“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
This Jesus Prayer in the Orthodox Church Hesychasm tradition, although only a short sentence, embodies the core kerygma of Christianity and the sacred wisdom of its supernatural spirituality. It is like a golden key handed to me, who has been keen on exploring the mysteries of Christian spirituality for more than 20 years, opening the door to the domain of the Holy Spirit. St. Palamas called the Hesychasts as the ones “practicing sacred quietude.”
It should be emphasized that Hesychasm is not about salvation, but a necessary resource for sanctification. In addition, “spiritual practice/formation” is the Chinese translation, and the original Greek term hesychia means “[seeking divine] quietness “; the former strengthens the principle of the latter, showing a conceptual advantage after being translated into Chinese.
1. The theological principles of the Jesus Prayer
The Jesus Prayer is based on a prayer model that pleases God (Luke 18:13), adopts the prayer model of the widow repeatedly calling on the unjust judge (Luke 18:6–7), and abides by the teaching of “praying without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). As a spiritual practice method in Christian monasteries, the earliest general record can be traced back to the tradition of the Desert Fathers in the 6th and 7th centuries, such as in “The Ladder of the Divine Ascent” (ca. 600), with an emphasis on the importance of “repeating the Jesus Prayer.”1
It is necessary to conduct a historical theology research of this Jesus Prayer, because Protestant Chinese Christians need to realize that this is a spiritual formation practice method that has been passed down for centuries before the split between Roman Catholicism and Byzantine Orthodoxy. It belongs to the tradition of the Patristic era and is a unique method discovered by Christianity itself. However, for those Christians who have benefited greatly from practicing the Jesus Prayer, the practical results brought by this ancient spiritual practice are undoubtedly greater than the theological significance. Although Protestantism has such spiritual practices as prayer, reading the Bible (Lectio Divina), and Eucharist, and fasting, it does need to learn from the precious resource of the Jesus Prayer practice.
2. Personal experience of practicing the Jesus Prayer
At the end of 2019, I came to the Russian Orthodox Church because of God’s wonderful guidance. The Holy Spirit opened the eyes of my soul, and I gazed for the first time in my life at the unseen and unknown with its overwhelming beauty. In early 2020, Fr. Spyridon taught me to practice the Jesus Prayer in the church. At that time, I was suffering from a painful disease and often couldn’t sleep at night, so I started practicing day and night. The key to practicing the Jesus Prayer is to concentrate your mind with full attention constantly, as if you are facing the King. You should focus on the words and meaning of the prayer as if it were the rational anchor in the mind.
On this basis, keep repeating this prayer, preferably out loud, so that you can also become a listener. Every time the mind is absent and can’t concentrate, stop temporarily, and then continue to pray. After recovering from the illness, I continued to practice and integrated it into my daily life, which lasted for about a year. During this period, I prayed before going to bed, when I woke up in the morning, while walking, and prayed while driving. I also found that practicing the Jesus Prayer in church generates quicker and better effects.
3. Experience sharing and promotion of the Jesus Prayer
After being baptized in April 2021, I notified my Christian acquaintances by email, briefly explaining that I had joined the Orthodox Church in Russian Tradition. Although everyone had different reactions, they were generally surprised and confessed they knew nothing about the Orthodox Church. In my communication with my friends, I explained the new spiritual continent I discovered through metaphors: God opened my eyes, and I saw the “burning bush” in the church. I also put forward a point of view: In the spiritual resources of the Orthodox Church, the Pentecostal Movement may find all the answers they need.
Stephen Wei Gao, a good friend living in Chicago, then had ears to listen, took it seriously and diligently practiced the Jesus Prayer. Soon, good results appeared and continued, to his amazement. In September, Gao Wei and I established the online Mount Sinai Fellowship with joy and hope, aiming to introduce Hesychasm as a valuable spiritual resource of the Orthodox tradition to bless Chinese Protestants. So, we held the first Zoom training class, detailing the practice methods and principles of the Jesus Prayer, and providing guidance, discernment, and appraisal.
