For more than fifteen hundred years Christianity has cultivated a rich and varied teaching on the practice of stillness and inner calm. Here we can find answers to the contemporary psychological struggle for inner peace. In a fresh and engaging reading of this ancient contemplative spirituality, Jean-Yves Leloup explores the writings of many spiritual masters from across the centuries. In particular he focuses on the Desert Fathers, the fourth-century monk Evagrius, St. John Cassian, and the anonymous 19th-century author of The Way of the Pilgrim. Drawn from the experience of the monasteries of Sinai and Mount Athos, here is a clear and practical presentation of the spiritual art of arts: stillness in the face of interior pain and confusion. This book: --demonstrates that peace in the world begins with peace in the heart. --is gracefully written for everyday readers.