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Hesychia
The Greek term ''hesychia'' (, ) is a concept that can be translated as "stillness, rest, quiet, silence". In Christianity In the Eastern Orthodox Christian mystical tradition of hesychasm, hesychia refers to a state of stillness and peace that is obtained through extreme ascetical struggle, prayer, and the constant contemplation of God. The attainment of hesychia is a central theme discussed in hesychast literature. Chapter 2 of the '' Systematic Sayings of the Desert Fathers'' is dedicated to the topic of hesychia. In Neoplatonism The term is also used in Neoplatonic texts such as the ''Enneads''. Other languages Equivalent terms in other languages include Syriac ''shelya'' (''šelya''). See also * Monastic silence *Apatheia *Inner peace *Tranquility * Centering prayer *Quietism (Christian philosophy) *Christianity and Hellenistic philosophy *Neoplatonism and Christianity *Mauna (silence) In Hindu philosophy, Mauna (Silence), which has a voice of its own, refers to peac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Monastic Silence
Monastic silence is a spiritual practice recommended in a variety of religious traditions for purposes including becoming closer to God and achieving elevated states of spiritual purity. It may be in accordance with a monk's formal vow of silence, but can also engage laity who have not taken vows, or novices who are preparing to take vows. Practice of silence by ordained and laity The practice of silence is observed during different parts of the day; practitioners talk when they need to but maintain a sense of silence or a sense of prayer when talking. The rules of silence apply to both vowed practitioners and non-vowed guests. Religious recommendations of silence as praxis do not deprecate speech when it is thoughtful and considerate of commonly held values. According to Andrew March of the Benedictine order, we "can listen to substantive speech for hours while five minutes of garrulous speech is too much." "Silence" may include what might be more aptly characterized as "quietness ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hesychasm
Hesychasm () is a contemplative monastic tradition in the Eastern Christian traditions of the Eastern Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholic Churches in which stillness (''hēsychia'') is sought through uninterrupted Jesus prayer. While rooted in early Christian monasticism, it took its definitive form in the 14th century at Mount Athos. Etymology Hesychasm ( ) derives from the word '' hesychia'' ( ), meaning "stillness, rest, quiet, silence" and ''hesychazo'' ( ) "to keep stillness". Origins and development Metropolitan Kallistos Ware, a scholar of Eastern Orthodox theology, distinguishes five distinct usages of the term "hesychasm": # "solitary life", a sense, equivalent to "eremitical life", in which the term is used since the 4th century; # "the practice of inner prayer, aiming at union with God on a level beyond images, concepts and language"; # "the quest for such union through the Jesus Prayer"; # "a particular psychosomatic technique in combination with the Jesus Prayer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Silence
Silence is the absence of ambient hearing, audible sound, the emission of sounds of such low sound intensity, intensity that they do not draw attention to themselves, or the state of having ceased to produce sounds; this latter sense can be extended to apply to the cessation or absence of any form of communication, whether through speech or other medium. Remaining mute can be a symptom of mental illness. Sometimes speakers fall silent when they hesitate in searching for a word, or interrupt themselves before correcting themselves. Discourse analysis shows that people use brief silences to mark the boundaries of prosodic units, in turn-taking, or as reactive tokens, for example, as a sign of displeasure, disagreement, embarrassment, desire to think, confusion, and the like. Relatively prolonged intervals of silence can be used in rituals; in some religious disciplines, people maintain silence for protracted periods, or even for the rest of their lives, as an ascetic means of spiri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Christian Terminology
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title (), a translation of the Biblical Hebrew term '' mashiach'' () (usually rendered as ''messiah'' in English). While there are diverse interpretations of Christianity which sometimes conflict, they are united in believing that Jesus has a unique significance. The term ''Christian'' used as an adjective is descriptive of anything associated with Christianity or Christian churches, or in a proverbial sense "all that is noble, and good, and Christ-like." According to a 2011 Pew Research Center survey, there were 2.3 billion Christians around the world, up from about 600 million in 1910. Today, about 37% of all Christians live in the Americas, about 26% live in Europe, 24% live in sub-Saharan Africa, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Christian Prayer