4. Group practice of the Jesus Prayer
In the past nearly four years, we have held a total of five training sessions, limited to a small-scale acquaintance circle. As a pastor, Stephen Gao and I, as a teacher, lead this fellowship to practice this Jesus prayer as a type of Hesychasm, and through theology, hermeneutics, philosophy, and science, we carefully and comprehensively study, research, and verify this method and its results. Professor Zhang Bai-chun provides us with his academic research results, guiding and checking us from a high-level theory. For example, Dr. Zhang taught us the Hesychastic theology of the Orthodox Saint Palamas: Through Christian Hesychasm, one can gain the union with God through divine energy (power), but impossible through essence (ousia.)2
Currently, there are more than 10 brothers and sisters in this Fellowship. We have maintained the same rationality and enthusiasm from the beginning, hoping to share this precious blessing with more Chinese Protestant Christians who “have ears to hear”. In particular, we hope that more Chinese Protestant pastors can cross their denominational boundaries, liberate their minds, participate in our Hesychasm training, and humbly learn and practice. Once they obtain this simple and easy-to-use spiritual resource, it may be just around the corner to realize the substantive renewal of the lives of the believers they pastor and the revival of their churches—this is our current goal.
5. The sacred energy phenomenon of practicing the Jesus Prayer
According to the sweet fruits and experiences during the past five and a half years, the Orthodox method of practicing the Jesus Prayer through “confining our minds to what is being said and thought”3 has brought many unexpected and multi-faceted blessings to our group members, benefiting their souls, bodies, and lives (John 3:2). Among them, due to the transmission of God’s divine energy and the shining of the holy true Light, the effect of cleansing, renewing, and transforming the mind is particularly amazing to us. We have a deeper understanding of the great significance of Palamas’ “Sacred Energy Theory.”
According to scientific discoveries in the field of neuroscience, the function of the prefrontal cortex (mPFC), an important part of the human brain, is to process abstract information related to belief. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) includes two areas, the vmPFC and dmPFC, which store “belief in oneself” and “belief in the object” respectively. Relating this to the formal spiritual practice method of the Jesus Prayer, the vmPFC allows one to recognize their state as a sinner, and the dmPFC processes their beliefs about Jesus Christ the Savior. Through the organization of words (the Jesus Prayer), eye gaze (contemplating the Bible, the cross, holy images, etc.), and temporary working memory (my relationship with Christ), the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) processes and carries out high-end belief thinking activities (Christ has mercy on me, a sinner).4
Therefore, the constant practice of the Jesus Prayer is a kind of intensive training of brain networks and human consciousness. The beauty of this method is that it confines our mental activity to the semantics of the prayer. Through the repeated act of believing in and recalling the words of the prayer, we gradually become the master of our own thoughts5—a great liberation indeed.
I further believe that an exploration of the energy principles of Christian Hesychasm through the knowledge of quantum physics would also be fruitful.
Conclusion
As a spiritual formation method in Orthodox Hesychasm, the ancient Christian Jesus Prayer blesses its practitioners in the name of Christ, Jesus of Nazareth. It is profound and attractive, just as Paul said “about Christ and the Church”—the “great mystery” of marriage (Ephesians 5:31–32). In the process of practicing this prayer, God’s great power and divine beauty are released, and manifested through the rational and focused recitation of the Jesus Prayer, allowing us to connect with the supernatural sacred energy and divine wisdom through the Holy Spirit, so that we can always be in Jesus Christ, like a grape branch grafted into a vine (John 15:1–10); only in this way can we love forever and ever.
For Chinese Christians, the renewal and transformation of the mind is the core task after the soul is saved, and it is even more urgent now. Why do I say this? This is a topic that needs to be discussed next time.
Editor’s note: Our thanks to the author for providing the Simplified and Traditional Chinese versions of this article.
