Hesychasm is a mystical tradition of prayer in the Eastern Orthodox Church that dates back to the early centuries of Christianity. The word “hesychasm” comes from the Greek word hesychia, meaning “stillness, rest, quiet, silence.” Hesychasts (practitioners of hesychasm) seek to enter into deeper communion with God through the repetition of the Jesus Prayer while focusing all their mental faculties on the heart.
The goal of hesychast prayer is to descend with the mind into the heart and there to stand before the face of the Lord, made present in the heart through the grace of the Holy Spirit. The heart is seen as the seat of the human person, and hesychasts believe that God dwells in the hearts of those who have been purified through repentance. By focusing the mind in the heart and invoking the name of Jesus, hesychasts seek to experience the uncreated light of God that illumined the disciples on Mount Tabor at the Transfiguration.
Hesychasm involves acquiring an inner stillness through the Jesus Prayer, a short prayer that says, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” This prayer is repeated quietly and interiorly for long periods of time while sitting or standing in a solitary place. Breathing techniques are used to help focus the mind, and a posture of bowing with the chin almost touching the chest helps descend into the heart. All thoughts and distractions are ignored so that the mind can become fixed in God.
The origins of hesychasm can be traced back to the Desert Fathers of the 4th century, early Christian monks who sought solitude in the wilderness of Egypt in order to pray without ceasing. The recitation of short, repetitive prayers such as the Jesus Prayer was common. However, the actual practice of inner, mental prayer called hesychasm developed later.
St. John Climacus (c.579-c.649) wrote about hesychast prayer in his influential book The Ladder of Divine Ascent. But the founders of what is now known as the hesychast tradition were St. Simeon the New Theologian (949-1022) and St. Gregory Palamas (1296-1359). St. Gregory defended the Hesychasts against attacks from Barlaam of Calabria who did not believe that it was possible to experience the uncreated light of God through prayer.
At a council in Constantinople in 1341 the Hesychast position was officially affirmed as Orthodox doctrine. The council confirmed the possibility of knowing God in His divine energies but not in His essence. The essence of God is utterly transcendent and unknowable, but His energies or uncreated light can be experienced through hesychast prayer.
St. Gregory of Sinai (c.1270-1346) fully systematized Hesychast prayer and life. He taught that the purpose of Hesychasm was to cleanse the heart from passions so that the gift of miraculous prayer (a vision of divine radiance called the illumination of the nous) would be granted by God. This vision of divine radiance is not a vision of God’s essence but of His uncreated energy.
The Hesychast method of prayer involves specific body postures and breath control. Sitting or standing with head bowed, chin touching the chest, the person invoking the Jesus Prayer breathes in slowly while praying the first half of the prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God,” then exhales slowly while praying the second half, “have mercy on me, a sinner.”
The Hesychast prays with extreme attentiveness and stillness. All thoughts are ignored and the mind is focused into the heart. Sometimes Bible passages such as Psalm 51 will be recited slowly and prayerfully. The prayer is aided by physical sensations of the breath and heartbeat. The goal is extreme watchfulness, inner stillness, and union with God in the heart. Through the descent of the mind into the heart and the invocation of Christ, illuminating grace is received.
Hesychast prayer requires solitude and silence. It is ideally practiced alone in a quiet cell. Often the starets (spiritual guide) will give instructions tailored to the needs of the individual. Fasting, vigils, and standing for long periods are common ascetic practices. Complete obedience to the starets is required.
The Jesus Prayer forms the center of Hesychast spirituality. It is repeated for hours at a time both vocally and “of the heart.” Mental recitation of the Jesus Prayer (noetic meditation) is regarded as higher than vocal prayer. But even while engaged in mental prayer the lips slightly move to follow the words of the Prayer. Concentration of the mind is fixed in the heart and on the words of the Prayer by breathing in slowly while invoking the name of Jesus and breathing out slowly while asking His mercy.
Hesychast prayer also makes use of the psyhological faculty called the nous. The nous is the highest faculty or eye of the soul by which spiritual vision and contemplation occur. By combining the repetition of the Jesus Prayer, controlled breathing, ascetic practices, and focusing the nous in the heart, the Hesychast encounters the divine realities.
The Hesychast method of prayer has been practiced throughout the centuries up to the present in Eastern Orthodoxy. However, it remains controversial in some circles. The highly mystical nature of Hesychasm causes wariness among some who emphasize rational theology. But among its defenders Hesychasm remains an essential element of Orthodox spirituality based on centuries of patristic spiritual wisdom.
The most controversial claim of the Hesychast tradition is that visible manifestations of God’s uncreated light occur. Accounts of divine radiance being perceived through bodily eyes have been met with suspicion by theologians who claim that only in the next life can our humanity commune directly with God’s nature.
But for Hesychasts this vision of divine radiance is a confirmation that they have reached the heights of spiritual perception. Barlaam accused the Hesychasts of heretically confusing the divine essence with divine energy. However, St. Gregory Palamas insisted that the Hesychasts were simply perceiving uncreated light, the energies of God that enable us to experience Him who otherwise totally transcends all understanding.
Opponents of Hesychasm warn of deception and demonic delusion that could result from seeking visions or putting too much focus on experiences of light phenomena. The mentally imagined light could be mistaken for actual divine enlightenment. Critics believe Hesychasm overemphasizes mystical experience at the expense of doctrinal truth.
Defenders argue that Hesychast prayer is firmly grounded in the Christ-centered teachings of the Bible and orthodox doctrine. The vision of divine light always conforms to Scripture and glorifies Jesus Christ. Hesychasts are careful to distinguish between God’s unknowable essence and His knowable energies. Far from conflicting with important doctrine, Hesychasm flows from the teachings of the Greek church fathers.
Church authorities have consistently upheld Hesychasm as a legitimate form of prayer. The twentieth century saw a revival of the practice. Starets within monasteries continue to pass on the Hesychast tradition to disciples. The same spiritual wisdom and experience of the saints of old remains alive today through Hesychasm, producing sanctity, inner peace, and union with God.
Hesychasm remains controversial. But its defenders believe the proof of its divine origins is in the spiritual fruits it produces in those who devote themselves to ceaseless prayer. The spiritual knowledge gained through hesychast prayer is unexplainable to those outside its mystical path. But practitioners claim to experience a deep sense of God’s presence and the healing of their inner person through the prayer of the heart.
That is a high-level overview examining the history, practices, theology, controversies, and current status of the Hesychast tradition within Eastern Orthodoxy. Hesychasm has helped shape Orthodox spirituality for over a millennium through its distinctive approach to contemplative prayer and mystical union with God. The prayer of the heart lies at the center of its vision for ceaseless communion with the living God.