Hesychasm

[bèlla]

I came across Hesychasm on a website I used to frequent. Can you expound on the concept and your personal experiences if applicable? Thank you.

Yours in His Service,

~bella

 

[Francis Earl]

Hesychasm is a simple meditative technique based on Matthew 6:6 in that you are to become still and cut off the senses from the outside world... it also harkens to Psalms 46:10 where we are told this is how to know God.

Similar to mantras of the Dharmic traditions, it is often accompanied by repeating "Oh Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner." This makes it easier for the practitioner to quiet the mind and focus on the task.

Gradually, our awareness comes down into the chest, and there is tangible love felt. As we advance, this becomes more and more a part of our life and is the foundation of all actions. It can cause many spiritual experiences too, but of course these all come and go leaving behind only the insight provided.

Really, this is where all spiritual texts arise from, this is the knowing that makes the Apostles words true... without this, they are just imagining. It is also what is missing from most Christians lives, they fight with themselves to become more Christ like but if you're always moving from love the effects become quite natural.

At the peaks, you understand things like John 14:10 because there is a tangible sense you aren't the mover, the doer becomes God.

 

[Pavel Mosko]

More of an EO thing, but got this from a Coptic site.


Hesychia


Stillness, quiet, tranquility. This is the central consideration in the prayer of the desert Fathers. On the external level is signifies an individual living as a solitary; on a deeper level it is not merely separation from noise and speaking with other people, but the possession of interior quiet and peace. Thus it is possible to use the term of many who do not actually live the hermit life. It means more specifically guarding the mind, constant remembrance of God, and the possession of inner prayer. Hesychasm is the general term and hesychast is the noun used to describe the person seeking to follow this way of prayer. METANOIA: repentance, interior sorrow for sin. It also means the action by which such sorrow is expressed, usually a prostration. It is also used of a deep bow which is a means of greeting someone with respect. It has in later writings the meaning of conversion of life, and particularly the conversion of monastic life.

Hesychia - Saint Tekle Haymanot Coptic Orthodox Website - Alex, Egypt

 

[bèlla]

Similar to mantras of the Dharmic traditions, it is often accompanied by repeating "Oh Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner." This makes it easier for the practitioner to quiet the mind and focus on the task.

Francis,

Thank you for your feedback.

Is the mantra necessary or can you enter the space without it?

It can cause many spiritual experiences too, but of course these all come and go leaving behind only the insight provided.

By other experiences, do you mean mystical or ecstatic?

It is also what is missing from most Christians lives, they fight with themselves to become more Christ like but if you're always moving from love the effects become quite natural.

Would you recommend the same practice or something different?

At the peaks, you understand things like John 14:10 because there is a tangible sense you aren't the mover, the doer becomes God.

Yes, we're receptacles.

Yours in His Service,

~bella

 

[Francis Earl]

Is the mantra necessary or can you enter the space without it?

As I said, it's an aid in quieting the mind... so ideally it should not be necessary as you advance.

By other experiences, do you mean mystical or ecstatic?

Both, although simple bliss and peace are the after effects and real goal.

Would you recommend the same practice or something different?

For me, this is the only practice that actually works.

 

[bèlla]

More of an EO thing, but got this from a Coptic site.

Pavel,

I knew I could count on you. Pack up your doppelganger and send him my way! Thanks sweets.

Do you have a similar practice with OO? Several words jumped out in the piece you shared. That's probably the lesson.

On the external level is signifies an individual living as a solitary; on a deeper level it is not merely separation from noise and speaking with other people, but the possession of interior quiet and peace.

I used to have a day of silence on Fridays. I wouldn't speak until sundown. It was very therapeutic.