耶稣祷词的操练：
一位华人基督徒的东正教灵修入门
“主耶稣基督，上帝的独生子，怜悯我，这个罪人吧。”
这句东正教传统中日常灵修的耶稣祷词（或，耶稣祷文，耶稣祷辞），虽然只是短短的一句话，却凝聚了基督教的核心精髓教义及其两千年来超自然灵性传统的神圣智慧。这又仿佛是递到手里的一把金钥匙，为二十多年热衷于探索基督教灵性奥秘的我，打开了圣灵世界的大门。
需要强调的是，这种灵修方法，不关乎得救，而是成圣的必需资源。此外，“灵修” 是汉语的译法，希腊语原文是 “静修” ( Hesychasm，意思是 “安静”——意指 “寻求神圣的安静”)；这个译法强化了原文的原理，表现了这个概念汉语化之后的一种优势。这种灵修的操练者，被贵格利·帕拉马斯称为 “神圣安静的操练者”。
1、耶稣祷词的神学原理
耶稣祷词，乃是基于上帝所喜悦的一项祷告内容（《路加》18：13），采用寡妇反复呼吁不义法官的祷告模式（《路加》18：6–7），遵守 “不住地祷告” 之教导（《帖前》5：17）。作为修院的一种灵修方法，最早的大致记载可以追溯到公元六至七世纪的沙漠教父传统；例如，公元六百年左右西奈山修院的院长约翰所著的《神圣攀登的天梯》，强调了 “重复一句话耶稣祷告文” 的重要性（注解1）。
对这句耶稣祷辞进行历史神学的探讨，显然是必要的，因为华人基督徒需要意识到，这是罗马天主教与拜占庭东正教分裂之前，就已传承多个世纪的一种灵修方法，属于教父学时代的传统，是基督教自己发现的独特方法。然而，对于那些因操练耶稣祷词而受益匪浅的基督徒们来说，这种古老灵修方法所带来的切实成果，无疑要大于神学意义。新教中虽然有祷告、读经、圣餐、禁食，这样的灵修方式，但确实有必要借鉴耶稣祷词这块宝贵的他山之石。
2、耶稣祷词的个人操练经验
2019 年底，因着上帝奇妙的带领，我来到那家俄罗斯传统的东正教会。圣灵开了我灵魂的眼睛，平生第一次看到了未见未知的极美之事。2020 年初，施耐德神父在教堂里教导我操练耶稣祷词。当时我身患顽疾，常常夜不能寐，于是就开始日夜操练。操练耶稣祷词的关键，在于集中意识的注意力，理性头脑把关，全神贯注，仿佛面对国王，持续祷念；祷词的内容如同头脑中的理性之锚。
在此基础上，不断重复这句祷词，最好出声，让自己也成为听众。每次头脑开小差无法集中注意力的时候，就暂时停下来，然后继续祷告。病愈之后，我继续操练，融入日常生活，持续了大约一年。期间，睡觉前祷告，早晨醒来祷告，散步时祷告，开车时也祷告。我还发现，在教堂里操练耶稣祷词，效果更快更好。
3、耶稣祷词的经验分享推广
2021 年四月受洗之后，我通过电子邮件通知熟人基督徒，简要说明我已经加入了俄罗斯传统的东正教会。大家虽反应不一，但普遍感到惊奇，并纷纷表示对东正教一无所知。在与朋友们的交流中，我将所发现的属灵新大陆，通过比喻的方式讲解：上帝开了我的眼睛，让我看到了教堂里 “燃烧的荆棘”。我还提出了一个观点：在东正教的灵修资源中，新教能够找到所有的答案。
芝加哥的好朋友高玮，有耳可听，勤而习之，高度重视操练耶稣祷词，很快就出现了令他惊奇的成果，并继续进步。九月，我和高玮满怀喜悦和盼望，建立了线上的西奈山团契，旨在将东正教的灵修资源，为华人新教所用。于是，我们举办了第一期 Zoom 灵修培训，详细介绍耶稣祷词的操练方法和原理，并给予指导和鉴定。
4、耶稣祷词的团体操练
在过去约四年里，我们总共举办了四期灵修培训，采用小范围的熟人传递方式。高玮作为牧者，我作为教师，带领这个团契实践这种灵修传统，并通过神学、释经学、哲学、科学，对这种灵修方法及其成果，进行谨慎和全面的研究、考察、验证。张百春教授为我们提供了大量的学术理论研究成果，从高层理论进行指导和把关，令我们受益良多。例如，张老师传授给我们关于东正教圣徒帕拉马斯的灵修神学理论：基督徒无法在本质中与上帝联合，却能够在 “神圣能量” 中与上帝联合（注解2）。作为我所在教会的施耐德神父，则为我们的团契和培训，提供了教会权柄的背书。
目前，这个团契中有十多位弟兄姐妹，我们保持着起初的理性和热情，盼望将这种上好的福份，分享给更多 “有耳可听” 的华人新教基督徒。特别盼望更多的华人新教牧者，能够放下宗派包袱，解放思想，参与我们的灵修培训，谦卑学习和操练。一旦获得这种简单易行的灵修资源，实现所牧养的信徒生命大幅更新和教会复兴的局面，或将指日可待——这正是我们当下的目标和盼望。
5、操练耶稣祷词的正能量现象
