Written work · Essential works

On the Prayer of Jesus (a conversation between an elder and his disciple)

О молитве Иисусовой. Беседа между старцем и учеником

byIgnatius Brianchaninov

A treatise in dialogue form, in three parts—the Jesus Prayer in general, spiritual delusion and the practice of the prayer—which belongs to the first volume of the Experiences and was also published separately in 1867. Ignatius maintains that the Jesus Prayer is the duty of every monk and the good of every Christian, recalls that at Sarov it was taught to every novice and that Seraphim recommended it, but insists on practising it with attention and humility, enclosing the mind in the words, without seeking sensations or resorting to the bodily techniques of the ancient hesychasts, which he considers dangerous without an experienced guide. He distinguishes oral prayer, mental prayer and prayer of the heart, which is God's gift and not the fruit of method. It is his most translated text.

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