One of the most profound and noble expressions of Christian spirituality, contemplation is as familiar to the Trappist monk as the Buddhist one. In each tradition the power of desire, purified and redirected toward God, breaks through the heat of longing into the perfect fullness of Christlike love. The Contemplative Experience celebrates the mature monastic eros—holy desire—and encourages an understanding of the ways that lead to an experience of immersion in the love of God.