What is Hesychasm?

Answer

Hesychasm is a form of Christian mysticism found almost exclusively in Eastern Orthodoxy, gaining popularity in Greece in the 1300s. Roman Catholicism and Protestant denominations lack meaningful equivalents to it. Hesychasm shares similarities with Buddhist meditation concepts but within a Judeo-Christian framework rather than a pantheistic one. The central idea in Hesychasm is to engage in contemplative prayer, specifically through the repetition of the “Jesus Prayer,” to achieve union with God. This practice requires the Hesychast to suppress all senses and clear the mind.

Hesychasm is said to be rooted in Jesus’ instruction in Matthew 6:6. In this passage, Jesus criticizes the hypocritical public prayers and advises, “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Hesychasts interpret Jesus’ emphasis on private prayer quite strictly. They believe that Jesus intended His disciples to detach from sensory and intellectual distractions. Essentially, “go into your room” signifies “go into yourself.”

This introspection is achieved through repetitive contemplative prayer. The Jesus Prayer, a brief liturgical chant widely used in Eastern Orthodoxy, goes: Κύριε Ἰησοῦ Χριστέ, Υἱὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐλέησόν με τὸν ἁμαρτωλόν (“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner”). Hesychasts continuously recite this prayer, aiming to harness the divine power of God’s name. Through this practice, individuals gradually detach from external stimuli and eliminate wandering thoughts. The ultimate objective is theosis, achieving personal unity with God.

Hesychasm categorizes prayers into four levels of increasing significance: verbal prayer, mental prayer, heart prayer, and contemplative prayer.templation. Each type of prayer is successively more internal, more separated from external stimuli. The ultimate expression of contemplation is a total absence of sensory awareness, a complete lack of personal thought, and a pure connection to God.

Hesychastic methods are similar, in many ways, to Eastern meditation practices. Repetitive words or thoughts in a quest to banish independent thought, reject external stimulus, and shed desires are essential aspects of pantheistic meditation practices. The goal of separating oneself from the outside world is also a common component of Eastern mysticism.

Hesychasm, however, is neither pantheistic nor truly compatible with such worldviews. Unlike a Buddhist or Hindu, the Hesychast is not trying to achieve a state of non-being. Rather, the desired theosis is a “unity” with God similar to what is experienced between the members of the Trinity. Another difference is in the use of the Jesus Prayer. In Hesychasm, the meaning of the words, not the syllables, is important. So the phrase can be prayed in any language, as long as the practitioner focuses on the intended meaning of the sentence.

Mysticism is based on the quest to “experience” God through the use of rituals or other techniques. All forms of mysticism are rooted in an assumption that God can only truly be “known” in some subjective or personal way. Contrary to mysticism in general, and Hesychasm in particular, the Bible commands us to pray with a purpose and intent, not with a goal of washing out our own thoughts (Philippians 4:6;John 16:23-24). Scripture also indicates that God can be known objectively—otherwise, it would not be possible to “examine” or “test” our own faith (1 John 4:1;2 Corinthians 13:5).

Jesus’ comment in Matthew 6:6 was never meant to be taken as a command to go “within ourselves.”

It was and is simply a refutation of hypocritical and showy religious antics. While Hesychasm is not quite the same as Eastern meditative practices, it is neither biblical nor beneficial.