In the Spirit of Happiness

November 1, 1999
Known for their popular dog-training books (How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend, etc.), the monks of New Skete are a contemporary religious community in the Eastern Orthodox tradition. The Cambridge, N.Y., group supports itself through farming and breeding German shepherds (hence the dog books), among other enterprises. Writing in unison, the monks articulate the principles of their monasticism and spiritual practices. The monks believe that "the world itself is a cloister" and that all humans are entitled to happiness, which they define as a "deep and lasting interior peace... comes only with the struggle to search out and accept the will of God in our lives." Readers expecting the standard primer on simple living should be forewarned that this work, while luminous at times, is also profound and challenging. Wary of the current vogue for individualistic spirituality, the monks advocate learning by following a teacher, meditating, reading and reflecting on Scripture, praying silently and embracing discipline. The value of liturgical worship and community are beautifully and movingly portrayed. The monks depict their beliefs with remarkable depth and certainty, but the use of dialogue between a composite "Seeker" of wisdom and Father Laurence, their abbot, and other Brothers occasionally seems contrived and didactic. The book includes a brief history of monasticism from biblical times, the most fascinating story being the formation of the New Skete community.

October 15, 1999
Authored collectively by the monks of New Skete, this spiritual guidebook originates with the fundamental premise that God created all human beings to be happy. True happiness, the monks argue, is a dynamic predicated upon a firm foundation of discipline, prayer, love, and forgiveness--all basic principles of the monastic way of life. Urging readers to incorporate these concepts into their daily routines, the authors outline the roots of monasticism, the history of the New Skete Monastery, the liberating rituals of meditation and asceticism, and their own almost primal connection to the natural world. A thoughtful blueprint for spiritual contentment from the best-selling authors of "How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend" (1978) and "The Art of Raising a Puppy" (1991). ((Reviewed October 15, 1999))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1999, American Library Association.)