Thus it is possible to use the term of many who do not actually live the hermit life. It means more specifically guarding the mind, constant remembrance of God, and the possession of inner prayer. Hesychasm is the general term and hesychast is the noun used to describe the person seeking to follow this way of prayer. METANOIA: repentance, interior sorrow for sin. It also means the action by which such sorrow is expressed, usually a prostration. It is also used of a deep bow which is a means of greeting someone with respect. It has in later writings the meaning of conversion of life, and particularly the conversion of monastic life.[/quote]

I've been feeling a tug and this confirms it. My avatar testifies to the prodding. I'll do some digging. The interior quiet and peace reminded me of St. Teresa of Avila. I've read her work in the past. Maybe a refresher is due.

Yours in Service,

~bella

 

[bèlla]

As I said, it's an aid in quieting the mind... so ideally it should not be necessary as you advance.

Correct, I've had a lot of experience in that respect. But I wanted to hear from you nonetheless.

Both, although simple bliss and peace are the after effects and real goal.

I'll keep that in mind as I explore further.

For me, this is the only practice that actually works.

Have you tried others?

Yours in His Service,

~bella

 

[Francis Earl]

Have you tried others?

I have tried every technique I can find... the Buddhist and Hindu traditions were huge parts of my seeking process, but I was very happy to find the real thing in the Christian tradition too.

The Dharmic schools tend to add frills and contortions and all sorts of odd things, but ultimately this inner silence is the goal of all that too.

They call it "Mauna" in the Yogi tradition, it is the intention of nirvana and samadhi.

 

[Lukaris]

I am sure other Orthodox posters will be more helpful. Although, I think this statement from St. Theodoros ( the great ascetic) might be of some value:

“With reference to the perfect mortification of the passions St. Paul says: ‘They that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh together with the passions and desires ( Galatians 5:24). For when we mortify the passions, utterly destroy desires, and subjugate the will of the flesh to the Spirit, we take up the cross and follow Christ ( Matthew 16:24). For withdrawal from the world is nothing else but the mortification of the passions and the manifestation of the life that is hidden in Christ. ( Colossians 3:3-4)”.

Philokalia vol. 2 ( St. Theodoros etc. 100 spiritual texts, # 17 (9th c. AD?).

Hesychasm can often be called: “stillness” a sense of tranquility of kind of being able to deal with reality in the Spirit in which our anxieties etc. are silenced. ( surely I can only describe & have not been transformed).

 

[Ezana]

Bella, with all due respect to those who've provided answers, the pursuit of hesychia is exactly the sort of thing that has and often does lead people into delusion and deception. It is not Dharmic in nature, and the Jesus Prayer is absolutely not a mantra. The emergence of hesychasm in the 14th century was incredibly controversial, for good (and perhaps obvious) reasons. It is also something that very few people have managed to fully realize, and perfect hesychia is virtually impossible to achieve in the world (as St. Isaac the Syrian and other great saints of solitude have taught). That being said, the essence of hesychasm is a stillness of body and spirit, and that is certainly something we should all be striving for. It is safer and ultimately more helpful for us in the world to keep things simple, as the hesychasts of Mt. Athos live a totally different life under totally different circumstances. Talking to a spiritual father or visiting a local monastery to inquire further about how one can implement hesychastic practices in one's life also wouldn't hurt. I'll leave a couple links below which you might find useful, as well as a quote from St. Anthony which sums up the purpose of stillness in the Christian life quite succinctly. Forgive me if I sound overbearing or presumptuous—it's not my intention to scare you away from the concept of hesychasm or criticize your inquiry. You'll likely receive plenty of answers and much information in the responses to your thread, and so I figured that, in addition to these other replies, a friendly warning about this mystical tradition might also be in good order.

THE NEPTIC AND HESYCHASTIC CHARACTER OF ORTHODOX ATHONITE MONASTICISM greekorthodoxchrch.org

Hesychast controversy - Wikipedia

"Whoever sits in solitude and is quiet has escaped from three wars: those of hearing, speaking and seeing. Then there is only one war left in which to fight, and that is the battle for your own heart."

