The Wandering Mind

What Medieval Monks Tell Us About Distraction

By: Jamie Kreiner

Narrated by: Jamie Kreiner

The digital era is beset by distraction, and it feels like things are only getting worse. At times like these, the distant past beckons as a golden age of attention. We dream of recapturing the quiet of a world with less noise. We imagine retreating into solitude and singlemindedness, almost like latter-day monks.

But although we think of early monks as master concentrators, a life of mindfulness did not, in fact, come to them easily. As historian Jamie Kreiner demonstrates in The Wandering Mind, their attempts to stretch the mind out to God—to continuously contemplate the divine order and its ethical requirements—were all-consuming, and their battles against distraction were never-ending. Delving into the experiences of early Christian monks, Kreiner shows that these men and women were obsessed with distraction in ways that seem remarkably modern.

Drawing on a trove of sources that the monks left behind, Kreiner reconstructs the techniques they devised in their lifelong quest to master their minds. She captures the fleeting moments of pure attentiveness that some monks managed to grasp, and the many times when monks struggled and failed and went back to the drawing board. Blending history and psychology, The Wandering Mind is a witty, illuminating account of human fallibility and ingenuity that bridges a distant era and our own.

©2023 Jamie Kreiner (P)2023 Ascent Audio

A must-read for serious contemplatives

Kreiner captures the perpetual struggle of the "monkey brain" to rest in contemplation. She shows how the struggles we today have with focus and mental order are nothing new and, in fact, are inherent in a life of prayer -- if not actually constitutive. The 52 pages of notes provide a vast menu of sources for pursuing this topic further.

I have read the hardback twice and am now enjoying listening to the author reading her book. Kreiner is a fluent and erudite reader and handles Greek and Latin competently.

Superb and wildly thought provoking!

Buckle up for a grand tour of historical distractions, with brilliant and amusing asides. Loved the book, loved her performance.