spirituality has to do with the reality of the here and now, with living humanly as one is, with the very real, very agonizing, “passions of the soul.” Spirituality involves learning how to live with imperfection.

“If you see someone going up to heaven by his own will,” counseled John Kolobos, another of the Desert Fathers, “grab his leg and pull him down again.” The search for spirituality brings down to earth, plants the feet firmly on the ground, and allows a vision of self as it is, as we are—imperfect and ambiguous. “Earthly spirituality” may sound like a contradiction, but it is instead paradox, and paradox is the nature of spirituality, for paradox is the nature of human beings. Paradox has been defined as “an apparent contradiction”: it combines two realities that don’t seem to belong together, thus calling into question our assumptions about “seeming.” In terms that would appeal to the boundary-stretching practices of the desert monks, the English essayist Gilbert Keith Chesterton described paradox as “Truth standing on her head to attract attention.”

Review:

4.8 out of 5

96.92% of customers are satisfied

5.0 out of 5 stars Thoughtful, compassionate book on being human

J.L. · March 7, 2024

This short, well-written book taps into the wisdom of the Judeo/Christian/Islamic tradition as well as secular philosophy and twelve-step recovery to allow the reader to acknowledge and embrace the inherent imperfections of human life. It's well worth reading for anyone who has made psychological self-flagellation a hobby.

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome way to find serenity !

P.P. · March 24, 2024

I recommend this read for anyone who wants to improve their own spirituality.

5.0 out of 5 stars It’s about recovery from addiction, and we’re all addicts

J.L. · June 6, 2024

This is the second time I’ve read this book. the first time was when I was early in sobriety and it was recommended as part of my 12-Step work. Re-reading it has shown me how understanding what spirituality is really about addresses every problem we have in modern culture, AA or not. It’s not about being more spiritual or more religious, but about accepting the reality of our imperfections and giving up the waste of time and effort involved in chasing a notion of perfection that cannot exist.

5.0 out of 5 stars Best book I’ve read in a long time

B. · September 7, 2023

I love that this book discusses the topic of simply being human and imperfect. It gives me permission to be myself. There’s interesting history, along with informative reading. I’m going through this book with a group of people and the consensus is that it is a well-written and captivating book. I’ve also given it as a gift and my friend loves it! Would definitely recommend and buy again.

4.0 out of 5 stars Damaged

M.R. · May 3, 2024

I haven’t read it yet, but right off, it came bent and the front and back are damaged. Sigh.

5.0 out of 5 stars Many bits of wisdom and insights

R.T. · May 26, 2011

For the third time, I read this book and loved the experience. 12/1/2016I just finished reading this book for the third time. The reason I return to this book again is because there are so many wonderful stories. In example after example, taken from many varied and diverse sources, simple concepts of spirituality are illuminated. I loved rereading the many stories that are included in this book, which demonstrate the power of connection between one person in another through honest storytelling. Even though Kurtz and Ketcham refer to both the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, as well the meetings function in healing, there are applications far beyond AA.It is an easy read and can easily divided up and read chapter by chapter. I highly recommend this book for spiritual seekers.--I was very pleasantly surprised by reading this book. There is a line between spirituality and religion. Many adherents to one reject the other. This book was comfortable for me. I don't want to reject my religion to gain spirituality. At the same time, I have come to believe that there is a vast amount of wisdom that I have gained form listening and sharing my story.I found myself marking certain passages and coming back to them again. This book has been the genesis of a few precious conversations with my sons. It has opened some very welcomed dialogues with some of my friends.I recommend this as both a book to be enjoyed from cover to cover, or one that can be taken in small quantities or studied by topics.Enjoy!Ron Tenney

5.0 out of 5 stars Good book

J.P. · June 29, 2024

It fit its billing.

