Hesychasm

The Church's tradition of stillness in prayer, the mind gathered into the heart and turned to God.

Hesychasm is the Orthodox tradition of inner stillness in prayer. The name comes from the Greek hesychia, "stillness, quiet". At its heart is the Jesus Prayer, prayed with attention until it becomes the prayer of the heart. St Gregory Palamas defended it before councils in Constantinople from 1341 to 1351, and it is learned under the guidance of an elder.

Hesychasm names a way of prayer the Church has kept since the monks of the desert: withdrawing from distraction into stillness, so that the mind is gathered into the heart and turned wholly to God. Its prayer is the Jesus Prayer, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me", repeated with attention until it is no longer only said but kept within.

In the fourteenth century the monks of Mount Athos who prayed this way were attacked by Barlaam of Calabria, who held to a more intellectual approach to prayer. St Gregory Palamas, asked by his fellow monks to answer him, taught that the light the saints behold in prayer is the uncreated light of God, the light of the Transfiguration. Councils in Constantinople between 1341 and 1351 upheld his teaching as the faith of the Orthodox Church.

The tradition's writings were gathered in the Philokalia, compiled by St Nikodemos of the Holy Mountain and St Makarios of Corinth and first published in Venice in 1782. Hesychasm is not a technique to be taken from a book. It is learned within the whole life of the Church, in repentance and the Mysteries, and under the guidance of an elder or spiritual father.

Questions about Hesychasm

What does hesychasm mean?

It comes from the Greek hesychia: stillness, rest, quiet, silence. A hesychast is one who keeps that stillness in prayer.

What is the place of the Jesus Prayer in hesychasm?

It is the heart of it. The prayer "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me" is prayed with attention, often with the prayer rope, until it becomes the prayer of the heart.

Who was St Gregory Palamas?

A monk of Mount Athos who, in the fourteenth century, defended the hesychasts against Barlaam of Calabria. Councils in Constantinople from 1341 to 1351 upheld his teaching on the uncreated light and the distinction between God's essence and His energies.

What is the Philokalia?

A collection of writings on prayer and the spiritual life by the Fathers, compiled by St Nikodemos of the Holy Mountain and St Makarios of Corinth and first published in Greek in Venice in 1782.

Can anyone practise hesychasm?

Anyone may pray the Jesus Prayer. The tradition counsels that its deeper practice be learned under the guidance of an elder or spiritual father, not from books alone.

More questions about the Orthodox Church, answered ›

“Be still, and know that I am God.”

Psalm 46:10 (King James Version, public domain)

In Orthros

Orthros carries the Jesus Prayer with the komboskini, one soft pulse per knot and no counter, in several languages. It is a place to pray, not a method; the measure is set with your priest.