Title: Everyday Mysticism : a contemplative community at work in the desert.
Authors: Glucklich, Ariel,
Publisher: Yale University Press,
Year: 2017
Subjects: Neot Smadar (Religious community) Israel.; Mysticism Israel.; Communal living Israel.; Mindfulness (Psychology)
Abstract: "In this thoughtful and enlightening work, world renowned religion scholar Ariel Glucklich recounts his experiences at Neot Smadar, an ecological and spiritual oasis that has been thriving in the arid Southern Israeli desert for a quarter century. An intentional community originally established by a group of young professionals who abandoned urban life to found a school for the study of the self, Neot Smadar has thrived by putting ancient Buddhist and Hindu ideas into everyday practice as ways of living and working. Glucklich provides a fascinating detailed portrait of a dynamic farming community that runs on principles of spiritual contemplation and mindfulness, thereby creating a working environment that is highly ethical and nurturing. His study serves as a gentle invitation to join the world of mindful work, and to gain a new understanding of a unique form of mystical insight that exists without exoticism"--back cover.
Contents: Introduction: What Is Neot Smadar? -- A Search for Religious Experience -- Washing Dishes -- The Oasis of Neot Smadar: An Overview -- A School for Self-Inquiry -- The School after the Death of Yossef -- The Art of Listening -- Everyday Mysticism -- Constructing the Art Center: Communal Project as Ascetic Practice -- At Work in Neot Smadar: Making Wine, Milking Goats, Learning the Lesson of the Bolt -- The Extended Family: Sociality in Neot Smadar -- A Wedding Gift for Dani -- Conclusion: Looking Forward.