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is the basis of a Men's Retreat to be held June 6, 7, 8 near Kingston,NY (James @ 845-233-2657)

j.b.t.j. · January 3, 2014

Although I was very eager to get into this book because of it's topic "The Spirituality of IMPERFECTION", I must admit that I wasunaware that the book would be about the founding principles and history of AA (Alcoholics Anonymous).This fact did not discourage me from diving into it, for I grew up in a family of 8 children, a stay at home Mom and a Father whoattempted to be in control by using beer to balance his ups and downs.Actually, being brought up a Roman Catholic, this book was most helpful in describing in factual detail as well as stories thatare related to the details.For example. even though I never realized that by attempting to be faithful to the teachings of my religion, I was caught up inwhat is described in depth as the Spiritually of PERFECTION.The difference between the Spirituality of Perfection and the Spirituality of Imperfection which captured my attention immediatelywas that even though each accepts that as human beings we are flawed form the onset of our existence, how this fact is useddetermines their separation.The path of Perfection sets out attempting to help a person grow spiritually by reinforcing the need to good, to be better than,and to strive to be the best. While emphasis on the paradox that the same person is at times evil and at times good is used topromote the necessity of working to be or for the good.Imperfection allows spirituality to flow into and out of the person who is accepted as sinner and saint, good and evil, kind andrude. Whatever the person brings to their quest for serenity from their "torn-to-pieces" existence is acceptable. For thestarting point of the spirituality is the bottom, failures not seeking success or attempting to be in control.To learn more of how Imperfection can set a person on the path of Spiritual growth give this book a read. Keep you mind opento something seemingly unorthodox as most (extra)ordinary.

Inspiration book about letting go of perfection and embracing being human.

B. · October 25, 2019

This books talks about the fact that humans are never perfect. Something I need to understand and embrace.

A book of blessing

J. · April 3, 2015

This book is full of wisdom. It takes a lot from the history, experience and writings of Alcoholics Anonymous, as well as many other sources. It has something to offer anyone with any sort of addictive traits and anyone who ever experiences resentment. I think that covers just about everyone! If you read this book with an open heart you will be blessed.

Five Stars

R.M. · November 7, 2014

Too Good to be True. Love it.

This is a good one, really good

C.u.n. · December 24, 2017

This is a good one, really good. I bought several and sent them to friends that I thought might be receptive to personal development.

Four Stars

S. · October 31, 2017

Looks and feels like a used or bad copy.

Visit the Bantam Store

The Spirituality of Imperfection: Storytelling and the Search for Meaning

Name: The Spirituality of Imperfection: Storytelling and the Search for Meaning
Brand: Bantam
SKU: U0553371320
Price: 8.20 BHD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.7 (13 reviews)

4.7

^BHD8¹⁹⁸

Quantity:

Order today to get by

Free delivery on orders over BHD 20

Return and refund policies

Product origin: United States

Electrical items shipped from the US are by default considered to be 120v, unless stated otherwise in the product description. Contact Bolo support for voltage information of specific products. A step-up transformer is required to convert from 120v to 240v. All heating electrical items of 120v will be automatically cancelled.

All product information listed on the site are from 3rd party sources, including images and reviews. bolo.bh is not liable for any claims or promotions mentioned on the product description or images with textual content. For detailed product information, please contact the manufacturer or Bolo support by logging into your account. Unless stated otherwise during checkout, all import taxes and duty are included in the price mentioned on the product page. bolo.bh follows the rules and regulations of sale in Bahrain and will cancel items in an order that are illegal for sale in Bahrain. We take all the necessary steps to ensure only products for sale in Bahrain are displayed. Product stock and delivery estimate may change with the seller even after placing the order. All items are shipped by air and items marked “Dangerous Goods (DG)” by the IATA will be cancelled from orders. We strive to process your order as soon as it is finalized.

Similar items from “Religious Studies”

Books

Religion & Spirituality

Religious Studies

Description:

Editorial Reviews

Review

From the Publisher

From the Inside Flap

From the Back Cover

About the Author

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Review:

The Spirituality of Imperfection: Storytelling and the Search for Meaning

More from this brand

Similar items from “Religious Studies”

Description:

Editorial Reviews

Review

From the Publisher

From the Inside Flap

From the Back Cover

About the Author

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Review:

The Spirituality of Imperfection: Storytelling and the Search for Meaning

Shipping Policies

Voltage Disclaimer

Product Disclaimer

More from this brand

Similar items from “Religious Studies”