Orthodox critics of Centering Prayer forget their own origins. The mystical silence they defend wasn’t built on theology—it was born in the desert, through raw experience and release. You can’t police apophatic prayer without stepping out of it.
RadTrad (Radical Traditionalist) Roman Catholics are also criticizing centering prayer, some of them falsely claiming that it is Buddhist in origin. Centering prayer always seemed to me to fit in comfortably into mainstream Anglicanism. I fail to understand why there is such a panic about it.
Jonathan, the panic isn’t about the prayer—it’s about the silence. RadTrads fear what happens when the noise dies down and you meet a God who doesn’t sound like them.
Centering Prayer terrifies control-based religion because it bypasses the theological tollbooth. No Latin, no hierarchy, no need to submit your soul through the clerical TSA.
Is it Buddhist? Not exactly. But it does share the radical scandal of interior stillness, which has always been the kryptonite of spiritual gatekeepers.
Turns out, when people sit in silence long enough, they stop needing middlemen.
—Virgin Monk Boy (apophatic troublemaker and licensed silence dealer)
Fascinating. I guess silence is tolerated among Carmelites and Trappists because on other levels they are so thoroughly steeped in traditional rites and theology that from them it is less threatening,
It’s interesting to learn that some Christians practice what you call Centering Prayer, which is also used in Buddhism & yoga. Of course it’s a real kind of praying — what could be more simple: you sit in the presence of God! No rules required! I’m intrigued by some of the words you use: The Philokalia, hesychasm, apophatic, even Orthodox mysticism — like a wisp of exotic incense drifting through the temple.
Karen, you’ve got the instinct exactly right. And to add a little clarity:
The Philokalia is a five-volume collection of writings from 25 male spiritual masters. It is a library of living wisdom, not a how-to manual.
Hesychasm is the ancient Christian practice of inner silence. It is about resting in the presence of God beyond words and images.
Centering Prayer is a method developed by Thomas Keating to help you do just that. You set your intention (to consent to the presence and action of God/Love/Buddha, ect), and when the mind wanders, a simple sacred word brings you back.
None of this fits neatly into the rule-bound frameworks some folks try to enforce. Nor should it. Apophatic prayer points beyond all that.
The mystics knew. When you stop clutching at concepts, the Presence gets loud in the silence.
Thank you for the explanations! I’m sorry I gave such a flippant comment about the Centering Prayer being simple — sometimes it’s easy to just be with God, but sometimes the thoughts go everywhere, & centering really helps. I know the thoughts can get lost in some horrible places.
Sounds like it could be related to Zen as well, where (from what little I know of it) the idea is to be like a still, calm, unruffled pond, and whenever a busy li'l thought tries to barge in and take the spotlight, you just tuck it away, or ask it to sit down, you'll get back to it later. Calms the busy mind. :)
But considering that so many religions have something similar in common, you'd think folks would recognize it as, perhaps, the BASIS of religions (at least one of them)? :D
RadTrad (Radical Traditionalist) Roman Catholics are also criticizing centering prayer, some of them falsely claiming that it is Buddhist in origin. Centering prayer always seemed to me to fit in comfortably into mainstream Anglicanism. I fail to understand why there is such a panic about it.
Jonathan, the panic isn’t about the prayer—it’s about the silence. RadTrads fear what happens when the noise dies down and you meet a God who doesn’t sound like them.
Centering Prayer terrifies control-based religion because it bypasses the theological tollbooth. No Latin, no hierarchy, no need to submit your soul through the clerical TSA.
Is it Buddhist? Not exactly. But it does share the radical scandal of interior stillness, which has always been the kryptonite of spiritual gatekeepers.
Turns out, when people sit in silence long enough, they stop needing middlemen.
—Virgin Monk Boy (apophatic troublemaker and licensed silence dealer)
Fascinating. I guess silence is tolerated among Carmelites and Trappists because on other levels they are so thoroughly steeped in traditional rites and theology that from them it is less threatening,
It’s interesting to learn that some Christians practice what you call Centering Prayer, which is also used in Buddhism & yoga. Of course it’s a real kind of praying — what could be more simple: you sit in the presence of God! No rules required! I’m intrigued by some of the words you use: The Philokalia, hesychasm, apophatic, even Orthodox mysticism — like a wisp of exotic incense drifting through the temple.
Karen, you’ve got the instinct exactly right. And to add a little clarity:
The Philokalia is a five-volume collection of writings from 25 male spiritual masters. It is a library of living wisdom, not a how-to manual.
Hesychasm is the ancient Christian practice of inner silence. It is about resting in the presence of God beyond words and images.
Centering Prayer is a method developed by Thomas Keating to help you do just that. You set your intention (to consent to the presence and action of God/Love/Buddha, ect), and when the mind wanders, a simple sacred word brings you back.
None of this fits neatly into the rule-bound frameworks some folks try to enforce. Nor should it. Apophatic prayer points beyond all that.
The mystics knew. When you stop clutching at concepts, the Presence gets loud in the silence.
Thank you for the explanations! I’m sorry I gave such a flippant comment about the Centering Prayer being simple — sometimes it’s easy to just be with God, but sometimes the thoughts go everywhere, & centering really helps. I know the thoughts can get lost in some horrible places.
No apology needed, it actually is simple, deceptively simple.
Sounds like it could be related to Zen as well, where (from what little I know of it) the idea is to be like a still, calm, unruffled pond, and whenever a busy li'l thought tries to barge in and take the spotlight, you just tuck it away, or ask it to sit down, you'll get back to it later. Calms the busy mind. :)
But considering that so many religions have something similar in common, you'd think folks would recognize it as, perhaps, the BASIS of religions (at least one of them)? :D