Sadhana (pronounced Sod'-ah-na) is an Indian word rich in meanings such as discipline, technique, spiritual exercise, one's own personal means for approaching God. This book thoughtfully and practically blends insights and techniques from sources such as Scripture and christian teaching, modern psychology, and the traditions of Eastern and Western spiritual masters.
The author, Anthony de Mello, S.J., studied philosophy in Spain, psychology in the United States, and spiritual theology in Italy. Afterwards, he spent many years of his life as a Jesuit priest helping people all over the world to pray. He was the founder of the Sadhana Institute of Pastoral Counseling in India and traveled widely around the world to conduct retreats, conferences,and workshops on prayer. In 1987,on his last journey from his home in India to conduct several workshops, he died suddenly in New York. Father de Mello aimed quite simply to teach people how to pray, how to awaken their whole selves, how to bring their bodies and souls to the quest for God and to the personal peace that comes from knowing and loving God. In fourty-seven exercises in this book, he teaches such things as the riches of silence, the prayer of the body, finding God in all things, awareness of the other, the joyful mysteries of one's life, the healing of hurtful memories, the thousand names of God, and the prayer of praise.
Long a best seller in the English language, Sadhana has sold hundreds of thousands of copies in multiple printings and has been translated into more than twenty languages. This is a book that will help busy men or women of today to journey into their inner selves and to discover in prayer from the heart new depth and breadth in themselves and in their relationships with God.