Christian prayer is an important activity in Christianity, and there are several different forms used for this practice. Christian prayers are diverse: they can be completely spontaneous, or read entirely from a text, such as from a breviary, which contains the canonical hours that are said at fixed prayer times. While praying, certain gestures usually accompany the prayers, including folding one's hands, Bowing#Christianity, bowing one's head, kneeling (often in the kneeler of a pew in corporate worship or the kneeler of a prie-dieu in private worship), and Prostration#Christianity, prostration. The most prominent prayer among Christians is the Lord's Prayer, which according to the gospel accounts (e.g. wikisource:Bible (American Standard)/Matthew#6:9, Matthew 6:9-13) is how Jesus in Christianity, Jesus taught his Disciple (Christianity), disciples to pray. The injunction for Christians to pray the Lord's Prayer thrice daily was given in ''Didache'' 8, 2 f., which, in turn, was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Christian Mysticism
Christian mysticism is the tradition of mystical practices and mystical theology within Christianity which "concerns the preparation f the personfor, the consciousness of, and the effect of ..a direct and transformative presence of God" or divine ''love''. Until the sixth century the practice of what is now called mysticism was referred to by the term ''contemplatio'', c.q. ''theoria'', from '' contemplatio'' (Latin; Greek θεωρία, ''theoria''), "looking at", "gazing at", "being aware of" God or the divine.William Johnson, ''The Inner Eye of Love: Mysticism and Religion'' (HarperCollins 1997 ), p. 24 Christianity took up the use of both the Greek (''theoria'') and Latin (''contemplatio'', contemplation) ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mauna (silence)
In Hindu philosophy, Mauna (Silence), which has a voice of its own, refers to peace of mind, inner quietude, Samadhi and the Absolute Reality. The Hindu texts insist upon proper understanding of silence by experiencing it through control of speech and practice. Background Mauna (Sanskrit: मौनम्) or Maunitva (मौनित्व) means – silence, taciturnity, silence of the mind – as in मौनमुद्रा (the attitude of silence) and मौनव्रतम् (a vow of silence) or मौनिन् (observing vow of silence). A Sanskrit Dictionary gives many words such as – अनिर्वचनम् (silence, not uttering anything), अभाषणम् (silence, not speaking), अवचन (absence of assertion, silence, taciturnity), अव्याहृतम् (silence), निःशब्दम् (silence, a calm), - as referring to silence. Chambers Twentieth Century Dictionary gives the meaning of the word, Silence, as absence of soun ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Neoplatonism And Christianity
Neoplatonism is a version of Platonic philosophy that emerged in the 3rd century AD against the background of Hellenistic philosophy and religion. The term does not encapsulate a set of ideas as much as a series of thinkers. Among the common ideas it maintains is monism, the doctrine that all of reality can be derived from a single principle, "the One". Neoplatonism began with Ammonius Saccas and his student Plotinus (c. 204/5 – 271 AD) and stretched to the sixth century. After Plotinus there were three distinct periods in the history of neoplatonism: the work of his student Porphyry (third to early fourth century); that of Iamblichus (third to fourth century); and the period in the fifth and sixth centuries, when the academies in Alexandria and Athens flourished. Neoplatonism had an enduring influence on the subsequent history of Western philosophy and religion. In the Middle Ages, Neoplatonic ideas were studied and discussed by Christian, Jewish, and Muslim thinke ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Christianity And Hellenistic Philosophy
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose coming as the Messiah#Christianity, messiah (Christ (title), Christ) was Old Testament messianic prophecies quoted in the New Testament, prophesied in the Old Testament and chronicled in the New Testament. It is the Major religious groups, world's largest and most widespread religion with over 2.3 billion followers, comprising around 28.8% of the world population. Its adherents, known as Christians, are estimated to make up a majority of the population in Christianity by country, 157 countries and territories. Christianity remains Christian culture, culturally diverse in its Western Christianity, Western and Eastern Christianity, Eastern branches, and doctrinally diverse concerning Justification (theology), justification and the natur ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Centering Prayer
Centering Prayer is a method designed to facilitate the development of contemplative prayer by preparing our faculties to receive this gift. It presents ancient Christian wisdom teachings in an updated form. Centering Prayer is not meant to replace other kinds of prayer; rather it casts a new light and depth of meaning on them. It is at the same time a relationship with God and a discipline to foster that relationship. This method of prayer is a movement beyond conversation with Christ to communion with him. The method formed as a direct result of the experiences reading the Cloud of Unknowing by the community at the Trappist St. Joseph's Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts where three brothers in particular helped the method come into being; those brothers were: Fr. William Meninger, Fr. M. Basil Pennington and Abbot Thomas Keating. Name The name was taken from Thomas Merton's description of contemplative prayer, from which Centering Prayer draws, as prayer that is "centered enti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
