Centering
prayer is...
Centering Prayer is a recent
re-presentation of one of the oldest forms of prayer in
Christianity.
It is very simple. Do what you can to quieten your
environment (close any nearby doors if you can). Close your eyes.
Choose a word that means something to you. Short (one or two
syllables) is best. Just the one word will do. You don't need a
different word each session. Just stick to the same one.
Give
your attention to the word. Each time your mind wanders away, simply
notice the fact and gently come back to focus on your word. And that
is all.
You might want to start off trying this for only 5-10
minutes. After a few days or weeks, you might feel ready to stretch
your session out to 15 or 20 minutes. Or not. There is no hurry. And
no goal.
Do not look for any special kind of experience or
'word from God' when you're doing Centering Prayer. Don't worry
about trying to achieve 'no thoughts' let alone any kind of ecstatic
bliss. You are simply practising letting go of whatever you happen
to be thinking about in the moment. The point of the exercise is in
developing the muscle for letting things go.
Centering
Prayer is very relaxed (and hopefully relaxing). You don't have to
keep repeating the word in a regular fashion. Although you might
want to in the early stages.
With Centering Prayer you only
repeat the word within yourself once you've noticed that your
attention has wandered. For this reason, in Centering Prayer, the
word you choose is your 'sacred word.' It is not a 'mantra.' A
mantra is for constant, disciplined repetition and belongs to the
(closely related) practice called 'Christian Meditation.' Of course
there is some overlap. The basic distinction is that Christian
Meditation revolves around 'continuous repetition'; while Centering
Prayer involves 'discontinuous repetition': you use the word, but
only when you need it.
Enjoy!
- Text: Andrew Rockell,
copyright 2008, courtesy Cityside website.
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Tips and
FAQ |
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Q: Isn't this just Zen dressed up as
Christian?
A: Centering Prayer is a distillation
of practices within the Christian tradition going back to
first centuries A.D. Zen developed entirely independently in
Japan 4 or 5 centuries later.
Q: Isn't meditation all effort?
Where's the grace?
A: Centering Prayer is not about
'attention' but 'intention' - and that intention is 'letting
go'. This is a practice of surrender rather than
control.
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