 

[Francis Earl]

Bella, with all due respect to those who've provided answers, the pursuit of hesychia is exactly the sort of thing that has and often does lead people into delusion and deception. It is not Dharmic in nature, and the Jesus Prayer is absolutely not a mantra. The emergence of hesychasm in the 14th century was incredibly controversial, for good (and perhaps obvious) reasons. It's also something very few people have managed to fully realize, and perfect hesychia is virtually impossible to achieve in the world (as St. Isaac the Syrian and other great saints of solitude have said). That being said, the essence of hesychasm is a stillness of body and spirit, and that is certainly something we should all be striving for. It's safer and ultimately more helpful for us in the world to keep things simple, as the hesychasts of Mt. Athos live a totally different life under totally different circumstances. Talking to a spiritual father or visiting a local monastery to inquire further about how one can implement hesychastic practices in one's life also wouldn't hurt. I'll leave a couple links below which you might find useful, as well as a quote from St. Anthony which sums up the purpose of stillness in the Christian life quite succinctly. Forgive me if I sound overbearing or presumptuous—it's not my intention to scare you away from the concept of hesychasm or criticize your inquiry. You'll likely receive plenty of answers and much information in the responses to your thread, and so I figured that, in addition to these other replies, a friendly warning about this mystical tradition might also be in good order.

THE NEPTIC AND HESYCHASTIC CHARACTER OF ORTHODOX ATHONITE MONASTICISM greekorthodoxchrch.org

Hesychast controversy - Wikipedia

"Whoever sits in solitude and is quiet has escaped from three wars: those of hearing, speaking and seeing. Then there is only one war left in which to fight, and that is the battle for your own heart."

You are reacting too strongly to terminology... the reality, however, is that the Dharmic traditions do teach this, and the Jesus Prayer is repeated constantly by hesychasts, so your distinction is small at best. I have spoken against many Dharmic practices, and called Hesychasm the true goal of all the nonsense, thus implying that it is better to go directly to.

I am in no way suggesting the beliefs of the Dharma traditions are good or true, indeed even they often suggest the point is to go beyond all beliefs and actually realize the truth yourself, to live the truth yourself...

This ought to be the goal for all, but your warnings are valid. It can lead to delusion, it can lead to many mistakes. It has to be understood the things which happen are a function of grace, that whatever is added to you through it is a gift... all you've really done is become receptive.

I must insist, however, that through these experiences we can also far better understand what the NT actually tells us, I think that without any grounding in such practices we get very violent believers, extremists, and I think that is a much worse type of delusion because it harms the faith in the eyes of outsiders and makes it unappealing to even engage.

If it can become more commonly understood, the delusions of mystical experiences are quite easy to overcome, but the hardened hearts of the hateful in Christ are much harder to correct.

 

[Pavel Mosko]

Do you have a similar practice with OO? Several words jumped out in the piece you shared. That's probably the lesson

We sort of unofficially do the EO stuff, since we got a lot of the shared heritage etc. A few years back, one of the great Coptic monks died, he went by the name Mathew the Poor (Matta El Meskeen). He wrote a detailed book on prayer, where he wrote about from the perspective of not just Coptic saints like Anthony the Great etc. but the later Eastern Orthodox and I think a few Catholic medieval mystical saints.

His book is well regarded by the Eastern Orthodox, it actually is published by saint Vladmir seminary press the big EO seminary and publication house which is about a good a seal of approval as you can get without actually being EO. It is available for free on line, click the pdf link. Some folks my former priest when I lived in California was a little uncomfortable with it ;because he thought it was too advanced for many people (because he hadn't even experienced some of the stuff that the book talks about).

Anyway I'm pretty sure their at least one chapter on the Jesus prayer, as well as other kinds of mystical stuff so enjoy.


http://orthokairos.weebly.com/uploads/5/7/3/1/57311059/orthodox_prayer_life.pdf

 

[Francis Earl]

I also think the plethora of cults would be vastly diminished if this was better understood... I think if more engaged this almost everything bad in Christianity would slowly be dropped... what is evident is that a superficial study of religious texts satisfies very few, most want something more real, experiential... without which there is always doubt deep down because nothing is confirmed, you just believe and believe and try to prove why it's right intellectually. When you know you don't argue about its validity, you just say "try it yourself".