根据过去五年半的灵修收获和经验，东正教的这种念诵耶稣祷词的方法—— “把我们的意识限定在所说的祷告词和念头上”（注解3），为长期认真操练的弟兄姐妹们，带来了意想不到的多方面收获：灵魂、身体、生活都受益（约三2）。其中，因着上帝神圣能量的传递和圣洁真光的照耀，对头脑的洁净、更新和提高的效果，尤其令我们感到惊奇，并更加体会到帕拉马斯的 “灵修能量论” 之伟大意义。
根据大脑科学发现的知识，人类大脑的重要部位——前额叶皮质（mPFC）的功能，表现于处理与 “相信（信仰belief）” 有关的抽象信息。结合耶稣祷词的正规灵修方法可知，大脑的前额叶皮质包括两个区域（vmPFC 和 dmPFC），分别储存 “相信自己” 和 “相信对象”。根据大脑功能的这种原理，操练耶稣祷词的时候，vmPFC 区让操练者认识到自己是一个罪人，而 dmPFC 区则处理操练者的信仰——耶稣基督是救主。通过大脑这些区域的诸项功能，包括言语的组织（耶稣祷词）、眼睛的凝视（静观《圣经》、十字架、圣画像，等等）、意识运作的临时记忆（我与基督的关系），位于大脑稍后方的前扣带皮层（ACC）区域，则处理和执行高端的信仰思辨活动（基督怜悯我，这个罪人）（注解4）。
可见，耶稣祷词的持续操练，作为一种大脑组织关系和人类意识的强化训练，其美妙之处在于：将这一句话的思想，限定在我们祷告的语义和语理中；在相信并牢记这句话的意识活动的重复过程中，我们就逐渐成为自己头脑思想的主人（注解5）——这是伟大的解放。
我还进一步认为，通过量子物理的知识，对基督教灵修的能量原理进行探讨，也将会富有成果。
结语
基督教古老的耶稣祷词作为灵修的一种方法，奉拿撒勒人耶稣基督的圣名，博大精深，如同保罗 “指着基督和教会说的” ——婚姻的 “极大奥秘”（弗：5：31–32）。在操练这种祷告的过程中，上帝的伟大权能与神圣之美，通过理性专注地反复念诵耶稣祷词而释放彰显出来，让我们得以靠着圣灵，接通超自然的神圣正能量和神圣智慧，从而保持常常在耶稣基督的里面，如同葡萄枝接在葡萄树上（约翰15：1–10）；并因此才能爱到永远永恒。
对于华人基督徒来说，头脑的更新和提高，是灵魂得救之后的核心任务，如今更是当务之急。为什么这样说呢？这是下次需要探讨的主题。
注解1：约翰·克利马科斯，《神圣攀登的天梯》（许列民【译】，汉语基督教文化研究所 2012 年出版），第 15 阶《论不朽的纯净与贞洁》（15：54）—— “总要让对死亡的记忆以及单个词语的耶稣祷告陪伴你入眠和起床，⋯⋯” 根据原文希腊语（μονόλογος），这里的 “单个词语的耶稣祷告”，指的就是 “一句话耶稣祷词”。第九阶《论怨恨》（9：10）—— “让我们用耶稣祷告文来使它蒙羞吧。” 根据原文希腊语（μωρολογία），这里是指重复一句话耶稣祷文。
注解2：圣贵格利·帕拉马斯——公元14世纪的希腊东正教神学家和阿索斯山修士，在他的作品《维护静修者三论集》(Triads for the Defense of those Who Practice Sacred Quietude)中，捍卫静修主义的灵修实践方式，澄清了修士能够通过灵修在“非受造的能量”中与上帝联合，而不是在本质中与上帝联合。
注解3：同上，第 28阶《论祷告时的意识和身体状态》，28：19. “祷告的开始就是运用一个念头，在其他念头刚刚产生，要攻击我们时，就抵挡驱除他们；其中间环节就是把我们的意识限定在所说的祷告词和念头上；它的顶点就是在主内的狂喜。”
注解4：本段内容基于 2025 年五月一位美国年轻学者的大脑科学讲座。这位学者还亲自修订了本段和下一段的内容。
注解5：《神圣攀登的天梯》，第 28 阶《论祷告时的意识和身体状态》，28：17，21，31。
耶穌禱詞的操練：
一位華人基督徒的東正教靈修入門
「主耶穌基督，上帝的獨生子，憐憫我，這個罪人吧。」
這句東正教傳統中日常靈修的耶穌禱詞（或，耶穌禱文，耶穌禱辭），雖然隻是短短的一句話，卻凝聚了基督教的核心精髓教義及其兩千年來超自然靈性傳統的神聖智慧。這又仿佛是遞到手裡的一把金鑰匙，爲二十多年熱衷於探索基督教靈性奧秘的我，打開了聖靈世界的大門。
需要強調的是，這種靈修方法不關乎得救，而是成聖的必需資源。此外，「靈修」是漢語的譯法，希臘語原文是「靜修」（Hesychasm，意思是「安靜」——意指「尋求神聖的安靜」）；這個譯法加強了原文的精神，展現了這個概念在漢語語境中的一種優勢。這種靈修的操練者，被貴格利‧帕拉馬斯稱為「神聖安靜的操練者」。
