When we think about meditation, most of the time we will picture Buddhist monks in Japan, Tibet and Thailand with their eyes closed seated on cushions, surrounded by incense and the sounds of bells . Meditation is inextricably linked to Eastern Religions, mainly Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism.
But in our own Christian tradition, there exists also a long and rich meditative tradition. A case in point is Hesychasm, a mystical tradition of contemplative prayer from the Eastern Orthodox Church, deeply rooted in early Christian monasticism that emphasizes inner stillness and the repetitive invocation of the Jesus Prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner." This practice aims to bring the practitioner into a direct, experiential union with God akin to the via unitiva of the Catholic mystics of the West.
Hesychasm derives from the Greek word "hesychia," meaning stillness, rest, or silence. The tradition traces its origins to the early Christian hermits and monks of the Egyptian desert in the 4th century. When the Roman Empire ceased to persecute Christians and adopted Christianity as its official religion, these hermits, anchorites and mystics sought to replace martyrdom with harsh ascetic practices and meditation.
The practice of Hesychasm was further developed by the Desert Fathers, such as St. Anthony the Great and St. Macarius of Egypt.
The Jesus Prayer of the heart is at the core of Hesychasm. The prayer is short but contains the most important theological foundations of the Christian faith: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner." This prayer is recited continuously, often synchronized with the rhythm of breathing.
The Jesus Prayer seeks to internalise the presence of God whilst uniting intellect and emotion.
Hesychasm incorporates specific psychosomatic techniques such as controlled breathing, specific postures, and the focusing of attention on the heart. The goal is to quiet the mind and body, creating an environment conducive to deep prayer and contemplation.
One of the most well-known methods involves sitting in a quiet place, with the head bowed and the eyes fixed on the chest or navel. This posture, combined with slow, rhythmic breathing, helps to calm the mind and focus attention inward. The practice is sometimes referred to as "navel-gazing," a term that has been misunderstood and misrepresented in popular culture, however at present most practitioners use a chokti or komboskini, this is a prayer rope, to recite the prayer and reach a meditative state.
Hesychasm is deeply intertwined with the Orthodox concept of Theosis, this is the process by which a person becomes united with God, participating in the divine nature of God through grace which has an equivalent in Catholic mysticism as previously mentioned. Hesychasm is therefore seen as a path to theosis, enabling the practitioner to experience the uncreated light of God, as revealed in the Transfiguration of Christ on Mount Tabor.
Hesychasm has had a profound influence on Eastern Orthodox spirituality and Christianity as a whole and continues to be practiced by monks and laypeople alike. The tradition has been preserved and transmitted through various monastic communities, particularly on Mount Athos, a monastic republic in Greece that has been a center of Hesychast practice for centuries.
The teachings of Hesychasm have also been compiled in the Philokalia, a collection of texts written by various spiritual masters from the 4th to the 15th centuries. The Philokalia remains a central text in Eastern Orthodox and Coptic Churches offering a different perspective on the spiritual life and teachings focused on meditation.
Hesychasm was refuted and criticised within the Orthodox Church and St. Gregory Palamas (1296–1359 ) had to defend this practice before Barlaam of Calabria, who argued that the Hesychast methods were superstitious and irrational. Palamas argued that the human body, sanctified by the sacraments, could participate in the prayer and experience the divine light. His teachings were affirmed by the Orthodox Church in a series of councils held in Constantinople in the 14th century.
For us non Orthodox Christians, the advice from Orthodox is that we seek a tsaret or Spiritual Director to mentor us and by and large emphasise that Hesychasm is only to be practiced by Orthodox Christians.
The truth is that many non Orthodox practice Hesychasm because of its magical properties, for Hesychasm allows us to remove ourselves from the material world and to look upwards, ad altiora, to the higher things.
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