I can promise this, if it isn't more widely known the Christian faith will continue losing out to Buddhists and Hindu's because they aren't asking you to believe anything, they just tell you how to know yourself and you can't beat that by telling people to hate gay people.

Indeed, I am one who has returned because this exists here... I have spent a decade studying everything else exactly because Christianity was never appealing although all truth is confirmed in the Bible. It is the lack of perceivable spirituality in the Christian that turns people away, but hesychasm is actual spirituality. It alone actually transforms people, reading and fighting with yourself just makes you bitter and depressed.

Through hesychasm, the Spirit fights for you *cue matrix scene*

Reading becomes a way to understand what is happening, the whole way becomes more beautiful.

 

[Lukaris]

I would guess that the average layperson ( like myself) should understand the ideal of what hesychasm is but continue in the basic daily prayers of our prayer books ( Trisagion prayers & the Lord’s Prayer)

Trisagion Prayers

 

[abacabb3]

Ceaseless prayer sounds daunting, but just this year Father Joshua Schooping wrote a practical book on the topic, going over step-by-step: https://www.amazon.com/MANUAL-THEOSIS-Christian-Instruction-Watchfulness/dp/B08JK3Z9DH

 

[WanderedHome]

I came across Hesychasm on a website I used to frequent. Can you expound on the concept and your personal experiences if applicable? Thank you.

Yours in His Service,

~bella

Hi Bella,
I don't have a lot of experience praying the Jesus Prayer, but from what I have, I can say that the words are not an empty phrase that one repeats mindlessly, like a mantra (at least, that is my understanding of mantra-"droning on mindlessly with an obsessive focus on the self as a divine being") The words are vitally important and each time we say them we should focus our heart on the words with all sincerity of faith and repentance. You may have to say it very slowly, or you might have to go faster- it's different for each person. It is not about quantity, but quality. Everything should lead to contrition and repentance, not a self-inflation.

"Lord Jesus have mercy on me a sinner" can be a prayer of supplication for yourself as well as others. It is not meant to be a groveling towards a vengeful deity, but a plea for mercy in faith that God is indeed merciful and loves people (that was my struggle with it in the beginning, before I understood it).

As for experiences- I had one time where I was anxious about some sin I had and after the prayer there was a profound silence in my heart and just a single clear word about what I should do.

Another time, before I was Orthodox (I was visiting at the time), I was in my car driving to church and all kinds of sinful thoughts towards the people were flying around my head, like a cloud of annoying gnats. I can't remember if I was praying the Jesus Prayer or not, but I prayed the Our Father once and just as I said, "and deliver us from the evil one," it was like the 'Lion of Judah' roared and demanded silence. Everything was just so eerily still and peaceful!

I can remember a few experiences where after a few minutes of praying, my room was just filled with a presence of peace, like it was dripping from the walls and I'm like "Lord, it is good for me to be here. Let me build you a tent ".... LOL! ... but in all seriousness, that's really what it is about- resting in the presence of the Uncreated Light (Jesus Christ) and being changed by that experience... Just to be clear, I never actually saw any light, maybe there are some monks who have, but we'll never know since they are too humble to talk about it.

If you are interested, I would recommend visiting an Orthodox church or a monastery church and just getting to know the faith in general. Don't be too eager to learn the Jesus Prayer, but just be open to where God leads.

 

[Francis Earl]

Of course, psyche is the word actually used in the NT... incase anyone is confused why I'm bringing it up...

It suggests, however, that like psychology, the actual goal is true sanity... where relying on the mind rather than reality is insanity.

It suggests psychoanalysis is a type of catharsis, intended to purify our mental traumas and the like...

This is all a function of a genuine spiritual path... further, this spirit or pneuma is the other side of breath... what is breathed in, where the soul breaths out... the relationship is one.

All quite interesting but perhaps confusing to most, sorry.

