Translation: "On the Method of the Prayer of Jesus" by Saint Sofferoni (1)

Note: The author believes that this article can be used as an important guide and reference for believers who practice the Jesus Prayer in China. The main idea of this article - the same as the author's suggestion - is to suggest that beginners start with the prayer of the lips and tongue, not to try to pray with the breath at the beginning, but to let the process happen naturally. However, in the absence of a spiritual teacher, the author thinks that the safest way is to pray with the lips and tongue, and the cooperation of breathing is only suitable for ordinary believers to restrain their minds and focus on Jesus’ prayers in fragmented time, while the fixed-time prayers are Stay on the prayer of your lips.

For example:

• This article is translated from: Sophrony, Archimandrite. His Life Is Mine (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1977), 112-120.

Available at: Archimandrite Sophrony, " The Jesus Prayer: Method "

You can see the video of the tubing at:

text

In this chapter, I endeavour to clarify as succinctly as possible the more important aspects of the Jesus Prayer and the prayer of the heart that I encountered on the holy mountain [Athos] (by: this great culture of the heart, literally translated as the great culture of the heart). , i.e. Inner Prayer) common sense.

Year after year, the monks repeat this prayer with their lips, without attempting to add the heart and the [layers] of the heart in any artificial way. Their attention is focused on bringing their lives into harmony with the commandments of Christ. According to ancient tradition, when monks continue [practice] the ascetic work of obedience and self-control, when the mind, heart, and body of the "old man" themselves [achieve] freedom from sin, when the body is worthy to be a "temple of the Holy Spirit" ( See Romans 6:11-14), the mind (mind, according to: here the translator translates mind as mind ) is united with the mind through divine activity. Yet, ancient and modern, spiritual masters occasionally allow recourse to a technique of channeling the mind into the heart. That is, the monk adjusts his body position, leans his head to his chest, opens his mouth to say a prayer, inhales "Lord Jesus Christ, (Son of God)" and exhales "Have mercy on me (sinner)". When inhaling, attention first follows the inhaled breath to the top of the heart. In this way concentration can be maintained quickly without wandering (wandering), the mind standing side by side with the mind [together], or the mind entering the mind. This method finally makes it clear to the mind that it is not the physical mind but what happens in it—that is, the emotions that creep in and the mental images [places] that are approached from the outside. Based on this experience, the monk needs to be able to feel his mind and to be able to concentrate on it continuously without further resorting to any psychosomatic techniques.

( Press: Here the mind enters the very core of the human being. This place is inseparably connected with the position around the physical heart, but it cannot be located and is invisible. It is also this heart that the mind really enters. Breathe into the heart. Our body can be called the temple of the Holy Spirit, all because of the inseparable connection between the invisible heart and the flesh heart. For details, please refer to the author's translation " Saint Nicodemus on the Heart is a Man " " The Center of the Heart". The ancients of China knew this thing for a long time, and the so-called "the heart hides the heart" in the internal business chapter of "Guanzi" is what it means. )

True prayer comes from faith and repentance

( Note: Here I use the Essay version, not the Union version, because faith without works is dead, especially for spiritual traditions )

This method can help beginners ( note: beginners here specifically refer to monks with spiritual teachers, not laymen who live and work in the world ) to understand where his inner attention should be placed when praying, and as a rule , and other times as well. However, true prayer is not achieved in this way. True prayer springs especially from faith and repentance as its sole basis. The danger of psychotechnics is that many people overemphasize that the importance of the method lies in the method itself. To avoid this deformity [misunderstanding], beginners should follow another practice method. This method is relatively slower, but incomparably better, healthier and safer to pin the attention on the name and prayers of Christ. When repentance of one's sins reaches a certain level, the mind naturally heeds the mind.

complete formula

The full formula of the Jesus Prayer goes like this: Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me sinners. [We] recommend this formula. In the first half of the prayer, we confess that Christ God became flesh for our salvation. In the second half of the prayer, we are assured of our fallen state, our sin, our salvation. Combining the doctrine of confession and confession makes the prayer more comprehensive.

growth stage

It is possible to establish a certain growth sequence for this prayer.

The first stage is about the lips and tongue: we say the prayer with our lips, while trying to focus on the holy name and the prayer.

In the second stage, we no longer move our lips, but in our hearts, silently (mentally) read the name of Jesus Christ and the following [prayer].

In the third stage, the heart and the heart act together: the heart's attention is focused on the heart and there is prayer.

In the fourth stage, the prayer becomes self-propelling. This happens when prayer is established in the heart, where [prayer] continues without our special effort, while the mind remains concentrated.

In the fifth stage, the prayers are filled with blessings and begin in our hearts as a gentle flame, as an inspiration from the highest, rejoicing the heart with a feeling of divine love, in spiritual contemplation (contemplation) rejoices the heart. This final stage is sometimes accompanied by visions of divine light.

( Press: The divine light here is not created, material light, but uncreated, immaterial light. This emphasis on the experience of divine light began with Simon, a new theologian in the 11th century, and later in the 14th century. It is further emphasized by St. Parama in the dispute of repair. )

step by step

It is most reliable to ascend gradually in the prayer. Beginners in this struggle are usually advised to start with the first step: praying with the lips and tongue, until the body, tongue, brain and heart absorb it (assimilate). The time varies, and the more sincerely repentant, the shorter the path.

The practice of mental prayer (also called silent prayer without tongue) may for some time be associated with the method of meditation, in other words, it may take the form of a rhythm or one of the ones mentioned above. The rhythmic prayer that arrives, [read in your mind] the first half of the prayer as you breathe in, and the lower half as you breathe out. It really helps if one does not overlook the fact that every invocation on the name of Christ must be inseparably accompanied by awareness of Christ himself. The holy name cannot be separated from the personality of God, lest prayer be reduced to an exercise of skill that violates this commandment: "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain." (Exodus 20:7; Deuteronomy 5:11)

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