James Finley, Ph.D. lived as a monk at the cloistered Trappist monastery of the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky, where the world-renowned monk and author, Thomas Merton, was his spiritual director.

James Finley leads retreats and workshopsthroughout the United States and Canada, attracting men and women from all religious traditions who seek to live a contemplative way of life in the midst of today's busy world. He is also a core faculty member at Richard Rohr;s Living School and is a clinical psychologist in private practice with his wife in Santa Monica, California.

James Finley is the author of: Merton's Palace of Nowhere, The Contemplative Heart and Christian Meditation: Experiencing the Presence of God.