1、耶穌禱詞的神學原理
耶穌禱詞，乃是基於上帝所喜悅的一項禱告內容（《路加》18：13），採用寡婦反複呼籲不義法官的禱告模式（《路加》18：6–7），遵守「不住地禱告」之教導（《帖前》5：17）。作爲修院的一種靈修方法，最早的大緻記載可以追溯到公元六至七世紀的沙漠教父傳統；例如，公元六百年左右西奈山修院的院長約翰所著的《神聖攀登的天梯》，強調了「重複一句話耶穌禱告文」的重要性（註解1）。
對這句耶穌禱詞進行曆史神學的探討，顯然是必要的，因爲華人基督徒需要意識到，這是羅馬天主教與拜佔庭東正教分裂之前，就已傳承多個世紀的一種靈修方法，屬於教父學時代的傳統，是基督教自己發現的獨特方法。然而，對於那些因操練耶穌禱詞而受益匪淺的基督徒們來説，這種古老靈修方法所帶來的切實成果，無疑要大於神學意義。新教中雖然有禱告、讀經、聖餐、禁食，這樣的靈修方式，但確實有必要藉鑒耶穌禱詞這塊寶貴的他山之石。
2、耶穌禱詞的個人操練經驗
2019 年底，因着上帝奇妙的帶領，我來到那家俄羅斯傳統的東正教會。聖靈開了我靈魂的眼睛，平生第一次看到了未見未知的極美之事。2020 年初，施耐德神父在教堂裡教導我操練耶穌禱詞。當時我身患頑疾，常常夜不能寐，於是就開始日夜操練。操練耶穌禱詞的關鍵，在於集中意識的注意力，理性頭腦把關，全神貫注，仿佛面對國王，持續禱唸；禱詞的內容如同頭腦中的理性之錨。
在此基礎上，不斷重複這句禱詞，最好出聲，讓自己也成爲聽衆。每次頭腦開小差無法集中注意力的時候，就暫時停下來，然後繼續禱告。病愈之後，我繼續操練，融入日常生活，持續了大約一年。期間，睡覺前禱告，早晨醒來禱告，散步時禱告，開車時也禱告。我還發現，在教堂裡操練耶穌禱詞，效果更快更好。
3、耶穌禱詞的經驗分享推廣
2021 年四月受洗之後，我通過電子郵件通知熟人基督徒，簡要説明我已經加入了俄羅斯傳統的東正教會。大家雖反應不一，但普遍感到驚奇，並紛紛表示對東正教一無所知。在與朋友們的交流中，我將所發現的屬靈新大陸，通過比喻的方式講解：上帝開了我的眼睛，讓我看到了教堂裡「燃燒的荊棘」。我還提出了一個觀點：在東正教的靈修資源中，新教能夠找到所有的答案。
芝加哥的好朋友高瑋，有耳可聽，勤而習之，高度重視操練耶穌禱詞，很快就出現了令他驚奇的成果，並繼續進步。九月，我和高瑋滿懷喜悅和盼望，建立了線上的西奈山團契，旨在將東正教的靈修資源，爲華人新教所用。於是，我們舉辦了第一期 Zoom 靈修培訓，詳細介紹耶穌禱詞的操練方法和原理，並給予指導和鑒定。
4、耶穌禱詞的團體操練
在過去約四年裡，我們總共舉辦了四期靈修培訓，採用小範圍的熟人傳遞方式。高瑋作爲牧者，我作爲教師，帶領這個團契實踐這種靈修傳統，並通過神學、釋經學、哲學、科學，對這種靈修方法及其成果，進行謹慎和全面的研究、考察、驗証。張百春教授爲我們提供了大量的學術理論研究成果，從高層理論進行指導和把關，令我們受益良多。例如，張老師傳授給我們關於東正教聖徒帕拉馬斯的靈修神學理論：基督徒無法在本質中與上帝聯合，卻能夠在「神聖能量」中與上帝聯合（注解2）。作爲我所在教會的施耐德神父，則爲我們的團契和培訓，提供了教會權柄的背書。
目前，這個團契中有十多位弟兄姐妹，我們保持着起初的理性和熱情，盼望將這種上好的福份，分享給更多“有耳可聽”的華人新教基督徒。特別盼望更多的華人新教牧者，能夠放下宗派包袱，解放思想，參與我們的靈修培訓，謙卑學習和操練。一旦獲得這種簡單易行的靈修資源，實現所牧養的信徒生命大幅更新和教會複興的局面，或將指日可待——這正是我們當下的目標和盼望。
5、操練耶穌禱詞的正能量現象
根據過去五年半的靈修收獲和經驗，東正教的這種唸誦耶穌禱詞的方法——「把我們的意識限定在所說的禱告詞和念頭上」（註解3），爲長期認真操練的弟兄姐妹們，帶來了意想不到的多方面收獲：靈魂、身體、生活都受益（約三2）。其中，因着上帝神聖能量的傳遞和聖潔真光的照耀，對頭腦的潔淨、更新和提高的效果，尤其令我們感到驚奇，並更加體會到帕拉馬斯的「靈修能量論」之偉大意義。
