Please be aware: Respiratory – elements 1 and 2 – have been revealed two weeks in the past. In case you’d like, you may learn them HERE and HERE.
James Reho elaborates superbly on the respiratory strategies of Christian Orthodox (i.e. Greek) monks. He underlines particularly the connection of such strategies with the “Jesus Prayer” and highlights the similarities with Tantrism, which I discover fascinating.
St. Gregory of Sinai (14th century) teaches what Reho calls the easy yoking of breath with the Jesus Prayer, which opens up a complete new area of energy for the mantra. The Jesus Prayer consists on this phrase, repeated many instances: “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.” In the middle of the event of the custom, the phrase has been enlarged as much as about double its measurement: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Residing God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
Some, nonetheless, took the wrong way and shortened it, like Callistus and Ignatius (14th century), who have been satisfied that the whole petitionary a part of this mantra is a concession to our egos, which really feel the necessity to ask for one thing, to get some religious swag from the repetition of the mantra. Thus for them the prayer might be shortened to “Lord Jesus Christ” and even simply “Jesus” as this one phrase is adequate to fill [the advanced practictioner] with ineffable bliss and pleasure.
St. Gregory suggested us to mentally say the fundamental type of the prayer many instances over: the primary half “Lord Jesus Christ” whereas inhaling, the second half “Have mercy on me” whereas exhaling. This primary methodology was barely totally different for St. Nicephorus, who launched a slight suspension of the breath between the 2 parts of the prayer, after the inhaling.
Reho feedback {that a} very comparable observe of breath retention is widespread in yogic respiratory, and that the makes use of and modifications of breath are highly effective and in addition harmful, as each the tantric masters and the Orthodox monks knew completely effectively. I can testify the identical as, a number of years in the past, I delved with out expertise right into a kundalini respiratory observe and my blood stress spiked to very harmful heights.
The purpose of the coupling of the Jesus Prayer with respiratory is that of reaching a state of bliss which Reho, as a tantric practicioner, notices to be similar to the union of Shiva and Shakti. The Hesychasts — such is the identify of the Greek monks working towards this sort of prayer — referred to as this state “heaven within the coronary heart.” And certainly the guts as each a bodily and a symbolic location will get closely concerned. (See DM for April 30.)
Reho presents a step-by-step description of what I described, above, which is value quoting in full for its readability and helpfulness:
We breathe in very slowly by the nostril, following the breath with our internal imaginative and prescient and proprioception into the area of the Nice Coronary heart. This may increasingly at first really feel like creativeness, however quickly you’ll construct the power to really feel the situation of the breath inside the physique and be capable of direct the breath into the Nice Coronary heart. The breath ought to make the breast bone come barely ahead and may broaden the ribs ahead and out to the perimeters. Throughout this sluggish inhalation we pray,“Lord Jesus Christ…” Then we pause, greater than maintain our breath on the high of the inhalation, after which slowly, gently, exhale utterly (actually empty the lungs right here) by the nostril, praying, “… have mercy on me.” The inhalation, retention, and exhalation ought to all be clean and never within the least labored or pressured.
Reho additionally elaborates on the risks: We are able to harm ourselves if we fall into the temptation (which can certainly come) to push it a bit and retain the breath for longer durations or pressure the breath to sluggish past our capability. Any signal of battle or problem is an indication to again off.
Reho is satisfied — and I’m tempted to agree in precept — that by the easy repetition of the Jesus Prayer, coupled with breath and a focus as described, we create new cerebral and soulful pathways and modify our being on a really deep degree.
In time and thru observe, the Christ whom we invoke and whose mercy we ask, this exterior particular person who seemingly holds energy over us, turns into one with us and we with him. That is the true Christian alchemy that has been misplaced for thus lengthy to the West, and but can’t be recovered at will or by easy understanding. A lot effort and observe are as an alternative required.
James Reho, Tantric Jesus, pp. 197-220.
Banner picture: Icon of Christ, present in Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Monastery Jordanville, New York. Wikimedia Commons
Queries for Contemplation
Do you will have experiences with respiratory strategies and respiratory prayer? Do you imagine that respiratory can change you? In what methods?
Associated Readings by Matthew Fox
One River, Many Wells: Knowledge Springing from International Faiths
A Option to God: Thomas Merton’s Creation Spirituality Journey
The Tao of Thomas Aquinas: Fierce Knowledge for Laborious Occasions
Julian of Norwich: Knowledge in a Time of Pandemic–and Past
Meister Eckhart: A Mystic Warrior for Our Time
Matthew Fox and Lama Tsomo, The Lotus and The Rose: A Dialog Between Tibetan Buddhism and Mystical Christianity
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