 

[bèlla]

I have tried every technique I can find... the Buddhist and Hindu traditions were huge parts of my seeking process, but I was very happy to find the real thing in the Christian tradition too.

I had a mystical experience in my early twenties. I didn't understand what was taking place. Some call it K-active or the spontaneous activation of the kundalini. I wasn't conversant in Hinduism or Buddhism or practicing anything. I was praying a lot and going deeper spiritually. Call it an awakening if you will.

Moving from the natural to the spiritual was easy after the first occurrence. That hasn't changed. I have the gift of discerning of spirits and that's more involved. My experiences in contemplation, meditation and Lectio Divina weren't through an instructor. The Holy Spirit taught me. I didn't realize what I was doing until I attended a monastic weekend and they explained things.

The Dharmic schools tend to add frills and contortions and all sorts of odd things, but ultimately this inner silence is the goal of all that too.

They call it "Mauna" in the Yogi tradition, it is the intention of nirvana and samadhi.

Exposure to different traditions ignited supernatural and psychic experiences. I was having visions on occasion. I didn't realize what I'd gotten myself into. There came a point when the Lord intervened to prevent me from going further.

Yours in His Service,

~bella

 

[( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)]

Ever get chill bumps after hearing a word or warm and fuzzy feelings while meditating on something of Christ? One day I asked God what factors have to be in place for these things to happen by odedience and not merely by chance. Anyway..

I use practices like this to feel the tangible touch of God. I'm currently at the tail end of making a write-up on the how-tos involved with this on my blog. Don't know if I will publish it or not. It's a sort of an odd thing, especially how I've worded it. Anyway, I believe Holy Spirit on flesh ministry is real and one of the benefits of this sort of thing.

 

[bèlla]

Bella, with all due respect to those who've provided answers, the pursuit of hesychia is exactly the sort of thing that has and often does lead people into delusion and deception. It is not Dharmic in nature, and the Jesus Prayer is absolutely not a mantra.

Ezana,

Thank you for the warning and explanation. I didn't equate it with Dharma. I know that path. But I'm glad you clarified lest others assume the same.

The emergence of hesychasm in the 14th century was incredibly controversial, for good (and perhaps obvious) reasons. It is also something that very few people have managed to fully realize, and perfect hesychia is virtually impossible to achieve in the world (as St. Isaac the Syrian and other great saints of solitude have taught). That being said, the essence of hesychasm is a stillness of body and spirit, and that is certainly something we should all be striving for.

I believe that's what the Lord is pointing towards. He's been nudging me to go deeper.

It is safer and ultimately more helpful for us in the world to keep things simple, as the hesychasts of Mt. Athos live a totally different life under totally different circumstances. Talking to a spiritual father or visiting a local monastery to inquire further about how one can implement hesychastic practices in one's life also wouldn't hurt. I'll leave a couple links below which you might find useful, as well as a quote from St. Anthony which sums up the purpose of stillness in the Christian life quite succinctly.

Thank you for your generosity and kindness. I appreciate the resources and suggestions.

Forgive me if I sound overbearing or presumptuous—it's not my intention to scare you away from the concept of hesychasm or criticize your inquiry. You'll likely receive plenty of answers and much information in the responses to your thread, and so I figured that, in addition to these other replies, a friendly warning about this mystical tradition might also be in good order.

No apology needed. You're demonstrating concern for my welfare. I value that. I participated in a private community in the past which highlighted numerous Orthodox materials as recommended sources for spiritual growth. I wasn't familiar with Orthodoxy at the time. But I'm returning and noticed the term and laughed a little. I've poked around here enough to know it's good stuff. Nevertheless, I wanted to inquire to learn more.

I live down the street from an Orthodox church. There are no coincidences.

"Whoever sits in solitude and is quiet has escaped from three wars: those of hearing, speaking and seeing. Then there is only one war left in which to fight, and that is the battle for your own heart."

I love the quote! Thank you for sharing.

Yours in His Service,

~bella