As a result of an email dialogue between a mathematician and a psychologist a process of a spiritual practice is described, which focuses on the development of a refined awareness for the purpose of seeking the sacred, unity, and wholeness. The practice of "living 'in'" involves a training of the mind to reach beyond the limitations of thoughts and emotions.
The authors began the dialogue as skeptical seekers. Both were experiencing doubt about religious matters and had almost given up on their spiritual quests.
As the dialogue progressed, a student-teacher relationship developed. Sam, the teacher, presented an approach which began with logic, and Harold, the student, responded with questions and challenges related to the world of ideas.
Eventually the results became a practical nontheoretical map (mostly spatial) for approaching the sacred, enhanced with a blend of philosophical, religious, and psychological viewpoints to relate the pure "without impressions" practice to paradigms of thought from antiquity to postmodernity.
Essential issues were explored, including the dilemma of dualistic thinking, the mostly hidden religious tradition of practice versus belief, dialectic theology, and depth psychology, to name a few.
The skeptical seeker and critical thinker, who have practically given up on the sacred, should find this book helpful since it may provide an approach to the sacred that could honor their doubts and thinking processes. It could also be helpful to the believer who wants to develop a deeper experiential level of religious practice.
