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Reading a Text for Insight: 1 st Stage

Reading a Text for Insight: 1 st Stage. The following are rules of thumb for reading any text (i.e., a sentence, passage, book, collection, etc.), especially any text considered important. They apply to sacred texts, too, but to other texts as well. Read the text.

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Reading a Text for Insight: 1 st Stage

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  1. Reading a Text for Insight: 1st Stage The following are rules of thumb for reading any text (i.e., a sentence, passage, book, collection, etc.), especially any text considered important. They apply to sacred texts, too, but to other texts as well. • Read the text. • Reflect (prayerfully or otherwise) on what you’ve read for a while. • Pay attention to whatever comes to mind from your reading and reflection. • Pay attention to any prior expectations you may have about the meaning of this text, and open them to whatever the text seems to say this time.

  2. Reading a Text for Insight: 2nd Stage • Now read the text again. • Pay attention to what might have appealed to you. • Pay attention to what might have surprised, puzzled or bothered you. • Be honest about what you find, even if you don’t know how to put it all together. • Discuss what you’re beginning to see with others, and listen to what they are beginning to see.

  3. Reading a Text for Insight: 3rd Stage • Now read the text again. • Pay attention to its setting as part of a larger text or collection of texts. • Imagine what the original setting for this text might have been. • Imagine how it might have been received by different people at different times. • Explore how different settings might affect how you read this text. • Discuss what you’re beginning to see with others, and listen to what they are beginning to see.

  4. Reading a Text for Insight: 4th Stage • Now read the text again. • Pay attention to any new insights (sometimes they are old insights renewed). • Start consulting what other reputed experts have said about this text, its original and later settings, etc. • (It’s OK if you already knew a bit about this beforehand, but don’t focus on any of this before you’ve gotten to this stage.) • How does this affect your reading? • Discuss what you’re beginning to see with others, and listen to what they are beginning to see.

  5. Reading a Text for Insight: Final Reminders Personal: At every stage, keep asking yourself how “the world of the text” intersects with your world: • What assumptions about reality do you bring to your reading? • Are there other viable (to you) assumptions that would make a difference? • How, if at all, does reading this text affect how you might live, and how you might view your life and the lives of others? • Does it challenge your assumptions about reality, or does it confirm them? With Others: When differences arise, see if they can be reconciled; if not, try these options: • Maybe the meaning of the text is too engaging for just one approach. • Maybe some people are just honestly mistaken (could I be one of them?). • Maybe some people are not fully honest (could I be one of them?). Repeat these stages as often as seems helpful.

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