根據大腦科學發現的知識，人類大腦的重要部位——前額葉皮質（mPFC）的功能，表現於處理與「相信（信仰 belief）」有關的抽象信息。結合耶穌禱詞的正規靈修方法可知，大腦的前額葉皮質包括兩個區域（vmPFC 和 dmPFC），分別儲存「相信自己」和「相信對象」。根據大腦功能的這種原理，操練耶穌禱詞的時候，vmPFC 區讓操練者認識到自己是一個罪人，而 dmPFC 區則處理操練者的信仰——耶穌基督是救主。通過大腦這些區域的諸項功能，包括言語的組織（耶穌禱詞）、眼睛的凝視（靜觀《聖經》、十字架、聖畫像，等等）、意識運作的臨時記憶（我與基督的關繫），位於大腦稍後方的前扣帶皮層（ACC）區域，則處理和執行高端的信仰思辨活動（基督憐憫我，這個罪人）（註解4）。
可見，耶穌禱詞的持續操練，作爲一種大腦組織關繫和人類意識的強化訓練，其美妙之處在於：將這一句話的思想，限定在我們禱告的語義和語理中；在相信並牢記這句話的意識活動的重複過程中，我們就逐漸成爲自己頭腦思想的主人（註解5）——這是偉大的解放。
我還進一步認爲，通過量子物理的知識，對基督教靈修的能量原理進行探討，也將會富有成果。
結語
基督教古老的耶穌禱詞作爲靈修的一種方法，奉拿撒勒人耶穌基督的聖名，博大精深，如同保羅「指着基督和教會説的」——婚姻的「極大奧秘」（弗：5：31–32）。在操練這種禱告的過程中，上帝的偉大權能與神聖之美，通過理性專注地反複唸誦耶穌禱詞而釋放彰顯出來，讓我們得以靠着聖靈，接通超自然的神聖正能量和神聖智慧，從而保持常常在耶穌基督的裡面，如同葡萄枝接在葡萄樹上（約翰15：1–10）；並因此才能愛到永遠永恆。
對於華人基督徒來説，頭腦的更新和提高，是靈魂得救之後的核心任務，如今更是當務之急。爲什麼這樣説呢？這是下次需要探討的主題。
註解1：約翰·克利馬科斯，《神聖攀登的天梯》，（許列民【譯】，漢語基督教文化研究所 2012 年出版），第 15 階《論不朽的純淨與貞潔》（15：54）——「總要讓對死亡的記憶以及單個詞語的耶穌禱告陪伴你入眠和起床，⋯⋯。」根據原文希臘語（μονόλογος），這裡的「單個詞語的耶穌禱告」，指的就是「一句話耶穌禱詞」。第九階《論怨恨》（9：10）——「讓我們用耶穌禱告文來使它蒙羞吧。」根據原文希臘語（μωρολογία），這裡是指重複一句話耶穌禱文。
註解2：聖貴格利·帕拉馬斯——公元14世紀的希臘東正教神學家和阿索斯山修士，在他的作品《維護靜修者三論集》(Triads for the Defense of those Who Practice Sacred Quietude)中，捍衛靜修主義的靈修實踐方式，澄清了修士能夠通過靈修在「非受造的能量」中與上帝聯合，而不是在本質中與上帝聯合。
註解3：同上，第 28階《論禱告時的意識和身體狀態》，28：19. 「禱告的開始就是運用一個念頭，在其他念頭剛剛產生，要攻擊我們時，就抵擋驅除他們；其中間環節就是把我們的意識限定在所說的禱告詞和念頭上；它的頂點就是在主內的狂喜。」
註解4：本段內容基於 2025 年五月一位美國年輕學者的大腦科學講座。這位學者還親自修訂了本段和下一段的內容。
註解5：《神聖攀登的天梯》，第 28 階《論禱告時的意識與身體狀態》， 28：17，21，31。
- John Climacus, The Ladder of the Divine Ascent (ca. AD 600), Step 15 “On incorruptible purity and chastity to which the corruptible attain by toil and sweat” in 15:54 it says, “Always let the remembrance of death and the Prayer of Jesus said as a monologue go to sleep with you and get up with you; for you will find nothing to equal these aids during sleep.” The term monologue in Greek μονόλογος (mono+logos) means a single word or a single sentence.
Step 9 “On remembrance of wrongs” in 9:10 it says, “Let it be put to shame by the Prayer of Jesus which cannot be said with it.” Here, “Prayer of Jesus” is the Jesus Prayer used in the Orthodox Church.
