Centering Prayer

Centering Prayer, centering prayer or prayer of the collection is called a contemplative prayer or Christian meditation way shape that strongly emphasizes inner peace. The origins of the Centering Prayer in today's Christianity and American Catholicism, because it originated in the 1970s with the monks of the Trappist monastery in St. Joseph Spencer (Massachusetts), who also publishes books.

Formation

When Thomas Keating was in the 1960s and 1970s in the Trappist monastery abbot, was located near a Buddhist center, which had great popularity. When some young visitors to the meditation center by chance came to the abbey, he told them about the tradition of Christian contemplation. While many were Catholics, but practiced Eastern meditation forms. When he discovered in the course of these meetings, that no one of them knew the Christian contemplation, he tried to design a more contemporary form of contemplation and so the centering prayer arose. Is a form of one-word meditation. 1984 establishes Keating Contemplative Outreach Ltd. the network. , With the Centering Prayer wider appeal. There are now 120 Outreach Chapters in 39 countries and a total of 800 prayer groups.

Practice

Although the prayer of the collection a "sacred word " is used, Thomas Keating repeatedly emphasized that the practice of Centering Prayer is God's presence and action to be aware of. Basil Pennigton following guidelines to prayer of the collection:

The prayer of the collection should be practiced at least 20 minutes each twice a day.

Nature

The prayer of the collection that is similar to the prayer of the Rosary and Lectio divina and is related in some way with the Hesychasm and the Jesus Prayer. The difference, however, is that when not Centering Prayer as the rosary images are internally " considered " nor is the goal to see the Tabor light, like the Jesus prayer. Basis of centering prayer is the Sermon on the Mount, particularly Matthew 6:6. It is inspired by John Cassian, St. Francis of Sales, Therese of Lisieux, John of the Cross, Teresa of Avila, Thomas Merton, and especially from the spiritual classic The Cloud of Unknowing. The prayer of the collection has psychological details, which, like the Jesus Prayer, and in particular The Cloud of Unknowing, a certain structural analogy to Asian Kontemplationsformen, in particular for Zen Buddhism, have. For this reason, the Centering Prayer is criticized by some theologians, which, inter alia, it is claimed that there was a great similarity to transcendental meditation.

Dissemination

In the U.S., the prayer of the collection has undergone a large spread through the Trappist Abbey in Spencer, especially by Basil Pennigton, Thomas Keating and William Meninger. In Germany, the Centering Prayer has only become known in recent times, mainly in Catholic circles who practice the contemplative life. In Bendiktinerklöstern it is taught and also by some diocesan clergy. Above all, the book of Jens Soering has contributed to the spread of Centering Prayer, especially the fate of Soering is seen by many as an authentic testimony of how people can be sustained by prayer.

Health aspects

Studies have shown that in women who have to undergo chemotherapy, the exercise of prayer, the collection may be useful. Moreover, believers can learn through the Centering Prayer intensify their relationship with God and relieve stress or reduce.