Step 28 “On holy and blessed prayer, mother of virtues, and on the attitude of mind and body in prayer” in 29: 10 it says, “Do not attempt to talk much when you pray lest your mind be distracted in searching for words. One word of the publican propitiated God, and one cry of faith saved the thief. Loquacity in prayer often distracts the mind and leads to phantasy, whereas brevity [Gk. monologia, repetition of a single word or sentence] makes for concentration.”
John Climacus was the abbot of the Mount Sinai Monastery. The English version of the book quoted is translated by Archimandrite Lazarus Moore (Harper & Brothers, 1959).
- Gregory Palamas—A fourteenth-century Greek Orthodox theologian known for defending the practice of Hesychasm and clarifying the theological distinction between union with God in essence and in energy in his work Triads for the Defense of those Who Practice Sacred Quietude.. Fr. Spyridon of my church provides the endorsement of church authority for our fellowship and training.
- John Climacus, The Ladder of the Divine Ascent, Step 28 “On holy and blessed prayer, mother of virtues, and on the attitude of mind and body in prayer”, 28:19.” The beginning of prayer consists in banishing the thoughts that come to us by single ejaculations1 the very moment that they appear; the middle stage consists in confining our minds to what is being said and thought; and its perfection is rapture in the Lord.”
- This paragraph is based on a May 2025 presentation by a young American neuroscience scholar, who also edited both this and the following paragraph.
- John Climacus, The Ladder of the Divine Ascent, Step 28 “On holy and blessed prayer, mother of virtues, and on the attitude of mind and body in prayer”, 28:17, 21, 31.
